MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: CHAPTER 7
At this point, Ayr's Sage Body progress had reached a saturation point.
To push it further, he needed to battle warriors equal to or stronger than himself.
And Golden Lion Shiki was the perfect opponent—an experienced swordsman, a legendary pirate, and, most importantly, a free source of battle experience.
Moreover, despite Shiki's overwhelming strength, Ayr wasn't worried about his safety.
Instead, he was eager to see just how far he had come.
What was the true extent of his strength? How much of a gap still remained between him and the top fighters of this world?
A test against one of the strongest members of the Rocks Pirates would give him the answers.
---
Boarding the Ship
Boom!!!
A massive wooden ladder extended from the Rocks Pirates' ship, bridging the gap to Ayr's vessel.
Slowly and steadily, Ayr ascended, each step bringing him closer to one of the most infamous pirate crews in history.
Looking around, Ayr couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
He had seen these people in the original story, but standing among them now felt surreal.
Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Silver Axe, Captain John, Ochoku…
Now, he would fight alongside them.
This was the best decision he could have made.
---
Facing the Golden Lion
Shiki stood confidently on deck, his golden hair flowing in the wind, arms crossed.
"Are you ready, kid? No… Should I say, are you ready, Ayr?" Shiki smirked.
Ayr's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Bring it on."
From the moment he set sail a year ago, Ayr had trained relentlessly with the blade.
He had already mastered the ability to listen to the breath of all things and understood the deeper meaning behind cutting iron.
Now, his swordsmanship had advanced to the point where he could unleash flying slashes.
However, he was still only at the level of a swordsman.
The gap between a swordsman and a Great Swordsman (Dai Kengō) was immense.
Golden Lion, a world-class swordsman, was an entirely different league.
Even so, Ayr welcomed the challenge.
This battle would push him further, force him to grow.
Because…
He was a natural-born swordsmanship genius.
---
The Black Blade
"Jiehahaha… Courageous, huh?" Shiki laughed. "I'm starting to like you, kid."
Ching!
Shiki drew one of his famed twin blades, Oto, the sound of steel slicing through the air ringing across the deck.
The moment the sword was unsheathed, Ayr noticed something.
Shiki's blade wasn't just wrapped in Armament Haki—it was permanently blackened.
A Black Blade (Kokutō).
It wasn't the result of temporary Haki infusion but a testament to Shiki's mastery over the sword, forged through countless battles.
To permanently blacken a blade was a feat only the strongest swordsmen could achieve.
"A permanently blackened blade… just how many battles has this man fought?"
Shiki held his blade lazily in one hand.
"I'll give you the first move, Ayr."
Despite wielding two swords, Shiki wasn't using both.
"He thinks dual-wielding would be overkill?" Ayr thought.
A clear sign of Shiki's confidence—or his underestimation.
---
The Clash
Ayr didn't waste time.
His blade flashed, coated in thick Armament Haki.
Tread!!!
He exploded forward, the deck shaking beneath his feet.
Clang!!!
Their blades collided, sending out a shockwave.
Sparks erupted, the air itself trembling from the force of their clash.
Ayr gritted his teeth.
"He's even stronger than I thought!"
He had put his full strength into that attack—everything he had learned in his year at sea.
And yet…
Shiki had blocked it effortlessly.
The gap between a Swordsman and a Great Swordsman was wider than Ayr had expected.
"Of course… He's been at sea for over ten years. I've only been sailing for one."
The difference in experience was undeniable.
Even so…
Ayr wasn't about to back down.
---
The Battle Intensifies
"Oh? Not bad," Shiki remarked, slightly surprised.
For just a moment, he had felt the raw power behind Ayr's strike.
But that wasn't enough.
"Let's see how you handle this."
Dang! Dang! Dang!
The two warriors clashed again and again, their blades colliding dozens of times in rapid succession.
Each strike sent ripples through the air, distorting the space around them.
The watching Rocks Pirates were taken aback.
"He's actually holding his own?"
"This kid… he's surviving against Captain Shiki?!"
Ayr wasn't just keeping up—he was analyzing.
Every attack, every movement, he was studying Shiki's swordplay.
He searched for flaws, openings, anything that could give him an advantage.
But Shiki's technique was flawless.
His movements were effortless, his strikes unpredictable.
"Damn… There's nothing. No weak points."
But just because finding a flaw was difficult…
Didn't mean it was impossible.
---
The Counterattack
Ayr's eyes sharpened.
He switched his approach.
Instead of attacking directly, he focused on dodging—using Observation Haki to weave around Shiki's blade.
Then—
Ayr's sword shot forward.
A single precise strike, aimed directly at Shiki's chest.
Shiki, caught off guard by the sudden shift in rhythm, couldn't react in time.
Schhhh!!!
A thin red line appeared across Shiki's chest.
Blood trickled down.
For a second, the entire deck fell silent.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
The crew erupted in shock.
"Did… did he just wound Captain Shiki?!"
"That's impossible!! Even against the Marines, Captain Shiki almost never gets injured!"
"How the hell did this kid find an opening in Captain Shiki's swordplay?!"
"He lasted way longer than five moves… and now he even landed a hit?!"
Ayr took a step back, gripping his blade tightly.
It wasn't a deep wound, but it was a hit.
He had found an opening.
Shiki glanced down at his bleeding chest.
For a moment, he was quiet.
Then—
Jiehahahaha!!!
He threw back his head and laughed.
"That's the first time in a long while someone actually cut me," he admitted. "I underestimated you, kid."
He grinned.
"But now…"
Shiki's aura flared, the air itself growing heavier.
"I'm done going easy on you."
Ayr smirked.
"That's what I was hoping for."