Kenshiro, falling from the sky, faced the attacker with a calm expression as he flipped in mid-air and reached out to grasp the incoming staff.
Kurata Kōtarō, who had ambushed Kenshiro, was thrown out after his staff was caught.
With a roaring sound, Kōtarō landed steadily on the floating island, and the powerful shockwave shook the entire island.
Kenshiro descended gracefully onto the floating island and looked at Kōtarō before him, saying coldly, "Hokuto Tenketsuken."
Without any superfluous words, Kenshiro's attack arrived before Kōtarō in an instant.
Kōtarō, wielding dual staffs, covered them with Armament Haki and defended rapidly while counter-attacking.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
The powerful impact sounded like a heavy hammer striking a thick wall, exceptionally muffled.
Yet, such sounds were the collision of power, again and again.
In just a moment of exchange, Kōtarō gained a clearer understanding of Kenshiro's strength.
Every punch and palm strike unleashed had unparalleled power.
Such power was indeed why he could strike such a massive floating island until it collapsed.
As they fought, Kōtarō's brain rapidly analyzed, and his speed grew ever faster, increasingly agile.
From an even match to unranked combat, Kenshiro's offense began to shift towards defense.
"Boom!"
A sudden kick sent Kenshiro, whose momentum was fading, flying.
The immense power directly penetrated the edge of the island, which was already collapsing due to their battle.
Kenshiro's figure passed through the floating island and crashed onto another.
In the void above, Shiki the Golden Lion watched the battle between the two, his brow slightly raised, before indifferently continuing forward.
He had brought many, many islands this time.
There was even secretly cultivated power on these islands.
Even with a few islands destroyed and some men lost, it would not affect his goal of destroying the Genbu Navy.
"This feeling is excellent."
"It's been a long time since I've had a good fight since the captain did some incredible things."
"I hope you can satisfy me."
Kōtarō shook his neck, grasping his one-meter-long custom dual staffs, and struck a fighting stance resembling the Seven-Step Fist.
"Your strength is far greater than that of the fallen silver-haired brat."
"Hit me with your full power."
After striking his stance, Kōtarō said with a playful smile to the recovering Kenshiro.
Kenshiro remained unmoved by Kōtarō's taunt.
Gintoki Sakata's combat power was extraordinary; it was difficult for ordinary Admirals to kill him.
Especially with Gintoki's "Sword-Sword Fruit" ability, he could run if he couldn't win, and he could strike from a distance.
However, since Kōtarō was so eager to be beaten, Kenshiro was happy to oblige.
The special nature of the Destruction Gauntlet, although triggered by chance, was terrifying in its explosive effect once activated.
Charge, accelerated charge.
"Hokuto Hyakuretsuken."
Upon reaching Kōtarō, Kenshiro's fists struck out rapidly, forming countless illusions.
This was an illusion born from extreme speed.
But this also meant that Kenshiro's every punch grew stronger with each continuous strike.
As one of the core combatants of the Flying Pirates, Kōtarō's speed and strength were naturally not to be underestimated.
Offense and defense shifted back and forth between them, unleashing powerful forces.
The island beneath their feet gradually collapsed under the impact of their power.
*Boom!*
Just then, as Kōtarō had done before when blocking with his staff, his expression changed dramatically.
A sudden punch erupted with a power more than ten times its usual.
The specially made wooden staff, covered with Armament Haki, emitted cracking sounds, with hairline fractures appearing.
The immense power did not wane, and Kenshiro's fist continued forward.
*Crack!*
The custom wooden staff, unable to bear the strain, completely snapped.
*Boom!*
Kōtarō's face distorted under Kenshiro's massive fist. His body, under the impact of this power, flew sideways, about to be flung off the island's edge and fall into the sea thousands of meters below.
But at that moment, Kōtarō's body began to spin rapidly.
The other wooden staff in his hand also spun quickly, its speed creating a strong wind.
Kōtarō, under the immense impact, managed to avoid falling from a great height by using this method, successfully landing on the edge of the shattered floating island.
"That last punch was truly terrifying and sudden."
Kōtarō reached out and twisted his crooked cheek, making cracking sounds. Soon, it returned to normal.
Then, Kōtarō held the remaining custom wooden staff in his right hand, turned sideways, with the staff held vertically, adopting a stance similar to fencing.
But he held a wooden staff, not a sword.
Kōtarō was not a Devil Fruit user, yet at this moment, he drew a circle in front of him with the wooden staff.
Though it was just a circle, it was as if countless beads were spinning rapidly.
Kenshiro was unaware of the special nature of Kōtarō's technique.
He charged forward, unleashing another powerful and fast attack.
However, Kenshiro soon discovered that no matter how he attacked, no matter how much power he unleashed, every punch hit the target, yet was easily blocked.
"Useless."
"My technique is called 'Ran' (Chaos). It's an unranked attack and defense. Any point hit will bear immense force, but it will also be deflected and dispersed in the air by my movements, and I can use that momentum to counter-attack."
"If you want to fight, I will fight with you to my heart's content."
Kōtarō watched Kenshiro's expression become increasingly serious, his attacks faster, his unleashed power more astonishing, yet a playful smile lingered on his lips.
Kōtarō was very confident that with this ability, he had a chance to exhaust Kenshiro's stamina.
After all, with Kenshiro's fighting style, the physical exertion would undoubtedly be immense.
Hearing Kōtarō's words, Kenshiro's eyes flashed with brilliance.
At this moment, Kenshiro had a feeling.
It was coming, that triggering sensation.
"Die!"
With a punch, Kenshiro let out a cold snort.
Twenty times the bursting power.
*Boom!*
The immense power formed a colossal shockwave and terrifying explosive force.
Kōtarō's staff, though moving fluidly in his hand, became uncontrollable when it collided with the shockwave generated by Kenshiro's punch.
This meant that Kōtarō's 'Ran' was losing its effect.
Kōtarō's expression turned slightly grim. He instantly tightened his grip on the wooden staff, covering it tightly with Armament Haki.
The fist and the staff instantly collided.