Chapter 44: - 44: Fire in the Sky, Ash in the Sea
Smoke curled across the sky like burnt silk. The Beast Pirates' ship groaned beneath the weight of crashing debris. Massive stone boulders—remnants of Shiki's floating island—rained down like wrathful meteors, splintering mast and hull alike.
But King did not fall.
From the plummeting column of smoke, just meters above the waves, a searing blast of fire erupted.
FWOOOOOM!!
Wings spread wide—dark, sharp as blades—King rocketed back into the sky, eyes ablaze with fury, embers trailing from his limbs. His sword was gone, torn from him during the impact. But now, as he rose through the haze, something ancient stirred in his blood.
Something primal.
"You're going to regret that," he muttered, voice low and heavy.
Golden Lion Shiki, hovering high with his arms outstretched, cackled.
"Well now! The firebird's still got his wings. Maybe Kaido really did dig up something special!"
King didn't respond.
Instead, his body surged with fire.