- The King in Yellow - Male Reader x One Piece

Chapter 3: The Yellow Sign

"I don't know what you hope to accomplish here but to think that a mere mortal can oppose us is pure folly!" The Baron roared out, and without any delay he charged towards the golden swordsman, his halberd held out to one side, ready to crash his blade into his opponent...

The swordsman raised his sword defensively, as the long pole smashed into the dark slab which refused to budge. He scowled back and slammed his sword forward, bashing the Baron backwards, and he pushed forward, slicing the giant blade upwards. The lordling just narrowly avoided the blade's tip. He dashed backwards and struck back once more, pushing the halberd's spiked top forward.

There was a sudden clash of metal as the two wrestled back and forth, but the Baron was quickly being forced back. Despite how hard he fought, the stranger's strength, but also the sheer size and weight of his enormous sword, put him at a sizable disadvantage. He had never come across a simple human with so much strength, it was madness! 

The sword made a close-encounter far difficult, but his halberd's length couldn't aid him either. 

That meant he needed to be faster, his strikes stronger, he needed to pierce through the swordsman's defence rapidly and repeatedly. The Baron brought the pole back and unleashed a sudden barrage of stabs, one after the other, and yet, each one was blocked once more...

The last strike the swordsman caught and he suddenly shined bright as a gold coating consumed the arm. He flexed his hand and the halberd's tip, despite the black coating that covered its entire length, snapped off completely. The Baron's eyes went wide. "You know how to manipulate spiritual energy too? You must have a strong will, but it will not help you here!" And, he punched forward, his gauntlet painted with the same black layer, smashing his knuckles into the stranger's enormous sword.

He used the sword like a shield as Baron unleashed a heavy punch, and the crunch of his spiritual coating against the tempered metal shook the very air around them, but the sword remained strong nonetheless. It must have been forged by a master artisan, refusing to bend to the lord's unbridled wrath...

The punches continued, again and again before the stranger slammed his shoulder into the Baron, throwing the lord back, and he slashed his swords forward, a golden light empowering the blade. With both gauntlets, there was an attempt to hold back the enormous slab, but it was astronomically stronger than he anticipated, and it threw him across the city square, crashing through a storefront. The swordsman wasn't finished however, and he marched forward, his weapon held low, ready to continue their duel.

"Kid! Are you alright?!" Victoria raced over to her downed friend. The bleeding was bad but he remained conscious, simply watching the battle, his eyes following along with a silent awe. Never had he seen such a ferocious battle before, nor had he ever seen such a terrifying swordsman. The snap of fabric stole his attention as she tore part of her clothing, and she wrapped his torn shoulder tight, trying to stop the gushing red. He wouldn't say it aloud but he appreciated the action. 

"W-Who the hell is that guy?" Killer mumbled out, shambling over towards them. Victoria joined him, staring at the swordsman's slow walk. His cloak shined bright, reflecting the raging inferno that burned all around them. However, what caught their attention was that same symbol upon his eye, but this time it wasn't simply a normal scar, rather, now it too burned a bright gold. It was the same colour his sword and arm had taken on, empowering his already devastating strikes. "The Yellow King..." Victoria whispered, remembering what the Baron had shouted before. What did it mean, the Yellow King? Who was the Yellow King, and why did the title imbue in her some strange recollection, like she had heard it in passing, or read it from an old book...

The swordsman's shadow loomed through the shattered doorway, and he scanned his eyes around trying to find the Baron. A sudden image flashed through his mind and he tried to react but the attack came far too quickly. An enormous scaly tail, three or four times larger than he was, crashed into his torso and sent him flying back across the square. He skidded against the stone, wounded and bloodied. He held his stomach but struggled through the pain, slowly picking himself up. He spat up a pool of blood, the red staining his chin. "It's futile..."