Almost every eye on the battlefield turned toward the source of those words.
Then, a sight that many would never forget appeared before them.
Shiki stood there with a calm expression, his sword covered in black darkness and buried deep in Aokiji's heart.
Without reacting to the countless horrified stares, Shiki pulled the blade free.
But he still wasn't finished.
He reached into the darkness and took out an apple.
Before the stunned eyes of the entire world, the apple twisted and changed, transforming into a blue Devil Fruit—the power that had once belonged to Aokiji.
The light had already vanished from Aokiji's eyes.
Missing an arm and a leg, his lifeless body fell backward, his face turned toward the sky.
"Oi, oi... You've gotta be kidding me."
Disbelief flashed across Doflamingo's face before his grin slowly widened as he stared at the Devil Fruit in Shiki's hand.
"Fuffuffuffu... That bastard went and pulled off something truly wicked this time."
His shoulders began to shake with laughter.
"Now then... How will the world react to this? Fuffuffuffu... It's going to fall into complete chaos."
Ordinarily, when a Devil Fruit user died, their power would reappear somewhere else in the world. No one could predict where or when the fruit would return.
Shiki had not allowed that process to occur naturally.
He had seized the power at the exact moment of Aokiji's death and forced it into a fruit of his choosing.
Several high-ranking Marines reached the same conclusion.
Vice Admirals who had fought across the Grand Line for decades stood frozen where they were.
"He stole the Admiral's ability..."
"That's impossible!"
Sengoku forced his exhausted body upright. His expression darkened as veins bulged across his forehead, and without hesitation, he roared.
"Surround Shiki!"
"Do not allow him to escape with the Hie Hie no Mi!"
The Marines answered as one.
"YES, FLEET ADMIRAL!"
Before the Navy could make its move, another figure flashed forward and appeared in midair.
'Kuzan... You damn fool. I told you not to lose sight of yourself.'
Black lightning crackled around Garp's drawn-back fist, his face grim and filled with killing intent.
"You killed my pupil right in front of me... Don't think you're leaving this place alive, brat!"
"Galaxy Impact!!"
BOOM!!
Garp smashed his fist down toward Shiki.
Shiki merely glanced back at him.
The next instant, the attack landed, unleashing a massive shockwave that tore through the battlefield and forced back the Marines who had been rushing forward, along with Marco, who had been about to support Shiki.
"Vice Admiral Garp!!"
The Marines shouted in excitement as the Hero of the Navy entered the battle.
Across the world, the people watching the broadcast finally came back to their senses.
"An Admiral... Shiki didn't just defeat one this time—he killed him! And at Marineford, no less!"
"This is huge news! Spread the word! Even the Navy's greatest forces are helpless before the Golden Lion!"
"But the Hero, Garp..."
"Idiot, don't celebrate yet! Do you really think someone capable of killing a Navy Admiral would go down that easily? Just watch. I doubt the surprises are over."
"To think someone capable of extracting Devil Fruits actually exists... This is going to create a storm across the entire world."
Just as the people watching had expected, the violent shockwaves finally began to fade.
Garp stared into the smoke with a grim expression.
Red-black lightning crackled around his body as he lowered himself into a fighting stance.
Then—Shiki emerged from the smoke.
Darkness covered his entire body, but anyone looking closely could see that his breathing had grown heavier.
His expression remained calm. However, only Shiki knew how exhausted he truly was.
Fighting two Admirals at once was no small matter.
Killing one of them was even worse.
His current strength may have already surpassed Roger's, but that did not mean he was invincible.
He could not afford to waste any more time here.
Aokiji's Devil Fruit had only been one of his objectives in this war.
There was still something else he had come to do.
Shiki slowly rose into the air.
The moment his feet left the ground, every powerful fighter across Marineford turned toward him.
The terrifying Haki he had released earlier was still fresh in their minds.
Shiki raised Kogarashi in his left hand as black lightning crawled across the blade, coating it completely.
"Well, I don't have any more time to waste..."
"So buzz off, old man."
The air around him twisted as violent winds spiralled across the battlefield.
"Dark Style..."
Shiki swung his sword.
"Lightless Moon!"
BOOM!!
The sky above Marineford trembled.
A gigantic crescent-shaped slash tore through the air, racing straight toward Garp with enough force to split everything in its path.
The powerful fighters watching immediately understood what they were seeing.
That was no ordinary attack.
"Here it comes!"
Garp had no time to dodge.
Red-black lightning burst from his body as he crossed his arms and coated himself in Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
The slash struck him head-on.
BOOOOM!!
The ground beneath Garp exploded.
Even his monstrous body and Haki failed to stop the attack completely.
The slash tore across his body, sending blood spraying through the air.
"GARP!!"
Garp was blasted backward.
He crashed through one building, then another, before finally disappearing beneath a mountain of rubble hundreds of metres away.
For a moment, Marineford fell silent, everyone's eyes popping out in disbelief. Garp, the Hero of the Navy, had been sent flying with just one attack.
Among everyone watching, Mihawk's reaction was the strongest.
His golden eyes narrowed as he stared at the fading trail left behind by the slash.
There was no mistake... That swordsmanship...
Shiki had reached a level dangerously close to his own.
Then, without warning... Shiki vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared directly beside Sengoku.
"What—?!"
His fist, covered in darkness, gravity, and Advanced Haki, slammed straight into Sengoku's face.
BOOM!!
The impact sent Sengoku flying across the plaza, leaving the surrounding Marines frozen in shock.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!!"
Shiki did not even spare him another glance.
He disappeared once more and reappeared before Whitebeard's lifeless body.
Darkness immediately spread from beneath his feet and began covering the fallen Emperor.
Marco landed beside him at once, his flames burning as he glared at Shiki.
"What are you planning to do with Pops?"
Shiki looked at him calmly.
"I'm taking his Devil Fruit."
Marco's expression hardened.
"It would be better for you not to interfere."
Marco gritted his teeth, his body tensing as though he might attack.
However, Shiki's next words stopped him.
"Giving Whitebeard a proper send-off would be better, wouldn't it?"
His eyes shifted toward the Marines surrounding the battlefield.
"Or would you rather leave his body here for the Navy to desecrate?"
Marco fell silent.
He understood exactly what Shiki meant.
After a long moment, the flames around his body slowly faded, and he stepped aside.
Under the greedy, fearful, and awestruck eyes of the entire world, Shiki once again demonstrated his terrifying ability to steal the power of the dead.
"Great Eruption!!"
Without warning, an enormous magma fist tore across the battlefield toward Shiki.
Akainu, still carrying the wounds Shiki had given him before Aokiji's death, had launched a surprise attack from behind.
Shiki's eyes shifted toward it but before he could move, blue flames burst across the battlefield.
Marco appeared between them and blocked the magma fist head-on.
BOOOOM!!
Magma and blue flames exploded outward, shaking the ruined plaza.
Shiki glanced at Marco, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.
Marco pushed Akainu's attack aside and looked back at him.
"You helped us save our family, yoi. Even if that wasn't your intention... we still owe you for it."
Akainu's expression twisted with disgust.
"Helping the man who is stealing Whitebeard's power? How pathetic."
Marco's eyes turned cold.
Before either side could make another move, rubble exploded in two different parts of the battlefield.
Garp stepped out from the ruins, blood running down his body.
Sengoku also rose to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Akainu moved beside them.
The three greatest remaining forces of Marine Headquarters stood together, facing Shiki.
Shiki frowned.
With his current stamina, fighting Akainu, Garp, and Sengoku at the same time would be dangerous.
Even for him.
But he was the Golden Lion...
Running away had never been in his blood.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shiki raised Kogarashi.
Darkness wrapped around the blade as black lightning cracked through the sky.
"Then come."
The three attacked at once.
"Great Eruption!!"
Akainu's enormous magma fist came from the front, while Sengoku, still in his golden Buddha form, struck from above with a powerful shockwave.
Garp disappeared from sight.
Shiki's Observation Haki immediately warned him.
He twisted aside just as Garp's fist tore through the space where his head had been.
"Galaxy Divide!!"
Black lightning exploded across Marineford.
Shiki raised Kogarashi and blocked the punch with a blade coated in Advanced Armament and Conqueror's Haki.
BOOOOM!!
Neither weapon nor fist touched, yet the force of their collision split the ground beneath them.
Before Shiki could push Garp away, Sengoku's shockwave struck him from the side.
Shiki's body was sent crashing through the plaza.
Bang!
Akainu immediately followed.
"Hell Hound!"
A magma-covered fist shot toward Shiki's chest, but darkness suddenly spread beneath the Golden Lion.
"Black Hole."
The shattered ground, flames, and magma were dragged into the darkness.
Akainu's arm sank into the black vortex, and the power of the Magu Magu no Mi weakened the moment Shiki seized him.
Shiki drove his knee into Akainu's stomach before slashing Kogarashi across his chest.
Blood and magma burst through the air.
However, Garp was already there.
His Haki-covered fist slammed into Shiki's ribs and sent him flying once again.
Shiki stopped himself in midair using his gravity power, but Sengoku appeared above him and brought both palms down.
The Buddha's shockwave crashed directly into Shiki.
BOOM!!
The sky shook.
Shiki fell toward the plaza, only to vanish before hitting the ground.
Using Future Sight, he appeared behind Sengoku and swung Kogarashi toward the Fleet Admiral's neck.
Sengoku turned just in time, blocking the blade with his golden arm.
Black lightning spread through the air as Shiki's Conqueror's Haki clashed against Sengoku's own strength. Soon, the Haki covering Sengoku's arm was overwhelmed, and the blade cut through it completely, sending his severed hand flying.
Yet Sengoku merely clenched his teeth and held Shiki in place with his remaining hand.
Akainu raised both fists beneath them.
"Ryusei Kazan!!"
Countless magma fists shot into the sky before raining down across Marineford.
"So that's what you were planning, but too bad... I already saw through it," Shiki said.
Immediately afterward, he kicked Sengoku away before extending one hand toward the incoming attack.
"Liberation."
Everything the darkness had swallowed erupted at once.
Broken stone, flames, cannonballs, and magma were released in a violent storm, colliding with Akainu's attack above the battlefield.
The sky became filled with explosions.
Amid the chaos, blue flames suddenly flashed behind Akainu.
Marco drove both talons into the Admiral's back.
"Phoenix Brand!"
Akainu was smashed face-first into the ground.
"You again, Marco...!"
Marco spread his flaming wings and immediately retreated before Garp or Sengoku could turn their attention toward him.
That single interruption was enough.
Shiki appeared above Akainu, darkness wrapped around his leg, and kicked him deeper into the plaza.
Then, before Garp and Sengoku could react, Shiki closed his eyes and breathed heavily.
For the first time since coming into this world—no, for the first time in his entire life—he had been pushed this far.
But instead of fear, he felt excitement.
"Dark Cloaked: Dimension Slash!"
Shiki opened his eyes and unleashed a strike that was making its first appearance in the pirate world.
It was his first time using it, and Akainu happened to be its target.
BZZZZT!
"Akainu!!"
Sengoku roared as Akainu hurriedly raised his arms to block, but the slash passed straight through them and tore across his chest.
His body split apart and crashed to the ground.
"Gah—!"
Even then, Akainu was still barely alive. He stared at his severed body and coughed out a large mouthful of blood.
"Damn you, Shiki!!"
Sengoku roared, but beneath his rage was something far worse.
Two Admirals... He has already brought down two of the Navy's greatest powers.
Despair spread through the Marines as the entire world stared at the broadcast in silence.
Even Doflamingo's grin had vanished.
This isn't a war anymore... That monster is tearing down the balance of the world with his own hands.
He swallowed hard and, for once, said nothing.
Shiki descended beside Akainu's severed body.
Akainu was still barely alive, glaring up at him through bloodied eyes.
"Damn... pirate..."
Shiki looked down at him without emotion before driving Kogarashi through his chest.
"You should've stayed down after I dealt with Aokiji."
The light vanished from Akainu's eyes, but his face still held an expression of hatred and unwillingness.
Only then did Shiki take out another apple and cover both it and Akainu's body in darkness.
Moments later, the fruit twisted into the shape of the Magu Magu no Mi.
Shiki placed it inside his darkness, but beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he stopped to take a deep breath.
Sengoku immediately noticed, his expression growing increasingly grim.
So that's it... From the very beginning, he never possessed the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
Sengoku's eyes darkened as everything finally fell into place.
That darkness can nullify Devil Fruit powers, control gravity, and even steal abilities from the dead... What kind of monstrous power is that? And why have I never heard of it before?
They had all been deceived by the name Shiki, believing he was connected to the old Golden Lion and his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
He used that misunderstanding to hide his true ability until the perfect moment... Damn it. This cunning bastard led us straight into his trap.
"Everyone, attack! Garp, no matter what it takes, Shiki must die here!"
His voice spread across the ruined plaza.
"If we allow him to leave Marineford alive after this, the Navy will become the shame of the entire world!"
The live broadcast still continued. Shiki had already sent many of the Navy's Den Den Mushi high into the air, suspending them far beyond the Marines' reach and making it impossible to stop the transmission for the time being.
Garp wiped the blood from his mouth and clenched his fist.
"You've taken enough lives today, Shiki."
Black lightning gathered around his arm.
"Even if this old body breaks apart, I'll drag you down with me!"
The entire Navy prepared to rush him at once.
Shiki stood proudly before them with a fearless smile despite his nearly exhausted stamina. He could have simply flown away, but if he truly gave everything he had, killing everyone present was not impossible—though he would not escape without paying a price himself.
Just as the battle was about to begin again, something unexpected happened.
Hawkeye Mihawk stepped forward and calmly looked at Shiki.
"Shiki, if you survive today, I would like to challenge you to a duel in the New World."
After witnessing that previous strike, Mihawk had felt something he had never experienced before.
Shiki may have completed the attack with the power of his Devil Fruit, but the concept at its core was unquestionably that of a sword.
Mihawk wanted to experience it for himself.
"Hahaha!" Shiki laughed. "What's this, Hawkeye? You don't intend to join them against me?"
"No."
Mihawk's answer was immediate.
"A duel between swordsmen is fought one-on-one. There is no meaning in a victory gained through numbers." (PS: W Mihawk)
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