Just as mentioned before… The pirates gathered on this floating Skypiea were subordinates that the "Golden Lion" had secretly assembled over time after escaping from Impel Down and discovering this place called "Vermillion," all for the sake of his ambition.
However, to avoid his plans being discovered early by the Marines or the World Government, the pirates he recruited rarely included any truly famous or high-profile great pirates.
Many of them were people who had been drifting around the first half of the Grand Line, some didn't even have the ambition to step into the "New World."
So…
They had never had the qualification or opportunity to witness what a true "top-tier sea powerhouse" looked like.
"Th-that is…"
"H-Hey… you've got to be kidding, right—?!"
So their current dumbfounded expressions weren't surprising at all.
"Whooo…!"
A howling, icy wind swept across their bodies, and snowflakes drifted into the Royal Palace.
Yes… snow.
Falling into what should have been a warm palace.
Because at this moment, the upper half of the lion-shaped Royal Palace that ruled Vermillion… was completely gone.
And the pirates naturally knew why.
Because…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amid the raging snowstorm, thunder-like explosive sounds, several times more violent than the earlier blast, were continuously echoing without pause. They could feel the very foundation of the remaining palace trembling… even their hearts trembling along with it.
Their gazes turned upward as the battle was happening there.
Or more accurately… Calling it a "battle" wasn't quite right.
High above the skies at the peak of Vermillion, massive golden fist-shaped shockwaves surged and pulsed. That was the source of the vanished upper half of the palace. Yet the pirates weren't panicking. Because compared to the entire Vermillion, losing just the upper half of the Royal Palace could almost be considered "good luck."
At this moment…
The mountains across the island had been shattered. The raging snowstorm had been forced downward. The distant clouds were continuously torn apart.
And even so… That figure clad in a Marine coat, with both arms pitch black, was still moving, still punching. With every swing of his fists… The legendary pirate of the past, the "Golden Lion," Shiki, was being blasted away like a balloon.
Black Busoshoku Haki covered his body, yet blood still spilled uncontrollably from his mouth and wounds.
"Lion Majesty · Rockfall!"
It wasn't like he hadn't tried to resist.
For example, at this very moment, just after being struck by a shockwave, he slightly curled his fingers, causing countless shattered rocks to form a gigantic lion head that lunged toward Roy.
But…
"Buzz!!"
Roy didn't even need to defend as a powerful wave of force blocked the massive lion head entirely.
[Free King Buddha · Protective Radiance]
Then he raised his hand and landed another punch.
Shiki immediately manipulated the surrounding wind and snow; the freezing snow condensed into a massive lion-shaped body wrapping around him as a shield.
But…
[Muscle-Muscule Fruit · 50× Muscle Enhancement]
[Multiplication Devil Fruit · 30× Speed]
[Magu-Magu no Mi · Level 4]
"Super Shockwave Fist · Great Eruption!"
The shockwave in Roy's hand instantly ignited with blazing heat, melting the snow in an instant.
In the next moment, that overwhelmingly fast punch left Shiki with almost no way to evade. This was the reality of the battle and it was clear even to the pirates watching below.
"He's completely outmatched…"
"That legendary Golden Lion is actually… being totally suppressed!"
"So terrifying… th-this is 'Black Kirin'?!"
"The future legend of the Marines… is this strong?!"
Yes… This was not an evenly matched fight. It was obvious to anyone that the "Golden Lion" was at an absolute disadvantage. Their shocked voices couldn't possibly reach the distant sky through the storm…
But…
"This brat…" Shiki himself understood it better than anyone.
"How is he this strong?!"
He had stayed hidden in Vermillion all this time but he had still heard bits and pieces about "Black Kirin."
A so-called future Marine legend.
An Admiral candidate.
The disciple of Zephyr.
The creator of a unique Hasshoken-style technique called "Shockwave Fist."
But to Shiki… That had been all. He had never truly taken Roy seriously.
After all… He was the "Golden Lion."
A man who once stormed Marine Headquarters alone. A man who had once suppressed Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate. His opponents should have been Monkey D. Garp, Sengoku, the entire Marine Headquarters, even the World Government itself.
How could a mere young brat, no matter how talented, ever be worthy of his attention?
And yet, the reality was now right in front of him.
"BANG!"
Struck once again by Roy's punch, the overwhelming pain was accompanied by an even greater sense of humiliation.
"You brat… how dare you…"
How dare he make him lose face in front of his subordinates?
How dare he make the "Golden Lion" bleed?
"Lion · Thousand Slice Valley!"
Forcing himself to steady his body, he kicked out with both legs. The famous blades that replaced his feet, Kogarashi and Oto, erupted with golden, razor-sharp flying slashes.
SHING!
The slashes collided with Roy's Shockwave Fist, both deflecting off each other. The slashes cleaved a massive rock apart, while the shockwave reduced a small mountain peak to dust.
In that instant… The "Golden Lion," Shiki, turned into an afterimage and appeared behind Roy.
"Zanpa - Slash Wave · Lion Twin Claws!"
His legs lashed toward Roy's neck simultaneously, but in the next moment…
CLANG!
The hand wrapped in "black mane" had already blocked his blade legs.
Crack! Crack!
A surge of powerful Haki burst forth. Shiki gritted his teeth in shock as his blades couldn't move forward even an inch, and through the reflection on the blade… He saw the look in Roy's eyes.
They were still cold from what had happened to his subordinates.
But beneath that coldness… Was boundless confidence.
"Buzz!!" ×2
A violent shockwave erupted once again.
"UGH…!"
Shiki's body was swept away, blood spraying from his mouth yet again, but even this wasn't enough to bring him down. Shiki waved his hands, preparing to activate his Devil Fruit and hurl two nearby floating islands downward.
At the same time, he was ready to immediately retreat, distancing himself from Roy to find another opportunity to strike.
But…
"!!!"
At that moment, Shiki was horrified to realize…
"My ability…!"
His body, and even the two islands he intended to control, were no longer responding to him.
The reason was simple.
"Whooo…!"
Because at this moment, the raging winds around them had already formed into a massive hurricane. It churned the clouds, sand, and shattered rock, completely enclosing both Shiki and Roy within it, the violent storm restrained Shiki, leaving him unable to move at all.
And within that hurricane, he could see golden shockwaves flowing through it.
"Wind Shockwave Fist · Divine Sandstorm."
Shiki's eyes widened instantly.
"Wind…?!"
"Impossible… your Shockwave Fist doesn't…"
As far as he knew, Roy's technique didn't include anything like this but in the next moment…
"Your information is outdated." Roy's voice echoed in his ears. "Using my fists to drive the wind… that's something I can naturally do."
"You're old." He said calmly, "It's time for you to exit the stage."
Of course, Roy's words were only half true. The "Wind Shockwave Fist" was, in essence, still derived from the power of the Devil Fruit he was using, in particular, a wind-based ability he had deliberately kept equipped after anticipating this battle.
The reason was simple.
He knew Shiki was the user of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. That ability allowed him to make all non-living things float and manipulate them freely, whether battleships, objects, or entire islands. With it, he had once created his own flying fleet and even, at one point, suppressed the Pirate King Gol D. Roger.
It was undoubtedly a top-tier ability.
But… It had a fatal weakness.
Wind.
Floating without gravity meant being extremely susceptible to air currents, the stronger the wind, the greater the restriction. In the original story, Shiki had even attempted to seize the genius navigator Nami precisely to predict and avoid storms.
And as for the truth in Roy's words, he genuinely believed it.
Shiki… was old.
Up until now, Roy had fought many top-tier figures of both the previous and current generations of the sea, either directly or through his identity within the Twelve Zodiac.
Monkey D. Garp.
Sakazuki.
All of them were undeniably powerful but Shiki was different.
His strength was great. His Haki was powerful. His vitality was immense. His ability was top-tier. His combat skill was refined. And yet… Roy felt that something felt… off.
Shiki didn't give him that unique sense of threat that true top-tier monsters of the sea possessed.
He was certain of one thing… The pirate named Shiki standing before him now… was no longer truly equal to the "Golden Lion" of the past.
But for Roy, that didn't matter. At this moment, facing the "Golden Lion" who was completely restrained within the raging hurricane, Roy raised his fist once more.
"Super Shockwave Fist · Spear of Elbaf — Hakoku Sovereignty!"
Without hesitation, the ancient combat technique of the giants merged with his Shockwave Fist and erupted.
And this blow struck Shiki square in the face.
The legendary pirate's body was sent flying downward at an unprecedented speed.
This time, he smashed straight through the island itself, plunging toward the lower floating Skypiea.
"…"
Even Shiki now felt as if he was about to lose consciousness.
"Damn it…" The shrieking wind roared past his ears, his vision dimming but at that very moment, he saw the seawater below.
Water that had been lifted along with the islands by his ability was now floating nearby.
Its surface was clear… Clear enough to reflect his own appearance.
And what he saw… was a blood-covered, battered version of himself. He realized, with surprise, that his skin had somehow turned darkened… wrinkled.
"I didn't even notice…" At the edge of consciousness, his thoughts began to scatter.
Memories surfaced instinctively… Everything he had done over the years.
After cutting off his own legs to escape Impel Down… Discovering this island of rare beasts by chance, and treating it as the cornerstone of his ambition… Hiding among these floating islands, letting his subordinates conduct experiments, dreaming day after day of conquering the world…
Until today…
When he was crushed so completely by Roy.
A legend?
"…How laughable."
For the first time in his life, he felt something strange.
Strange… and ridiculous.
Why had he believed that a bunch of beasts could conquer a sea filled with monsters?
Why had he thought those worthless pirates were worthy of serving under him?
Soon… He found the answer.
"I really have grown old."
Yes.
He had grown old.
At some unknown point in time, the man who once competed with the Pirate King Gol D. Roger in the Battle of Edd War… The man who stormed Marine Headquarters alone for an answer… The lion who once roared across the seas…
Had become… A coward hiding on isolated islands, afraid to reveal himself.
An old relic clinging to past glory, arrogantly blind to everything else.
And now… Reality made it clear. He had been completely wrong. The younger generation was rising… Faster than he had ever imagined.
The sea was no longer the same as before.
And he had remained sealed inside a coffin called "the past," rotting away without realizing it.
"I… really am a fool."
At this moment, a faint smile appeared on Shiki's lips.
Even older memories surfaced.
He remembered Roger…
He remembered Edward Newgate…
He remembered Kaido and Charlotte Linlin…
He remembered those distant years.
His eyes slowly began to close.
But just then…
"Hey, Shiki."
From somewhere deep within his memories, a drunken voice echoed.
"This sea… every era produces incredible people!"
It was from long ago, when he was still just a member of a pirate crew.
"I'm one of them, you are too, and so is Roger… but in the future, there'll be countless more amazing figures! And if I succeed, there'll be even more of them!"
That man's laughter… Even now, Shiki found it irritating.
"But won't that world be interesting? So, when the time comes… how do you plan to make your exit?"
He still remembered how stunned he had been when he heard that question.
"Hah? Exit? Why would I need to think about something like that?" He had shot back.
"Hahahaha, well, it can't be helped. No one stays young forever. Roger once said something interesting… everyone has their time to step onto the stage, but I think how you leave it matters just as much."
And then…
BANG!!
Shiki's body crashed heavily onto the island below.
But…
"Wuuu…"
The wind began to rise once more.
Howling… Like the roar of a lion.
(End of Chapter)
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