Sengoku did not completely ignore Borsalino's warning.
Amid the flickering golden light, the giant Buddha's eyes looked down at the young man before him.
Just as Borsalino had said, Captain John's death had sent a massive shock through Marine Headquarters.
After all, he had once been a member of the Rocks Pirates, and not an obscure one either. His reputation had been great enough for his bounty to reach an astonishing 2.3 billion Belly, which was more than enough to show how much the World Government feared him. Yet a man like that had actually been defeated by Yemu, a mere newcomer.
In terms of danger, Yemu might even surpass Captain John. But in terms of strength, one was a great pirate who had been famous for more than twenty years, while the other was a rookie who had only just made his debut.
And yet, despite that gap, Captain John had died at Yemu's hands.
When Sengoku received the news, even though he had already expected Yemu's growth to be fast, he was still shocked.
And now, this guy actually had the nerve to challenge him?
There was also that strange Conqueror's Haki from earlier, identical to Rocks'.
As an Admiral, Sengoku stood at the peak of the Marines not only in combat strength, but also in strategy. Otherwise, Kong would never have chosen him to become the next Fleet Admiral.
So at this moment, as he stared at Yemu standing motionless in front of him, Sengoku did not act rashly.
But just then, Yemu spoke first.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you were going to keep me here? What happened, Admiral Sengoku? Why aren't you making a move?"
Sengoku froze. He had not expected his caution to become something Yemu could use to provoke him.
On the other side, Shiki had already begun fighting the other four.
Violent explosions rang in their ears, but both men seemed to ignore them completely.
Sengoku had been about to attack, but then he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Did you take Gol D. Roger's child?"
Sengoku's voice was not loud, but in that moment, it reached everyone's ears.
Shiki looked stunned.
"Roger? That guy actually had a child?"
"Hey, hey, we're in the middle of a fight here, Shiki the Golden Lion. Getting distracted isn't a good idea…"
Borsalino, who was a generation older than Magellan and Shiryu, had become the main force against Shiki the Golden Lion the moment he joined the battle.
But despite saying that, the slight glance Borsalino cast toward Sengoku's side made it clear that he was also very surprised.
"Shihahaha! Marine brat, with your level of Haki, you're still far from being able to hit me."
Borsalino looked troubled as well.
The ship's wheel embedded in Shiki the Golden Lion's head had weakened him somewhat, but one could not forget that, like Whitebeard, he was still in his prime.
Even when Whitebeard was riddled with illness, he could still chase down Akainu and beat him. That was even more true for the Shiki standing here now.
The current Shiki was a top-tier powerhouse in Haki, Devil Fruit ability, and swordsmanship alike.
Otherwise, he would never have stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard as one of the three legendary great pirates.
At Borsalino's current level, defeating Shiki was still far beyond him.
Even under the combined attacks of four people, Shiki remained completely at ease.
That was also why he stayed so calm even after Sengoku appeared before him.
With his strength and his Devil Fruit ability, unless he himself wanted to die, there was almost nothing in this world that could stop him.
Just then, Sengoku seemed to think of something. Though he did not turn around, his words were clearly aimed at Shiki.
"Shiki, I don't know what agreement you made with Yemu, but your most loyal subordinate, Barobar, was killed by him…"
"Hm?"
The moment he heard Barobar's name, Shiki abruptly broke away from the battlefield and looked at Yemu and Sengoku.
"You're saying this brat killed Barobar, Sengoku?"
"That's right. Barobar went to the first half of the Grand Line to save you, and while passing through Fish-Man Island, he was killed by this brat…"
Shiki paused, then lifted his head high and looked at Yemu.
"Hey, brat, is what Sengoku said true? Did you really kill Barobar?"
Seeing this, a golden gleam flashed through Sengoku's eyes.
At that moment, Sengoku's intention was obvious.
But what even Sengoku had not expected was that before Yemu could reply, Shiki suddenly laughed.
"Shihahaha! How useless, Barobar. To think he'd be killed by a brat like you… Looks like what they said earlier was true. Did you kill Captain John too? You've made me see you in a new light, brat. Interested in becoming my subordinate?"
"Uh!"
Sengoku froze, then realized just how stupid his move had been. With Shiki's personality, how could he possibly care about a dead subordinate?
Yemu, on the other hand, laughed.
"Looks like you miscalculated, Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku's expression grew even uglier.
And his embarrassment had only just begun.
"Unfortunately, I'm not interested in becoming anyone's subordinate. Besides, between the two of us, it's still not certain who'll survive."
"Shihahaha! What a confident brat. Just wait."
"But I have another piece of news for you. This is probably something Sengoku won't tell you."
Sengoku's expression changed.
Then he heard Yemu say calmly, "Your entire flying fleet has already been wiped out by the Marines and the World Government. In other words, even if you escape from here, you'll be all alone."
"What? Are you lying to me? Those fools may be idiots, but it wouldn't be that easy for the Marines to wipe them out…"
Shiki was shocked not because he cherished his subordinates, but because his flying fleet was something he had spent decades building. It was the foundation he intended to use to rule the seas in the future. Even in his battle against Roger, he had only lost part of it. And now Yemu was telling him it had been completely destroyed.
"Of course, under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be easy. But when I fought Barobar, he told me something interesting…"
As Yemu spoke, he turned to look at Shiki.
"He was one of the CP0 spies the World Government planted by your side."
"What!"
Even Shiki, who had always been extremely confident, showed a look of shock at that moment.
After all, Barobar had been the captain of the Third Fleet, the subordinate he valued most.
Yet now Yemu was telling him that Barobar had actually been a spy for the World Government.
"So now you understand why your subordinates were wiped out so easily by the Marines and the World Government, right, Shiki?"
After Yemu finished speaking, Shiki's face darkened and his body trembled.
It was from anger.
"Hey, Sengoku. Is what this brat said true?"
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