Chapter 326

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

Mary Geoise: The Chamber of Authority

"Doss, the master swordsman. Bol, wielder of the Paramecia-class Sealing-Sealing Fruit. And El, with the power of the Logia-class Earth-Earth Fruit."

The tall, blond member of the Five Elders addressed his bald colleague, his voice a low rumble. "You were truly willing to sacrifice such assets to eliminate the Straw Hat pirates."

"Hmph. Three agents with power rivaling a Marine Admiral, working alongside Akainu himself, and all they managed was to take out a single upstart?" the bald Elder retorted, a flicker of irritation in his eyes.

"But it was effective, was it not?" another Elder, the one with the greatsword, countered calmly, his gaze fixed on the live feed. "Besides, we deployed far more than just those three. The other units are already on the field."

On the screen, squads of CP agents moved through the chaos. While they specialized in assassination rather than open warfare, their presence further stretched the pirates' already thin numbers.

The Five Elders had not anticipated the Straw Hats' explosive growth, but they had always understood the World Government's ultimate advantage: sheer, overwhelming numbers. After eight hundred years of rule over one hundred and seventy nations, they possessed a depth of resources and strategic experience that no pirate crew, no matter how powerful, could hope to match.

The pirates might hold their own for a time, but in a war of attrition, the Navy's victory was inevitable. The deployment of their high-end assets was merely a way to accelerate the outcome. The sudden appearance of the Golden Lion had forced their hand, compelling CP0 to act. They could not afford to let the pirates gain any more momentum.

The impact of their three strongest agents had been immediate and decisive, removing one of the enemy's key players from the board in a single, overwhelming clash.

"What is the status of Red-Hair?" the bald Elder asked.

"Hmph. That man continues to insist he will 'end this war'," the bearded Elder scoffed. "Keeping him occupied has already cost CP 6 dearly, and their director is less than pleased."

"Excellent," the blond Elder concluded, a faint, cold smile touching his lips. "Then all that remains is to reap the rewards of our victory."

-----

"Golden Lion! Are you here to aid the Straw Hat boy?"

As Shiki intercepted the three CP0 agents, a golden shockwave erupted from behind him—the signature attack of Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The old pirate spun, his leg-blades flashing in a flying slash that deflected the blast. As the dust settled, a wild, manic look grew in Shiki's eyes.

"Aid? Hahahaha! You fool, who do you think I am?!" he bellowed, his voice cracking with insane pride. "I am Shiki! The Golden Lion!"

He was a king in winter, a lion in his twilight, yet he would show his fangs to the world one last time.

What was his goal? Even Shiki himself couldn't have articulated it clearly. His original plan had been to bide his time, to perfect his chemical weapons on his floating islands and unleash an army of mutated beasts upon the world.

But then he saw the broadcast. He saw Bai Ye and a tiny, no-name crew declare war on the entire World Government. A fire he thought long extinguished roared back to life within him. If they had the audacity to challenge the world, why should he, the legendary Golden Lion, hide in the East Blue?

He returned to the Grand Line to carve his name back into the memory of the world. Along the way, he found Rayleigh and learned the truth—the real purpose behind Roger's surrender. And in that moment, Shiki made his decision.

"That buffoon, Roger... he even orchestrated his own death to be a spectacle for the entire world!" Shiki roared at Sengoku, his voice growing louder with every word. "He used his final breath to unleash a tidal wave that changed everything! How could I, his greatest rival, ever lose to him?!"

His hand shot up and grabbed the ship's rudder embedded in his skull, the hated symbol of his greatest defeat. He never wanted to recall that day—the Battle of Edd War, when victory against Roger's fleet was certain, only to be stolen by a freak storm that sank his armada and left him crippled. He had left the rudder in his head, for to remove it was to risk death.

But now, with a wild, triumphant laugh, he tore it free!

"As if I would fear something as trivial as death!"

The Golden Lion did not fear dying. He feared dying quietly. He feared being forgotten. After learning that Roger had designed his own grand exit, the unhinged Shiki decided he would create his own.

"I..."

He floated into the air, reaching down to his feet. With two sharp tugs, his legendary blades, Oto and Kogarashi, were free from their sheaths and back in his hands.

"...am the..."

In that instant, he was no longer a relic of the past. He was the peerless pirate who once ruled the skies. He glared down at Sengoku, at the entire battlefield, and announced his return.

"GOLDEN LION!"

A power he had coveted his entire life but never possessed erupted from his body.

BOOM!

A wave of Conqueror's Haki, glowing with a dark golden light, swept across Marineford. It was the final cry of a dying king, the most defiant declaration of a true conqueror. The oppressive force was so immense that even Marine Vice-Admirals stumbled and fell to their knees.

"This is Marineford!" Sengoku roared, transforming into his giant, golden Buddha form. "Do not get carried away, Shiki!" He unleashed his own wave of Haki to meet the Golden Lion's head-on.

The titanic clash of will from two legends brought the battlefield to a standstill. In the center of it all, Garp and Whitebeard tacitly paused their own fight.

"That fool, Shiki..." Whitebeard murmured. Perhaps he, more than anyone, understood what his old rival was feeling. A complex mix of emotions—pity, respect, understanding—flickered in his eyes.

"Sengoku will give him what he wants," Garp said grimly. He knew his old friend, and he knew what Shiki was asking for.

"SENGOKU!" the Golden Lion screamed, a crazed grin splitting his face. "Either you kill me right here, right now... or I'll drag all of Marineford to the bottom of the sea with me!"

He gripped his two swords tightly and swung them down with all his might.

"Lion Threat: Imperial Earth Bind!"

Two massive, crescent-shaped slashes of flying air carved through the island, tearing across the plaza and striking the very heart of Marine justice. With a deafening groan, the towering Marine Headquarters building began to crumble and collapse.

This was the end Shiki had chosen for himself.

A gorgeous funeral.