Chapter 253: Golden Lion Shiki vs. Garp!
Chapter 253: Golden Lion Shiki vs. Garp!
While various factions were scouring the area, frustrated by their inability to locate the Thunder Fruit user, an enormous shadow suddenly loomed over the sea.
Looking up, people were stunned to see several islands floating in the sky.
"Floating islands?!"
"Could it be… that man has arrived?"
Those with experience and knowledge quickly connected the dots, their faces contorting in fear.
"Who? What man?"
The younger, less informed individuals were bewildered, unable to understand the whispered dread around them.
"The only person capable of making islands float like clouds is the user of the Float-Float Fruit!"
"And its wielder is none other than Golden Lion Shiki—the man who once rivaled the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
"If it's him, things are about to get terrifying!"
The revelation sent chills down their spines, and many instinctively sought to flee.
A deep, unsettling premonition gripped their hearts—this place was about to turn into a battlefield of unimaginable destruction.
---
"Hiss…!"
Though many younger pirates were unfamiliar with Shiki, everyone knew the legend of Gol D. Roger.
Anyone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King was practically a living relic—a figure of myth and history.
The chance to witness such a legend in person made their blood boil with both awe and terror.
---
"Yahahaha!"
"Where is the Thunder Fruit user?!"
A wild, unrestrained laugh echoed from the floating islands above, laced with the oppressive aura of Conqueror's Haki.
The pressure weighed down on everyone below like an invisible hand, causing them to sweat profusely and struggle for breath.
Shiki's legacy as a harbinger of chaos still haunted the hearts of many.
---
Before long, the floating islands descended to hover just two or three hundred meters above sea level.
A man with a golden mane of hair cascading like a lion's mane stood atop a floating patch of earth.
Golden Lion Shiki.
Accompanied by several fleet captains, he slowly drifted downward.
Without hesitation, Shiki grabbed a nearby bystander and interrogated him.
"Where is the Thunder Fruit user? Speak!"
The terrified man instantly recognized the infamous pirate and trembled as he replied, "Sh-Shiki-sama! We… we don't know! We've been searching for days without any trace!"
"You don't know?"
"Then what use are you?!"
Displeased by the answer, Shiki drew his blade and cut the man down without hesitation, treating ignorance as a punishable offense.
---
Flicking the blood from his sword, Shiki's expression darkened as another thought crossed his mind.
"Where the hell is that woman, Christos?"
"Why hasn't she reported back?!"
He turned to his fleet captains, demanding answers.
---
"Uh… well…"
"We've been trying to contact her, Shiki-sama."
"But… she's been completely unreachable."
One of the fleet captains hesitated before stammering out an explanation.
The other captains exchanged uneasy glances.
Had Christos already deserted the Flying Pirates?
They recalled that the life cards they had exchanged long ago had been exhausted.
Disillusioned by Shiki's erratic behavior and obsession with bizarre experiments, none of them had bothered to renew those life cards.
As a result, Christos's current status was a complete mystery.
---
"Hmph. Looks like someone's trying to challenge my authority!"
Shiki sneered, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
Though the ship's wheel lodged in his head occasionally induced bouts of madness, Shiki's mind remained sharp when lucid.
He had long suspected disloyalty festering within the Flying Pirates.
But he also understood his own declining condition.
Without the overwhelming strength he once wielded, he could no longer dominate through sheer might.
Thus, his current focus was on accelerating the development of a secret restorative drug.
Once he regained his prime, Shiki believed he would crush all dissent and restore the Flying Pirates to their former glory.
---
The fleet captains exchanged silent glances, each pretending not to hear Shiki's veiled threat.
---
"Hahahaha!"
A booming laugh suddenly interrupted the tense atmosphere.
"Shiki, you old bastard!"
"Why the hell are you poking your nose into this mess?"
"Shouldn't you be retired by now?"
---
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice and froze in shock.
The Navy had arrived.
And not just any navy detachment.
Leading the force was none other than the legendary "Hero of the Marines" Garp, flanked by Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru, along with several vice admirals and countless lower-ranking officers.
Three warships, each carrying the firepower of a vice admiral's fleet, loomed over the horizon.
---
"The Navy?! What are they planning?!"
"Are they launching an offensive against one of the Four Emperors?"
"No way… they can't be here for the Thunder Fruit too, can they?!"
Onlookers watched in horror, struggling to comprehend the sheer scale of the naval deployment.
But the Navy made no effort to conceal their intentions.
---
"Damn you, Garp!"
"Do you really think you're a match for me just because Sengoku isn't here?!"
Upon spotting his old nemesis, Shiki's face twisted with rage.
Even after all these years, the phantom pain from his severed legs flared up—a constant reminder of the humiliation he had suffered at Garp's hands.
He longed to tear the marine apart, piece by piece.
---
"Hmph. Look at you, Shiki."
"In this sorry state, I can handle you alone."
Garp sneered, eyes burning with righteous fury.
Years ago, Shiki's rampage at Marineford had resulted in countless casualties.
Many of Garp's students had died that day.
The hatred ran deep.
---
"Good… Good… Good!"
Shiki's laughter grew increasingly manic.
"It seems I've remained silent for too long!"
"You Navy dogs have forgotten who I am!"
"I am Golden Lion Shiki!"
"Fall from the skies, fools!"
---
Unable to gain the upper hand through words, Shiki lashed out in frustration.
With a wave of his hand, he directed one of the floating islands to plummet toward the navy fleet.
---
"Tch!"
"Same old shit, Shiki—you never learn!"
"Armament: Bone Fist!"
Without hesitation, Garp sprang into action.
Slamming his foot into the warship's deck, he shattered the planks beneath him, propelling himself skyward with explosive force.
His fist, coated in a dense layer of advanced Armament Haki, crackled with energy like a storm.
---
As the massive island hurtled downward, Garp met it head-on.
With a single punch, he unleashed the full might of his legendary strength.
The impact was like a nuclear explosion.
The thousand-meter-wide landmass shattered into countless fragments, scattering harmlessly across the sea.
---
"That… that's Vice Admiral Garp's true power?!"
"Long live Vice Admiral Garp!"
The younger marines, many of whom had never witnessed Garp's might firsthand, erupted into cheers.
---
"Damn you, Garp!"
Shiki gritted his teeth.
He hadn't truly expected the island drop to defeat Garp.
It was merely a show of dominance.
But instead of intimidation, all he had done was bolster Garp's image among the navy ranks.
---
Worse still, Garp's continued prowess, despite his age, gnawed at Shiki's confidence.
The old marine had hardly weakened, while Shiki himself had fallen far from his prime.
"I won't forget this humiliation, Garp…" Shiki muttered darkly, eyes flickering with both rage and unease.
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