Faced with a life-and-death crisis, Shiki's adrenaline surged.
Time seemed to slow in his eyes. He saw the two figures rushing toward him, nearly within striking distance. With a cry, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki and swung his twin swords with all his strength, slashing left and right.
'Faster! Faster!! Come on, move!'
Right then, Shiki hated his own sluggish speed more than anything.
Crack! Crack!
Two sharp sounds of breaking bones rang out, almost at the same time. Sengoku and Garp's fists slammed into his chest, one from each side.
Crack—
A massive shockwave burst outward as the impact crushed him. The force traveled through his frame like an earthquake. One crack after another echoed inside him as his ribcage shattered completely.
"Urgh!!!"
Shiki's face twisted in agony as blood sprayed from his mouth. But even as pain wracked his body, he clenched his teeth and forced himself not to move.
Adrenaline kept his mind sharp, unnaturally so. He suppressed the instinct to convulse, knowing that if he allowed his body to give in, it would collapse entirely, and that would be the end.
Then, he activated his Devil Fruit power. The fragments of broken bone threatening to pierce his heart froze in place, held back by the floating force he controlled. He caged them where they were, shielding his heart.
Though it felt like an eternity, all of this took place in a single second, right as his chest shattered.
Fury and pain distorted his face as he struck again. Both of his famed swords, now coated in Conqueror's Haki, lashed out at his enemies.
But Sengoku and Garp were ready. One transformed into his golden Buddha form, the other coated himself with Armament Haki to block.
Zzz—
A surge of black and purple lightning crackled through the air as their Haki clashed. Shockwaves erupted from the center, causing the cloaks on all three men to whip furiously in the wind.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Shiki gathered every ounce of strength he had left.
He brought both swords crashing down. Two golden sword beams, each stretching hundreds of meters, shot out from his blades.
Thanks to the Float-Float Fruit, he could anchor himself midair to generate power. But Sengoku and Garp had nothing to brace against. Despite being physically stronger, without footing, they were pushed back by the sheer force of the strike and sent flying.
"Cough! Cough!!"
Shiki coughed violently as blood splattered from his lips. His breathing grew ragged and heavy.
"Hah! Hah!! Hah!!"
He gasped desperately, sweat dripping from his brow. The backlash from that adrenaline spike had hit—his body now felt unbearably weak. He didn't dare to linger. With what strength he had left, he soared skyward.
In the distance, Sengoku and Garp had already neutralized the sword beam that had flung them away. They stepped onto the air using Geppo and gave chase.
With a powerful stomp, the air beneath their feet exploded in a shockwave that spread dozens of meters wide. Their sudden burst of speed actually outpaced Shiki's Devil Fruit flight.
They were closing in fast.
Shiki didn't glance back, but his Observation Haki told him everything. He could feel their presence drawing nearer with every second.
A flash of savagery passed through his eyes as he activated his ability.
The floating island above suddenly cracked and reassembled. Numerous giant lions, along with pirate ships nearby, plummeted toward the pursuers.
Countless pirates were caught in the collapse, their screams blending with the roar of falling debris. Quite a few of them plunged helplessly into the sea.
Shiki's fleet, which he had spent so much effort building, was now being destroyed. It pained him deeply. But if it could buy even one second, that was enough.
'Survive, and everything is still possible!'
Down below, Sengoku frowned as he watched the unfolding chaos caused by Shiki's powers.
"Roar!!!"
Several lion heads came crashing down, roaring with fury, wrapped in violent airwaves meant to crush their targets.
Without hesitation, Sengoku's form expanded. His golden Buddha body surged to a hundred meters in height.
Buzz—
His massive golden palm was covered in a translucent shockwave. With a mighty swing upward, a pillar of pure force shot from his hand, piercing through a line of descending lions.
A series of explosions followed.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom...
The blast of air slowed Sengoku slightly.
On the other hand, Garp took a much simpler approach. He pulled his right fist back to charge, brought his left elbow forward for balance, and launched upward using Geppo. His entire body was wrapped in Armament Haki as he shot through the air like a cannonball.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...
Every lion head in his path was smashed to pieces, but Garp's speed didn't diminish at all. With a fierce grin on his face, he closed in on the fleeing pirate admiral.
"Shiki!!!"
Up ahead, Shiki felt that deadly threat approaching, but there was no way to dodge.
He spun around and tore off his billowing cloak, flinging it at Garp. By now, the vice admiral was only a few meters away from him.
Instantly, he reached Shiki.
The cape also flew through the air and slapped across Garp's face, momentarily blocking his view. But at such close range, with Observation Haki, his aim wasn't affected at all.
The dark Armament Haki on his fist had nearly solidified. It flowed over his right fist like a stream of black water.
"Die!!!"
He slammed his fist toward the pirate's head.
The incoming danger overwhelmed Shiki's senses. Garp's fist filled his vision, his shrinking pupils fixated on it. The wind from the punch had already brushed his brow.
Suddenly—
Shiki retracted all his Devil Fruit power to focus solely on himself. With a powerful surge of floating force, he seemed to shift upward unnaturally, as if space had moved him.
He dodged just high enough.
Garp's iron fist smashed into his left shoulder.
Boom!
Blood exploded into the air as his entire shoulder was blown apart. His left arm, along with the sword Oto, spiraled away into the sea below.
Ignoring the searing pain of his severed arm, Shiki used the momentum to shoot backward through the sky.
At the same time, he slammed his remaining hand down. The cloak draped over Garp erupted with a powerful force. Like a meteor, it dragged him downward toward the sea. By the time the vice admiral tore the cloak off himself, Shiki was already gone.
All of it happened in mere moments, too fast for anyone to react. Even the crew of Shiki's fleet hadn't figured out what was happening.
The ships and floating island fragments, now stripped of his powers, began to fall from the sky.
"Help!!!"
"Damn it!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Where's Captain Shiki?!"
"What happened?!"
From thousands of meters up, everything plummeted in free fall.
Aside from a few powerful pirates who could step on the air with sheer strength or use their Devil Fruit powers to escape, the rest were doomed.
As the sky cleared, only a handful managed to get away, but none of them felt any relief. Because waiting for them below was the hundred-meter-tall golden giant "The Buddha" Sengoku and the "Marine Hero" Garp, the man who had once chased Roger across the world.
Sweat streamed down the pirates' faces. One of them swallowed hard before shouting:
"Run!!!"
In an instant, the survivors scattered in all directions.
Sengoku's huge golden face remained expressionless. Yet at some point, translucent shockwaves had already formed in both of his raised palms.
Vmmmmm—
Meanwhile, on Garp's side, both of his arms gleamed with hardened Armament Haki. He grinned menacingly at the escaping pirates.
Boom!
The air beneath his feet exploded as he vanished like a flash of light, hurtling toward them.
...
Down on the sea, the Marine fleet had arranged itself in a tight, horizontal formation.
Standing at the prow of the central warship was Sakazuki. His gaze followed the falling islands and pirates from above.
The corner of his mouth curled slightly as he clapped his hands together.
Clap!
"Descent of the Thousand-Armed One."
His body transformed into molten lava, rapidly expanding outward. Then it surged across the adjacent warships, condensing into a massive magma giant seated atop the five vessels.
The giant's face was that of a wrathful demon, yet its closed eyes gave it an air of eerie serenity. From its back sprouted a thousand clenched fists, all pointed forward.
Standing atop the creature's head with arms folded, Sakazuki's deep voice echoed through the burning skies.
"Mercy: Ashura."
As the words fell, the thousand arms began to ignite at once. Magma burst forth in violent jets. Each arm detached and regenerated in an endless cycle. Black smoke and blistering heat propelled the fists like flaming missiles—an unrelenting barrage.
They darkened the sky. And then, with a roar of fury and flame, the molten wrath descended. A storm of firepower rained upon the falling pirates and shattered ships...
...
End of the Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1493.
Shiki attacked Marine G-3 Base.
The Marines responded with five warships, led by Vice Admiral Sakazuki, engaging in a fierce battle above the Rana Sea.
The Golden Lion fleet was utterly destroyed, and Shiki himself escaped at the cost of a severed arm.
Marine casualties: zero.
The world was shaken as the name "Sakazuki" echoed across the seas.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!