"Your pirate crew?"
Sora glanced down at the ships steadily departing Prosius' waters, exhaling in relief.
Whether he sought to clash with a titan to hone his Haki or Shiki had come for him with some purpose, Sora knew conflict was inevitable—a battle would erupt.
Such a fight was far beyond what the island's villagers could withstand. For ordinary folk, a duel between powerhouses was akin to a natural disaster.
Especially against someone like Shiki, whose apocalyptic abilities demanded you flee as far as possible.
The bearded colonel was truly a commendable Marine. Not only had he knelt to pirates for the sake of his people, but he'd also freed Sora from the burden of collateral damage, allowing him to face Shiki without restraint.
Sora looked up at this man—the second strongest he'd encountered in the One Piece world, perhaps even the first, since he didn't know Dragon's true power.
His mind churned.
How old's Shiki now? Seventy-something? Eighty?
No way he's at his peak. His stamina's got to be weaker than mine.
Sora recalled that Shiki, aged and hampered by the rudder in his skull, could no longer wield Conqueror's Haki. His Armament Haki, limited by waning stamina, was likely diminished too.
And my strength?
I can win.
He admired Shiki's restraint, giving him time to recover. His "Thousand Slashes" technique, unleashed in an instant, had drained him. Even with his stamina, he needed a moment to rebound.
Unlike slashing one cut at a time—where he could manage ten thousand—Thousand Slashes was a singular burst.
With peak stamina, the villagers evacuated, and Shiki past his prime, Sora was confident.
He relaxed, his usual calm returning. The unknown bred fear, but in this world, he feared nothing known.
Looking at Shiki, he said lightly, "Hey, old man, do you even have a crew anymore?"
He remembered Shiki's pirate crew reformed two years later in the original timeline.
"Jihahahaha!" Shiki roared with laughter, spreading his arms, inviting Sora again.
He genuinely admired Sora. The kid was a perfect fit.
"I can see in your eyes you know who I am. If you know me, you know my strength. Join me, and my crew can reform right now."
Pausing, he laughed again. "Jihahahaha! Silver-Hair Sora, be my right hand! With my plans and your potential, I can make the World Government feel pain."
"They'll know Golden Lion Shiki is back."
"Jihahahaha!"
Sora stared at Shiki's manic laughter, sensing the unhinged ambition in his words and demeanor.
This man craved only destruction, consumed by madness.
When Shiki stopped trusting his own strength and turned to mutant beasts, he ceased to be a top-tier powerhouse.
His strength no longer matched his ambitions.
With his abilities, he didn't need beasts. A few dozen islands, dropped and abandoned, could obliterate East Blue in minutes. Even Navy branches would fall.
Unless… there's some secret I don't know.
Hic!
Sora unhooked his wine gourd, took a swig, and belched. "Nice!"
The 300,000-Belly rum had some kick.
Grinning, he taunted Shiki. "Old man, at your age, you should retire to some flowery paradise and enjoy your twilight years."
"Why strut around, stirring trouble? Isn't being a legend enough?"
Pausing for another sip, he sneered, "Proclaiming you'll destroy the world at your age? Don't you know how ridiculous that sounds?"
"Destroy the world, make it feel pain? What are you, Pain from Naruto?"
Shiki's laughter faded. He frowned, took a deep drag on his cigar, and flicked ash, his aura growing murderous.
"So, that's your answer, huh?"
A terrifying presence radiated from him—not Conqueror's Haki, but the commanding aura of a lifelong titan.
Seeing Sora's unruffled demeanor, utterly dismissive, Shiki's eyes flashed with menace. He snarled, "Jihahahaha! If that's your choice, then die!"
He was Golden Lion Shiki. Even Roger wouldn't dare ignore him.
In all his years, no one had looked at him this way.
"You think I'm too old to swing a blade, kid?"
"I'll show you the terror of a true pirate."
With that, he flicked his legs back, his famed swords strapped to them slashing forward. Two massive, crescent-shaped golden slashes tore toward Sora.
"Lion's Slash!"
Sora calmly drew Zankuu, gripping the hilt with both hands. Meeting Shiki's slashes, he swung twice in quick succession.
Two equally massive silver-gray slashes surged to intercept.
Clang! Clang!
The collision rang like metal striking metal. After a brief stalemate, the slashes veered past each other—one golden arc slicing into the sea, one silver arc piercing the sky.
Aboard the flotilla racing toward Loguetown, the passengers looked up at the sound.
They saw the sky split by Sora's silver slash, revealing the silhouette of a massive floating island in the clouds.
Cold sweat drenched them.
There really are more islands up there!
A golden flash streaked past. The sea near the flotilla cracked open, a bottomless fissure swallowing water in a ferocious torrent.
The ships lurched, pulled by the current. Sailors frantically adjusted sails, harnessing the wind to escape the maelstrom.
Staring at the abyssal rift in the sea, the cleaved sky, and Prosius Island gashed by another golden slash, they felt a surge of relief. Had Shiki and Sora fought earlier, countless would've died.
Grateful gazes turned to the Navy warship leading the flotilla.
Initially, they'd grumbled about the colonel's alarmism. Without his and his father's clout on Prosius, they might've stayed.
If we hadn't left…
A collective shudder ran through them, their gratitude for the colonel deepening.
---
At the Freedom's stern, Ata, cigarette trembling in hand, gaped at the sky. "This is insane. These guys are like myths."
"Yeah," Alo agreed. "Splitting the sky, cracking the sea, floating islands—this is a legendary pirate's power?"
"If all legends are this strong, we might as well give up," Ata muttered.
Thwack!
Ahua smacked Alo's head. "You, the dojo's worst, definitely should."
"Your strength's a joke anyway."
"What?" Alo snapped, reaching for his pistol. "Wanna go, huh?"
"Bring it!" Ahua retorted, their foreheads clashing in a glare-off.
Thwack! Thwack!
Kuina stepped in, knocking them flat with two swift punches.
Ata, watching the pair clutch their swollen heads, scoffed. "Idiots."
"Fighting now, of all times?"
Kuina gazed at the sea's rift and the sky's wound, eyes alight with excitement.
She wasn't overly worried for Sora. Even against a legend like Shiki, she believed he'd triumph.
A great swordsman's pinnacle duel—if not for the danger to Prosius and the risk of distracting Sora, she'd have stayed to watch.
Gripping her sword, her gaze hardened with resolve.
One day, I'll unleash slashes like that.
(End of Chapter)