Below—
On the ruined platform at sea, Aokiji and Magellan both suddenly turned pale, their expressions filled with disbelief.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
Magellan's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but gasp in surprise: "Vice Admiral Nao… he has the potential for Conqueror's Haki, too!"
"And its power is quite terrifying…"
Aokiji, whose vision was keener, was even more stunned at this moment, murmuring to himself:
"He's only just awakened it, and already managed to completely sweep away Golden Lion's pressure… If he learns to control it freely, his power would at least be on par with Admiral Sengoku..."
Unlike Armament Haki and Observation Haki, which can be trained and mastered later in life, Conqueror's Haki is an inborn talent, one in a million.
As far as he knew, among the entire Marine Headquarters' upper echelon, only Admiral Sengoku, who held the belief of "Absolute Justice," had this kind of kingly potential.
And now… there was another—Nao.
...
Above, in the sky—
As Nao's Conqueror's Haki awakened and burst forth in a wild release, Golden Lion Shiki's face darkened.
"This is truly surprising, you brat…"
He was only a few dozen meters away from Nao and took the direct brunt of this ferocious, newly-born aura. He could feel just how overbearing this power was.
It was a terrifying strength that felt unbelievable.
Although he couldn't control it as he wished since it had just been awakened, the power of his Conqueror's Haki was in no way inferior to his own.
In fact, he had a vague feeling that, at this level, only Roger's Conqueror's Haki could steadily suppress the other.
A cold chill crawled up his spine.
"I have Conqueror's Haki, too!"
After sweeping away Shiki's pressure, Nao's mind quickly returned to clarity. He looked up at Shiki in the air and sneered:
"So stop throwing around your little parlor tricks, Golden Lion—it's pathetic!"
Whoosh!
The moment his voice fell, his figure suddenly disappeared from where he was. By the time he reappeared, he had already crossed a hundred meters in the sky and was slashing his swords down on Shiki's head!
"You only blocked my Conqueror's Haki. Don't get so cocky, boy!"
Shiki gritted his teeth, roared, and swung his swords to meet the attack head-on.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two of them clashed for dozens more rounds. Compared to the stalemate of the previous few days, the outcome was now becoming more and more obvious as time went on.
Shiki's severely declining stamina meant that the combat power he was displaying was no longer on the same level as when they had first started.
Their swords crossed countless times, but not only was he unable to knock Nao back into the sea, he was instead forced to retreat again and again, and more and more bloodstains began to appear on his body…
Splat!
Suddenly, a large amount of blood mist scattered in mid-air. Shiki had failed to block the horizontally-slashing Azakana Sword.
His other, still-intact leg was completely severed below the knee.
The lower leg fell into the sea, and Shiki spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face turning particularly pale and weak.
"We got him."
Watching from below, Aokiji finally let go of the breath caught in his throat. Exhausted, a smile spread across his face.
"Golden Lion… has lost. No doubt about it."
"Captain Shiki!!"
A sharp, sobbing voice suddenly rang out from the side.
Aokiji frowned and turned his head. It was one of the pirate officer who was tied up. He was crying and shouting sorrowfully at the sky:
"This revenge plan is already an irreparable failure! Don't worry about us anymore, just get out of here!"
"That's right, Captain! If you don't leave soon, it'll be too late once the Marine reinforcements arrive!"
Shiki did not respond to his subordinate's desperate shouts.
He just looked up slightly, panting heavily. Through the golden hair floating in the wind, he silently and intently stared at Nao with his bloodshot eyes.
He was nearly out of strength.
In this situation, he really didn't want to waste any unnecessary energy answering his subordinates. He just wanted to use all the remaining strength he had for his final, life-or-death sword slash.
A person with the potential for Conqueror's Haki would never only display this domineering power in their aura. They would display their long-honed, powerful will in a desperate situation.
"…"
Nao also didn't attack immediately. He stood on the waves, quietly watching the completely-drained Shiki.
Finally, the heavy panting stopped. Shiki, having adjusted his breathing, suddenly spread his palms to both sides, and then with a grin, he let out a loud, heroic laugh:
"Jee-ha-ha-ha-ha, run? What a joke…"
Back then, for Roger's sake, he had stormed into Marineford alone, facing Garp and Sengoku together without retreating a single step.
And now, facing an unknown brat he had once dismissed outright—even if defeat was certain, he would fight to the final breath. There was no way he'd flee in disgrace.
"I… am the Golden Lion!"
With a thunderous roar, Shiki's outstretched arms clenched into fists!
A strange, invisible force surged and twisted, drawing in everything around him—clouds, sea, fog, and stone—converging into a pack of roaring golden lions, which surged toward Nao in a tidal wave!
"Lion Might: Wrath of Mountains and Seas!"
ROOOAARRR!
Countless roaring lions howled, piercing through the clouds and tearing through the air, echoing throughout the sky!
This was Shiki's ultimate move—a final attack that bore the weight of his name as "Golden Lion"—a last-ditch strike of no return, pouring in all his remaining strength!
"A last desperate gamble… now this is the kind of battle I wanted to see!"
Nao also let out a hearty laugh, but the movements of his hands did not slow down in the slightest. The moment his swords were drawn, his body suddenly left a strange red afterimage in its place as he charged forward to kill!
Breaker's Edge!
For ten minutes, his sword attacks would inflict an additional 40% damage to Devil Fruit users!
As he dashed forward, waves of sword energy erupted, cutting through the raging lions one by one.
Quietly and seamlessly, wind-imbued sword auras gathered with each swing—whirling across sea and sky like a storm of blades.
It's time!
Breaking through the layers of killing force, Nao could now see Shiki clearly. His gaze turned razor-sharp.
With one sword raised horizontally across his chest, and the other held in reverse grip behind him, he crossed both blades in a flash—
"Two-Sword Style: Jade Shatter Slash!"
BWOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying, unseen shockwave erupted outward. The stormy cyclone coiling around Shiki shuddered violently, and the compressed sword force finally detonated with full might!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed nonstop—an overwhelming barrage of sword pressure, empowered by Breaker's Edge, slammed into every inch of Shiki's body!
He felt as if a dam had burst above him—blow after blow hammering his organs. Bones across his body cracked and popped. No matter how fiercely he resisted, it was futile.
Finally—
As the pressure built to its peak, Shiki's endurance reached its limit.
The Armament Haki coating his body shattered completely.
"Guh—!!"
He coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. His arms hung limp. His eyes went blank.
His body shot backward like a cannonball.
1,000 meters… 500 meters… 200 meters…
That battered, ancient body plummeted toward the sea, carving a long arc—until it smashed directly into the right pillar of the Gate of Justice.
BOOM!!
The pillar—harder than steel—was pierced clean through.
Shiki's body kept crashing through chunks of rock and iron, digging a massive trench over a hundred meters long—
—before finally, with a resounding splash, he crashed into the sea.
...
Silence.
A silence like death itself.
The moment Shiki's body sank beneath the water, all the members of the Flying Pirates on the sea ruins were stunned in place, their faces pale as if they had been struck by lightning.
Captain Shiki… he really lost…
He was defeated at the hands of a newcomer who was only twenty years old.
Though some had already begun to sense this outcome moments ago, seeing it unfold with their own eyes…
These pirates—Golden Lion's loyal remnants—were still struck speechless, their gazes vacant, lips trembling, unable to form a single word.
"So… the miracle really happened."
Aokiji watched them, then curled his lips into a subtle smile.
He turned and said to Magellan:
"The situation is under control. Take these pirates and lock them up below for now."
"Understood, Vice Admiral."
Still shaken, Magellan snapped out of it and nodded firmly. He immediately got to work.
At the same time, he also dispatched search and rescue speedboats to search for the whereabouts of Warden Pablo and his crew in the gradually calming sea…
As for Aokiji, he looked into the distance at the figure that was slowly descending from the sky and couldn't help but ponder a question.
If they had switched roles from the beginning—Nao fought the Flying Pirates, and he took on Shiki in a one-on-one—would the outcome have been the same?
There's no way…
Aokiji smiled bitterly and shook his head. Their last sparring match had ended with them holding back. It was hard to say who was stronger, him or Nao.
But one thing was certain: if he had fought Shiki, he would not have been able to hold on until the third day under such a disadvantage.
After all, compared to a freak like Nao, even he, with his abundant stamina, couldn't measure up…
He let out a soft sigh, and his thoughts returned to reality.
Looking at the damaged Gates of Justice not far away, he thought for a moment, then took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed a familiar number…
...
In the special sea currents in the middle of the three Gates of Justice, two Marine ships were moving forward with great difficulty, their sails fully extended in the chaotic and unruly currents.
On the deck, Zephyr looked at the distant sea, his hands tightly gripping the railing, his face so dark it looked like it was about to drip water.
"We're not there yet, not there yet…"
Watching the time pass, his expression grew more and more anxious. He couldn't help but slam his fist hard onto the railing:
"Damn it! It's been three whole days and nights! I'm still stuck in this cursed place!
At this rate, what's the point of reinforcement? Are we just gonna arrive in time to collect Kuzan and Nao's corpses?!"
"…"
Garp, who was standing straight with his arms crossed by his side, was silent, but his face under his dog hat was also extremely grim.
After Fleet Admiral Kong gave the order, they had set off from Headquarters without even having time to wash or eat. It was so they could get to Impel Down as quickly as possible to provide reinforcements.
But what they hadn't expected was that Shiki's revenge plan this time was clearly much more prepared than when he had stormed Headquarters alone a few years ago.
Not only did he ambush and attack Warden Pablo's Marine ship, but he also dropped a whole line of large islands into the sea currents inside the Gates of Justice along the way as he flew from the sky…
The magnetic fields from those islands had disrupted the ocean routes, throwing the normal travel paths into chaos.
What would've normally taken less than a day between Marineford, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down was now stretched to four to five days.
If not for Garp and Zephyr blasting through those islands with their fists, it might've taken twice that.
"Brrrrr… Brrrrr…"
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Zephyr's coat rang.
He and Garp exchanged glances, expressions tense. He quickly pulled it out and answered.
"Hello? Hello—sensei, is that you…?"
A familiar lazy tone, tinged with exhaustion, came from the other end.
It was Aokiji.
Two minutes later.
"EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!"
Two voices shouted in unison on deck.
Both old men's eyes were wide and round. Zephyr couldn't help but grip the phone and spit on the Den Den Mushi:
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, KUZAN?! SAY THAT AGAIN!"
"Ara ara… too loud, Sensei. You're gonna burst my eardrums…"
On the other end, Aokiji rubbed his ears and replied lazily:
"Didn't I just say it? That guy, Golden Lion, was defeated by Nao… Oh, no, we don't know if he's dead or alive. That guy is tough. He might still be floating around somewhere at the bottom of the sea. We'll have to wait until we fish him out to make a judgment…"
Aokiji was still rambling on over there, but Zephyr's eyes were already dazed, and he had no mind to listen to any more nonsense.
That kid, Nao, actually defeated the Golden Lion?
He looked up blankly, and what he saw was Garp with his hands on his hips, laughing out loud:
"I told you!! No need to worry about that kid! He can pull off any miracle!
WAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
My ass!
Zephyr didn't hesitate and punched that old man's face directly.
How shameless can you be, you old bastard? You were more worried than anyone, and you haven't eaten for days!
Garp cried out and flew backward.
To the stupefied gazes of the Marines, he crashed through several walls and just happened to fly into the kitchen…