Chapter 217: The Golden Lion's Despair
"Arrogant?"
Shane chuckled, swirling the sherry in his glass. "Hey, hey, can't a man come home without being judged? But say what you will... you got a problem with it?" As he spoke the last few words, he turned his head and shot Aokiji a sideways glance.
VWOOM!
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, a focused torrent that washed over Aokiji without a single ripple escaping into the bar.
CRACK!
The glass in Aokiji's hand and his sunglasses shattered simultaneously.
"..."
Aokiji sat motionless, but the chill radiating from his body faltered, and a single bead of sweat trickled down his temple. "Arara... that's a bit much, don't you think?" he said, scratching his messy hair. "Haki of that quality... even old man Garp can't compare to you, little friend."
"Don't compare me to that old man. Who do you think I am?" Shane grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth. "If you want to fight, just make your move. I slept for days on that 'flight' over here. I'm itching to stretch my muscles..."
Flight? How did he get to the East Blue?
"I can't," Aokiji said, shaking his head frankly. "To face you alone... I'm not confident. But more importantly, the higher-ups don't want the Marines going to war with you right now."
"Then why the—"
"Just a joke. Don't take it to heart," Aokiji shrugged, pouring them both another drink. "It's not every day we run into each other in the East Blue. I had to keep up appearances. It'd be bad for my image otherwise." Damn it. No one could have predicted he'd grow this strong, this fast. In just one year... I don't even have the right to act superior in front of him anymore. I should have savored it more back in Pucci...
"Alright, let's get down to business," Shane said, draining his glass. "What's a Marine Admiral like you doing on a remote little island like this?" The "Weakest Sea" hadn't seen an Admiral in years.
"Arara, shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Aokiji said, picking up the pieces of his sunglasses with a pained expression. "But I guess there's no need to ask. A new Emperor of the Sea, coming all the way back from the New World... your target must be the same as mine... Golden Lion."
"So the Marines' intelligence network has gotten that good?" Shane asked.
"Just a coincidence," Aokiji shook his head. "Shiki's fleet was spotted crossing Reverse Mountain ten days ago. With all the recent hype about him, the kings of the East Blue panicked and petitioned the World Government. So, they sent me to investigate."
"You're pretty efficient, then," Shane said, glancing at the night sky. "To find him so quickly in a sea this big."
"What are you talking about?" Aokiji frowned. "I've been here for a week and haven't found a single clue. That's why I'm here drinking by myself... huh?" He suddenly realized what Shane was implying and pointed at the sky. "You mean...?"
"That's right. The Golden Lion's base is floating right above us," Shane said with a snap of his fingers, signaling the bartender for the check. "Looks like your luck has turned. If you hadn't run into me, you'd have come all this way for nothing." He paid the bill and strode out of the bar. Aokiji hurried after him.
"How about we team up?" Aokiji suggested. "That old man is a major threat, and his Devil Fruit is troublesome. It's not that I don't think you can beat him, but if he tries to run..."
"Run?" Shane grinned. "That old man? He won't. Trust me." Shiki had only been looking to make a statement at Whole Cake Island. But this... this was his home base, filled with thousands of his followers. For him to run now... he'd be no better than Moria or Buggy.
"This is between me and him. Stay out of it, or I'll beat you up too," Shane's aura flared. "Remember that, Kuzan. But... that doesn't mean there's nothing for you to do." He knew Shiki's floating islands were populated not just by pirates and beasts, but by innocent villagers, kidnapped from their homes and forced into servitude.
"Kuzan, your job is to protect the civilians. You can handle his underlings, right?"
Without waiting for an answer, Shane laughed, stomped his foot, and shot into the sky like a rocket.
"..."
Aokiji watched him go and shrugged. Protect the civilians... This guy... He's supposed to be a pirate, but he's got more of a sense of responsibility than most Marines. Well, he wasn't one to complain about getting the easy job. This trip could just be a vacation after all...
As Shane ascended, the temperature plummeted. He shot through layer after layer of thick clouds until he finally broke through into the clear, moonlit sky. There, suspended at an altitude of 10,000 meters, was a massive cluster of floating islands. In the center of the main island was a sprawling, palace-like complex, its lights twinkling in the darkness.
"Found you," Shane said, his Observation Haki locking onto a powerful, arrogant presence within. He threw his arms wide and roared, his voice like thunder. "SHIKI! GET OUT HERE!"
A hundred or so figures swarmed out from all directions. "Who dares trespass on Lord Shiki's domain?!" the leader, a giant with a mohawk, roared. "I am Captain Hienon of the Iron Hook Pirates, with a bounty of 70 million! State your name... huh? A young kid?" His voice died in his throat. "Y-You're..." The giant's hands trembled, and he dropped his swords. "You're the World's Greatest Swordsman, the Emperor of the Sea, Shane!!!"
The other pirates' faces went pale. They may have been out of the loop on some things, but they all knew that name. The fear was palpable. Some dropped their weapons, some fell to their knees, and some tried to run.
"What's a big shot like you doing here?!" the mohawk-man stammered, his face a mixture of terror and disbelief.
"You're noisy," Shane said with a frown. "I'm here for the Golden Lion, not you fodder."
BOOM!
An invisible wave of Conqueror's Haki washed over them, and the hundred or so pirates collapsed in an instant.
Shane landed gracefully and strode toward the palace. As he approached the main gate, he stopped and looked up at the highest balcony. There, a tall figure with long, golden hair was looking down at him, a cigar glowing in the darkness.
"Zehahaha... So you've come, Kaido!" Shiki's arrogant laugh echoed through the night. "I knew you wouldn't be able to let it go! But to come all this way from the New World, all by yourself... you're looking down on me!"
"What Kaido?!" his second-in-command, Dr. Indigo, shrieked, slapping him on the head. "Are you blind?! Look again! It's Shane! The World's Greatest Swordsman, Shane!"
Is it?
Shiki squinted. "So it is you, you little brat!" he sneered. "If it were Kaido or Linlin, I might be a little concerned. But you? Don't let all that hype go to your head! When I was ruling the seas, you were still playing in the mud! What, you didn't get a proper beating on Whole Cake Island, so you came all the way to the East Blue to die?"
"The East Blue is my home. I can't just let you destroy it," Shane said with a shake of his head. "A relic of a bygone era... all you can do is brag about the old days. But you were right about one thing."
"What's that?" Shiki grinned.
"We're not on the same level."
WHOOSH!
Shane vanished.
So fast!
Shiki's eyes widened, but before he could react, an immense force slammed into him.
"GALAXY... IMPACT!"
Shane's fist, wreathed in black-and-red lightning, drove through the double-sword guard Shiki had thrown up at the last second and tore through his chest. The shockwave annihilated the palace behind him, and the entire floating island shuddered violently.
"Gah!" Shiki coughed up a massive amount of blood and was sent flying into the rubble, carving a deep trench through the ruins.
"And here I thought this was going to be a tough fight," Shane said, slowly lowering his fist as he hovered over the wreckage. He looked down with disappointment.
"Turns out... you really are this weak."
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