"Lion's Might—Goshigoshima Roll!"
With Shiki's roar, the entire ground of the Flower Capital instantly transformed into a turbulent sea.
Thousands of tons of earth and rock surged upward, rolling into massive snowball-like forms.
Right before Caesar's eyes, the ground in front of him swelled hundreds of meters high, morphing into three majestic, sky-scraping lions.
"Roar!!"
The lions, composed of rock and soil, had heads over two hundred meters tall.
The sonic waves from their roars exploded like countless cannons, resounding across the skies of Wano Country.
At that moment, countless people in Wano trembled in fear at the heaven-shaking roar.
At Edgeport, Ulti and the others paled.
Ulti immediately escorted Hiyori off the Pluton, reuniting with Komurasaki and the others.
Even the usually unruly Ulti restrained her impulsiveness, not daring to wander off recklessly.
"Is it an enemy? Who is Caesar-sama fighting against?" Page One's expression was grave.
Judging from the intense scene, the opponent's power was not to be underestimated.
And... Page One looked up at the sky, where more than a dozen massive islands floated suspended, and found it hard to suppress the dryness in his throat.
"If these islands were to fall..."
The thought alone sent an involuntary shiver down his spine.
"This scene reminds me of a legendary pirate who hasn't appeared on the seas for many years."
Black Maria stared blankly at the floating islands in the sky as she suddenly spoke.
"Who are you referring to?" Ulti and the others all turned to look at her.
Black Maria took a deep breath and said solemnly, "The captain of the Flying Pirate Crew, Golden Lion Shiki!"
....
Above the ruins of the Flower Capital.
"Borororo! are you running out of tricks, Shiki! What's with these little kittens? Trying to deafen me with loud roars?"
Caesar was surrounded by three colossal lions that reached the sky.
These lions weren't merely compressed from earth and rocks with extremely hard bodies.
Their massive forms were also coated with a thick layer of Armament Haki.
Just this display of immense Haki showed that Shiki hadn't weakened to the point of being powerless.
He remained the Lion who once dominated the New World!
But...
This level of power wasn't nearly enough to threaten the current Caesar.
"Daring to call my lions kittens - you're still the same bastard, Caesar! Attack! Tear him apart!"
Shiki flew out from a deep crater, still carrying the barely breathing red-furred giant ape.
"ROAR!!"
At Shiki's command, the three mountain-sized lions raised their heads and let out earth-shaking roars before simultaneously pouncing toward Caesar.
Caesar grinned widely, showing no intention of dodging.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
His muscular body's bones and muscles crackled loudly.
His thick right arm coiled with muscles, emitting a nerve-grating tension sound.
Sharp, hard golden bone spikes emerged from the knuckles of his massive fist.
Caesar's right arm swept through the air like a phantom, instantly throwing three punches!
Almost simultaneously, the three lions' pouncing movements froze as if time had stopped.
Shiki, hovering nearby, changed expression and muttered, "This bastard... how can he be this strong? This bastard should be 65 now, right? Do Oni tribe members not age? He's still the complete monster he was decades ago."
Caesar retracted his fist and turned around.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Behind him came three world-shattering explosions.
The massive heads of the three mountain-sized lions violently exploded, leaving only their lower halves still standing among the Flower Capital ruins.
The already devastated land of the Flower Capital now appeared even more chaotic.
Thump!
Shiki casually tossed the red ape aside and landed with a gloomy expression, his feet hitting the ground with metallic clangs.
Two men who once fought side by side now reunited after forty years!
Caesar threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
"BORORORO! Long time no see, Shiki!"
Shiki's mouth twitched, feeling a strong urge to hit someone.
But soon, he couldn't help but grin and laugh heartily too.
"Jihahahaha! Same here, long time no see, Caesar!"
Caesar spread his massive arms wide and strode toward Shiki.
Shiki froze for a moment, then quickly ascended, trying to escape.
Caesar laughed weirdly as he caught the fleeing Shiki and crushed him in a fierce bear hug.
Crack! Crack!...
Shiki's eyes bulged as his bones creaked loudly, feeling like he was about to be flattened by Caesar's embrace.
"Bastard! Let go of me! You're gonna strangle me to death, aaaah!"
Shiki wasn't exactly short, standing over three meters tall - the standard height for an admiral.
But compared to Caesar's towering nine-meter frame, nearly matching the giants of Elbaf, Shiki looked like a newborn baby.
Thus, the scene resembled a loving father holding his son...
What a picture of domestic bliss...
"Boroorororo, this is my loving embrace! Seems you're deeply moved, Shiki!" Caesar laughed heartily, tightening his grip even more.
"Moved my ass!" Shiki couldn't help but curse loudly.
After fooling around for a while, Caesar released Shiki and pointed at the comical ship's wheel embedded in his head.
"What's with this look? Quite unique, eh?"
Shiki swatted away his large hand irritably and grumbled.
"Hmph, you think I wanted this? It happened during the Battle of Edd War against Roger. I wasn't paying attention and this broken half of a ship's wheel got lodged in my skull."
"Then why not pull it out? Keeping it for extra height?" Caesar asked with mockery all over his face.
Shiki looked utterly frustrated and depressed.
"It's embedded too deep. If I pulled it out, it could be fatal. I didn't want to die back then, so I just left it there."
Caesar immediately got angry, pointing at Shiki's nose and scolding him.
"Then why didn't you come find me? Don't you know how amazing my blood is? an injury like this, even if it was stuck up your ass, I could heal it!"
Shiki flew into a rage: "Where was I supposed to find you? After Rocks died, you disappeared without a trace. In the New World seas, only Newgate and Roger were still making waves. Linlin and your stupid brother Kaido just holed up in their own territories and never came out."
Caesar chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry, I forgot. I slept for thirty years and just woke up recently. Right here in this damn place, actually."
"Then what's the fucking point of saying that!"
Shiki rolled his eyes in annoyance, pulling a cigar from his pocket only to find it completely crushed.
He jumped up in fury, pointing at Caesar and yelling.
"That was my treasured cigar worth one billion Berries!"
"You have to compensate me! You bastard!"