A broken blade may be severed, but it's still incredibly sharp.
The Nagasone Kotetsu in Diarmuid's hand slammed down onto Shiki's Oto.
Then, an overbearing burst of gravity erupted. Shiki's other famous blade, Kogarashi, didn't even have time to be raised before Diarmuid landed a kick, knocking it slightly aside.
After just a single clash, a hint of regret flashed in Diarmuid's eyes.
With his broken sword pressing against Shiki's Oto, their faces were inches apart. As their gazes locked, Diarmuid spoke softly, "Shiki, you're old and you're finished!"
Hearing this, a murderous gleam and a flash of annoyance appeared in Shiki's eyes as he resisted the pressure from Diarmuid. "Arrogant!" he roared.
As his voice fell, Shiki's other hand loosened its grip. The famous sword, Kogarashi, swirled into a blur of flower-like patterns, floating from the side to stab at Diarmuid.
It was the same move he had used back at Marineford.
And just like at Marineford, Diarmuid didn't dodge. He simply channeled his Haki into his waist and abdomen.
The next second, the sharp Kogarashi plunged viciously into Diarmuid's abdomen.
But the Haki stopped it just short of drawing blood.
"I was wrong," Diarmuid began, "You're not old. You're only in your early fifties, Shiki, you're still in the prime of your life, so how could you be called old?"
A flicker of regret continued to show in his eyes as he went on, "But you're finished, Shiki. Two years ago, that strike would have severely wounded me, yet two years later, it can't even pierce my Haki. You've suffered too much these past two years, while I've long since surpassed my old self!"
With those words, Diarmuid suddenly put force into his hand. The overwhelming gravity immediately broke through Shiki's resistance, sending him flying with a single slash.
Blood streamed down Shiki's legs. The famous sword Oto held firm in his hands, but his body couldn't withstand the pressure. He was sent flying backward for over ten meters, almost getting forced back into Impel Down's main gate.
Only then did he release the strain on his body, his gaze somber as he looked at Diarmuid's sturdy form.
He clenched his fist, as if intending to unleash some Haki, but the moment the black Armament Haki appeared, it rapidly retracted before it could even coat his blades.
At the same time, a pained expression crossed Shiki's eyes. From underneath the ship's rudder lodged in his head, a faint trail of crimson blood began to seep out.
Two years ago, at Marineford, while he could no longer use Conqueror's Haki, he could still skillfully wield Observation and Armament Haki.
But during the two years he was imprisoned in Impel Down, it took him more than half a year of rest just to get his injuries to stabilize.
However, was Impel Down a good place for recuperation?
Did anyone really think he could get proper rehabilitation there?
He couldn't eat or drink well, his physical condition worsened every day, and his headaches would flare up from time to time. The ship's rudder, which had been stuck in his head since the Battle of Edd War, tormented him to no end.
Now, not only had his physical state deteriorated to the extreme, but he couldn't even use his Haki anymore.
The only things that could still define him as the "Golden Lion" were the two swords in his hands and the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
But even so, he chose to avoid a fight with Magellan, and in the face of Diarmuid, who stood blocking the gate...
Even though he wanted to go all out, he couldn't even break through Diarmuid's Haki.
He might not be a hero, but he was certainly a great man.
And this was how a great man's glory faded.
Seeing that Shiki made no further moves, Diarmuid raised his hand and said, "Everyone, stand down."
Magellan hesitated, but after his superior, Maxcas, gave him a nod, he stood still.
"Does it still count as being finished if my fighting spirit hasn't been broken?" Shiki suddenly looked at Diarmuid and asked.
"I know exactly how proud and arrogant the Golden Lion is. To you, an unbroken spirit means you're still a king of the seas, full of boundless ambition. But to me, you're already finished, Shiki. No matter how much pride you have, you will not step out of this prison graveyard that is Impel Down today." Diarmuid raised his broken sword, pointing it at Shiki. After a slight pause, he continued, "The era when you and Roger competed is over. Now, a new age has begun. You are a remnant of the old era. This new era has no ship for you, Shiki!"
Shiki was stunned, and he whispered to himself, "A remnant of the old era... After just two years, am I already a remnant?"
"Two years is more than enough," Diarmuid replied seriously.
"Jihahahaha..." Shiki suddenly burst into laughter. Then, just like Diarmuid, he pointed his own sword at him and said, "The new era has no ship for me? Perhaps that's true, Diarmuid. But I have, in the end, broken free of Impel Down's cage and breathed the long-lost air of freedom. Severing my legs was not meaningless. If this is the price for a final clash with you, then it was worth it. New era or old, you don't need to say such things to break the spirit of an old man..."
After a slight pause, Shiki's voice was full of indomitable spirit. "More talk is useless. A broken man, a broken blade. It's fitting for today. Come, Diarmuid. Use the broken sword in your hand to cut down this worthless spirit of mine!"
Seeing this, Diarmuid also let out a hearty laugh. "Good! Just as I knew you would be when I first saw you in the North Blue. The Golden Lion always had a spirit that captivated me. Even with a thousand sins, your indomitable spirit remains unbroken. Today, I'll cut down your spirit right here!"
With those words, Diarmuid raised his broken Nagasone Kotetsu horizontally in front of his chest. He held the hilt with one hand and ran the other over the broken blade.
As his hand passed, a cloud-like Haki gathered, forming a phantom blade from the broken Nagasone Kotetsu. At the same time, the Devil Fruit power that had been constantly leaking from his body completely receded.
This slash would be nothing but Haki.
"One-Sword Style: Cloud Flow Tiger…" Diarmuid whispered.
Shiki, too, was ruthless and decisive. He stood firm on his severed legs and completely suppressed the power of his Float-Float Fruit.
Then, he slowly raised the famous sword Oto. His eyes were bloodshot, the rudder on his head trembled faintly, and crimson blood trickled from his temple.
At that very moment, a powerful surge of Armament Haki erupted on his sword, forcefully turning it into a black blade.
"Lion's Threat: Ocean's Roar!" Shiki roared in a low voice.
As his voice fell, both Diarmuid and Shiki moved.
Their speed was neither fast nor slow. The crowd gathered at the Impel Down port could clearly see the distance between them closing.
Then, their blades collided.
First, a clash of Armament Haki swept forth, blowing everything around them away.
Then, an invisible force, like a lion and a tiger fighting, erupted from their bodies.
It was Conqueror's Haki.
Shiki's spirit was like a desperate lion, fearless in the face of death. The blood from under the rudder in his head had soaked his golden hair, making it look crimson.
Diarmuid's spirit was like a descending tiger, unstoppable. The broken blade of his Nagasone Kotetsu forcefully cut through Shiki's Armament Haki.
The clash of two powerful Conqueror's Haki bursts caused many of the prison guards on the port to faint on the spot. The sea, which had been calm just moments ago, now surged with waves, and the sky turned overcast.
But just as everyone thought the situation was about to escalate, they all seemed to hear a muffled roar.
Nobody knew where it came from, but they could see with their own eyes that Diarmuid's spirit instantly overwhelmed that of Shiki, the desperate lion.
The next second, a flash of blood crossed their eyes. The famous sword Oto in Shiki's hand was sliced in half by the broken Nagasone Kotetsu in Diarmuid's.
And a huge, bone-deep wound appeared on his chest.
Clang!
The Oto in Shiki's hand fell to the ground with its severed half.
At the same time, the raging Haki confrontation quietly receded, no longer as menacing. A second later, it seemed as if the two were simply standing face to face, chatting casually, without any of the fierce intensity from a few breaths ago.
Shiki looked down at the wound on his chest, a faint smile on his lips. "We've fought three times," he said. "The first time, you only left a scratch on my face, but I plunged my blade through your chest. The second time, at Marineford, that bastard Sengoku wounded us both. And the third time, I couldn't even scratch you, but I was left with a wound like this…"
"Quite an improvement, wouldn't you say?" Diarmuid slowly sheathed his Nagasone Kotetsu and said softly.
"No, I should say my decline is too great…" Shiki shook his head.
Diarmuid was silent for a moment before he smiled. "You're right. Today, you're the weakest I've ever seen you."
"The new era has no ship for me?" Shiki suddenly asked.
"A Marine warship could carry you for a while," Diarmuid joked, "but I doubt you'd want to board it."
"My spirit…" Shiki suddenly closed his eyes in melancholy.
Before Diarmuid could respond, Shiki spoke again. "Now that I've escaped Impel Down, I'm not going back in. Diarmuid, though we are opponents, for the sake of our history in the North Blue, give me a swift end."
Diarmuid looked at Shiki, who had closed his eyes and was ready to die, and a wave of emotion swept over him.
To be honest, he was completely unwilling to kill Shiki. After all, in his eyes, Impel Down was a massive Devil Fruit farm. It wouldn't be too late to kill Shiki once he got the Dark-Dark Fruit.
That was his original plan.
But seeing Shiki's proud, closed-eyed resolve, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
'Sigh... Why should I humiliate a great man for this? It would only make me seem small-minded,' Diarmuid mused to himself.
He then drew the Nagasone Kotetsu from its sheath again and said softly, "This sword is called Nagasone Kotetsu. It is one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. I obtained it in the North Blue, and it has accompanied me through battles for almost seven years. Though broken, I never discarded it. Today, I'll gift this blade to you, an old friend from the North Blue!"
Hearing this, Shiki opened his eyes and looked at the broken sword in Diarmuid's hand. He smiled and said, "Then I thank you."
As his words fell, Diarmuid no longer hesitated. He grabbed Shiki's shoulder, and at the same time, his broken sword precisely pierced Shiki's chest, breaking through his heart.
"Ah…" A trickle of blood seeped from Shiki's lips, and his eyes began to glaze over.
In these final moments of his life, he was thinking of the Battle of Edd War so many years ago.
"If it weren't for that storm, what would this world have looked like? Roger... Diarmuid…" Shiki whispered softly.
"Then it wouldn't have been Roger's turn to be a king," Diarmuid chuckled. "You, Shiki, would have been the one and only ruler of the world."
"The one and only... huh?"
"Jihahahahahaha…"
With a final burst of laughter, Shiki fell silent.
The great pirate, the Golden Lion, had met his end here.
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