The sudden strike caught Shiki the Golden Lion completely off guard. Though his Observation Haki was sharp, it wasn't limitless. During intense battle, even the most seasoned warrior couldn't divide their focus perfectly and Shiki was no exception.
Unlike Katakuri, whose frightening ability to see seconds into the future made him a living legend among Haki users, Shiki's perception was more traditional. With age came both wisdom and weakness, and his body was no longer the unbreakable weapon it once was. His strength had dulled, his reflexes lagged, and the old wounds from losing both legs in Impel Down never truly healed.
A man's hands and feet are the roots of his strength the physical extensions of his will. Shiki's had been severed. His vitality was fractured, and no amount of pride could conceal the decline.
Liam Ross had noticed that flaw from the very beginning. He had fought barehanded, holding back his Earth-Earth Fruit powers deliberately to drain the Golden Lion's stamina. Once Shiki began to tire, Liam struck decisively summoning two massive dragons of earth to crush his opponent before he could react.
Boom!
The impact sent Shiki flying like a cannonball. He tore through trees, snapped trunks like twigs, and finally slammed into the side of a rocky cliff.
Rumble!
Rocks tumbled. Dust blanketed the air.
"Cough… cough…" came a ragged sound from within the haze.
Liam's eyes narrowed, his muscles tensing for another attack.
Then, through the drifting smoke, Shiki's silhouette emerged. His golden mane was streaked with dirt, his robes in tatters, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The swords strapped to his stumps clanged with every step.
Despite his disheveled state, the fire in his eyes still burned fiercely. His fighting spirit hadn't dimmed.
Liam couldn't help but admire him a little. So this is one of the three legends who once rivaled Roger and Whitebeard… the Golden Lion himself. He really lives up to the name.
"You're a Devil Fruit user," Shiki rasped. "A Logia… earth, isn't it?"
He narrowed his eyes. "I've never heard of such a power before. A rare one… and dangerous. You're not a simple marine, are you?"
Liam didn't answer directly. Instead, he smirked under his mask. "My goal's the same as yours to become the next Pirate King."
Shiki froze, then let out a bark of laughter. "Pirate King? You?"
Without another word, he stabbed his leg-swords into the ground and shouted, "Lion's Might: Earth Spiral!"
The earth split apart, rising into two colossal lion-shaped constructs that roared and lunged toward Liam.
But Liam only smiled. "You really are getting old, Shiki. Trying to use earth against an Earth Logia user? You should know better."
For the first time, Shiki's smirk faltered. His expression twisted in confusion as his own lions suddenly turned against him, breaking free of his control.
"What?!"
Before he could react, the two lions collided with him, exploding into a storm of rock and dust.
Liam raised an eyebrow. Never underestimate the power of irony.
He wasn't interested in killing the old pirate outright that would take too much time, and the system's task only required a defeat. He was, after all, a professional when it came to efficiency.
"Work smart, not hard," he muttered, pulling out a finely crafted flintlock from his system inventory.
The barrel gleamed faintly. It was loaded with bullets made of Sea Prism Stone.
"Let's finish this."
He fired rapidly. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each bullet sliced through the air, vanishing into the swirling dust. Even one shot landing would be enough to suppress Shiki's Devil Fruit powers temporarily.
Then Liam raised his hand again. "Earth Art: Shattering Arrows!"
Spears of solid earth materialized around him, forming a halo of destruction. With a swift motion, he sent them raining down like a storm.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of shattering air was deafening. The island trembled under the assault.
Then came a pained roar. "Aaaah!"
Liam's lips curled into a grin.
When the dust settled, Shiki floated back into view pale, battered, and barely keeping himself aloft. A bullet wound burned on his shoulder, blood trickling down his arm. The glint of Sea Prism Stone was gone; he'd ripped it out with sheer willpower.
His once-majestic appearance was gone. What remained was a broken lion cornered by a hunter.
"You bastard…" Shiki growled, voice trembling with fury. "I'll kill you!"
But before he could charge, Liam raised his hand in mock surrender. "Hold on. You've proved your strength I'll admit that. No point dragging this out, right? We'll just end up destroying each other."
Shiki blinked, momentarily thrown off. "What are you saying?"
"I mean," Liam said lightly, "you can have the Pirate King title. I'm generous like that."
For a moment, silence.
Then Shiki's face turned an impressive shade of crimson. His jaw clenched.
You let me have it? he thought furiously. You think I need your permission?
The veins on his forehead bulged. "You… arrogant brat!"
He roared, his laughter turning manic. "You think you can walk away after this? No one humiliates the Golden Lion and lives! Jihahahahahaha!"
The ground shook violently. The island itself began to rise, breaking free from the ocean and floating into the sky under Shiki's power.
Liam cursed. "Oh, come on! It was just a joke! You're really doing this?"
Watching the massive island ascend, he sighed. This old man's insane.
"Fine, fine," he muttered, stepping back. "You win, I'm out."
Activating his invisibility skill, he vanished just as Shiki unleashed another massive slash that tore through the spot he had been standing.
The Golden Lion's eyes widened. "What?! Impossible!"
He swung his swords wildly, sending blasts of sword energy in every direction.
"Coward! Get back here and fight me!"
Boom! Boom!
But no matter how many attacks he unleashed, the masked marine was gone.
…
Back at Marine Headquarters, Liam reappeared behind the mountain base, exhaling in relief.
"That guy's a lunatic."
But his grin returned a moment later. "Still, mission complete."
After cleaning up and lighting a stick of incense half prayer, half habit he looked up at the sky. "Alright, system. Let's see what I've earned this time. Open the mysterious chest."
A purple light filled the room as the chest shattered into fragments, revealing a strange, ornate box hovering in the air.
"Congratulations, host," the system chimed. "You have obtained a Devil Fruit Mystery Box. Would you like to open it now?"
Liam's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "A Devil Fruit Mystery Box, huh? Looks like today's my lucky day."
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