Liam Ross might have been thinking a little too much.
Sometimes, the more you overthink, the easier it is to trip yourself up.
Even if Fleet Admiral Sengoku was as shrewd and calculating as the world claimed, there was no way he could ever imagine that Liam was a man who could create a clone of himself.
Perhaps Sengoku only suspected that Liam had some connection to the mysterious figure known as Emperor Sky.
But to believe that Liam was Emperor Sky, and that he could control another version of himself that was far beyond anyone's imagination. Unless Liam admitted it himself, Sengoku could twist his mind in knots and still never reach that conclusion.
"Right, I haven't done my morning sign-in yet," Liam muttered, suddenly remembering.
If there was ever a time for a miracle reward, this would be it.
He focused his will and commanded his clone to initiate the Morning Sign-In.
"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained one Mid-Level Experience Card!"
Liam exhaled, half satisfied, half disappointed.
A mid-level card wasn't bad it would instantly raise his swordsmanship to the Swordmaster tier, strong enough to match an ordinary Vice Admiral. But against powerhouses like Akainu or Kizaru, the natural element users, it still wouldn't be enough.
If this truly was Sengoku's scheme, and if the target was Emperor Sky, then there was no way the operation would be simple.
Without hesitation, Liam applied the experience card to his Swordsmanship skill.
A rush of power surged through him, and in an instant, his blade mastery leapt from Master Swordsman to Swordmaster.
Just as the sensation faded, the sky above darkened.
Shiki the Golden Lion had arrived.
Hovering in midair, he gazed down upon them his sharp eyes locking onto Garp and Aokiji. Rage twisted his features, his killing intent bursting forth like a storm.
"Garp!"
His voice thundered across the waves. "I haven't even gone to your Headquarters yet, and you've come running to die on your own?!"
Garp looked up calmly. "Shiki, this time we're bringing you back to Impel Down."
"Gahahahaha!"
Shiki's laughter echoed across the sea. "You think the great Golden Lion can be captured by the likes of you and a boy who plays with ice?"
He sneered, his twin blades gleaming under the sun.
Before Liam could even blink, Garp's grin widened. Without a word, the old hero reached into a nearby ammo crate, grabbed a black cannonball, and hurled it skyward with terrifying force.
"Fist Bone Meteor!"
The cannonball tore through the air like a comet.
"Lion's Slash – Thousand Valleys!"
Reacting instantly, Shiki swung his twin swords, Sakura Ten and Kogarashi, unleashing a blazing X-shaped slash that struck the cannonball midair.
A blinding explosion erupted above the sea.
BOOM!
Smoke rolled across the sky.
Shiki laughed mockingly through the haze. "That all you got, old man? Come on, show me something worth my time! Gahahahaha!"
Garp said nothing.
Still smiling, he casually lifted an entire crate of cannonballs, placed it beside him, and began juggling them one by one like toys. Then, without warning
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Cannonballs flew through the air in rapid succession, each one thrown faster than the last, like a shower of black meteors raining toward Shiki.
The Golden Lion roared, slashing wildly. His blades carved through the first few cannonballs, detonating them midair, but the relentless barrage continued. Explosions flashed in every direction, shaking the sea and painting the sky in bursts of fire.
When the smoke finally cleared, Shiki was still afloat but his breathing had grown heavier.
He might have been one of the world's most legendary pirates, but he was also over fifty, his body riddled with old battle scars, and his legs replaced by blades. No matter how strong he once was, time spared no one.
Still, he refused to show weakness.
"Hah! What's wrong, Garp? You seem slower than before! Getting rusty, old man?"
Garp just chuckled. "Ah, you know how it is age catches up eventually. Guess I'll leave the fighting to the younger generation."
Then he plopped down on a crate, crossed his legs, and opened a snack bag.
Liam nearly rolled his eyes. Sure, act innocent. Everyone knows you're basically a walking disaster in human form.
The next instant, Aokiji moved.
His body transformed into ice, chilling mist swirling around him as he launched himself toward Shiki. With both hands pressed together, he condensed the freezing air into a gleaming ice blade.
In a flash, Aokiji struck.
Shiki narrowly dodged, his laughter booming again. "Ice boy, you dare to face me in close combat? You're a century too early!"
The two clashed fiercely, blades and frost colliding midair.
From the deck below, Liam watched closely. If he were Garp, he thought, he'd jump in right now and coordinate with Aokiji end this quickly before Shiki had time to adapt.
But Garp, true to form, just sat there, munching rice crackers and sipping juice like he was watching a live performance.
Meanwhile, the battle above seemed furious, yet something about it didn't sit right with Liam. Both Aokiji and Shiki were holding back he could feel it.
His instincts screamed that this was all part of something bigger.
At the same time, across the sea, Liam's clone faced a different storm.
Two elite Navy warships had just arrived at the harbor of Gang City, shocking the locals.
Leading the troops was none other than Kizaru, dressed in his signature striped suit and wide-brimmed hat, a toothpick lazily hanging from his mouth. Behind him followed two rear admirals and dozens of heavily armed marines.
They disembarked in disciplined formation, their synchronized march echoing through the streets like a thunderous tide as they advanced toward the central castle the stronghold of Capone Bege.
Yet unbeknownst to them, a third warship was approaching from the rear.
Onboard was Akainu, the Red Dog himself, wearing his white justice coat and marine cap. Flanked by three vice admirals Doberman, Dalmatian, and Onigumo he strode grimly onto the shore.
Akainu immediately opened a transponder snail and spoke into it.
"Moshi moshi. Sengoku here."
The snail's face shifted into the likeness of Sengoku.
"We've reached Gang City," Akainu reported.
"Good," Sengoku replied. "Hold your position for now. I'll have Borsalino act first he'll arrest Capone Bege under the charge of harboring the Demon's Child. That should draw Emperor Sky out. When he appears, you strike. If you can capture him alive, do it. If not… kill him."
Akainu's brow furrowed. "His invisibility ability could complicate things."
"Don't worry," Sengoku's voice assured him. "The World Government has sent a CP0 operative skilled in countering such powers. He'll assist you."
The line went dead.
Akainu's gaze hardened as he looked toward the distant castle. A dangerous light glinted in his eyes.
Inside that very castle, one of Bege's men rushed in with a report.
"Boss! Kizaru and his troops have entered the city!"
"Only Kizaru?" Bege asked, frowning. "No sign of Akainu?"
Liam's clone narrowed his eyes in thought.
A single admiral for a small-time gang raid? Impossible.
That meant one thing they weren't here for the gang.
They were here for Robin.
If her location had been exposed, then Sengoku would absolutely connect her to Emperor Sky's network and by extension, to Liam himself.
"Damn it," Liam cursed under his breath. So both my identities might've been exposed at once.
But there was only one way to be sure.
For now, he decided it was too risky to reveal himself. Instead, he ordered Capone Bege to handle Kizaru personally.
"Boss," a subordinate announced from outside, "the Vice Admiral has entered the hall."
"Let him in," Liam's clone said calmly, eyes narrowing as he prepared for the encounter that could determine everything.
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