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Towering flames shot into the sky, and a massive mushroom cloud rose up. The surging explosion tore apart the flesh of the rare beasts and the surrounding land, shattering everything into fragments.
"..."
Inside the Royal Palace of the "Golden Lion," the pirates stood there, completely stunned.
"Shiki… Old Boss…"
"Th-this… are those Marines all crazy?"
They could never have imagined that the Marines, who had clearly already fallen into a desperate situation, would launch such a final counterattack of this magnitude.
But only a moment later…
"Hey! Look… It's Boss Shiki!"
"He's fine!"
"I knew it! How could a legendary figure like him be harmed by a bunch of Marines!"
"What a bunch of idiots. They knew their opponent was the 'Golden Lion' and still did something like that; they just threw their lives away for nothing!"
Their voices weren't quiet, and what they said… wasn't entirely wrong.
Outside the dense black smoke and the range of the explosion… A massive lion-shaped rock slowly emerged from within the dust. The figure of the "Golden Lion," Shiki, floated within the upturned maw of that enormous stone lion. The flowing black Busoshoku Haki around his body gradually dissipated.
Not a speck of dust touched him.
[Lion Majesty · Earth Roll]
Just as the pirates had said, even the desperate, all-or-nothing strike that Hans and the others had planned from the very beginning… was not enough to harm a powerhouse of the "Golden Lion's" level.
But…
"Idiots." Shiki muttered to himself.
However, the "idiots" he referred to were clearly not the Marines, but the pirates inside his Royal Palace who hadn't even bothered to lower their voices.
His expression was somewhat complex. Because just moments ago, when the soldiers of the Marine Detention Unit had pressed the detonation button without hesitation, he had almost felt as if he were seeing a reflection of the past.
That stance of choosing to fight despite knowing the overwhelming gap, refusing to retreat no matter what.
"'Black Kirin'..." Shiki softly murmured the code name.
For someone like him, who had been hiding here for nearly twenty years, he had only previously had a vague understanding of that name.
But now, he had remembered it.
Because…
"That kid from the Marine New Age… has quite the remarkable group of subordinates."
He thought to himself. But clearly, he knew what he should do at this moment. He should scorn these Marines and use that to establish authority among the pirates behind him, though most of them were useless, they were still a fighting force.
"You Marines… really are…" But just as Shiki spoke…
"Not bad." A voice interrupted him.
Only then did he suddenly realize that the sound of the wind in front of him felt… sharp and piercing.
"!!!"
In the next instant, the dense smoke exploded apart.
Everyone could clearly see what lay within. The Marines had not, as expected, been reduced to ashes in the explosion.
On the contrary, they were all still alive.
A figure stood before them.
"Buzz…!"
Golden waves and raging winds swirled together, forming a massive barrier. Beneath the golden aura, the word "Justice" on the Marine coat fluttered in the wind. Roy looked calmly at the heavily injured Marines in front of him.
"Sorry for the trouble, everyone."
Especially when he saw Hans, whose breathing was weak, Roy took off his Marine coat and gently draped it over him. At this moment, all the Marines stared at Roy in disbelief.
"Senior official…" Some had reddened eyes; others clenched their teeth. "You've come."
Clearly, no one was unafraid of death. They were no exception and yet, Hans grinned instead.
"I knew it… you'd come… Heh… boss… we… didn't… disgrace you…"
He was still saying things he shouldn't be saying in a moment like this but this time, Roy didn't scold him.
"Mm." He simply nodded lightly. "I saw everything… It was a splendid battle."
He said softly, "As your superior, it's something I'm proud of."
Hans's smile grew even brighter.
"Too bad… Fal can't hear you right now…"
"Then tell him when he wakes up." At that moment, Roy slowly stood up. "Get some proper rest."
Roy turned around and clenched his fists.
Crack… crack… The crisp sound of his knuckles echoed clearly. "I'll handle the rest."
As his words fell, Hans finally seemed to relax, losing consciousness. At the same time, the other soldiers of the Marine Detention Unit also collapsed one after another.
Their bodies had already reached their limits.
Meanwhile…
"ROAR!"
"WOOO!"
Countless roars began to echo from all directions after the aftermath of the explosion. These were the "Rare Beast Weapons" that the "Golden Lion" had prepared over the years. Although some had been killed in the earlier blast, a large number still remained within this "hunting ground."
And now…
They were clearly moving in, intending to seize the fallen, exhausted "prey" and to tear apart and devour the one "prey" still standing.
"Relying on a bunch of wild beasts and talking about conquering the seas…"
Yet Roy showed no fear at all.
"I don't really care."
He slowly stepped forward.
And then…
"Buzz!!"
[Tyrant Winged Dragon LV4 · Ancient Aura]
A terrifying aura burst forth from his body, sweeping outward instantly. That violent, primal pressure, naturally suppressive to beasts, spread across the entire floating Skypiea in an instant.
And so…
Thud! Thud!
Heavy bodies collapsed one after another as almost every "Rare Beast Weapon" within the floating Skypiea fainted on the spot.
At the same time…
"Buzz!!"
Roy casually waved his hand behind him, causing invisible waves to spread again, enveloping the unconscious Marines.
And paired with that iconic scene… His fists were now gradually covered in flowing black Ryuo, billowing like a lion's mane.
"I-it's that legendary 'Shockwave Fist'!"
"That guy… there's no mistake! It's him… he's 'Black Kirin' Roy!"
"How did he even find this place?!"
"All the rare beasts collapsed… could it be… could it be…?!"
Inside the Royal Palace, the pirates erupted in shock, having already recognized his identity. Especially those with some experience, they believed they had figured out what power Roy was using.
"Haoshoku…?!" At the same time, the "Golden Lion," Shiki, took a drag from his cigar and exhaled slowly.
"Still… such a violent aura… that's a bit strange." He muttered, though his gaze toward Roy had clearly turned serious.
"'Black Kirin'... I've heard of you. That fellow Zephyr's disciple… one of the Marines' recent… mm!?"
His words abruptly stopped because at that moment, Roy's figure…
SHUA!
Accompanied by a piercing gust of wind… Had already appeared right in front of him.
He was so fast that Shiki didn't even have time to react.
[Devil Fruit Equipment · Speed Enhancement]
Roy's voice sounded beside his ear: "I wasn't interested in chatting with you."
As he spoke… His fist, wrapped in black Ryuo, had already slammed into Shiki's abdomen.
"But I have to tell you… My subordinates were absolutely right!"
With those words, the cigar in Shiki's mouth flew out along with a spray of blood.
"BOOM!!"
His body was blasted away instantly, smashing upward through the cliffs outside the Royal Palace, continuing to shoot higher into the sky.
But Roy didn't pause for even a moment.
He simply bent his legs…
BANG!
Smoke and snow burst outward as his figure vanished. In the next instant, he reappeared above Shiki's head.
"Buzz!!"
Clenching his fist, dazzling golden energy surged at his knuckles.
"A so-called 'legend of the seas' who's been gone for over a decade is nothing more than an outdated relic, just stay hidden like you were supposed to!"
Roy's eyes burned with a mix of scorching fury and icy coldness. His muscles surged and shifted as his Black Body Style fully activated.
"And yet you crawl out at a time like this, gather a bunch of trash, and dare lay hands on my subordinates…"
As his words fell, his fist smashed downward toward Shiki and the Royal Palace below.
[Super Shockwave Fist · Black Body Style · Grand Impact]
"You've really pissed me off, Pirate!"
(End of Chapter)