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Inside the Royal Palace at the summit of Vermillion…
"D-defeated?!"
"Old Boss Shiki… lost just like that?!"
"They call him some legendary pirate? Looks like nothing special to me!"
The pirates who had just witnessed Shiki plummet down toward the island below were thrown into complete chaos.
Panicked, they stared up at the "monster" in Marine uniform hovering in the sky, cursing and blaming the Golden Lion who had led them into this situation.
But at this moment…
"…."
Roy stood in the air, yet made no move to attack them immediately.
Because he had already noticed that the floating Skypiea… showed no sign of falling, and even without a Devil Fruit like "Five Senses Enhancement," he now had an instinctive feeling.
"Something… Is coming."
Bang!
The moment those words fell… He felt it. He felt a violent burst of Haki surging upward into the sky from the island below.
Buzz!!
The sky above the island seemed to darken instantly.
Crackle!
Black-red lightning surged wildly, pressing all vegetation below into submission.
Buzz!!
The already panicked pirates couldn't even finish a sentence before they all collapsed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
"ROAR...!"
Somewhere beyond perception… Roy could almost feel that terrifying aura rising into the sky, like a lion roaring at him.
The next moment…
Bang!
A figure shot up violently from below And before that figure fully appeared, another object arrived first.
Clang!
It was a wheel-shaped ship's rudder, its edges were stained pitch-black with dried blood, a testament to how many years it had been soaked in it.
Roy, of course, recognized it.
"So… it's not over yet." He muttered softly.
"Jihahahaha!!"
In response came a bold, roaring laugh, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure rising alongside the rudder.
"Sorry, Marine brat, letting you see that disgrace just now… how embarrassing for an old man like me."
His golden hair now surged like a lion's mane, whipped by Haki. The laughing Shiki was completely different from just minutes ago. He no longer referred to himself as "I," but as "this old man."
The arrogance and self-proclaimed legend in his tone were gone. From the top of his head, blood gushed uncontrollably with several holes had pierced deep into his skull.
For anyone, those were clearly fatal wounds, even for him.
So Roy could feel that Golden Lion's aura was weakening along with the violent loss of blood.
But…
"If you know it's disgraceful, then why not just fall already?" Roy's expression had never been more serious as he spoke.
Because this presence, this posture, this terrifying sense of danger… All of it told him one thing:
The man before him was no longer Pirate Shiki.
At this moment… He was the "Golden Lion."
Naturally, he was no longer at his peak of power.
But even with both legs gone, even with fatal injuries… The Golden Lion was still the Golden Lion.
Roy neither dared nor could afford to underestimate him now.
"Jihahahaha!!" Hearing Roy's words, the Golden Lion only laughed even more boldly.
"That won't do…!"
As his words fell, those ferocious eyes locked onto Roy making him feel like an aging lion king of the plains, staring down a young male lion.
He acknowledged his own decline and aging.
But, the transition of eras… could not end so casually.
"A dull, unremarkable exit like that? I refuse it." He laughed loudly. "If my era is destined to end here, then at the very least…"
He would unleash… That final roar!
"Come!!"
As he spoke, the blood-soaked rudder rose, breaking apart and reforming.
In an instant, two sharp, bloodstained 'wooden blades' appeared in his hands as well as beneath his feet with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki entwined in them.
Facing the final roar of the raging lion king... Roy simply raised his hand.
Ripples surged.
Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) coiled around him.
"Come."
As he spoke, both figures vanished from where they stood.
Bang!
In the next instant, they collided head-on.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the blink of an eye, blades and fists had clashed countless times. Golden shockwaves and slashes burst outwards, colliding and annihilating each other! Each impact shattered nearby mountain peaks and tore apart the remaining land.
[Devil Fruit Loaded · Strength Enhancement]
At one point, Roy's powerful punch smashed into the Golden Lion, sending him flying once again.
But this time, the Golden Lion was not blasted far away. On the contrary, while blood streamed from his head as he was knocked back, the ground below split open instantly.
Countless razor-sharp stone pillars were forcibly torn from the island and hurled towards Roy!
"Shockwave Fist · Frostfire!"
Roy threw both fists forward. Frost and blazing heat erupted at once, freezing and shattering the pillars, then incinerating them.
But by then, the Golden Lion had already reached above him.
Roy didn't hesitate; he threw a punch straight upwards.
[Loaded – Gale-Gale Devil Fruit]
"Wind Shockwave Fist · Raging Tempest!"
A violent gale surged forth again, engulfing Shiki entirely.
But...
"!!!"
Within Roy's constricted pupils, Shiki laughed boldly.
Though affected by the wind, his floating body remained as steady as a mountain.
Crackle! Crackle!
Black-red lightning burst from the edges of his blades. Using all four swords and both hands and feet, he slashed simultaneously!
"Lion King's Might: Devouring Heaven!"
At that moment, Roy instantly activated the radiant defensive aura surrounding his body.
[Devil Fruit Loaded · Defence Enhancement]
[Shockwave Fist · Immovable Wisdom King Form]
[Tekkai · Vajra Unbreakable].
But...
"!!!"
The intense sense of danger did not fade. Roy's thoughts moved, and, in an instant, his entire body was coated in Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) as he fully activated Black Body Style.
Then... the slash landed.
Shhk!
That terrifying strike instantly blasted Roy's body away.
Even with full defensive reinforcement from his Devil Fruit, Tekkai, Ryuo, and Black Body Style, Roy was shocked to discover that a massive wound had been carved into his body in an instant.
A long-forgotten pain surged through him as blood splattered outwards and his figure plummeted towards the ground.
But...
Buzz!!
[Devil Fruit Loaded – Regeneration Enhancement].
In the blink of an eye, the gruesome wound on Roy's body began to close and heal rapidly.
Seeing this, the Golden Lion raised an eyebrow.
Immediately afterwards, however, he launched an even fiercer assault without hesitation.
Attacks like the four claws of a lion rained down like a storm.
"So strong…"
At that moment, even Roy couldn't help but admit it to himself.
Yes, strong. Not just strong, but extremely strong.
The current 'Golden Lion' was stronger than before by a factor of at least two. In fact, there was no comparison at all. It was on a completely different level.
"His strength, speed, and physique haven't fundamentally changed."
Roy understood this clearly.
In terms of raw strength, speed, physique, and even vitality, he still held the advantage. But in actual combat, Shiki had become much stronger.
The reason?
There was only one.
"This presence…"
Roy could clearly feel it... No, he could even see it. He could see the waves around the island trembling and wailing.
He could see the clouds surrounding the floating islands churning constantly. He could also see dark red lightning continuously bursting from Shiki's body. It was a domineering spirit that could suppress even howling winds and raging seas.
He had once caught a glimpse of it on Monkey D. Garp.
But now he was truly witnessing it.
That was... Conqueror's Haki Infusion, a power accessible only to those with the highest level of Haoshoku Haki.
This was only natural.
The legendary pirate, the 'Golden Lion' Shiki, once dominated an era, even suppressing Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard, and he had, of course, the highest level of Conqueror's Haki.
"My abilities are being suppressed, while his combat power is increasing across the board. Whether offense or defense, even if his physical attributes haven't changed, everything has grown stronger,' Roy muttered inwardly, yet he wasn't truly shaken.
Roy muttered inwardly, yet he wasn't truly shaken.
He had always known.
Of the three types of Haki, Haoshoku Haki was unique. It could not be obtained through training, nor strengthened by conventional means.
It depended solely on the user's 'spirit.'
A power deeply tied to one's will.
Yet despite this, its effects were utterly terrifying.
In the original story, only a powerful Haoshoku Haki could break through the 'undying' state granted by the mark of the King of the World carried by the so-called God's Knights, thereby truly injuring them.
At the same time, Conqueror's Haki infusion could almost be called the ultimate killing move of true top-tier fighters.
"I can use 'Ancient Aura' to counter part of his Haoshoku through clashes... but it's still not enough..."
As he fought the Golden Lion, Roy's brows were tightly furrowed and just at that moment...
Clang! Bang!
Shockwave Fist and blade collided once more, and Roy was blasted away.
However, he quickly stabilized himself using Geppo, preparing to defend against the Golden Lion's next attack.
Yet the attack never came.
"Hey, Black Kirin brat."
That bold voice rang out.
Roy looked over instinctively... and froze.
At that moment, the Golden Lion's eyes were still blazing, and his Haki seemed to burn through them like flames, but his body was another matter entirely.
Blood continued to pour from the wound on his forehead. Roy suspected that the man had almost lost all his blood.
The injuries he had sustained earlier were impossible to ignore, so although his Haki and will remained overwhelming, his body's aura had clearly begun to weaken.
"I don't have much time left. I can't keep this up with you any longer." The Golden Lion spoke calmly.
The rudder embedded in his head was from the Battle of Edd War. During the final clash against Gol D. Roger, he had suffered a crushing defeat, and the rudder had become lodged in his skull.
Every doctor had told him that removing it would kill him. Moreover, because it was so close to his brain, he could never fight at full strength.
In other words... From the moment he chose to remove the rudder, Golden Lion Shiki had begun his journey towards death.
He had chosen his own ending. Not to die of old age in some forgotten corner but to die after a legendary battle.
A lion should not die of decay... but in combat.
"The newspapers say you'll become a legendary figure in the Marines." His voice grew louder and more imposing. "But if you want to take this old man's head, if you want to truly become a legend of this era, then show me your real strength... I want to see your true spirit!"
As he spoke, his Haoshoku Haki surged once more.
"Hah?" Roy frowned slightly.
He didn't fully understand the old lion's words but from Shiki's presence alone, he understood one thing.
The next strike… Would be the last.
So..
"Legend or not, I don't really care. But I'd be happy to send you off… 'Golden Lion'!"
As the words fell, both figures moved at the same time.
Crackle! Crackle!
Black-red lightning burst from Shiki's body as he took up a striking stance, drawing both wooden blades and his blade-like legs.
Fwoosh!
At that instant, his Conqueror's Haki became so concentrated that it appeared to burn like real flames.
Correspondingly, the blood flowing from his head increased even faster.
His life force weakened, yet the smile on his face became even more unrestrained.
"Esoteric Art — Lion King: Heavenfall!"
The next moment, he transformed into a golden meteor, tearing through the heavens, trailing black-red flames as he plunged towards Roy.
At the same time...
Buzz!
Roy took a deep breath.
Power surged within him, gathering and condensing.
Buzz!
Frost, flames, gale-force winds, lightning, and slashes... All fused into the vibrations of this single punch.
This was the same strike that had once pierced the Red Line. Yet its form and aura were slightly different. It was different from the one used by Star-Lord, the beyond-limit attack that exhausted the user in a single blow.
This punch was the strongest strike that Roy could unleash while still in control.
"Shockwave Fist Esoteric — Myriad Phenomena Pulse!"
Roy threw his punch.
Across the sky, his roaring fist met the falling meteor head-on.
The next moment...
Bang!
...there was an eruption of terrifying power.
The legendary battle... reached its end.
(End of Chapter)