"Don't get reckless in front of me, John!" After batting away John's hand, Shiki immediately placed his own on the hilt of his sword.
Seeing this, John calmed down. His raw strength wasn't a match for Shiki's, but it was equally impossible for Shiki to take him down instantly. Starting a conflict now would be foolish, even if their relationship was somewhat superficial.
It still outweighed their relationship with Ren. Even Shiki had his concerns; if he pushed John toward Ren, it would create major problems for him.
Thus, while Shiki took an aggressive stance, his hand merely rested on the hilt without even gripping it. His roar without extending his claws was nothing more than a warning.
"Alright, Shiki, let's both calm down." John voluntarily took a step back. He wasn't someone who cared deeply about face, so yielding to someone like Shiki wasn't embarrassing.
The pirates under John and Shiki breathed a sigh of relief; for a moment, they thought the two might actually fight. They didn't know this war was being broadcast live across the New World and parts of Paradise.
If a conflict did break out, Shiki and John would become laughingstocks. Declaring war grandly, two great pirates joining forces, only to start fighting before the enemy even arrived...
If that happened, the Navy would surely seize the opportunity to continue leveraging public opinion to smear pirates. It wasn't really smearing, though; pirates were essentially that kind of scum anyway.
"It seems some power is slowing the fall of those island fragments." Shiki bit his cigar, exhaling thick smoke. "So many tricks, Ren!"
After confronting Ren so many times, Shiki actually admired him greatly. From their previous two encounters, he could clearly sense Ren's progress in Haki.
When it came to opponents, he acknowledged Ren's strength. Especially since Ren appeared to be quite young, he truly deserved to stand on equal footing with him.
After two battles, Shiki was on the verge of becoming a Ren admirer. Ren didn't feel particularly affected about stealing one of Roger's fans.
The Dead Star's power wasn't wind-based; through machinery, the giant ship's turbines spun rapidly, allowing it to pass through the first barrier! Other vessels followed closely behind, with the last ships at risk of being hit, but there was no need to worry.
Garo silently stepped forward, jumping from the lead vessel. Dressed in a white suit, he looked less like a pirate and more like a magician.
"Bang!" He stomped on the air, causing it to explode instantly. Using the force from the explosion, Garo shot toward the sky as if he were landing on the moon!
"Moon Walk? Well, that's the basics." Shutenmaru glanced sideways, muttered something with his sausage-like lips, then fell silent.
With Garo's strength, the Navy's Rokushiki and even its ultimate technique were basic fundamentals. But he hadn't expected this guy to be the first to step forward.
To this day, Shutenmaru's Onigami Mark had no effect on him, but that didn't matter. He was here as a spy to gain Ren's trust and uncover more secrets about "Inazuma," not to slack off.
In such chaotic battles, he would instead exert his full strength. "Spin·Smash!" Garo extended one hand toward an island fragment.
Instantly, the solid rock began to twist, as if there was a rotating, magnetic vortex in his palm. Even Ren's attention was drawn to him.
"A power that can rotate objects?" Ren mused to himself. Through rotation, objects could be destroyed, much like how you can't snap a sausage in half directly, but twisting both ends in opposite directions makes it easy.
Garo's rotational power was clearly stronger, and likely incorporated the principle of Internal Destruction with Busoshoku Haki, directly shredding the island fragment's interior into pieces. Like a meat grinder!
Honestly, this was a pretty good Devil Fruit; rotation could generate tremendous force. "Shutenmaru, you and Garo will handle one of Shiki's subordinates together later. I'll take on Shiki."
Ren said. His Kenbunshoku Haki had detected a dangerous presence beside Shiki, someone Shutenmaru alone would struggle against. But with Garo's help, it should be manageable.
At least they could hold him off. Garo hadn't shattered the entire island fragment, but he had resolved the crisis for the last ship. He landed on the railing, looking quite stylish.
"Boom..." Countless stones rained down, creating huge splashes as a backdrop for the fleet.
"Thud!" The ships docked. It seemed Shiki hadn't set any traps at the landing site. Ren stood at the bow, spotting Shiki's figure, with John beside him.
"I didn't expect it to be John..." Shutenmaru frowned, but he also breathed a sigh of relief. While John was also a long-standing pirate, he was better than an enemy like Whitebeard.
Neither Ren nor Shutenmaru moved, but the Dead Star had already deployed its gangplank. Next to take the stage weren't the pirates, but over two hundred Remnant Guards and a dozen Remnant Heavy Machines!
"The forces over there... there must be at least eight thousand people, right?" Yuko looked over, startled by the massive black-clad crowd.
After all, their side had fewer than a thousand people; many had died during the pirate captains' selection process. "It's normal for two pirate crews to have this many numbers."
Ren remained completely unfazed. He was actually worried there wouldn't be enough people. The more cannon fodder, the more it highlighted the power of the Remnant series.
He couldn't wait for the pirates and Marines to witness his new weapons. From afar, Shiki and John didn't make any rash moves.
Now wasn't the time for someone of their caliber to intervene. If they sent the "King" right from the start, what would be the point of gathering these pirates? They could have just challenged him directly!
"Get them, my men!" Shiki drew his sword, and eight thousand pirates surged toward the shore like a tidal wave. "Let them see the power of the Flying Pirates!"
"Kill!" "Kill ten and you get a reward, kill a hundred and you can become an officer!"
Ren watched the approaching crowd, a black tide rising in a white world! The battle cries were deafening!
But he felt a bit disappointed. Is this all?
Shiki had gone to great lengths to choose the battlefield, and all his preparation amounted to just those floating island fragments? Pirates truly were just a rabble.
[
Hey everyone,
I need to tell you what's actually happening.
I just got hit with mass cancellations. On top of being buried in academics until the 9th. I'm in deep financial trouble right now—like, genuinely don't-know-how-I-cover-next-month trouble.
I want to do more for you. I have another Naruto fic ready to drop the moment this academic hell ends. But I can't keep creating if I can't survive.
I'm not powerless about the work—I know I can deliver for you. But I'm powerless to stop the bleeding alone.
If you've ever thought about supporting, this is the moment. Not "someday." Now.
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Every new member literally buys me another week of doing this. Every existing member staying is the reason I'm still here.
]
If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting on Patreon. You'll get 30 advance chapters immediately, plus monthly updates and bonus content. Every subscription keeps the chapters coming.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44