Morgan was having the time of his life. The moment the report reached him—Shiki fighting the Oni Samurai mid-air in the New World—his laughter thundered through the headquarters of the World Economy News Paper.
"Jahahahaha! Print it! Spread this fight!" he roared, slamming both wings against his desk. "I want every sea to know that Roger's blade has collided with Shiki!"
Printing presses screamed as ink rolled across endless sheets of paper. The headline was massive, bold, impossible to ignore.
"GOLDEN LION SHIKI CLASHES WITH 'ONI SAMURAI' – HEIR TO ROGER'S BLADE?!"
Seagulls filled the skies once more, carrying stacks of newspapers toward every corner of the world. Islands woke to chaos as pirates, marines, and civilians alike stared at the shocking images of black lightning splitting the heavens.
---
A Marine battleship cut violently through the sea as Garp stood at its prow, the wind whipping his coat wildly. A marine rushed forward with the fresh newspaper, panting heavily.
"Vice Admiral Garp! It's confirmed! Shiki is fighting the Oni Samurai!"
Garp snatched the paper and read the headline. His grin stretched ear to ear as his fist tightened.
"Shiki, that damned bastard!" he roared. "Move the ship! Find where they are!"
"Sir, the coordinates are unstable—"
"I don't care!" Garp barked, cracking his knuckles loudly. "If Shiki's out, I'm not missing this!"
The Marines scrambled frantically as the battleship surged forward at full speed.
---
On the Moby Dick, the atmosphere shifted from calm to charged. Whitebeard stared at the paper in silence while Marco stood beside him, eyes sharp and focused.
"Marco," Whitebeard rumbled deeply, "find where this brat is fighting Shiki."
"Yes, Pops," Marco replied immediately.
"If that bastard has come out of hiding," Whitebeard continued, his voice lowering, "then that brat is the real deal."
Marco nodded. "The sky in that picture… that's Conqueror's coating."
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed slightly. "Gurararara… Roger, what kind of monster did you leave behind?"
---
Far away in Sabaody, Rayleigh had just stepped into Shakky's bar when a newspaper struck him square in the chest. He caught it lazily and unfolded it, but as his eyes scanned the page, his expression shifted.
His eyebrow twitched.
"It's that brat, isn't it?" he asked quietly.
Shakky smirked as she leaned against the counter. "Who else but my little brother has flaming golden wings like that?"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "When did he become your little brother?"
She laughed lightly. "Well, he did call me big sis."
Rayleigh exhaled slowly, eyes returning to the image of Kai clashing with Shiki mid-air. "You know what… put that aside. What kind of growth rate is this?"
Shakky's smirk softened slightly. "And yes… that's Conqueror's coating."
Rayleigh felt a chill run down his spine. Others might not realize it, but he did.
"That boy… is nine years old," he muttered.
Shakky raised a brow. "Scared?"
Rayleigh chuckled, though there was tension in it. "Damn monster. No wonder he said it was only a matter of time before he surpasses Roger."
"Well," Shakky said thoughtfully, "he'll be coming here soon if I'm correct. But damn… he really went for Shiki."
Rayleigh nodded slowly. "This will be troublesome. Shiki may have lost his legs and much of his Haki… but he's still a monster."
Shakky crossed her arms. "Little brother can escape if he can't defeat him. After all, he can control the weather."
Rayleigh's eyes darkened slightly. "Yeah… that's Shiki's nightmare. If it wasn't for that sudden storm back then, Shiki would have wiped us out."
He folded the newspaper carefully.
"Let's see if the storm favors him again."
---
Back in the New World, the sky itself had become a battlefield.
Kai and Shiki clashed mid-air, their blades striking with deafening force. Sparks burst like meteors while shockwaves rippled across the clouds. Every collision sent tremors down to the sea below, splitting waves apart.
Shiki lunged forward, both sword-legs flashing in a cross-shaped arc aimed directly at Kai's torso. Kai twisted his body mid-air and blocked, Akatsuki screaming against the dual blades.
"You've grown since the last exchange!" Shiki laughed wildly. "But you're still green!"
Kai pushed off, separating from the clash before surging forward again. "Then teach me!"
Their blades collided again—once, twice, a dozen times in seconds. Shiki's experience was suffocating, his movements refined from decades of war. He slashed low, then high, then spun horizontally, forcing Kai into constant defense.
A blade sliced across Kai's ribs, drawing blood.
"Too slow!" Shiki roared.
Kai's wound sealed instantly, muscle knitting back together. His breathing remained steady.
"Not slow," Kai replied calmly. "Learning."
---
Shiki raised his arm and entire masses of floating stone hurtled toward Kai like cannon fire. Kai responded by summoning violent gusts of wind, invisible blades forming within the currents as they shredded the incoming debris.
Lightning erupted from darkened clouds, striking downward toward Shiki.
"You think I fear storms?!" Shiki shouted, cutting through the lightning with a brutal upward slash.
Kai dashed forward through the thunder, appearing above Shiki and swinging downward with Conqueror's coating blazing around Akatsuki.
"Kamushari!"
Shiki crossed his blades and blocked, the impact blasting both of them backward through the sky. The clouds split once more, revealing the raging sea beneath.
"You really are something, Oni Samurai!" Shiki barked with manic delight. "But you are not strong enough!"
Kai didn't respond with words. He surged forward again, their swords meeting in rapid succession.
---
Steel clanged repeatedly as they exchanged blow after blow. Kai slashed horizontally; Shiki parried and countered with a thrust. Kai twisted aside and retaliated with a diagonal cut; Shiki deflected and spun into a sweeping strike.
Their blades met again, pushing against each other in a contest of raw Haki.
"You've hunted Sea Kings," Shiki observed mid-clash. "I can feel the strength in your body."
Kai smirked faintly. "Preparation."
"You prepared for me?" Shiki grinned.
"I prepared to surpass you."
Shiki roared and unleashed a barrage of slashes so fast the air screamed. Kai blocked three, dodged two, and took one directly across the shoulder.
Blood sprayed—but vanished moments later as regeneration consumed the wound.
Shiki's grin began to fade.
"What the hell are you?" he demanded.
Kai's eyes sharpened. "The future."
---
Time passed in relentless violence.
At first, Kai had been on the defensive, pushed back by Shiki's superior technique. But with each regeneration, each clash, each correction of stance and timing, he improved visibly.
His blocks became cleaner. His counters sharper.
Where once Shiki's blade would slip past his guard, now it met Akatsuki head-on.
"You're adjusting mid-fight…" Shiki muttered.
Kai lunged forward with renewed precision, their swords colliding in a perfect cross. "That's how I grow."
---
Shiki swung both blades in a spiraling assault, forcing Kai backward before suddenly diving downward. The ocean beneath rose unnaturally under Shiki's control, forming massive pillars of water that launched upward like spears.
Kai leapt from one water pillar to another, slicing them apart while ascending rapidly.
"You can't outlast me!" Shiki shouted.
Kai's golden wings flared brightly as lightning gathered around his blade. "Then I'll outgrow you."
He vanished and reappeared directly in front of Shiki, their blades clashing once more.
This time, the sky cracked even louder than before.
Black lightning surged violently between them as Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, pushing the clouds aside in a massive circular shockwave.
Shiki's grin finally faltered.
For the first time, he was no longer overwhelming the boy.
They separated briefly, hovering in the sky, both breathing heavily.
"You…" Shiki muttered, eyes narrowing. "You're catching up."
Kai raised Akatsuki slowly, lightning dancing along its edge. His injuries had nearly vanished, his stance steady and refined.
"I told you," Kai said quietly. "The new era doesn't need a dying lion."
Shiki's laughter returned—but it was no longer carefree.
"Then show me," he growled. "Show me the era that dares replace mine."
And once again, they charged toward each other, blades ready to decide which will would dominate the sky.