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"I don't get it. Why go to such lengths for one man?"
On the way back to Raijin Island, Vegapunk couldn't hold back his curiosity. He knew Arthur—he was calculating, ruthless. This kind of sentimental gesture seemed out of character.
"I just don't want to see a legend like him rot away in obscurity," Arthur sighed, a genuine note of sadness in his voice.
The greats of the old era… Roger went out in a blaze that ignited the world. Whitebeard lived to see his dream of a family realized. But Shiki? Shiki was a tragedy.
Defeat after defeat. Crippling injury after crippling injury. Arthur couldn't stand to watch a man of such ambition and power fade into a pathetic, whimper of an ending.
He was going to give the Golden Lion a stage. A final, blinding flash of glory that would sear his name into the history books forever.
"Ah. I understand now," Vegapunk said after a moment, a knowing look in his eyes.
"Understand what?" Arthur asked, smiling.
"You're afraid. You're afraid that Shiki's fate will be your own. You're terrified that there will be no one left to bury you when your time comes, so you can't bear to see him die alone." Vegapunk turned, his intelligent eyes dissecting Arthur.
"Hahahaha! Not a chance!" Arthur laughed, loud and unbothered. "When I go, I'll choose the most spectacular death the world has ever seen!"
"We don't get to choose how we're born, but we can damn well choose how we die."
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They returned to Raijin Island.
Vegapunk, uninterested in Arthur's dramatic plans, immediately retreated to Punk Hazard. He had work to do—continuing the construction of the War Fortress and designing a new power system based on the principles of micro-particle manipulation.
Science was his life. Everything else was noise.
Ten days later, the Golden Lion arrived.
He returned to the New World not as the broken loser who had fled years ago, but with his head held high, radiating an aura of absolute, domineering power.
When he stepped onto Raijin Island, Arthur and Morgans were already waiting.
"Let's do this, Thunder Emperor! I can't wait to declare war on the World Government. I'll show Roger… I never lost!" Shiki's eyes burned with a feverish, almost manic light. It was a terminal lucidity—a return to the peak form he possessed before the Edd War.
He had accepted his fate. He was ready to die, ready to drag his enemies down with him.
Shiki had finally cast aside his fear of death.
Long-term failure breaks a man. Only by finding a new purpose can the fire be rekindled.
His purpose was simple: to prove to Roger that he hadn't been defeated by the era.
"Good! Morgans, fire it up. I want every video snail in the world broadcasting this live!" Arthur looked at the revitalized Shiki with deep satisfaction.
To live in obscurity or die in glory. Shiki had made his choice.
"Gahahaha! You got it, Boss!" Morgans was practically vibrating with excitement. He'd gotten the scoop of the century.
This was real, world-shaking news.
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East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, North Blue.
Paradise. The New World.
Hundreds of nations, countless islands, the territories of every major power…
"Zzzzzzt…"
Across the globe, video screens flickered to life. Through the static, an image resolved: an island wreathed in eternal storm clouds, with a massive, golden palace in the background.
Shiki hovered in mid-air, looking down on the world with supreme arrogance. The legendary swords Oto and Kogarashi gleamed cold and sharp on his legs. His golden mane flowed in the wind like a royal cloak.
A half-smoked cigar was clamped in his teeth, and he wore that same wild, world-conquering grin from the old days. Proud. Domineering.
"It seems many of you have forgotten me. No matter. The sea will remember the pain I bring! I am—Shiki the Golden Lion…"
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Sabaody Archipelago. The plaza in the Lawless Zone.
A massive screen suddenly lit up.
"What's happening?"
Pirates looked up, confused, only to witness a sight they would never forget.
Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
The image of Shiki played on the wall.
"Shiki? Six years, and now he resurfaces. What is he planning?" Rayleigh's glasses glinted, hiding his expression.
Shakky took a drag from her cigarette, resting her chin on her hand. Her intuition was sharp. "He… looks different. Something's wrong."
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The Moby Dick.
Whitebeard and his sons fell silent, watching the projection in the sky.
"Pops, that palace behind him… that's Arthur's place, Raijin Island!" Marco pointed out.
Whitebeard didn't answer. A strange, inexplicable sadness welled up in his chest.
"Shiki… what kind of mess are you stirring up now?"
The aura of finality around Shiki, the sense that he was ready to burn it all down… it touched something in Whitebeard. He had fought the man for decades. He had never seen him like this.
Another friend-and-enemy… leaving because there was no ship in the new era to carry him.
"Gurarararara! Whatever you decide, Shiki! Just don't regret it!" Whitebeard suddenly laughed at the sky, grabbing his sake jug and drinking deeply.
"Pops…"
"Are you okay, Pops?" Thatch, Jozu, Vista, and the others watched him with concern.
In the corner, Blackbeard wore a mask of worry, but inside, he was screaming with glee. 'Zehahahaha! Do it! Go crazy! The more chaos, the better! This era is getting interesting! Zehahahaha!'
Redfield, guarding the borders, sat in his castle, swirling a glass of wine, watching the drama unfold.
Kaido stopped his suicide attempts. Big Mom paused her tea party.
Doflamingo, Mihawk, Moria… the Supernovas watched intently.
Dragon and his Revolutionaries, having found a new base, gathered around the screen.
The entire world stopped. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the shockwave.
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Raijin Island.
"Maybe many of you have forgotten me! It doesn't matter… listen up, you brats of the new era, playing your little treasure-hunting games!"
"A ghost from the old era is about to show you what a real pirate looks like!"
"I, SHIKI THE GOLDEN LION! HEREBY DECLARE WAR… ON THE WORLD GOVERNMENT!!!"
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