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A colossal shadow fell upon Mary Geoise, plunging the Holy Land into an unnatural twilight.
From the four Blues to the far reaches of the New World, the entire planet held its breath, eyes glued to the screens broadcasting the miracle suspended in the sky.
Whitebeard, Shiki's old rival. The Supernovas of the new generation. Every faction that prowled the seas watched in silent anticipation.
The two-month wait was over. The war that had gripped the world's imagination, regardless of allegiance, had finally begun.
"Jieahahaha!"
Shiki's manic laughter echoed from the video snails, a sound of pure, unbridled chaos.
He stood in the eye of the storm, his silhouette stark against the darkened sky, an image of absolute, domineering power. For the pirates watching, it was a moment of religious awe. This was what it meant to be a legend.
Shiki's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead like worms. He was a man possessed, radiating a terrifying resolve—a willingness to burn everything, himself included, to ash.
A shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating him. It bathed his long, golden hair in a radiant halo, a final, brilliant flash before the end.
"I, Shiki the Golden Lion, will achieve what even Roger could not!"
Roger. The ghost that haunted him. The obsession that had driven him into a decade of despair after the Battle of Edd War. And now, the catalyst that had woken him from his slumber.
"Whether you surpass Roger is irrelevant, Shiki!" Kong's voice boomed, a thunderclap from the ground that drowned out the pirate's laughter. It was a shot of adrenaline for the terrified masses. "All I know is… you will die by our hands, just as he did!"
"Die here, in Mary Geoise!"
"Why couldn't you just stay a legend?" Sengoku sighed, his body beginning to glow with a brilliant, golden light. Behind him, the spectral image of a massive Buddha shimmered into existence. "Why did you have to come back and disturb the peace??"
"JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"
"JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"
"JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"
The soldiers, their nerves stretched to the breaking point, were galvanized by Sengoku's power. Their roar shook the sky, a wall of righteous fury rising to meet the threat from above. The crushing weight on their hearts shattered. Even against a legend, they would not falter.
The three Admirals strode forward, flanking Kong and Sengoku. Garp, still casually picking his nose, stepped up beside them.
"Same old tired lines," Shiki sneered, his golden mane whipping in the wind. He looked down at the army arrayed against him with utter contempt. "They didn't save your trash soldiers eight years ago, did they? I remember turning Marineford into a river of blood! Jieahahaha!"
"True," Sengoku shouted back, his golden aura intensifying. "But eight years ago, you still lost!"
The high command gathered—Tsuru, Momousagi, Chaton, Momonga—their faces grim, their weapons ready.
Despite their numbers, no one dared underestimate the Golden Lion.
The air crackled. The storm was about to break.
But then, the world's strongest fighters all turned their heads, looking towards the New World side of the Red Line.
"Zzzzzzzzzzt!"
A piercing, electrical shriek assaulted their eardrums. A blinding flash of violet light tore through the clouds, stopping abruptly in the sky above the battlefield. As the light, bright as a second sun, faded, Arthur's figure was revealed.
He hovered in the air, looking down on the gods and their soldiers. He was of normal height, yet in the eyes of everyone watching, his presence was colossal, a titan among men.
"The Thunder Emperor… he's gotten stronger again," Akainu growled. "Is he even human?"
Those who had fought him before felt the shift. His aura was wilder, more violent than ever.
The world's attention shifted to the new arrival.
"Heh… Hahahahaha!" Arthur laughed, a sound dripping with scorn. "Don't make me laugh! Is the Navy truly this shameless? Eight years ago, you needed thousands of men to bring down Shiki. And today, you plan to use the same cowardly tactic?"
"Hm?" Garp stopped picking his nose and stepped forward, a wide, dangerous grin splitting his face. "Arthur, you brat. You actually dared to show up. Come down here so I can cave your skull in!"
"Old man Garp, I don't object if you want to die," Arthur said coolly, glancing at Shiki, who was already radiating the aura of death. "But today isn't about me. Today belongs to the Golden Lion. I'm just here to clear the path… to send him off on his final journey!"
He didn't mince words. He spoke plainly of Shiki's impending death, right to his face. Shiki likely knew Arthur's intentions from the start—to use him as a firework.
But so what?
He was willing.
Better to burn out in a blaze of glory that the world would never forget than to rot away in the shadows. To some, that fleeting brilliance is eternal.
"Thunder Emperor. I appreciate everything you've done. You picked a perfect grave for me," Shiki said, spreading his arms wide. The floating island of Merveille began to shudder violently. The earth twisted and groaned, morphing into the shape of a colossal lion, roaring at the sky.
"But today… I do this myself! If I needed your help, that bastard Roger would laugh at me from hell! I am… THE GOLDEN LION!!!"
"LION'S MAJESTY: EARTH BIND!"
"ROAAAAR!!"
A roar that shook the foundations of the world erupted from the sky. The massive earth-lion crashed down towards the Holy Land. Riding on its head, and leaping from the island above, were thousands of mutated beasts, screaming for blood.
The Golden Lion's requiem had begun.
"Hahahaha! As expected of Shiki," Arthur laughed, dissipating the massive ball of lightning—the Raigo—he had been forming in his hand. "Then show me. Show me the final, desperate brilliance of the old era!"
He stepped back, watching as Shiki descended into hell.
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"ROAAAAR!!"
The beast wave crashed into Mary Geoise. Dr. Indigo had long since awakened their primal savagery and enhanced their strength with his chemicals.
Every single beast possessed the power of a Marine Captain or higher. Some were even stronger.
The tide of monsters collided with the tide of soldiers. In the first second of impact, hundreds of Marines were torn apart.
There were too many of them. The beasts, driven mad by the scent of blood, knew no fear, no pain, no fatigue. They were engines of pure destruction.
The beast army wasn't useless. It effectively pinned down the entire patrol force.
"KILL THEM!!"
Marines and Army soldiers alike, seeing their comrades dismembered, went berserk, their eyes red with rage as they charged into the meat grinder.
"This isn't working! The losses are too high!" Sengoku roared, his headache splitting. He glared up at Shiki. "Sakazuki! Borsalino! Kuzan! You three, clear out the beasts! Support the troops!"
"Commander Kong, Garp! We're going for the head! We need to eliminate Shiki, now!!"
"Understood!" Kong and Garp shouted in unison.
"Jieahahaha!" Shiki threw his head back and laughed, his arms thrust downward.
The colossal earth-lion, formed from the entire island of Merveille, descended with earth-shattering force, aimed directly at the heart of Mary Geoise.
This single strike threatened to erase the eight-hundred-year-old sanctuary from the map.
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