In Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.
"So you're dead after all, Shiki. I thought you were planning something big." Rayleigh adjusted his glasses as he sat on a bench inside a shop. "But to die at Aeridar's hands... that's truly astonishing! I knew he would one day become a major force of the new era, but this soon..."
"That Aeridar kid did something incredible, taking out Golden Lion," Shakky said, blowing a puff of smoke. "It's truly shocking."
"Indeed. For a man like Shiki to die so easily... it's unbelievable," Rayleigh said with a click of his tongue. He was one of the few people in the world who truly understood Shiki—a man with unbridled ambition and the courage to conquer the seas.
"I don't know the exact details, but from the limited intelligence, it seems their battle was incredibly intense. There were even giant chunks of earth, trees, and rocks falling from the sky like meteors, which must have been the remains of a shattered island," Shakky said, taking a deep drag from her cigarette. She handed a paper to Rayleigh. "One of them can make an island fly, and the other one shattered it. It must have been a violent fight."
"Heh... An old monster and a young monster. Quite the brawl," Rayleigh said with a light chuckle as he took the paper. "But the old era is coming to an end, and a new one is beginning. Who knows what the future holds?"
Splash...
Rayleigh lifted the bottle on the table, pouring a clear liquor onto the ground.
"Rest in peace, Shiki."
"That bottle was a hundred thousand Berries. Don't forget to pay me!"
"Cough, cough..."
....
Spring turned to autumn, and another year passed.
Throughout this year, many events of varying scale took place, but the biggest one was the death of the legendary Golden Lion Shiki. The news caused a massive uproar, and the whole world knew about it. In comparison, events like the demise of the Garfield Pirates and the unification of Aznat Island seemed far less significant.
The most notable follow-up was the joint occupation of the Fernal Archipelago by the Chris Pirates and the Donquixote family. Of the eleven islands, the Chris Pirates took five, including the largest central island, Mount Four Island, while the Donquixote family took six. The weapons factories on the islands were also split between them. Aeridar and Doflamingo also inherited Caesar's former clients, expanding their business once again.
In addition to Golden Lion's death, there was another very significant event: Yonko Red-Haired Shanks visited the Clifford Kingdom. After Shanks left, he announced that the Clifford Kingdom was now a neutral zone for the Red-Haired Pirates. Being a neutral zone for both the Yonko and the Marines/World Government makes the Clifford Kingdom arguably the safest place in the New World.
Privately, Aeridar had promised Shanks two hundred doses of the SS Drug every year. While the SS Drug can't increase a fighter's strength, long-term use has a subtle effect, improving their constitution, healing minor internal injuries, and, most importantly, keeping their bodies active and slowing the aging process.
Knowing the drug had such effects, Shanks didn't hesitate to accept the deal. He had no qualms about declaring a neutral zone, and their partnership was a success.
Another piece of news also made it into the papers: The Supernova, Flame-Flame Fruit user "Fire Fist" Ace, fought the Warlord "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe for five days and five nights on land, with neither gaining the upper hand.
In the end, Whitebeard himself arrived and took Ace away. Afterward, Fire Fist Ace joined the Whitebeard Pirates and single-handedly defeated and brought in the "Bohemian Knight" Doma's group, gaining instant notoriety.
Of course, compared to the current Aeridar, Ace still had a long way to go.
As for the Float-Float Fruit that was obtained from Golden Lion, Aeridar personally delivered it to Alvis Island and warned Dalt not to experiment with it until he was absolutely sure. If the experiment failed, who knew where the Float-Float Fruit would be reborn? It could fall into the hands of an enemy, creating a new rival.
There was one more thing that made Aeridar very happy: Arlan went to the tea party for him and seemed to have a connection with Charlotte Smoothie, the 14th daughter of Big Mom and one of the Sweet Commanders. Their relationship seemed a bit ambiguous, which gave Aeridar a good feeling.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman, both powerful monsters—they were a very good match.
....
In the Rommel Kingdom, night had fallen, and the moon was high. A few people still lingered on the streets.
Whoosh...
Suddenly, a strange gust of wind appeared out of nowhere.
Rip!
The next moment, a long crack appeared on the wall of a building, as if it had been slashed by a sharp blade.
"Huh? What was that? Was I seeing things?" A passerby rubbed his eyes, looking at the long crack on the wall in confusion. He was sure it hadn't been there a moment ago.
Whoosh...
An eerie gust of wind swept down the street.
Rip!
A flash of blood. A middle-aged man felt a sharp pain in his chest as a long, narrow wound appeared on his torso, instantly staining his white shirt red.
"How..." Before he could finish his sentence, the man's eyes rolled back, and he fell backward, dead.
"Ahhh...!!"
"Someone's dead!"
"What happened? Why did he just die?"
"What's going on? I think I felt a strange wind!"
Although the streets were sparsely populated, there were still some people around. When they saw a man suddenly fall dead with a gash in his chest, they were immediately terrified.
Whoosh...
Before the remaining people could react, the strange wind became a violent gale that swept over half the street.
Rip, rip, rip, rip...
In an instant, at least twenty people on the street were slashed at the same time, with long, narrow wounds on their chests or backs. The cuts were incredibly deep, nearly opening up their internal organs.
Thump!
More than twenty people fell to the ground, and the survivors were completely stunned.
"T-The legendary Kamaitachi! It's the Kamaitachi of Rommel!"
Someone pointed at the fallen people and said, trembling.
"R-Run! He's a killing machine!"
"Run!"
At that, the remaining people, including the women, didn't even have time to scream. They turned and ran for their lives, terrified of being next.
A figure appeared on top of a clock tower as the strange wind passed.
"I'll shred your hands, your feet, your entire bodies! I'll tear everything to pieces!"