On the western coast of Migo Town.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni narrowed his eyes slightly as the pirate fleet approached.
With the ships drawing closer, they entered the range of his Observation Haki. There were nearly a hundred pirate ships, totaling three to four thousand men.
This was the largest gathering of pirates Yoriichi had ever encountered. Among them, he could sense several powerful auras, each no weaker than a Marine Headquarters officer.
And from the massive flagship leading the fleet, he felt a familiar presence.
He unsheathed his long blade, gripping it firmly as the muscles across his body tensed.
"Golden Lion Shiki."
"What is this guy doing here? Has the news of the Marine base at Lodestar Island already spread across the New World?"
"Is he on his way to settle a score with the Marines and just passing through?"
"Or... am I the target?"
The moment Yoriichi sensed the aura, he immediately recognized it.
This fleet was led by none other than Golden Lion Shiki.
At the same time, the lookout aboard the pirate fleet also spotted the red-haired youth standing calmly on the shore.
"Captain!"
"There's someone on the coast!"
"It's a brat, and he's holding a sword?"
"He's staring right at us, hahahaha!"
The lookout reported to Shiki with mocking laughter, as though the scene was amusing.
A lone brat with a sword? Faced with a fleet of thousands, he was probably frozen in fear.
"Oh? Someone from Migo Town spotted us?"
"Men! Pick up the pace. If we're too slow, the Marines on the island will get away!"
"The Marines... we can't let them escape."
"Until I've killed those two brats who injured me, the pain won't go away!"
Shiki's face twisted with malice.
His right arm, now strapped with a longsword, throbbed with lingering pain. The sleeve had been cut away, and the blade now hung like an extension of his limb.
Though his wounds had been treated, and by all logic should've healed, the gash Yoriichi left still burned painfully, especially in the dead of night.
Shiki was convinced it wasn't just a wound, but the work of a Devil Fruit power.
Unless he killed Yoriichi, the pain would never subside.
Fueled by vengeance, Shiki had hastily formed a fleet and set off for Lodestar Island.
Though the Marines hadn't publicized the establishment of their base, this was the New World, and information spread fast.
Shiki also learned that Migo Town housed another Marine base, no doubt an extension of the Lodestar Branch's influence.
Before marching on Lodestar Island, he intended to wipe out the Marines here first.
Ever since his humiliating defeat, his hatred for the Navy had grown deeper with every throb of pain from his severed arm.
As the fleet neared the western coast, Shiki suddenly raised his head and barked a question at the lookout.
"You just said there's a brat on the coast?"
"Is he still there?"
The lookout was still peering through his spyglass at the youth.
"Haven't moved an inch, Captain. The brat's still standing there. Probably scared stiff."
"Hahaha! Anyone would be, seeing a fleet like this."
The crew laughed, unaware of the grim change in Shiki's expression.
He couldn't sense anything.
His Observation Haki couldn't detect a single person on that coast.
That anomaly made Shiki's heart jolt.
"What does the brat look like?"
Shiki's voice was low, his left fist clenched, muscles bulging under his golden cloak.
"Red hair, black robe, kinda strange looking."
"Has a red scar, or maybe a tattoo—on his forehead?"
Upon hearing that, Shiki's eyes flared.
A twisted grin stretched across his face.
"It's him! That brat!!"
"Hahahahahaha!!"
"So we meet again, boy. This time, I'll make sure you die!"
"Once I get my hands on you, I'll carve every ounce of pain I've suffered back into your flesh!"
His golden hair billowed despite the windless air.
The golden cloak on his back began to float.
He raised both arms.
At that moment, his flagship—and the nearly one hundred pirate ships with it—lifted from the sea.
They defied gravity, floating high into the sky and casting shadows over the ocean as they surged toward the western coast of Migo Town.
"Listen up, men!"
"Target: the red-haired brat on the shore!"
"Bring him to me!"
Shiki stood proudly at the bow of his airborne flagship, his eyes locked onto Yoriichi now visible in the distance.
As the fleet drew near, the ships paused in the air, then began a steady descent.
With Shiki's order, shadowy figures leapt from the ships.
In mere seconds, powerful and agile pirates soared toward Yoriichi with murderous intent.
No words, no mercy.
They didn't care who they were up against—Shiki's orders were absolute.
Whoosh!
The first to arrive was a brawny man nearly two meters tall.
He carried no weapons, only a pair of metal tiger claws strapped to his fists. Despite the autumn chill, he was shirtless, muscles gleaming under the sun.
As soon as he reached Yoriichi, he threw a punch straight at his head, the air howling from the force.
Yoriichi slowly looked up at him and said calmly:
"Bounty: 330 million Berries. The Evil Fistfighter, Graphite Bath."
He raised his left hand and caught the man's fist mid-air.
The ground beneath Yoriichi cracked from the impact, yet the man's strike was halted completely.
"I'll be taking your head."
In the next instant, Yoriichi swung his blade with his right hand.
The crimson arc of the slash sliced cleanly through Graphite Bath's neck.
The heavy punch that had been caught in Yoriichi's grip lost all strength.
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