"Stay right here and don't move."
Storm withdrew his Observation Haki and turned to Nami beside him, giving her serious instructions.
"I'll be back soon."
Sensing Storm's solemn mood, Nami bit her lip lightly and nodded silently, abandoning any thought of mischief.
Storm left a Blue-Eyed White Dragon by Nami's side as her "guardian dragon."
Immediately after, he mounted another Blue-Eyed White Dragon and soared straight into the sky.
Within moments.
Storm rode the Blue-Eyed White Dragon high into the air, following the ascending island he had just detected until he arrived at a most peculiar "archipelago."
This was an expansive Sky Island Archipelago, with islands of various sizes floating high above, resembling the "Sky Islands" found only in fantasy tales.
At the center of this archipelago was a floating island shaped roughly like a ship.
At the front of this floating island stood a majestic golden lion's head, while its sides were lined with dense wooden oars, making it resemble an "island ship" capable of sailing freely through the skies!
Across the entire sea.
There were only two pirate crews known to use entire islands as "ships."
One was Gekko Moriah's "Thriller Bark."
The other was Golden Lion Shiki's "Floating Island Ship"!
"Though I've long known that Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit could effortlessly manipulate islands, allowing them to float freely in the sky..."
"Witnessing it firsthand still leaves me awestruck."
"Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit has undoubtedly reached the level of Awakening!"
Storm took a deep breath, blending his Observation Haki with the faint electromagnetic waves granted by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to sense the floating archipelago ahead.
In an instant.
Every "sound" from the floating archipelago became clear to Storm.
Laughter, the clinking of glasses, the roars of monsters...
Most importantly, Storm had already heard Golden Lion Shiki's "voice."
The moment he locked onto his primary target.
Storm raised his right hand, gathering dazzling lightning in his palm, resonating with the free electrons in the surrounding environment as crackling electricity filled the air.
The next moment.
Storm swung his right hand downward, and a pillar of radiant thunder as thick as a water column descended from the sky, striking precisely near the central mast of the floating island ship.
Divine Punishment!
BOOM—
As the deafening explosion erupted.
The central mast of the floating island ship acted like a massive lightning rod, attracting all surrounding electricity, enveloping the entire mast in powerful lightning.
Terrifying currents spread in all directions, indiscriminately attacking everything in their path—living or non-living.
In Storm's perception, the auras near the central mast of the floating island quickly became chaotic.
At the same time.
A ferocious and domineering presence erupted from that very spot.
The next instant—
Several crescent-shaped soaring slashes shot out from the center of the floating island ship. Their flight speed was extremely fast, effortlessly tearing through the surrounding atmosphere while emitting sharp, terrifying howls that resembled a lion's roar.
The targets of these soaring slashes were unmistakably clear.
They were aimed directly at the Blue-Eyed White Dragon beneath Storm's feet!
Facing the incoming soaring slashes, Storm and the Blue-Eyed White Dragon shared a telepathic connection.
The latter opened its massive maw and unleashed a sky-shaking roar toward the approaching slashes.
[Dragon Roar]!
"ROAR—"
An overwhelmingly violent shockwave erupted from the front of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, fearlessly clashing against the razor-sharp soaring slashes.
The two forces collided violently mid-air, instantly triggering an earth-shattering explosion.
BOOM—
The crescent-shaped soaring slashes and the fan-shaped shockwave of the Dragon Roar clashed in the sky. Their terrifying power transformed into visible white shockwaves that radiated outward, as if a super hurricane had been unleashed in the heavens.
The surrounding floating islands were pushed slightly away by the force of the impact.
At that moment—
A golden figure flashed into view from the central island of the flying archipelago.
He wore traditional clothing with distinct Wano Country aesthetics, his magnificent golden mane-like hair cascading down his back. The only exception was the top of his head, which was completely bald, with a dark brown ship's rudder embedded vertically into his skull.
Golden Lion Shiki!
"Gyahahaha!"
Golden Lion Shiki stood atop his twin swords, [Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree], floating freely in the sky. The fierce winds whipped at his robes and hair, yet they couldn't conceal his overwhelming Haki.
"A White Dragon? You must be that newly appointed Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea, the White Dragon, aren't you?"
Golden Lion Shiki instantly recognized Storm's identity.
That Blue-Eyed White Dragon was far too conspicuous.
But as for the so-called "Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea"? Golden Lion Shiki couldn't care less.
Who was Golden Lion Shiki, after all?
A former crew member of the Rocks Pirates, captain of the Flying Pirates, a legendary pirate who once nearly annihilated the Roger Pirates and dominated the New World!
He was the genuine article—a living legend of the old era!
Who were the powerhouses that once stood alongside Golden Lion Shiki?
From the Marines: Kong, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr. From the pirates: Roger, Whitebeard, and Big Mom.
Even that "rookie brat" from the Rocks Pirates back then had grown into one of this era's Pirate Emperors—Kaido of the Beasts.
And what were the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea?
Just a bunch of losers who had been defeated by the Emperors.
For Golden Lion Shiki to spare these new-era brats even a glance would be admitting defeat!
What White Dragon?
Golden Lion Shiki scanned his surroundings, searching for another figure.
"Where's that brat who was making thunder earlier? That must've been the power of the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit]! I heard it was eaten by some kid who looks like Newgate! Where is he?"
Golden Lion Shiki couldn't care less about some Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea called the White Dragon.
Instead, the one who had yet to appear—yet bore the name "Whitebeard Jr.," Edward Newgate—was far more intriguing to him.
After all...
That was Whitebeard Jr.!
The one who had eaten the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit]!
Golden Lion Shiki found such a brat quite amusing.
"You said 'lightning'—did you mean like this?"
Storm's body erupted with dazzling arcs of electricity, countless bolts converging around him to form a twisted, ferocious creature of pure lightning.
"Thunder Dragon!"
Boom—
The white dragon, entirely composed of lightning, unleashed unimaginable speed.
Caught off guard, Golden Lion Shiki was instantly bitten by the "Thunder Dragon."
A terrifying surge of electricity exploded high in the sky, painting half the heavens in blinding white light.
When the lightning faded, Golden Lion Shiki reappeared before Storm.
Compared to his earlier arrogance, he now looked considerably worse for wear.
His antique-style clothing was riddled with scorched holes, his lion-like mane of hair frizzled into a wild, tangled mess, and his body covered in charred marks.
"Hah…"
Golden Lion Shiki exhaled a puff of white smoke, glaring at Storm with a mix of shock and fury.
"Brat, did you eat the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit]?"
"Too much talk!"
Storm stared coldly at Golden Lion Shiki.
"Retired from the grand stage for so many years—have you grown old in both body and spirit?"
Once upon a time, Golden Lion Shiki was a legendary pirate who roamed the seas unchallenged.
Until a ship's rudder got lodged in his skull…
After the Battle of Edd War, the Golden Lion Pirates suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Roger's crew.
Golden Lion himself, due to an "unfortunate accident," ended up with a rudder embedded in his head, forcing him into semi-retirement.
The once-mighty Golden Lion Pirates, nearly annihilated at Edd War, never regained their former glory.
Then came Roger's surrender and execution.
Outraged on Roger's behalf, Golden Lion Shiki attacked Marine Headquarters…
The mere thought of it made Storm's blood boil.
"Golden Lion Shiki, do you know the grudge between us is a matter of life and death?"
When Golden Lion Shiki assaulted Marine Headquarters, Storm had just been born.
Storm narrowly avoided experiencing the "born into death" phenomenon.
With that history fueling him, the lightning around Storm grew even more intense and blinding.
Crack—
With a deafening thunderclap, Storm vanished, leaving only an afterimage of lightning behind.
Golden Lion Shiki's pupils contracted sharply, a faint red glow flickering deep in his eyes as he instantly activated his [Observation Haki].
Storm reappeared right in front of Golden Lion Shiki, raising his right fist—wrapped in both lightning and [Armament Haki].
Current Drive · Lightning Fist!
Golden Lion Shiki reacted just as swiftly, lifting his right leg, the Named Sword [Cherry Ten] replacing his calf as it slashed upward, its gleaming blade cutting a sharp arc through the air.
Clang!
Storm's "Lightning Fist" collided with Golden Lion Shiki's [Cherry Ten], the metallic clash echoing far and wide.
'This power…'
Feeling the overwhelming force transmitted through [Cherry Ten], Golden Lion Shiki's expression abruptly changed.
But before he could make his next move,
Storm's fist, which had blocked the blade of [Cherry Ten], erupted with dazzling lightning once more.
The [Rumble-Rumble Fruit] loved conductive enemies like this!
A cold glint flashed in Storm's eyes as the power of the [Thunderclap Ring] surged forth.
"Ten Million Volts!"
Zzzzt—
The powerful current traveled along the metal blade of [Cherry Ten], directly reaching Golden Lion Shiki's body.
Once again, Shiki was completely enveloped in the brilliant lightning of the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit].
The intense paralysis left him unable to control his body, even his original strength slipping beyond his grasp.
Thoroughly electrocuted, Shiki could no longer resist Storm's "Thunder Fist."
Under the impact of Storm's attack,
Golden Lion Shiki was sent flying like a meteor toward the distant [Floating Island Ship], crashing straight into its interior.
The remnants of the old era should know when to bow out gracefully!
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