BOOM!
A deafening thunderclap erupted.
Storm, transformed into the Black Thunder God, appeared before Golden Lion Shiki as if teleporting. In the air where the Black Thunder God had passed, lingering black electric arcs crackled with a sizzling sound.
Golden Lion Shiki sensed the terrifying threat emanating from his opponent. Though he couldn't track the enemy's movement, his battle-honed instincts made him instinctively raise the [Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree] strapped to his legs.
Almost simultaneously—
The Black Thunder God, Storm, swung his right fist with devastating force toward Golden Lion Shiki.
This was not [Current Drive · Lightning Fist].
This was a strike fused with the [More-More Fruit: Hundredfold Strength]—
Thunder God Fist!
CLANG—
In that split second, Golden Lion Shiki's instinctively raised [Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree] barely managed to block the Black Thunder God's [Thunder God Fist]. The metallic clash reverberated across the sky.
However—
Golden Lion Shiki's defense lasted only for that fleeting moment.
Feeling the overwhelming force transmitted through his swords, his expression twisted in shock, his arms trembling violently.
Under the impact of Storm's [Thunder God Fist], the two Named Swords—[Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree], which had accompanied Golden Lion Shiki for countless years—were torn from his grasp, shooting away like streaks of cold light.
At the same time, Golden Lion Shiki himself was sent flying backward by the sheer force of the [Thunder God Fist], soaring through the air like a yellow meteor.
Crackling sounds, like firecrackers, erupted across his body.
This wasn't just the electric discharge from the [Thunder God Fist].
It was also the sound of his bones shattering!
Storm's [Thunder God Fist], amplified by the [More-More Fruit: Hundredfold Strength], was a strike even the Five Elders' Marcus Mars Saint couldn't withstand—his head had been obliterated in a single punch.
Let alone Golden Lion Shiki, whose strength had long since declined!
With just one punch—
Golden Lion Shiki's blood painted the sky, his bones fractured beyond count.
"I…"
Blood gushed from his nose and mouth. The excruciating pain radiating through his limbs to his brain turned his eyes bloodshot, his visage as ghastly as a demon from hell.
"WILL NOT DIE HERE!"
Activating the power of the [Float-Float Fruit], Golden Lion Shiki summoned the two Named Swords—[Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree]—back to his side.
At the same time, with trembling hands, he reached for the damned ship's rudder embedded in his skull.
The Battle of Edd War.
It was supposed to be the Flying Pirates' absolute victory over Roger's Roger Pirates.
But then, out of nowhere, a storm of unprecedented scale had swept in.
Golden Lion Shiki's proud Flying Pirates had been nearly annihilated.
He himself had also encountered an "unexpected disaster"—a ship's rudder that had drifted from who-knows-where had lodged itself perfectly into the top of his head!
Golden Lion Shiki had originally wanted to remove this rudder.
Because of its presence, his abilities were severely restricted, especially his [Haki].
But doctors had pointed out that the rudder was embedded too deeply.
Any reckless attempt to remove it could very well endanger his life.
Thus, Golden Lion Shiki had no choice but to leave the rudder in place.
Until today.
Once again, Golden Lion Shiki felt the aura of defeat and death.
What made it even harder for him to accept was that the one who brought him this sense of danger was a brat from the new era—someone he hadn't even taken seriously!
This was something Golden Lion Shiki simply could not tolerate.
"This old man—"
Golden Lion Shiki firmly gripped the rudder on his head, his slightly clouded eyes flashing with an utterly insane light.
"—is the Golden Lion!!!"
Squelch—
Golden Lion Shiki violently yanked the rudder from his head.
Crimson blood mixed with dark red brain matter splattered through the air, much of it landing on him, making his already terrifying appearance even more horrifying.
The scene was bloody, brutal, and utterly shocking.
By forcibly removing the rudder, Golden Lion Shiki seemed to have shattered some invisible shackles.
Black-red arcs of electricity erupted from his body, and an overwhelming spiritual pressure exploded outward in all directions.
The Conqueror's Haki of the Flying Pirate!!
"Gyahahaha—"
Golden Lion Shiki burst into loud laughter, suppressing even the excruciating pain radiating from his body with sheer willpower.
"Conqueror's Haki! This old man can finally unleash [Conqueror's Haki] again!"
His body trembled—not from pain, but from sheer exhilaration.
Gripping [Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree] in his hands, he raised his swords, their tips pointing directly at the Black Thunder God before him.
"Wave Slash!"
A blinding golden Soaring Slash erupted from the blade of [Cherry Ten], crossing half the ocean in an instant to reach the Black Thunder God that Storm had transformed into.
The power of this "Wave Slash" far surpassed his previous attacks, the sheer force compressing the surrounding air out of the way.
From a distance, it looked as though the entire sky had been split apart by Golden Lion Shiki's slash!
Faced with an attack of this magnitude, the Black Thunder God raised his right fist.
Enhanced by the purest black lightning, his speed was unimaginable—his punch faster than thought.
BOOM!
The Black Thunder God's fist collided directly with the Soaring Slash formed by "Wave Slash."
With a deafening explosion, the crescent-shaped slash split in half at the center, its scattered sword energy shooting in all directions—each strand capable of slicing through steel.
The Black Thunder God had shattered the "Wave Slash," but he didn't stop there.
CRACK!
Another thunderous boom echoed.
The Black Thunder God vanished from his position, reappearing before Golden Lion Shiki in the blink of an eye—swift as lightning.
But at this moment, Golden Lion Shiki, who had temporarily returned to his peak state by removing the helm, had already sensed the movements of the Black Thunder God through his Observation Haki.
Storm, transformed into the Black Thunder God, swung his right fist once more, the jet-black Haki and dark lightning intertwining until they became indistinguishable.
Golden Lion Shiki raised Cherry Ten and Withered Tree high above his head, the razor-sharp white blades now wreathed in blinding black-red arcs of electricity.
"Thunder God Fist!"
"Calamity Severing Sword!"
BOOM—
Storm's "Thunder God Fist" collided violently with Golden Lion Shiki's "Calamity Severing Sword." The surrounding space couldn't withstand the crushing force of these two powers, instantly warping and distorting.
The calm air abruptly turned turbulent, transforming into violent shockwaves that erupted and spread across the sky and earth. The clouds high above were split in two by the aftershocks of their clash, as if the heavens themselves had been torn asunder!
This was a sky-splitting, world-shaking collision!
Storm and Golden Lion Shiki stood locked in a stalemate, their powers clashing relentlessly. Waves of energy surged outward from their epicenter, unleashing a devastating tempest.
Even the sea below churned violently under the terrifying pressure of their battle.
As time passed, Storm's Black Thunder God form remained as unshakable as a towering mountain.
But Golden Lion Shiki's sudden burst of strength couldn't last forever.
Already grievously wounded from their earlier battle, he had further strained himself by forcibly removing the helm from his head.
That he could even unleash such an attack in this state was nothing short of a final, desperate resurgence.
The black-red arcs of electricity around Cherry Ten and Withered Tree gradually thinned.
This signified that Golden Lion Shiki's Conqueror's Haki was also weakening.
In the end, Storm emerged victorious from their deadlock.
With one final push of the Black Thunder God's fist, Golden Lion Shiki—now at his limit—could no longer withstand the power of the "Thunder God Fist" and was sent flying backward once more.
"Golden Lion Shiki, your story ends here."
Storm didn't pursue him. Instead, he manipulated the surrounding electrons through his Thunderclap Ring.
"Ten Thousand Thunders!"
Endless white lightning poured down from the heavens, transforming the sea into a colossal, sky-reaching waterfall of thunder that mercilessly washed over the remnants of the old era.
The ceaseless roar of thunder drowned out all other sounds in the world.
Golden Lion Shiki was completely engulfed by the endless lightning.
At this moment, despite the deafening thunderclaps that shook the earth and sky, Golden Lion Shiki felt an inexplicable, long-lost sense of peace.
"My era… has come to an end… Gya ha ha…"
His once-defiant, unrivaled laughter faded into the thunder's roar, barely audible.
The light in his dim, lion-like eyes slowly faded away.
In his final moments…
Golden Lion Shiki's mind did not conjure the image of the White Dragon who had just defeated him, but rather the man he could never forget in his lifetime.
"Roger..."
Golden Lion Shiki, dead.
Before Storm, a brand-new Grand Prize Trophy abruptly materialized in the void.
The exquisitely crafted trophy was adorned with countless stars, densely clustered around its surface like a dazzling, dreamlike galaxy.
Notably, both the trophy itself and the stars embedded upon it emitted a sinister crimson glow.
This was a Death Trophy!
[Constellation Trophy: Golden Lion Shiki]
[Trophy Rating: ★★★★★★★] (Seven Stars)
"A remnant of the old era, captain of the Flying Pirates, Golden Lion Shiki... exits the stage..."
Storm gazed intently at the crimson-glowing seven-star Death Trophy before him, thoughts swirling in his mind.
Back when he was still in Impel Down—
Storm had once revealed his ambition to Ivankov, the Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom:
He would become the strongest pirate of the new era!
He would purge the remnants of the old era!
In this new era that would bear the name "Vongola Storm," there was no place for the relics of the past.
Golden Lion Shiki.
He was the first "remnant of the old era" to fall by Storm's hand, the first legendary pirate from bygone days.
But he would absolutely not be the last!
Storm took a deep breath and stored away the [Constellation Trophy] representing [Golden Lion Shiki].
Then, transforming into lightning, he flashed to the corpse of Golden Lion Shiki.
Though Golden Lion Shiki was dead, his Devil Fruit power could not go to waste.
Storm extended his right hand—adorned with the [Devil Ring]—toward the corpse.
The lingering demonic energy within the body coalesced once more under the pull of the [Devil Ring], giving birth to a brand-new Devil Fruit.
[Float-Float Fruit]!
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