As the "Golden Lion" Shiki roared in fury, Yahn calmly moved his thoughts—and with them, the vast ocean of sakura blossoms surged forward like a tidal wave, twisting toward Shiki in a deadly dance.
"Perhaps you're right," Yahn said flatly, his voice calm amidst the storm. "The seas may not yet be mine to command… but they should belong even less to pirates like you. Let this be the end of your journey. End it here, as Roger did—preserving a final shred of glory in death."
He paused, then continued, voice growing colder.
"Otherwise, relics of the past like you—growing older, weaker, unable to keep pace with the changing times—will only struggle more pathetically in the tides of the new era. And you'll be all the more contemptible for it."
Those words struck a nerve instantly.
Roger.
That name—Roger—was the one name the Golden Lion Shiki could never forget or forgive.
It was because of Roger that Shiki had once stormed Navy Headquarters alone. He couldn't believe a man like Gol D. Roger would allow himself to be captured by the Navy.
"Don't get cocky, brat! You think a mere Navy dog has the right to utter that name?!"
"Roger may have been a bastard, a fool—but if he had to die, it should've been by my hand!"
Golden locks billowed behind him, and in just a few short words, the overwhelming force of Shiki's presence erupted—like a wounded lion refusing to fall.
"You dare call me an outdated relic? I'll tell you what I am—I am the one who will conquer these seas! I'll forge a new age—an age of the Golden Lion! How could a brat like you ever understand that?!"
"Oh?" Yahn folded his arms as cherry blossoms drifted gently around him, his tone unshaken.
"But the sea no longer needs an era of blood, plunder, and chaos. What it needs now is a new future—something beyond the comprehension of mere pirates like you."
"Sorry, Golden Lion Shiki. Maybe before today, I might've let you pass. But now that I wear the uniform of the Navy…"
He raised his hand—and declared:
"In the name of the Navy—Shiki, today both you and your delusions will be buried in this endless storm of falling sakura!"
In the next instant, Yahn's hand moved. He swept it toward Shiki, fingers curling into a loose fist.
Suddenly, the entire sea of delicate, deadly cherry blossoms erupted in motion—accelerating severalfold in an instant, transforming into a storm of pink light that surged toward the Golden Lion like a tsunami.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
The first casualties were the floating air-lions guarding Shiki. They were instantly torn apart under the relentless barrage, each one bursting in midair, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
But even before they were destroyed, some sakura petals had already pierced their defenses.
In that moment, as if propelled by the explosions themselves, the once-dreamlike sakura gained even more terrifying speed—now racing straight for Shiki like shooting stars.
SWOOSH!
Hundreds—thousands—of petals slashed across Shiki's body, moving faster than the eye could follow.
The Golden Lion groaned in pain. Blood sprayed from a hundred fresh wounds, dyeing his body red.
Breathing heavily, Shiki could feel it—his once-mighty body, which had seemed invincible, was faltering. The barrier of air-lions he'd formed was collapsing fast, one after another.
"I… I am the Golden Lion Shiki!!"
He roared, like a wounded lion giving its final cry of pride.
Then he looked at Yahn, walking through the air in the distance. From his nostrils came sharp, heavy breaths as he growled:
"You brat… spouting nonsense like you know the world. As long as I'm alive, this age belongs to me!"
Then, without warning, Shiki's gaze flicked to the Navy warship still hovering in the air.
With a clenched fist gripping his legendary blade Kogarashi, he pointed toward the ship.
And in the next instant—
The massive battleship hurtled toward Yahn like a child's toy being thrown in a tantrum.
A threat. A hostage.
From the start, Shiki had seen how much Yahn valued the soldiers aboard that ship. He hadn't killed them earlier—he'd spared their lives to use them as leverage.
But now, with Shiki seeing Yahn as a true enemy—no longer as a potential subordinate—those soldiers' lives had lost all value.
Yahn's eyes narrowed. He understood instantly: this was no trick. This was cold, naked malice.
Over five hundred unconscious Navy soldiers were still aboard that battleship. If it struck him at that velocity, stopping it might cost their lives. But dodging would only let Shiki use it again and again.
"Pitiful, Shiki. You really thought I'd trust the mercy of a pirate?" Yahn sneered. "You think I wouldn't prepare for the safety of my own men?"
He raised his voice sharply.
"Little Gold!"
At his call, a streak of gold flashed through the sakura storm. Little Gold, hidden beneath the sea of petals, soared through the air like a golden bolt of lightning and positioned itself in front of the warship.
Castle-Castle Fruit.
As the ship drew near, Little Gold opened its beak—and in the blink of an eye, the enormous battleship shrank and vanished into the bird's mouth.
"Good job, Little Gold! I'll give you extra snacks tonight!"
"Cheep cheep!" Little Gold chirped joyfully, circling once with elegance before landing lightly on Yahn's shoulder. Its little head tilted proudly upward.
But as Yahn turned his eyes back toward Shiki, his pupils constricted.
The Golden Lion was grabbing the rudder embedded deep in his skull—and was pulling it out.
Years ago, when that rudder had been lodged in his head during an accident, doctors had warned him: Never remove it. Doing so would risk his life immediately.
Even though the rudder severely hindered his Haki, he'd kept it all these years.
"Looks like I may have pushed the old lion a bit too far…" Yahn muttered, his mouth twitching.
After all—even when he had been defeated by Sengoku and Garp, Shiki hadn't gone this far.
But now, just because of a brief hindrance—because Yahn had stopped his attack on the ship—he was choosing to pull the rudder out by force.
And Yahn could see, even if he wanted to stop him now—
It was already too late.
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