OPTC Chapter 268: A Grand Burial for a Comrade? What's the Sentence for Attacking an Admiral Again?
The Golden Lion gripped his twin black swords, his aura surging to new heights. His wild golden mane billowed as the seas outside the island began to churn, forming a massive lion of water. The island's edges cracked apart, and earth and stone gathered into another colossal lion.
Both lions grew larger as Shiki floated upward, the roar of crashing waves and splitting earth echoing like two beasts bellowing toward the heavens, filled with overwhelming might.
"Is that Lord Shiki?" The surviving scientists and meteorologists inside the palace hid in the corners, trembling as they watched the battle unfold.
"What terrifying power… That's our captain!" The operator who had been monitoring the screens now huddled beside them; the nearby visual Den Den Mushi were either fainted or shattered—every screen in the control room was black.
"But… how strong must the enemy be for Lord Shiki to use such power?"
"And his condition… doesn't look good."
Silence fell. It was the first time they had seen the Golden Lion so ferocious—and the first time they had seen him so battered. They all knew this strike could kill his opponent… or himself.
Someone slapped the back of a pessimistic comrade's head. "Don't talk nonsense! Lord Shiki will never lose!"
"Yeah! He's the man who once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King! He'll win for sure!"
"Lord Shiki!"
The charisma of a true leader could ignite his followers. Even though the Golden Lion was domineering and ruthless, even though he often treated his subordinates' lives as nothing—none of that mattered.
To many of them, a true king should be that way. A man fit to rule the seas had to be that way.
They rushed out of hiding, climbing to the palace's top level, shouting and cheering for their captain—ready to die for him without hesitation.
…
Since the magnet had lost its use, Zhang Da Ye stored it away. Bits and pieces fell from his back, and he carefully handed the two swords under his arm back to Tom and Brook.
"Has he gone berserk? That pressure feels insane." Zhang Da Ye watched the man laughing wildly with twin swords in hand. The Golden Lion now seemed like an entirely different person.
"It looks like he's going all in. Everyone, be careful not to die… ah, wait, I'm already dead! Yohohoho~" Brook said with a serious face, cracking a terrible joke.
"Can Perona hit him with her ghosts?" Ye Yan asked. He wasn't the kind to sit and wait for an opponent's ultimate attack.
"She already tried," said Shark Chili. "When Artoria and Rui Meng Meng attacked him together, Perona sent her negative ghosts. Now she's in a bad state, muttering 'so scary' over and over."
So the ghosts didn't work on someone like the Golden Lion. Ye Yan sighed. "She did her best."
He pulled out his Soul Bell. "Then maybe I'll try interrupting his skill?"
Based on his many "team-killing" experiences, interrupting an opponent's skill could cause serious backlash. If he hit Shiki mid-charge, that might just end the fight.
"I'll handle it." Artoria stepped forward. "His aura keeps rising, but his life force is fading fast. This is his final attack. Let me give him the end a true warrior deserves."
Zhang Da Ye wanted to say that a pirate like the Golden Lion didn't need an honorable death, but seeing her determined expression, he stayed quiet.
Ye Yan frowned. "Are you sure you want to take it head-on? He looks terrifying right now."
Artoria nodded. "Leave it to me. If you're worried, take cover."
"Alright." Zhang Da Ye agreed—and sat cross-legged on the ground.
"Da Ye?"
"There's no safer place than behind you," he said, pulling Tom into his arms.
The two beings who gave him the most sense of security were Tom and Artoria. Tom's "safety" was questionable at best, but Artoria's was absolute. With her standing in front of him and Tom in his arms, he was in the safest place in the world. (Confirmed.)
"The boss is right!" Rui Meng Meng plopped down beside him.
Shark Chili dismissed his shark giant, leading Perona over. "Save us a spot."
Ye Yan rubbed his head. "You guys aren't giving the Golden Lion any respect, huh? Just gonna sit and wait for him to die?"
Even as he said that, he joined them anyway.
"Yohohoho~ Miss Artoria, Miss Meng Meng, when this is over, could I—"
Everyone shouted in unison, "No!"
"Yohoho~ So harsh! Let me finish my sentence!"
Creeps like Brook deserved to be punched, but Zhang Da Ye still took a second to buff Artoria before the fight.
"Do your best. Once you're done, we'll go eat on the Navy battleship. Their cooks can't be bad, and we could use the stamina."
"Alright!" Artoria smiled. Being trusted felt good. She turned, raised her sword, and promised herself she would not let them down.
…
"Gihahahaha!" Shiki cackled as he soared into the sky with his twin lions of water and earth, then dove down. Black lightning danced across his blades as he roared, "Pirates are the rulers of this sea! Die, brats!"
"Our journey is only beginning! The one who'll fall is you!" Golden light gathered from all around, converging onto Artoria's sword, illuminating the night sky.
She shouted the sacred name, "Ex—calibur!"
At that moment, Zhang Da Ye saw a golden light descend between them, forming into a humanoid shape—a sleazy face with a panicked look.
Zhang Da Ye's mind went blank. That face… wasn't that Borsalino, the Yellow Ape? What the hell was this guy doing here?! Wait—attacking an admiral—isn't that a crime?!
But neither Artoria nor Shiki could stop now. Shiki wouldn't hold back for some random intruder, and Artoria couldn't risk her friends by hesitating.
Their attacks collided.
"Boom!!!"
"Gihahahaha! That's more like it! I am… the Golden Lion… Shiki!" He roared as his black lightning clashed with her golden beam. His lions of water and earth crumbled, sea and soil vaporized, leaving only his battered body holding his ground.
The intruder had long since vanished from his mind—his eyes focused only on the small figure below. Closer. Just a bit closer, and victory would be his!
"Haa!" Magic surged from Artoria, her golden light blazing brighter. The moment the intruder disappeared, she unleashed her full strength.
They clashed for several seconds. Veins bulged across Shiki's forehead, blood splattered from his arms, his bones cracked, and yet he pushed forward—
—but that was as far as he got.
The black lightning faded, and the Golden Lion was engulfed in light. Artoria swung her sword down, driving him into the ground. His twin blades, Sakura Ten and Kogarashi, stuck in the dirt beside him—a silent monument to his defeat.
A deep fissure spread from Artoria's feet to the island's edge. The floating island trembled violently.
Leaning on her sword, Artoria sighed softly. "You were a powerful foe. If only you weren't a pirate."
A beam of golden light appeared again beside the fallen Shiki, forming into a man's shape. "So scary~ You actually beat the Golden Lion! I thought I was gonna die~"
"Who's that?" everyone tensed, then relaxed upon seeing the cloak of justice.
"Don't panic, that's Admiral Borsalino," Zhang Da Ye said, staring at the sleazy face and that infuriatingly slow drawl. "Yeah, that's the real Yellow Ape."
A cough echoed from the pit. Shiki was still alive.
Even taking an Excalibur head-on hadn't killed him instantly—his vitality was monstrous. Oz's zombie body was pulverized by that same attack. The living truly had far more potential than the dead. Moriah had chosen the wrong path.
The Yellow Ape peered down. "Oh my~ You're still alive? As expected of a legend. Scary~"
"Cough… it's you, the shining brat," Shiki rasped. He didn't even bother wondering why the Marines were here anymore. "Where are we now?"
"Hmm~ Just crossed the Calm Belt, right above the East Blue," Borsalino drawled lazily. He could sense the man's life slipping away.
Zhang Da Ye blinked. So he didn't even know where he was going? Just drifting around?
"So this is my grave… in the weakest of the four seas, huh? Gihahahaha… how ironic…" Shiki laughed weakly, gasping for air. With his last breath, he called out his old rival's name. "Roger!!!"
His voice, filled with regret and defiance, faded into the wind.
The legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki had fallen.
"He's dead," the Yellow Ape said casually, then turned to Zhang Da Ye and the others. "You must be the travelers Vice Admiral Gion mentioned, right~?"
"That's us—but shouldn't we worry about these falling islands first?" Zhang Da Ye pointed upward. The islands were tilting and descending fast.
"Oh~ don't worry. I'll call for backup." Borsalino rolled up his sleeve, revealing a small Den Den Mushi on his wrist. "Moshi moshi… moshi moshi…"
"That's strange~ why isn't anyone answering?" he muttered, scratching his head.
"That's your listening Den Den Mushi, you old fool!" Zhang Da Ye shouted, diving to grab Tom as the island tilted again.
Ye Yan yelled, "Aren't you a Navy Admiral? Why are you so useless?!"
Rui Meng Meng clung to Perona. "Vice Admiral Gion is so reliable! Why are her superiors like this?!"
Shark Chili panicked. "Boss Da Ye, what about the Amber Ship?!"
Brook clutched his skull in despair. "We're gonna crash and shatter! This is bad!"
"Ah~ I see, it's the one on my right hand." Borsalino finally realized—still speaking in that infuriatingly slow tone, even as the islands fell faster.
That voice was so punchable. Zhang Da Ye swore he'd deck him someday.
…
Meanwhile, at the same time the Yellow Ape landed on the island—
Down below, a lazy man stood on a floating block of ice, his bicycle parked beside him. It was Aokiji, still a Vice Admiral for now.
He looked up at the golden flash in the sky, then noticed the islands beginning to fall. "Borsalino's that fast already? Hmm… doesn't look like his style."
When his Den Den Mushi didn't ring, Aokiji guessed the truth: "He probably grabbed the wrong one again… Guess I'll move on my own."
He was set to be promoted to Admiral next month anyway—an open secret within the Navy—so he had full authority to act independently.
He pressed both hands against the sea. Frost exploded outward, covering half his body in ice.
"Sixteen Pillars of Absolute Ice!"
The ocean froze rapidly. Beneath each falling island, a giant glacier rose like an inverted horn, catching the islands from below.
But the impact cracked the peaks, forcing Aokiji to constantly rebuild and reinforce the ice until all the islands finally stabilized.
He exhaled and pulled down his sleep mask. "Too much work…" Then he lay on the ice and promptly fell asleep.
Moments later, his Den Den Mushi rang.
"Hmm?" Aokiji lifted his mask and answered.
The snail's face morphed into Borsalino's sleazy grin. "Moshi moshi~ Kuzan~ The Golden Lion's dead, the islands are falling~ You ready down there?"
"…" Aokiji paused, resisting the urge to curse. "Already handled."
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