Chapter 10: Golden Lion Shiki Arrival
"Enemy attack!!!"
Buggy shouted in a panic as he watched the pirate fleet descend from the sky, but his voice quickly died down.
A large hand landed on his head. It was Captain Roger.
"Calm down, Buggy. Get ready to fight!"
Looking up, Buggy saw Roger's face, eternally unshaken by any crisis.
"Long time no see, Shiki!!"
"Roger!!!"
Standing at the prow of the lead ship, which was carved with a golden lion's head amidst a fleet of over a dozen warships, was a man with flowing golden hair.
"Now this is a real pirate…"
Just from looking at him from a distance, Dante could feel the intimidating aura of a top-tier powerhouse.
A former cadre of the Rocks Pirates, one of the three great overlords of the New World,
Gold Lion Shiki!!!
"How many times have I said this, Roger!" Shiki's robes billowed as he spoke with grand passion, a cigar clenched between his teeth. "Though we've had our share of grudges in our youth, forget them all!"
"With the world-ending weapon you know the whereabouts of, plus my military strength and plans, we can surely rule the world. Become my right—"
BANG—
Before he could finish, Shiki's words were cut off by the sound of a gunshot.
Who?!
Who dares interrupt the Fleet Admiral's speech? They'll be killed for sure!
Sweat poured down the backs of the Flying Pirates' grunts as they frantically looked for the source of the gunshot.
"Tch… still not enough, huh?" A sigh came from beside Roger.
The next instant, a pitch-black bullet was still spinning against Shiki's Armament Haki-hardened cheek, only falling into the sea after its kinetic energy was spent.
Shiki's words died in his throat. Veins bulged on his forehead as his eyes swiftly locked onto the figure next to Roger.
It was a young man in a military uniform with long, layered hair. The barrel of the long rifle in his hand was still smoking.
"You bastard!!"
"Looking to die!!"
Shouts of shock and anger rose from the fleet of the Flying Pirates. This act had clearly severely offended the dignity of their Commodore.
However, some of those who were shouting and posturing couldn't escape Dante's sniper fire once his Observation Haki locked onto them.
A red light flashed in his pupils, followed by the emergence of crimson gun muzzles.
His bullets, infused with Armament Haki and the power of Future Sight, were impossible to dodge unless one's Observation Haki surpassed Dante's. The only alternative was to block them with even stronger Armament Haki.
For non-officer pirates, it was one shot, one kill.
"Hahahahaha!!! This is my answer, Shiki!!"
Captain Roger laughed heartily upon seeing this.
Clearly, these words made Shiki see red. "In other words, you're telling me to kill you right here, is that it?"
"It means we'll crush every single one of you!!"
Dante had fired the first shot of the war, and what followed was an exceptionally fierce battle.
Dante started by taking a few cheap shots. Once numerous enemy ships closed in, he simply drew the long sword at his waist and vanished from the spot using Soru.
Many lackeys didn't even perceive his movement before feeling sudden wounds appear on their bodies.
Soon, however, an officer came looking for him.
A massively built man, seemingly a squadron leader or something in the Flying Pirates—Dante's memory for unfamiliar faces wasn't great.
"That brat actually dares to fight Captain Dack! He's gonna get killed brutally!"
The surrounding pirate lackeys, though not daring to get close to Dante, didn't hesitate to boast about their officer.
The difference in size was obvious just by looking—
a 1.6-meter brat versus a 4-meter giant.
But the man facing Dante, Dack, was clearly not having an easy time. He felt an intense sense of danger from this kid!
"Your future holds no victory."
Dante held his black sword in one hand. Though limited by his age, his Armament Haki wasn't profoundly advanced, he could manage simple infusion.
He sought thrill and battle to better temper his Haki, and also to make a name for himself on the seas.
He intended to claim every single one of the rewards Captain Roger's grand vision for the world promised—
Wealth, Fame, Power…
BOOM—
The entire deck began to cave in and shudder. Countless pirate lackeys were sent flying. Dack, his entire body covered in jet-black, gleaming Armament Haki, charged forward and threw a powerful punch at Dante.
Schiiing—
As the billowing smoke cleared, the scene wasn't the one-sided crush the onlookers had imagined. The seemingly slender figure in the military uniform stood firmly in place.
Dante, using only one hand coated in Armament Haki, had blocked the devastating punch!
"Not bad power, but you're slow as a snail."
Dante's tone and expression were full of contempt. This arrogant demeanor instantly broke Dack's composure, making him lose his mind and attack frantically!
Surprisingly easy to handle.
A smile curled on Dante's lips, seemingly pleased with his opponent's performance.
Future Sight loved dealing with enemies like this—ones who could only rage impotently and attack wildly.
He had to admit, however, that his opponent's Armament Haki proficiency was superior to his own.
So, when Dante felt like fighting, he'd exchange blows. When he didn't, he'd reposition and kite his opponent around.
The value Dante placed on tempering his Armament Haki was still rising.
Dack, on the other hand, was filled with frustration, even feeling so heated he was on the verge of unconsciously learning Life Return.
He had initially thought dealing with a brat who offended the Commodore would be an easy job—a chance to earn merit with the Fleet Admiral while avoiding the monsters of the Roger Pirates.
He never expected his target to be so much more troublesome than imagined, and such a master of taunts on top of it.
Dammit…
"Urgh…!!!"
Throwing another punch, Dack felt the satisfying impact of hitting something solid, even hearing a reverberating sound. He felt a moment of joy but suddenly realized something was wrong.
A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Impossible… this monstrous strength… how could it belong to a mere kid?!
After his fist was caught by Dante, he tried to pull back but found he couldn't move it at all.
His opponent's strength far surpassed his own!
Dread filled Dack's eyes as he saw only boredom in Dante's.
"Your 'purity' is still too low. Your Armament Haki isn't improving faster than it would from just getting beaten up by the Captain."
"Worthless pirate."
Dante smirked, using his incomprehensible monstrous strength to swing Dack around, eliciting gasps from the surrounding lackeys.
Gritting his teeth, Dack tried to stabilize himself but found it impossible. He was swung through the air in circles.
With a sudden release, Dack was hurled toward another ship.
And then…
Well,
Gabba knocked him to the ground with one swing of his axe.
After tossing that guy away, Dante decided to cut loose. Seeing that the nearby lackeys were mostly cleared out, he simply used Geppo and Soru to return to the prow of the Oro Jackson.
Shanks and Buggy were also on the deck, standing back-to-back, facing off against the encircling pirates.
"Single Sword Style: Black Light!"
A black sword light flashed. Dante, brandishing his black blade, fought his way through the crowd, breaking through the encirclement to reunite with the two.
"Awesome, it's Dante! Dante, over here, quick!"
The battle situation was brutal. Even though the Roger Pirates were all elites, they were somewhat overwhelmed by the endless onslaught.
The ship's combatants couldn't even spare attention to protect the three kids.
Buggy looked fierce on the outside, but he was panicking inside.
To them, Dante, having fought his way here, seemed to be shining with a brilliant light!