"Ah!"
"Ah—ahhh!"
The live broadcast had just been restored—only to reveal a face so infamous, so legendary, that the entire square fell into stunned disbelief.
All across the massive plaza, people froze mid-breath, eyes widening as the enormous visage filled every inch of the screen.
"That… that face… he, he—!"
"This man… could it be—?"
Reporters who recognized the face stood speechless, their throats dry, unable to form a single complete sentence.
"Who is that?" someone shouted anxiously from the crowd, voice trembling.
Then, a low, excited voice broke through the murmurs:
"Heh… he's a legend from the last era!"
"The very same legend who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the Four Emperors—Whitebeard himself!"
"The one and only Flying Pirate… Golden Lion Shiki!"
A stunned silence swept through the entire square.
And then—
Wooooaaahhhh—!
The crowd erupted, the sound of disbelief echoing like thunder.
"After Pluton Rayleigh appeared, now another legend shows up?!"
"Yeah, but… why would Golden Lion Shiki appear on the battlefield?!"
"Rayleigh, sure—he's saving his captain's son. But Shiki? He's got nothing to do with Ace! So why join the war?!"
Their confusion wouldn't last long. The answer was about to arrive—straight from the lion's mouth.
"Jiehahahaha! Greetings to everyone watching the broadcast around the world!" Shiki's laughter was wild and arrogant, his tone that of a showman who commanded the stage. "Many of you already know my name, but allow me to reintroduce myself properly. I am Golden Lion Shiki, captain of the First Ship of Fairy Tail, under our great leader—Sugisawa Yuuto!"
He spread his arms wide, his grin splitting his face. "And today's grand event—will be broadcast live to the entire world!"
For a heartbeat, the crowd fell completely silent. The words seemed too absurd to process.
Then—
"Damn it!!!"
"Holy crap, what did he just say?!"
All across the square, curses and exclamations exploded like cannonfire.
"Wait, wait—did I hear that right?"
"Just now, did Golden Lion Shiki… did he say he's serving under Fairy Tail?"
"The president of Fairy Tail—Sugisawa Yuuto—actually subdued the Golden Lion Shiki?!"
"No way… that can't be real! He was as famous as Roger and Whitebeard!"
"But that's exactly what Shiki just said himself!"
Shock turned to awe.
"Even a legendary pirate bows to him… what kind of monster is Sugisawa Yuuto?"
"Contact headquarters—now! This is world-shaking news!"
The revelation rippled through the crowd like a tidal wave. A man who once rivaled the Pirate King himself had now pledged allegiance to Sugisawa Yuuto.
A legend reborn—under a new banner.
In a quiet corner, Shakky exhaled softly. "So… the rumors were true after all," she murmured, shaking her head as she watched Shiki's proud, arrogant grin beam across the live feed. "That idiot lion… he actually went and did it."
Her companion could only sigh in disbelief.
"Hey! Look—look at the other screen!" someone in the crowd shouted suddenly. "Whitebeard and his pirates—they're alive!"
The words hit like a shockwave.
"What?! The Whitebeard Pirates are still alive?!"
"Then that means… what we saw earlier—it wasn't real!"
"It must've been some kind of illusion, or projection… but now—look at them! They're surrounded!"
The tension climbed again.
"If the Marines beat them once, they can beat them again!" someone shouted confidently.
"No! No, no, you don't get it—the situation's completely changed!" another voice countered. "Rayleigh, Golden Lion Shiki, and now Fairy Tail's Sugisawa Yuuto—all of them are on the field!"
"If Whitebeard's pirates and Fairy Tail have joined forces… that's a full-scale Pirate Alliance!"
Murmurs of panic spread like wildfire.
"If that's true… then Marine Headquarters is in serious trouble!"
"No, wait—look over there!" someone else cried out, pointing toward another live feed. "The Marines aren't finished yet! That symbol—look at it!"
The massive emblem of the World Government appeared on-screen.
"Reinforcements!"
"It's the World Government's own troops!"
"That old man… it can't be…"
The camera zoomed in—an elderly figure stood proudly at the head of the arriving fleet.
"There's no mistaking it!" someone gasped. "That's the former Marine Marshal—Kong!"