"I told you already—don't walk in front of me. Anyone who doesn't know better might think you're the one in charge, Shiki."
At Gern's words, the Golden Lion let out an indistinct snort through his nose.
"If I hadn't made the first move, that little treasure would've been burned to cinders."
After saying that, Shiki did something no one expected.
He didn't argue.
He didn't sneer.
Under the stunned gaze of everyone present, the legendary Flying Pirate held Trafalgar Law in an almost absurd princess carry. The air currents swirled around him as his body slowly descended, finally coming to a steady hover slightly behind and to the left of Gern.
He still floated with the overwhelming presence of a man who once stood at the apex of the seas. But the position he occupied—that faintly subordinate spot behind Gern—felt like a silent brand burned into reality itself.
A brand that declared a truth so shocking it detonated in the minds of all who understood what they were seeing.
That was Shiki.
The Golden Lion.
The man arrogant enough to storm Marine Headquarters alone.
Rayleigh's heart churned like a raging sea. The hand that adjusted his glasses froze mid-motion, his expression going slack.
"How is that possible…? How could a man like him… stand behind someone?"
"No… That can't be right," Rayleigh muttered almost instinctively.
What he was witnessing now shook him even more than the day he learned Shiki had single-handedly challenged Marine Headquarters—and later broken out of Impel Down.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Kizaru, the man who always embodied "unclear justice," who preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible, could no longer keep his composure.
A streak of golden light flashed, and he appeared directly in front of Gern. The habitual leering expression on his face was gone, replaced by undisguised shock.
For once, he didn't speak in his usual lazy drawl.
Instead, he pointed at the Golden Lion hovering behind Gern, his voice tight with disbelief.
"Gern… this isn't a joke you can make lightly."
Meanwhile, Law—still cradled awkwardly in Shiki's arms—felt no less shaken than anyone else.
He tilted his head up and stared at the wild, unrestrained face looming inches from his own—a face he had only ever seen on wanted posters and in the legends of a bygone era.
A cold realization struck him like a hammer.
"If… if even a legend like the Golden Lion… has submitted to the 'Heavenly Calamity'…"
A chill shot up his spine.
"Then just how terrifying must the forces under him be?"
Anyone who knew the legendary era understood this well: unlike Roger's elite-focused crew, and unlike Whitebeard's family-style dominion, Shiki had been the most adept at expansion.
Among the three great legends of the old era, he had possessed the widest territorial reach, the largest fleet, and the greatest number of subordinates and powerhouses under his command.
In other words, his true foundation for ruling the seas had never been brute strength alone.
It was his charisma.
His organizational genius.
And that Golden Lion—the one who once commanded the greatest power base of his time—was now standing behind someone else.
Law didn't dare think further.
The shadow cast by the name Gern Reginald Sigmar felt infinitely deeper and more terrifying than the world believed. Far more than the identity of "Marine Admiral" could ever suggest.
Yet Gern himself paid little attention to the shock rippling around him.
His gaze passed over Kizaru and settled instead on Enel and Kuma. One brow lifted slightly.
"What are you two doing here?"
He paused, as though a crucial detail had just clicked into place.
"Wait… this is Sabaody… Straw Hat…"
"Sent flying by Kuma," Enel cut in impatiently, waving a hand as if swatting away the question.
But his eyes never left Shiki, who hovered behind Gern.
He studied the Golden Lion openly, displeasure written across his face. It was as if he had realized something.
Or perhaps he sensed it instinctively—
That even at full strength, this so-called legend might only be capable of gravely injuring him… and that perhaps, just perhaps, he himself could clash with a man like that.
Kuma stepped forward and calmly explained Dragon's request for assistance.
That was simply his nature. When there was no reason to hide something, he didn't.
After hearing the explanation, Gern didn't dwell on it. If Kuma could truly act with absolute cold detachment, then he wouldn't be Kuma.
On the other side, Shiki paid no mind to Enel's undisguised provocation.
Nor did he concern himself with the seemingly casual but information-laden exchange between Gern and his subordinates.
Instead, all of his focus—every ounce of it—locked onto the man in his arms.
"Tch, brat," Shiki's voice dropped, cutting straight to the core. "You ate the Op-Op Fruit, didn't you?"
Law could feel the heat in that stare.
He could feel the strength in the arm wrapped around him.
He had no illusions. Even if this legend was no longer at his absolute peak, killing him would still take no effort at all.
So his mind raced.
On the surface, he showed no hesitation and nodded obediently.
"That's right."
"Jihahahaha…"
Shiki's laughter was low and rumbling.
Then he voiced the question that had gnawed at him all along—one so important he had even compromised with Gern for its sake.
"Then can you remove this damned ship's wheel from my head?"
He pointed at the grotesque symbol embedded in his skull.
Then his gaze flicked downward to the swords—Meito Oto and Kogarashi—that had replaced his legs.
"Or… transplant a proper pair of legs for me?"
Seeing the hope blazing in Shiki's eyes, Law took a slow breath and forced himself to analyze the situation calmly.
The capabilities of the Op-Op Fruit spun rapidly through his mind. Weighing Shiki's two demands, he gave a professional assessment.
"With the Op-Op Fruit's ability to perform precise organ separation and transplantation… in theory, I can do it."
"In theory, I can do it… Jihahahahaha!! I can do it!!"
Shiki repeated the words, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter. The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.
On that once-wild face appeared something rarely seen in years—
Genuine, unrestrained excitement.
For the first time in ages, the nightmare that had haunted him seemed to glimpse dawn.
And Law—having confirmed that the Golden Lion truly needed him, and that this need struck at the very core of the legend himself—
A bold plan, dangerously close to madness, began to take shape in his mind.
"I see… Golden Lion Shiki…"
"If that's the case… his power, his influence…"
"If I can borrow that momentum… no—even cooperate…"
"Doflamingo… 'Joker.' Your underground empire. Your title as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea…"
"All of a sudden… they don't seem so untouchable anymore."