Kyle stood atop the highest peak of a floating island, his gaze sweeping downward, and when he saw the buildings on the island, there was not much surprise on his face.
The moment he saw this floating island, Kyle already knew whose territory this was.
Golden Lion—Shiki!!
He was also a member of the Rocks Pirates, and one of the strongest officers at the time, with combat strength at his peak even greater than Wang Zhi's.
Having once faced a simultaneous assault from both Sengoku and Garp, although he ultimately lost, it also proved his power.
However, due to multiple reasons, Shiki's strength had declined extremely severely, and in the original story, he was even defeated by Luffy, who had only been at sea for two years.
This magnitude of decline was almost on par with Zephyr's.
The reason for Shiki's severe drop in strength was also due to multiple factors.
Shiki had suffered two serious physical traumas in succession, which greatly impacted his combat ability.
First, during the Battle of Edd War, a ship's helm accidentally lodged in his head; this helm remained for a long time because doctors judged its removal would be life-threatening, potentially damaging his nerves and affecting his judgment and reflexes.
Second, to escape Impel Down, he severed both his legs and could only thereafter use his beloved swords "Oto" and "Kogarashi" as prosthetic limbs.
He was originally a renowned great swordsman; swordsmanship was a crucial part of his fighting style in past battles. Although he could later still perform those sword techniques with his feet, his combat system had already become unbalanced.
At his peak, Shiki's combat system integrated swordsmanship and Devil Fruit abilities harmoniously; in his later period, he relied excessively on the Float-Float Fruit.
The Float-Float Fruit had a fatal weakness: it was extremely sensitive to severe weather.
The storm during the Battle of Edd War had devastated his fleet, and later, during his fight with Luffy, the thunderstorm created an opportunity for Luffy to counterattack.
In summary, under good weather conditions, Shiki probably had combat strength around that of a Rear Admiral candidate; under bad weather conditions, his strength might only be that of an elite Vice Admiral.
But what was being discussed here was Shiki ten years later in the original story compared to the current timeline; that time hadn't arrived yet, so Shiki's strength probably hadn't declined to that extent yet.
Looking at the buildings below, Kyle's mouth suddenly curled into a smile.
He hadn't expected to encounter an unexpected gain on this trip.
Capturing Wang Zhi wasn't enough, and now another Golden Lion was being delivered to him.
As if afraid he was accumulating battle merits too slowly, right?!
Since that was the case, he wouldn't hold back!
For Shiki to be encountered here by him, he could only blame his own bad luck and insufficient strength.
If Shiki were at his peak, Kyle would at most come to test him and immediately retreat if he couldn't manage.
He didn't think his current strength had reached Shiki's peak level.
But unfortunately, Shiki was no longer the lion of yesteryear!!
With that thought, Kyle's gaze suddenly sharpened, and an incredibly terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, sweeping across the entire island.
Countless beasts on the island, with bloodshot eyes and extremely ferocious natures, shuddered the moment this Conqueror's Haki assailed them; beads of cold sweat oozed from their bodies, then their pupils lost focus, and one after another, they all collapsed to the ground.
And inside the building at the center of the island.
A man with a ship's helm embedded in his head, mane-like hair reaching the ground, and golden sideburns and beard like a lion's, was sitting on a chair, showing a cheerful smile as he asked a person below:
"Indigo, any progress in the research on IQ?!"
"Commodore, this subordinate is incompetent; there are no breakthrough developments yet. Those animals that become berserk due to the influence of IQ still cannot be properly controlled!"
Indigo's tone carried a hint of self-reproach.
But Shiki showed little sign of blaming him; he just smiled and said:
"No need for self-blame; time is the one thing we're not short of. Take it slow!"
"Sooner or later, we'll be able to control them completely. When that time comes, that's when we take revenge on the World Government and the Navy!!"
Speaking thus, a deep hatred welled up in Shiki's eyes, and he couldn't help but look down at his own lower body.
He remembered very clearly why he had lost these legs.
Just as he was about to say something more, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki swept through, and many of the pirates in the building instantly showed the whites of their eyes and collapsed unconscious.
"Hmph?!"
Shiki narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning towards a certain direction, as if piercing through a great distance to see the fellow who was wantonly releasing his Conqueror's Haki.
"What nerve!!"
Shiki growled softly, waved his hand, and the two large doors swung open on either side. His form flickered and instantly flew out; as he soared through the doorway, an equally immense and powerful surge of Conqueror's Haki burst forth from Shiki, clashing against the oncoming wave.
Black-red lightning bolts flashed continuously in the void.
Shiki's speed was immense, and it wasn't long before he arrived before Kyle. Upon seeing Kyle's appearance, he couldn't help but pause.
When he first sensed the Conqueror's Haki, he thought it was some familiar fellow, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a brat still wet behind the ears?!!
"Brat, who are you?!"
Shiki asked, frowning.
"Navy, Kyle!"
"Kyle!!"
A sharp light instantly burst forth in Shiki's eyes, his stare fixed firmly on Kyle as he enunciated each word:
"Sengoku's grandson?!"
"That's me!"
"Haha, hahahaha…"
Shiki laughed twice, then immediately burst into a fit of roaring laughter.
"Brat, you've got the guts to come looking for me? Do you know who I am?!"
"Golden Lion Shiki, just a stray dog with its tail between its legs. Who doesn't know?"
!!!
Boom—
In an instant, the Conqueror's Haki emanating from Shiki intensified by a level; boundless, surging waves of Haki continuously assaulted Kyle, yet Kyle's expression remained utterly unchanged, and in the next second, he even revealed a faint smile.
"What?! Did I hit a sore spot? Do you think of yourself as a stray dog with its tail between its legs too?!"
Shiki's face darkened, his glare boring into Kyle. After a long moment, he suddenly laughed again.
"Hahahahaha…"
It was quite some time before the laughter ceased. Shiki, staring at Kyle, spoke in a calm tone:
"Brat, has anyone ever told you, you're very brave?"
"No one has told me that yet!"
Kyle shook his head, then continued:
"What about you? Has anyone ever told you your laugh is way too ugly? Can you stop? It's making me want to puke!"
!!!
...
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