Shigure and Momonga quickly realized.
On an unknown battlefield...
An absolute legend of the old era had died!!!
...
"My Den Den Mushi is starving. I need to make a call to Sengoku."
Griffin opened the watch case, revealing a miniature Den Den Mushi on the brink of death. He hurriedly asked for some feed to nourish it.
He had completely lost track of how long he had been wandering on the frozen continent—so long that the Den Den Mushi had nearly starved to death.
"Have someone search for the Float-Float Fruit. That belongs to me."
...
...
The two of them were stunned for a long moment before they grasped what Griffin was saying.
"Is it true... Did you really kill Shiki?!!"
"That's Shiki we're talking about!!!!"
No amount of emphasis could be enough. As a legend on par with Roger and Whitebeard, the life and death of such an existence carried immense weight!!
...
A flicker of something inexplicable passed through Griffin's eyes as he shook his head with a faint smile.
"Unfortunately, the Shiki worthy of being called a legend died long ago."
"What just died was merely an old lion in its twilight years. There's really no pride to be found in that."
...
...
"Words like that..."
Momonga swallowed hard, unsure what expression to wear. "Not feeling pride in this... That's the greatest arrogance of all!"
—
—
—
"I understand..."
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku fell into a prolonged silence after receiving the call.
Outside the window, warships streamed into Marineford's harbor one after another. Elite Marines from all over had gathered to participate in the grand event he had organized.
He closed his eyes, and the image of that golden-haired, wildly dancing figure surfaced from the depths of his memory.
...
"I'm the man who will rule the world! Sengoku!!"
During the era of the three great legends, the Flying Pirates were the Marines' number one enemy.
Shiki was a madman with ambition, strategy, and terrifying power.
Compared to Roger and Whitebeard, he was the man who best embodied the definition of a 'Pirate,' gathering countless other ambitious pirates under his banner, his momentum rivaling that of the former Rocks.
...
The power of the Float-Float Fruit allowed him to look down upon all living beings like a deity. His ambition had once kept the higher-ups of the World Government tossing and turning at night.
Even after being captured at Marineford, he could still laugh maniacally.
"You can't hold me! This era needs a madman like me!! Gya ha ha ha ha!!!"
...
So arrogant, so brutal, so obsessive, so... real.
As the Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku utterly despised and loathed Shiki.
But purely as a warrior, deep down, there was a reluctant, unacknowledged admiration for that pure, savage, utterly unrestrained strength.
...
That guy Shiki... he must have died with a smile on his face. That's just the kind of man he was.
To be swallowed by the waves of the new era, no matter how you put it, was far better than dying of old age in some forgotten corner.
When an enemy is gone, they become a figure from the past.
One by one, the old familiar faces are dying off...
Sengoku took a deep breath, shifting his focus back to the documents on his desk. Countless decisions still required his judgment; there was no time for sentimentality.
...
——
——
Two days remained until the execution of all members of the Red Hair Pirates.
Impel Down, Fifth Level: Freezing Hell.
Clank, clank—
The sound of chains rattling.
"Yohihihihi... Don't struggle pointlessly. You can't break these specially-made chains."
"Even if you could, it's useless. Outside is colder than an icehouse, patrolled by special Guard Wolves. You'd either freeze to death or be torn to pieces."
With a frog-like mouth, arrowhead-shaped face, oversized "Cazlan" eyes, and a head larger than his body, he was a bizarre figure impossible to forget—a sight that caused both psychological and physical discomfort.
One of the founders of the Revolutionary Army, commander of the Grand Line forces, known as the Queen of Okama: Emporio Ivankov.
Facing him, similarly imprisoned, was the vice-captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Beckman.
...
Beckman stopped rattling the chains and looked at Ivankov.
"That's not the issue... Sir Ivankov, on several nights when I was asleep, you disappeared... You know the exit from the fifth level, don't you?"
Beckman's tone was not one of inquiry but of certain accusation.
Ivankov narrowed his enormous eyes, revealing a dangerous glint. "Not sleeping well at night will leave you without energy, Beckman dear~"
...
"Enough idle talk. Help me find Shanks and the others, and I'll agree to any of your demands."
"Otherwise..."
Beckman lowered his voice. "I think the warden of this prison would be very interested in your whereabouts."
...
...
"Shishishi, are you threatening me? Threatening the great King of the New Humans!!"
Beckman shook his head. "This is cooperation. If you help me gather my crew, I will definitely find a way to escape this Underwater Great Prison!"
To Beckman's astonishment, Ivankov's massive body shrank to the size of a normal woman, easily breaking free from the chains.
He... she... in any case, Ivankov stood before Beckman, hands on hips, and declared proudly, "Do you think I can't escape? I'm waiting for that man's orders—the greatest revolutionary, Dragon!"
"I've been hiding here to find more like-minded comrades!"
"Unless..."
Ivankov leaned close to Beckman, grinning widely. "I quite fancy you. If you agree..."
"I'll help you!!"
...
Hearing Ivankov's whisper, Beckman's expression changed drastically, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Even when facing certain death, he had never been so flustered!
...
...
After a long pause.
Beckman gritted his teeth. "Fine... I agree!!"
"Three years at most! If you don't restore me by then, I'll kill you first and then myself!!"
"Shishishi... Don't be so resistant. You'll definitely enjoy the feeling, Beckman dear~~"
——
——
Impel Down, Fourth Level: Blazing Hell.
This level housed Warden Magellan's office, as well as the kitchen and food storage.
The temperature here was extremely high, like a massive iron cauldron, filled with boiling blood pools and seas of fire.
...
"The Pirate Empress? Hehe, I wonder if cutting her down will feel different from ordinary criminals..."
A burly man over three meters tall opened the cell door, looking at Hancock, who was bound by Sea Stone chains.
The Chief Jailer of Impel Down, known alongside Magellan as one of the 'Twin Walls of the Great Prison': Shiryu of the Rain.
His jaw was broad, and he always wore a sinister grin with a cigar dangling from his mouth.
In his free time, he took the most pleasure in killing prisoners for amusement. Magellan had warned him many times, but he showed no signs of remorse.
...
Even bound in chains, there was not a hint of submission in Hancock's eyes.
She sneered coldly.
"This disgusting hell suits a rat like you, lurking in the gutter."
...
Shiryu took a deep drag of his cigarette, neither angered by her words nor captivated by Hancock's astonishing beauty.
"As expected of the Pirate Empress, still so proud even in such a state..."
"Then... let's start by cutting off one hand!"
"I wonder if that face will show an expression of fear and pain!!"
Clang—
Shiryu stepped closer, his eyes filled with bloodlust.
...
Just as he raised his blade,
a cold voice sounded from behind him.
"Before you swing that blade, your head will fall."
Shiryu's body froze instantly.
It wasn't because of the threat in those words, but...
This overwhelming killing intent, far surpassing his own, had frozen his body and soul in place!!