"Damn it, will these vibrations ever end?"
Shiki's eyelid twitched as he slowly opened his eyes, his expression filled with the raw annoyance of having his rest disturbed.
He extended two fingers, irritably flicking the broken ash from his cigar onto the carpet.
The tremors weren't strong, but like the rapid beat of a drum, they traveled right through the earth's crust to the palace in the clouds, causing the entire structure to creak and groan.
Shiki grabbed the receiver of the Monitoring Den Den Mushi beside his throne's armrest, about to vent his anger, when the heavy door suddenly slammed open.
"Boss Shiki! Something terrible has happened!"
The man who stumbled in had clownish paint smeared across his face and wore shoes that squeaked loudly with every step.
Dr. Indigo, who usually expressed himself through silent pantomime, had completely lost his usual clownish composure.
The sweat rolling down his face had streaked his makeup into a patchy mess, and his eyes were wide with pure terror, acting as if he had just crawled out of hell.
"Why are you panicking like this! Also, whats with your appereance?!" Shiki frowned in displeasure, using the famous swords that replaced his legs to support himself as he radiated an intense pressure.
"Did the Marines sail their warships into the sky? Or did that bastard Roger crawl back out of hell?"
"N-no… it's not the Marines, and it's not Roger…" Indigo gasped for breath, his voice trembling with deep fear.
"They're all gone… Boss Shiki, all of them!"
"What's gone?"
"All the beasts on the outer defensive lines, the bio-mutants in the forest, and the men stationed below…" Indigo swallowed hard, his trembling finger pointing toward the deathly silent forest outside the window.
"Just in the last few minutes… that brat… slaughtered them all!"
Shiki's fingers, holding the cigar, stiffened abruptly.
The air instantly froze.
"You're saying… that sixteen-year-old brat?" Shiki narrowed his eyes, a highly dangerous curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Indigo, I appreciate your sense of humor, but this joke isn't funny. Those were all monsters enhanced with IQ!"
"I wish it were a joke too…" Indigo's face sat deathly pale, his body trembling uncontrollably. "I checked the surveillance footage—there are absolutely no survivors. That kind of slaughtering efficiency… it's simply not something a human could achieve!"
Shiki fell silent.
An invisible wave of energy spread outward from him, extending in all directions.
His will instantly enveloped the entire floating island.
The forest, which should have been filled with the roars of beasts, now sat in a dead silence in his perception.
All the sounds representing powerful life forces had completely vanished.
In their place stood a searing, violent aura, rising like a thick column of smoke into the sky.
That aura stood atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, radiating pure defiance toward his palace.
Crack.
The expensive cigar crumbled into dust right in Shiki's hand.
They were really… all gone?
In just a few minutes?
"THAT DAMN BRAT!" A heavy roar shattered all the glass windows surrounding the palace.
Shiki abruptly stood up.
The leaden clouds swirling above his head seemed to sense their master's fury as they began to churn wildly.
But when the fire in his eyes burned to its absolute peak, it twisted into a perverse appreciation and heavy greed.
A monster capable of slaughtering an entire outer defense zone?
If he were an enemy, he would indeed be detestable.
But what if…
Rumble—!
The foundation of the entire floating island groaned in absolute agony.
Shiki's mane-like golden hair billowed without wind, the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi pushed to its absolute limit.
...
Outside the palace, Zaraki stepped over the blood-soaked rubble, walking step by step right toward the tower.
Suddenly, he halted.
The world around him had completely changed.
The castle ruins he had sliced apart with a single stroke, along with massive boulders weighing several tons, now defied all logic, trembling as they broke free from the dirt and slowly rose into the air.
Countless enormous rocks and building fragments hovered freely in the sky, blotting out the sun and casting Zaraki's figure into immense shadow.
Above the floating wreckage, a figure clad in a golden kimono, with two legendary swords for legs, gazed down at him from on high.
Golden Lion, Shiki.
Though it was his first time seeing the man in person, that arrogant aura—acting as if he could trample the very sky beneath his feet—truly lived up to his legendary name.
"Brat."
Shiki's voice wasn't loud, yet it exploded like thunder right in Zaraki's ears.
He didn't attack immediately.
Instead, he spread his arms wide, acting exactly as if showcasing this grand domain under his control.
"You destroyed my life's work, slaughtered all my men… Not only did you not run, but you dared to walk right up to me. I don't hate that kind of pure guts."
Shiki lit a fresh cigar, his eyes blazing as he stared down at Zaraki. "The East Blue filled with worthless trash and a monster like you is rare even in other sease. How about it? Stop wasting yourtime! Come be my right-hand man!"
"Just nod, and half of this sky—even half of the future world—will be yours!"
On this blood-soaked battlefield, the grand legend of the old era had once again extended an open offer to the slaughterer.
Zaraki lifted his head, his blood-stained face showing absolutely zero trace of emotion.
He tilted his head, dug a pinky finger into his ear, then locked his dark gaze onto Golden Lion's sword legs.
The red light in his eyes grew ever brighter.
"Finished talking?"
Zaraki grinned, baring his white teeth.
He let Yubashiri slide back down from his shoulder and return to its sheath.
Then his hand moved to the other sword at his waist.
The Sandai Kitetsu.
The cursed blade emitted a soft, dangerous hum the moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt.
"Again, if you want to be my boss, that's not impossible."
Shiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"As long as you can withstand my blade, forget being your subordinate…" Zaraki's smile had now twisted completely, brimming with the pure, unadulterated battle lust brought by the Kenpachi Zaraki template.
"I'll even pour your damn drinks for you!"
Before the words fully faded, the ground beneath him collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Zaraki's figure vanished from where he stood, leaving only a heavy ring of explosive shockwaves in his wake.
"Stubborn fool!" Shiki snorted coldly.
If he couldn't be used, then he would be better die here!
He didn't even bother using his Devil Fruit power to control the massive floating boulders.
As a top-tier powerhouse of the old era, he held the deep pride of a true swordsman.
Facing the dark figure charging skyward and cleaving downward from above, Shiki merely raised his right leg slightly.
The legendary sword, Oto.
Clang—!
The cursed blade and the legendary Oto collided violently in mid-air!
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