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"Shiki?"
The old man with the sword landed some distance away, his eyes narrowing as he looked up at the floating figure in the sky. His expression remained composed, but there was a flicker of recognition in his gaze.
"It seems my name has already reached the Holy Land Mariejois." Golden Lion grinned, his voice laced with arrogance.
The Five Elder merely adjusted his grip on his sword. "It doesn't matter how many of you come today. I will personally execute every last one of you."
Even now, he didn't know exactly how many members of the Rocks Pirates had infiltrated Mariejois. But it didn't matter. His confidence in his strength was absolute. Even if the entire Rocks crew stood before him, he had no intention of retreating.
"Jihahaha! What an arrogant old man." Golden Lion sneered.
Ayr, standing nearby, made his decision. "Shiki, you take care of this old man. I'll handle Deros."
He had already gauged the Elder's power. This was not an opponent he could defeat in a one-on-one battle. His Conqueror's Haki, swordsmanship, and combat instincts—none of it would be enough. But now that Shiki was here, he had a chance to shift the battle's momentum.
"What? Ayr, are you messing with me?" Shiki's eyes narrowed. "You fought Rocks to a standstill before. Now you're telling me you can't even handle some random old man?"
The Golden Lion had personally witnessed Ayr's strength. To see him struggling against someone he assumed to be insignificant made no sense.
Ayr smirked. "It's not that I can't beat him. I just want to see you do it, Shiki."
Golden Lion raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "Hmph. Whatever. The sooner we finish this, the better." He reached into his coat and pulled out an Eternal Pose. "Because I found it, Ayr—the pointer to God Valley."
Ayr's eyes narrowed slightly.
While he had been fighting Deros, Golden Lion had been searching for the one thing that could lead them to Uranus, the ancient weapon rumored to be buried in God Valley.
That was the real reason Golden Lion had infiltrated Mariejois. And now, with the Eternal Pose in hand, he was ready to leave.
"Jihahaha! So this is what you were after," the Five Elder said, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Before now, he had only suspected that Mariejois held something the Rocks Pirates wanted. But thanks to Golden Lion's slip-up, he now knew exactly what they were after.
"Shiki… you idiot." Ayr frowned.
Golden Lion, however, remained unfazed. "So what if he knows? If we kill them all, it won't matter."
The Elder's grip on his sword tightened. "You want to kill me? Go ahead. Try."
A wave of suffocating killing intent erupted from him, swirling around his sword. The cursed blade, First Generation Kitetsu, was fully enveloped in dark, ominous energy.
Shiki's expression darkened. "A Supreme Grade sword…?"
As a great swordsman himself, Shiki had studied the legendary blades of the world. The moment he laid eyes on the old man's sword, he recognized it.
The First Generation Kitetsu.
One of the twelve Supreme Grade swords.
Suddenly, he no longer believed Ayr's words. This was no ordinary old man.
"Who is this guy, Ayr?"
Ayr, keeping a straight face, replied, "Just a minor character. I'll leave him to you."
Deep down, Ayr knew exactly what he was doing. If Shiki knew he was fighting one of the Five Elders, he'd probably cut his losses and flee. Instead, Ayr played it off as if the old man was someone insignificant.
Shiki frowned. "You sure about that?"
If he hadn't recognized the sword, he might have believed Ayr's lie. But something felt off.
"What's the matter, Shiki? Are you scared?" Ayr goaded.
Golden Lion instantly snapped back, "Jihahaha! Me? Afraid? Never!"
The Five Elder's voice was like ice. "None of you are leaving Mariejois alive."
Shiki laughed in response. "Just you? Don't make me laugh!"
But deep down, a small part of him was cautious. He was one of the strongest swordsmen in the world. And yet, something about this old man was making him uneasy.
The battle erupted.
Golden Lion lunged, his twin swords, Oto and Kogarashi, glowing with Haki.
The Elder met his charge, his First Generation Kitetsu vibrating with deadly energy.
A single clash shook the entire battlefield.
The air cracked. The ground beneath them split open.
Mariejois itself trembled under the force of their attacks.
Golden Lion's pupils shrank. "What the hell?! His strength—"
The Elder barely seemed fazed. His speed was monstrous, leaving afterimages as he moved.
"He's fast!"
Golden Lion had fought countless strong foes—Roger, Whitebeard, Sengoku, Garp. But this was different.
He braced himself, reinforcing his twin blades with Armament Haki.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
Blades clashed at inhuman speeds. Sparks flew.
But the more they exchanged blows, the more Golden Lion felt himself being pushed back.
"Damn it! What's going on?!"
Despite his dual-wielding technique and supreme control over Haki, he was steadily losing ground.
The Elder's attacks were merciless, his precision bordering on clairvoyance. Every move Golden Lion made was countered instantly.
And then—
"SLASH!"
A sudden attack slipped through his defense.
Blood sprayed.
Golden Lion staggered back, his chest now bearing a deep, jagged wound.
His breath hitched. His body trembled.
If he hadn't been reinforcing himself with full-body Armament Haki, that strike would have cut him in two.
He quickly backed off, gritting his teeth.
"Damn it… He's stronger than I thought."
The initial clash had made him wary. But now that he had taken actual damage, he finally admitted the truth.
This wasn't just some random old man.
This was a monster.
Ayr smirked from a distance, watching Golden Lion struggle.
Seeing that his "trusted ally" was now fully committed to the fight, Ayr decided it was time to reveal the truth.
Golden Lion wiped the blood from his mouth, glaring at Ayr. "Who the hell is this guy?!"
Ayr's smirk widened.
"Five Elders."
Golden Lion's face twisted with pure rage.
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