Golden Lion's ability to sense the danger of that last attack proved that his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) was still formidable.
But—
His response was very different from Mihawk's.
When Mihawk fought Carl, he tested him with calm precision, utterly confident in his ability. Even when faced with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Mihawk had confronted it head-on, analyzing its properties as if dissecting an opponent's weaknesses mid-battle.
Shiki, however, dodged the moment his instincts warned him. That alone revealed a difference in mentality. Mihawk, still in his prime, had absolute faith in his ability to cut through anything. Shiki, despite being a living legend, understood that some attacks weren't worth meeting directly.
Even so, his strength remained undeniable.
Carl exhaled sharply, dispersing Senbonzakura into thin blades once more.
"You put the sword away?" Shiki narrowed his sharp eyes. "Hah! That makes sense. You never looked like a true swordsman to begin with."
Carl chuckled. "Did I ever say I was a single-minded swordsman? You old-timers sure are troublesome."
Against this old monster, his Golden Experience Requiem was proving ineffective.
It had transformed from a Stand into an ability, requiring Carl's direct activation. There was a delay—an unavoidable time difference.
And against a powerhouse like Golden Lion, even a millisecond's hesitation could be fatal.
Which was why Carl prepared to fight in the most direct way possible.
"Crack—"
A surge of pitch-black liquid lightning erupted from Carl's body, his presence shifting dramatically.
His hair stood on end as an intense shockwave radiated outward, sending dust and debris scattering.
"Full-body Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)?" Shiki raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twisting into a mocking smile. "Boy, are you scared?"
To him, full-body Haki was impractical. It certainly looked imposing, but the toll it took on Haki reserves was massive.
A fool's move.
Haki—a weapon of willpower manifesting through momentum, killing intent, and fighting spirit—was powerful, but finite.
Even the strongest fighters rationed their Haki, selectively reinforcing parts of their body to avoid exhaustion.
True battles between powerhouses could last for days. The one who ran out of Haki first would inevitably fall behind.
That was why most warriors only coated specific parts of their body.
So, in Shiki's eyes, Carl was just digging his own grave.
"If that's the case, let me show you how to fight!" Shiki grinned, lifting a leg.
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
A massive Rankyaku-like (Tempest Kick) slash hurtled toward Carl as Shiki soared higher into the sky.
Carl, unfazed, reached out—
And grabbed the slash wave with his bare hand.
"You can do that?!" Shiki's eyes widened in shock. "I have to admit, you're something else!"
His voice carried a rare tone of solemnity.
Despite appearances, his Flying Slashes weren't just casual attacks.
Each one could carve through hundreds of kilometers of ocean with ease.
Only Haki of an absurd level could counter them directly.
And Carl had just caught one with his bare hands.
That meant his Haki wasn't just strong—it was on a level even Shiki had to take seriously.
"Jihahahaha! Interesting!" Shiki's wild laughter echoed through the battlefield as his fingers twitched.
"Lion Majesty: Earth Coiling!"
Boom!
The earth shattered beneath Carl.
The very land itself trembled.
Chunks of rock levitated, forming colossal beasts in midair—so massive they seemed to blot out the sky.
"So that's how it works," Carl muttered. He stomped a foot, reinforcing the ground beneath him with an unseen force.
The sheer scale of the floating mountains made Carl seem minuscule in comparison—a lone figure standing against towering behemoths.
"Jihahahaha!" Shiki's laughter rained from above.
"Now, do you finally understand? I am the man who ate the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit)! The true reason the Flying Pirates rule the skies is me!"
He extended his arm grandly.
"Do you see my power, boy? Last chance. Join me, and I'll make you unstoppable!"
"…"
Carl's mouth twitched.
He sighed.
"You old people seriously have some issues."
One old man—Whitebeard—declared himself the father of an entire fleet of orphans.
Another—Golden Lion—spent twenty years in seclusion just to get revenge on the Marines and World Government.
And then there was Roger, who turned himself in just to ignite a worldwide pirate era.
Carl understood that these legends had their own beliefs.
But that didn't mean he had to understand them.
"Enough talk."
Carl exhaled deeply.
The black liquid lightning around him intensified.
"Sa—"
A sharp sound split the air.
In the next instant, Carl vanished—
And reappeared at the peak of one of the Lion Mountains.
"You really refuse? What a shame…"
Shiki's voice carried an unusual note of regret.
He genuinely appreciated this Marine.
Though he still didn't know Carl's name, he recognized his potential.
If he could recruit Carl, his plans could begin immediately.
But if not—
"Boom!"
Carl's fist smashed into the giant lion mountain.
External Armament Haki—Internal Destruction!
"Kakaka—"
Cracks spiderwebbed across the massive structure.
The entire mountain collapsed.
"Humph! Useless!"
Shiki clenched his right fist.
The shattered debris—millions of tons of rock—suddenly halted in midair.
Then, as if drawn by some unseen force, the debris reassembled into a brand-new mountain.
Carl narrowed his eyes.
"You really are an old cockroach."
"Jijing · Senbonzakura Yanjing!"
Dozens—no, hundreds—of long blades materialized, floating ominously in the air.
The very atmosphere turned razor-sharp.
Shiki's eyes narrowed.
"This ability…"
The thin blades that had attacked him earlier were already suspicious.
But now—
"You're a Devil Fruit user, aren't you?"
Carl didn't answer.
"Cut."
He simply swung his hand.
The floating swords rushed forward like a tidal wave, slicing toward Shiki and the mountains.
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
Shiki retaliated, his enhanced Flying Slashes colliding midair with the incoming blades.
Boom!
Shockwaves erupted across the battlefield.
The sky was filled with a storm of shattered steel and debris.
"Useless! Useless!"
Shiki roared as he launched continuous Rankyaku-like slashes while reshaping the battlefield beneath them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, mountains of lions rose from the earth.
Before Carl could destroy one, another took its place.
And then—
A gigantic mass of rock and debris crushed down on him.
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki's victorious laughter echoed through the battlefield.
"Kakaka—"
Suddenly—
A deep, ominous cracking sound filled the air.
From beneath the massive mountain—
Carl's voice rang out.
"What the hell are you laughing at?"
Shiki's smile froze.
Carl stepped out from beneath the wreckage, completely unharmed.
Golden lightning still crackled around his body.
"Yeah," Shiki exhaled, eyes dark with realization.
"I should've known…"
Carl's physique and Armament Haki weren't just strong.
They were outright monstrous.