"If it were before, I might have chosen to retreat, recover, and then come back to fight you again."
Golden Lion grinned, his sharp canines showing, but his eyes held an eerie calm. "But right now, that's not an option. This is where it ends—either you die, or I do."
His voice carried the weight of time.
He was old. Seventy-something. His prime had long passed. His body bore the scars of countless battles, his legs replaced with swords, a rudder lodged in his skull. But even now, with the ghosts of a bygone era whispering at his back, his will remained unshaken.
This island—Cecilford—was the culmination of his two decades of ambition. There was no retreat. No second chance.
Carl's sharp gaze met the old pirate's burning resolve.
A man like the Golden Lion, once hailed as Roger's greatest rival, would never allow himself to be captured or flee in disgrace. Just as Whitebeard chose Marineford as the stage for his final stand, Shiki had chosen this battlefield to carve his name into history one last time.
Carl understood.
If Golden Lion wanted to escape, no one could stop him.
In the Summit War, Whitebeard had countless opportunities to survive, yet he stood his ground, willingly embracing death. It wasn't just a battle—it was a final declaration, a last roar of defiance against the march of time.
Now, Shiki sought the same.
"…Fine."
Carl's fighting spirit surged. If this was meant to be the old legend's last stand, then he would respect it.
"Jie ha ha ha ha! That's what I wanted to hear!"
Golden Lion's wild laughter echoed through the sky as he swung his blade-like legs, sending razor-sharp slashes through the air.
"Lion Majesty: Earth Coiling!"
"Lion Majesty: Govern Place Earth Coiling!"
Boom!
Countless enormous lion heads, each formed from rock and seawater, bared their fangs and lunged toward Carl.
"Damn it!"
The 'Sakura Ten' in Carl's hand gleamed, wrapped in his high-grade Color of Armament Haki.
He slashed through them relentlessly, the impact splitting the sky apart, shaking the very foundations of the island.
The two clashed in a storm of blades and Haki, neither yielding an inch.
But then—
Golden Lion's movements began to slow. His age caught up with him, and Carl could see it—the decline of a legend.
Seizing the opportunity, Carl closed the distance, his blade slashing toward Shiki's waist. His crimson eyes flickered with calculation.
If the old pirate blocked the strike with 'Deadwood,' he would instantly shift to a full-force fist strike.
But—
Something unexpected happened.
Shiki didn't dodge.
Instead, his Haki-covered right hand grabbed 'Sakura Ten' directly!
"I am…"
A grin spread across his bloodied face.
"THE GOLDEN LION!"
Even with his body suffering from direct exposure to Carl's peak-level Haki, with black lightning searing into his palm, he refused to let go.
Carl's pupils contracted.
He pulled, but it was already too late.
SLASH!
Golden Lion's sword-leg, 'Deadwood,' came swinging straight for him—a strike from one of the world's greatest swordsmen!
The sheer force of the attack could cut through an island.
Even Kaido, the so-called "Strongest Creature," had been grievously wounded by Oden's blade.
Carl should have been cut down.
Should have been bleeding out right now.
But—
Nothing happened.
Golden Lion's eyes widened in shock.
Carl stood there. Unscathed.
"Impossible…"
The legendary pirate staggered back, disbelief washing over him.
Carl casually ran a hand through his hair and smirked. "Oh, yeah… I almost forgot."
His blade twirled between his fingers as he muttered, "Senbonzakura has a special ability, doesn't it?"
[No-Damage Circle]
Within an 85-centimeter radius, centered on Carl, no attack could ever harm him.
An unbreakable defense.
A flawless zone of invincibility.
A cheat-like ability that nullified all damage—but with one crucial downside.
It protected both him and his opponent.
If an enemy entered that radius, they too would be immune to injury.
Because of this limitation, any enemy fighting Carl had only one option—advance forward, never retreat.
And yet, for any sane human being, stepping into the reach of a swordsman like Carl was suicide.
A dilemma that created a psychological barrier no warrior could easily overcome.
Carl had simply forgotten about it, relying too much on Color of Armament Haki for defense.
"…"
Golden Lion was silent.
For the first time in decades, Shiki felt powerless.
Carl exhaled. "Like I said… you relics of the past should just stay in your graves."
He raised 'Sakura Ten' once more.
"If you won't stay dead, then I'll put you down myself."
For a long moment, Golden Lion didn't move.
Then—
He laughed.
A deep, raspy chuckle that slowly grew into roaring, mad laughter.
"Jie ha ha ha ha! I really don't like your attitude, Marine…"
His bloodied hand reached up to the rudder embedded in his skull.
"…But you might be right."
With a brutal, sickening crack—
Shiki ripped the rudder out of his own head.
Carl's expression darkened.
A wave of pure killing intent exploded outward.
The skies darkened.
The clouds churned.
A storm was coming.
Cecilford Island trembled below.
Marines stood frozen, watching as the very weather shifted.
"Did you feel that?" one of them whispered.
"…Yeah."
"The pressure… It's completely different."
Roy gritted his teeth, his eyes glued to the heavens.
A battle was taking place ten thousand meters above, and yet the sheer force of it could be felt even here.
Up in the sky—
Golden Lion crushed the rudder in his hand, his bloodied face calm.
"Twenty-seven years ago, in the Edd War, I clashed with Roger in the middle of a storm."
"This damn rudder was embedded in my skull."
He smiled.
"After twenty-seven years… I've finally torn it out."
Carl could see it now.
A massive golden lion loomed behind Shiki, standing tall and proud.
A final declaration.
A legend's last roar.
"COME, MARINE! ONE FINAL BATTLE!"
Shiki brandished 'Deadwood' with his own hands.
For the first time in decades, he fought as a true swordsman once more.
"Lion: Thousand Slice Valley!"
Carl narrowed his eyes.
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
BOOM!
A storm of slashes erupted as black-and-gold Haki-coated attacks clashed in midair.
The force of Shiki's unleashed potential was monstrous—far beyond anything he had used before.
The sky split apart.
The final battle had begun.
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