"It actually... worked..."
Sengoku stared at Daren, whose pupils glowed with a crimson light, a storm of emotion surging in his heart.
That brat had actually used Shiki—forcing himself into a life-or-death crisis just to awaken Observation Haki!
Sengoku had sailed the seas for decades, faced countless opponents in battle, and led more elite Marines than he could count, but he had never met anyone as insane as Rogers Daren.
To use a man who stood at the top of the sea—a legendary Great Pirate—as nothing more than a whetstone!?
If he hadn't witnessed it himself, Sengoku would never have believed it was real.
"How amusing... Jiihahaha!!"
Shiki suddenly burst into a vicious laugh.
"I remember you, little Marine—Rogers Daren."
"You're the one who killed that idiot Byrnndi World. I heard even Roger took a hit from you?"
He looked down at the Commodore on the ground with contempt, fury flickering in his eyes.
"You said 'the real fight begins now'?"
Shiki's rage flared, and he laughed to the sky like he'd just heard the world's dumbest joke.
"Don't be ridiculous!!"
"There's no fight between you and me! You're not even worthy to be my opponent!"
"On these seas... no one can stop me—Shiki!!"
With a glance, he had already seen through it.
This Marine brat had deliberately used him to simulate a brush with death—just to trigger his awakening.
"All of you... open your eyes and watch!!"
"This is what it means to be a ruler of the New World!!"
With a wild, twisted grin, Shiki swept his hand across the air.
As if some invisible force tore through the sky, the thick, wall-like clouds above Coin Island split apart.
Then...
A dense cluster of black dots slowly emerged from behind the sea of clouds.
Like a looming shadow blanketing the heavens, they spread and filled the skies above everyone's heads.
One...
Two...
Three...
One pirate ship after another
slowly pierced through the cloud layer.
Each ship bore a golden lion skull Jolly Roger fluttering atop the mast, outfitted with pitch-black heavy cannons aimed directly at the auction house below.
Even from hundreds of meters away, you could faintly make out the decks packed with pirates.
They held a variety of weapons in their hands, twisted grins on their faces, looking down at Coin Island like it was already a smoldering ruin.
"Wh-what... is that...?"
"P-pirate ships...?"
"No way..."
"They're floating in the sky... pirate ships...!"
"That's... that's Shiki the Golden Lion's invincible flying fleet..."
...
Everyone on the ground stared in disbelief at the dozens of pirate ships suspended in the sky. The light in their eyes faded, replaced by deep despair.
A flying fleet like that—
That scale... that number...
Even if they didn't land and simply fired from the sky, it would be enough to level the island with ease!
"They're here at last... Daren, don't screw this up now..."
A heavy shadow crossed Sengoku's face, his eyes filled with solemn dread as he subconsciously turned toward Daren.
"How terrifying... He really brought his fleet."
On the other side, Borsalino batted away King's flaming aerial slash with a casual swing of his sword, glanced skyward, and smiled faintly.
Bullet's face also turned grim in an instant.
"Oi, oi, oi... I've got a really bad feeling about this..."
"Jiihahahaha!! You see that, little Marine?!"
Shiki raised his Meito high and pointed it at Daren.
"With just a few dozen Marines, you think you have the right to talk to me about war?!"
"Be annihilated... by the firepower of my flying fleet!!"
As his words fell, the pirates aboard the floating ships broke into action, laughing wickedly as they began loading the cannons.
Their movements were swift and precise—clearly, this wasn't the first time they had reduced a town to rubble through sheer bombardment.
Time seemed to slow.
And a wave of indescribable fear swept through the minds of everyone present.
"Run!!"
"Stay on this island and you're dead for sure!!"
"Shiki's lost his mind!!"
"Damn it!!"
...
Panicked screams erupted from the pirates who had come to the auction hoping to take advantage of the chaos. They bolted toward the distant port in a frenzy.
The wind howled violently.
The scene grew more chaotic by the second.
Now, faced with the overwhelming might of Shiki's flying fleet, any thought of resistance had completely vanished.
Some clutched their heads and ran blindly.
Some trembled uncontrollably.
Some just stood there, frozen in fear.
The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder.
It wasn't hard to imagine what would happen in the next few seconds—furious cannon fire would blanket all of Coin Island, reducing this once-thriving city to scorched earth.
And then—
BOOM!
The first cannon blast erupted from one of the pirate ships.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Then the fourth...
Orange-red flashes flared across the decks of the fleet, while black cannonballs rained down like a storm, filling the sky in a suffocating, despairing downpour.
A relentless net of death swept down from above—an indiscriminate barrage.
As the shells dropped at accelerating speed, shrill howls pierced the air, followed by thunderous explosions.
The muzzle flashes lit up Shiki's twisted, ferocious face, making his savage grin look even more monstrous.
Those who had been frantically fleeing suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. Their bodies froze, eyes glazed, locked onto the sky in stunned disbelief.
"It's over..."
Someone murmured.
Then suddenly, amidst this apocalyptic chaos, a low sigh drifted through the wind.
Soft. Unexpected. Even a bit... casual.
"Took you long enough... I've been waiting."
Everyone froze, turning their heads instinctively.
There stood the Marine Commodore, completely still, a playful look on his face... as he slowly raised his right hand.
Fingers spread.
Then—he reached up and lightly grasped at the air.
Zzzzz...
Faint arcs of blue lightning crackled around his fingertips. An invisible ripple of energy burst forth from his hand.
And in that instant—
Every soul on Coin Island witnessed something they would remember for the rest of their lives.
The deadly downpour of cannonballs suddenly halted midair!
It was as if they'd collided with an invisible, cushioning wall—or been snatched by an unseen giant's hand from beyond the sky.
Every single shell froze high above the ground, completely motionless.
As though time itself had stopped.
The scene was eerie—unreal.
And in that same moment...
The cruel grin on Shiki's face froze solid.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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