“Shiki…” Sengoku frowned as he watched Golden Lion burst forth with Haoshoku.
“If Roger must die… then let me do it myself!!!”
“The execution will proceed as announced by the Marine in one week,” Sengoku retorted.
“Shiki.” At this moment, Garp also stepped forward, “Roger’s death will surely make the pirates of the world submit.”
In the plaza of Marineford, a bloody scent swirled with the fierce wind.
“Submit? Hehehe.” Golden Lion sneered incessantly, his twin swords sakura ten and ‘Kogarasu Maru’ glinting with cold light.
Rainwater dripped from the sword blades, hitting the ground with crisp sounds.
Sengoku and Garp, who had already removed their justice cloaks, stood opposite him, their expressions solemn.
The surrounding soldiers nervously clutched their weapons but dared not advance a single step.
Just then, a steady sound of footsteps came from behind.
It turned out to be Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino, who had received orders to rush over together, standing side by side in the back row.
However, Sakazuki did not stop but, under the gaze of Kuzan and Kizaru, continued his steps.
His military boots stepped through the puddles on the ground, his gaze as sharp as a blade, fixed intently on Golden Lion as he slowly walked towards him.
He had heard everything Golden Lion had just said to mock Gern!
Gern was the man Sakazuki most admired.
That man’s justice was even greater than his; he even dared to face the Pirate King alone and successfully apprehend him.
And who are you, Golden Lion, to deny him? To insult him?
“Old era? Hehe…” Sakazuki sneered, attracting everyone’s attention.
“After all this talk, aren’t you actually just afraid of Gern, Golden Lion?
Because of fear, you slander.” Sakazuki raised his eyes, his tone flat, his voice deep and full of mockery.
“Let me think, that one strike from Gern back then must have left an indelible shadow on you, right?
It’s not that you can’t accept Gern apprehending Roger; you just refuse to admit it!”
Hearing Sakazuki’s words, Golden Lion’s pupils slightly constricted but quickly returned to their arrogant expression.
“I’m afraid of him?” He scoffed, his tone filled with disdain.
“The current me can still, just like back at G-3 Base, crush you all like ants… crush you all.”
“Is that so?” Sakazuki took off his hat and raised his hand to touch his short hair, his eyes full of provocation.
“Then why haven’t you dared to seek out Gern since then?
Stop pretending, Golden Lion, that one strike from Gern back then…
It truly struck fear into your heart, making you afraid to face him again, wasn’t it?”
Before he finished speaking, Golden Lion’s expression suddenly darkened.
Haoshoku burst forth uncontrollably; the surrounding air seemed to solidify, making it hard for people to breathe.
“Magma brat…” Golden Lion’s voice was terrifyingly low, as if coming from the depths of hell, “Who do you think you’re talking to?”
Sakazuki did not back down in the slightest; his fist slowly clenched, and magma began to surge.
“I’m talking to a loser who dares not face reality.”
“Loser?!” Golden Lion’s fury was completely ignited.
His twin swords crossed sharply, and golden sword energy swept out like a storm, “I am Golden Lion Shiki!!”
“Lion: Thousand Cut Valley!!”
Hundreds of sword energies tore through the rain curtain, whistling towards Sakazuki and the other two.
Kuzan and Borsalino quickly dodged, while Sakazuki stood his ground.
“The curtain call of the Pirate King signifies the complete beginning of justice, and the man who accomplished all this is…
Gern Reginald Sigma!!” His right arm instantly transformed into scorching molten rock, and he unleashed a punch!
“Great Eruption!!”
Magma and sword energy collided in mid-air, erupting in a deafening roar.
Scorching magma and golden sword energy intertwined, tearing the surrounding buildings and ground to shreds.
The shockwave knocked over nearby soldiers, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.
In the dust, Golden Lion’s figure flashed like a ghost, his twin swords aimed directly at Sakazuki’s throat.
Sakazuki dodged by shifting his body, then counterattacked with a magma fist aimed at Golden Lion’s chest.
Golden Lion sneered, his body twisting strangely in the air, and he kicked Sakazuki’s head.
“Bang!” Sakazuki was forced back several steps by the kick, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
But his eyes remained cold: “What? Did I hit a sore spot, making you angry out of shame?”
Golden Lion’s expression was ferocious, the ship’s rudder on his forehead seemingly throbbing faintly due to his emotional agitation.
He gritted his teeth and said, “You Marines don’t understand what a true strong person is at all!
Roger or Gern, they are merely passersby of an era!”
“Passersby?” Sakazuki wiped the blood from his mouth, his sneer deepening, “Then what are you? A pitiful wretch even worse than a passerby?”
“You’re asking for death!!” Golden Lion was completely enraged; his Haoshoku burst forth again, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.
He leaped up fiercely, raising his twin swords high, golden light condensing on the blades, as if to split the entire Marineford in two.
“Lion: Majesty Sea Split!!”
This strike seemed capable of splitting the sea and severing the sky!
Sakazuki’s pupils suddenly contracted; he knew the power of this attack was not something he could easily withstand.
But just as he prepared to fight to the death, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
“Enough, Shiki.”
A deep voice rang out; Garp had appeared in front of Sakazuki at some unknown point.
His fist, enveloped in dark Armament Haki, slammed into Golden Lion’s slash.
“Fist of Justice: Impact!!”
“Boom!!” The moment the two forces collided, the entire Marineford trembled.
The shockwave swept in all directions, leveling the surrounding buildings.
After the dust settled, Garp still stood his ground, while Golden Lion was forced back dozens of meters, barely stabilizing himself by plunging his twin swords into the ground.
“Garp…” Golden Lion’s eyes were gloomy, “Are you trying to stop me too?”
Garp slowly withdrew his fist, his tone calm: “This is not your battlefield, Shiki.
Roger has made his choice; you should let go too.”
“If you try to interfere with the execution…” At the same moment, golden light began to emanate from Sengoku’s body.
“Then stay here forever!!!”
“Then come on, all five of you, come at me together!!!”
…
That night, the sky over Marineford was torn apart by the duel of three legendary powerhouses.
Sengoku the Buddha, an Admiral of Marineford, representing the highest combat power of Marineford.
Garp, the Marine Hero, who had countless times pushed the Pirate King to the brink of despair.
And Golden Lion Shiki, the legendary pirate who once contended with the Pirate King.
This battle, launched by three individuals representing world-class combat power, with the assistance of future Admirals like Sakazuki, lasted for an entire night.
When dawn broke, the once prosperous Marineford town had been reduced to ruins.
And this earth-shattering duel finally ended with 【Golden Lion being captured alive】…
Yes! In Golden Lion Shiki’s estimation, Roger’s life could only have two possible outcomes.
Either he would become the ruler of the world after agreeing to ally with him.
Or he would meet his end in a world-shaking battle after refusing him.
But no matter what, it should never have been a public, humiliating execution after being arrested.
This absurd outcome was something Shiki could not accept or imagine even after thousands of scenarios.
Because Roger was the only man he truly respected from the bottom of his heart.
This is also why Golden Lion directly abandoned the forces and fleets he had amassed over decades dominating the seas.
He gave up a pirate life of lifelong arrogance and disdain for the seas, charging alone towards the highest combat power of ‘Justice’ in the world!
Only to ensure that the Pirate King’s final chapter would not end in such a humiliating manner.
Just as his initial vow:
“If that Roger guy is going to die, then I should be the one to do it myself first.”
But the sky could never support the sea from beginning to end, and a week later…
The public execution of ‘Pirate King’ Gol D. Roger proceeded as scheduled!!!