True Striker Assault, Golden Lion Descends

"Hey, if I'm not mistaken—"

With his arms crossed, Borgin toward Isca beside him and said, "Isn't that guy over there the captain of the Boiling Marsh Pirate Crew that we just took down a while ago?"

"No, to be precise, in the naval battle fourteen days ago, although we captured most of the members of the Boiling Marsh Pirate Crew, their captain and several officers escaped by diving."

The cold, beautiful naval captain Isca's gloved fingers rested on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"No matter where they come from, our job remains to capture them once again."

That's right.

Facing the Navy's Fleet 211 was the 'Boiling Marsh Pirate Crew,' which had been wiped out just half a month prior! If it weren't for the pirate flag flying above them and Captain Boozawa standing at the bow, Borgin and the others would have doubted their memories. However:

"That's right, then let's send them to Impel Down again."

"Colonel An! I'm counting on you for the weather."

"OK,"

Nami looked up at the sky, opened the book in her hand, and rubbed her forehead while controlling her wind-like movements to give the Marines a 'buff'.

Fighting pirates all day long! While I don't hate doing the same job as Bellemere, I still crave new and exciting adventures. And I wonder how Luffy and the others are doing...

Speaking of which, when I first set sail, my dream was to draw a map of the entire world. Strictly speaking, this dream has almost been 'realized', as this warship has maps of all the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line!

Once the nautical charts for the second half of the 'New World' are completed...

Is our Straw Hat crew's adventure going to end soon?

When I first set sail from the in the East Blue full of passion, I didn't realize it then, but now, the more I understand the world and the clearer I am about the 'destination' of my dreams, the more hesitant I become.

What are you thinking about?

Nami shook her head as she looked at Roman, who was wearing a suit and a naval officer's coat.

"Just a little melancholy. Roman, look, we're already more than halfway through our journey..."

"Puff!"

?

"More than half? You're dreaming! The dangers of the New World are far more exaggerated than the first half of the Grand Line! And—"

Who says this adventure can only be spent at sea? This world, this sky, is so vast! The unknowns are as numerous as the stars, but before that:

Brush,

Roman took off his navy coat and threw it to Nami, who was standing next to him. Under Nami's questioning gaze, Roman suddenly stepped onto the deck!

"Razor!"

This is Fusion Skill of Geppo and Shave, possessing the ability to fly while also maintaining the high speed of Shave! As Roman lunged forward, leaving a sharp trail, a longsword appeared in his hand! At the same time:

"Flying Swallow Turn!"

A figure with hair in a bun, dressed in samurai attire and wooden clogs, with a samurai sword hanging at his waist, suddenly shot out from the enemy's flagship!

With a soft click at his waist, the katana was suddenly drawn! The two-meter-long nodachi gleamed with a chilling light! At the same time, using the increased centrifugal force from the spin, the blade drew a beautiful long arc in the air as it attacked Roman.

Clang!

In the ensuing clash, chilling sword energy and blade light spread in all directions, and the two figures were simultaneously separated. Roman, in mid-air, lightly touched the ground, using the Geppo amidst a series of booming sounds to stabilize himself, while the warrior crashed down into the sea below!

"The Flying Swallow Return!"

The samurai's figure rose and fell three times on the sea like duckweed, each step seemingly as light as a feather, but the huge column of water that suddenly burst out behind him clearly demonstrated the power contained in the battle between the two.

"You've got some skills, Navy guy."

In response to the words of the warrior standing on the sea, Roman, who was floating in the air, replied.

"You're not bad either, Wandering Samurai."

"Heh, back then I was a 'True Striker' under that lord. If I hadn't offended that crazy 'young master,' I would already be a 'sixth-rank' now!"

The samurai snorted coldly, brandished his nodachi, and flew across the sea like a swallow, suddenly slashing at Roman in the sky.

"Secret Technique - Swallow Return!"

Brush--

Three Flying Slash simultaneously struck Roman with Inazuma speed! The dazzling white light tore through the sea, flashing into Roman's eyes like Inazuma from the clouds! But:

"That's all there is to it."

Roman's longsword moved!

As the sword flashed and the wind and clouds dispersed, the longsword, imbued with Haki, crashed down, causing the air to ripple like waves, forcefully Flying Slash! Even the sea was instantly 'cut' into a sword mark over a hundred meters long!

Under Roman's Haki, a miraculous phenomenon occurred. "Like drawing a sword to cut water, splitting it in two," the seawater unable to rejoin! This caused the samurai's expression to change:

"Flowing Cherry Haki?!"

"How about it?"

Behind a white cloud high above the battlefield, a massive ship hovers in the air.

Although it's called a ship, its 'keel' is actually an island. The figurehead is a massive lion's head—unlike the cartoonish lion's head on the Thousand Sunny, which could easily be mistaken for a sunflower or the sun. This ship's lion's head is a true King of Beasts, with its mane flowing, exuding an imposing aura, and roaring towards the sky!

Under normal circumstances, Roman would have spotted the flying pirate ship long ago.

But facing this samurai who claimed to have been a 'True Striker' —most likely from Wano Country —the opponent's nodachi gleamed with a chilling light! A considerable amount of Haki emanated from it, making cutting through gold and jade seem effortless. Although not as strong as Roman, he was not someone who could be easily dealt with.

In particular, the swordsmen in this world are among the few who can decide a battle in just a few moves!

In the enormous cabin of the pirate ship, which resembled a small island in the sky, a man with long, golden hair that stretched to the ground like a lion's mane, and whose sideburns and beard were also golden, sat high on the main seat.

He was dressed in a loose samurai outfit, with a golden striped coat draped over his shoulders, and a ship's wheel stuck in his hair! Even more striking were his two legs, which were severed at the knees, with two samurai swords hanging below them.

Shiki the Golden Lion!

If Roman were here, he would immediately recognize the old man's identity.

Yes, although this blond, floor-length man, with a cigar in his mouth, possesses the ambition and aura of a lion roaring Four Seas and conquering the world, it is undeniable that he has aged!

As a Great Pirates from the same era as Roger and Whitebeard, the wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead tell the story of the passage of time.

"Navigation team, can you do it?"

"This... Shiki..."

Several meteorologists in white coats exchanged bewildered glances. Leaving aside the unpredictable weather along the Grand Line, the weather above the battlefield below was even more bizarre! It was moving along with the naval warships like a well-behaved pet. Just like...

It's as if an invisible hand is manipulating the wind direction, temperature, clouds, and lightning of this ocean, making the great power of nature dance in her palm.

They are just a group of researchers, not people with special abilities.

"Then, can you predict the next weather trend for the other side?"

"This... sir..."

They're just meteorologists, not psychologists—

Bang!

After the gunshot, the leader in the white coat no longer needed to worry about these issues. Because:

Dead people don't think.

"Waste!"

This is the tragedy of scientists in this world: without any means of self-defense, they can be easily killed by pirates. —Like Archimedes, who was diligently conceiving a great geometric figure, only to be killed by a Roman soldier with a single sword stroke.

"You're all useless!"

Having shot down the leader of his own naval squadron with a single shot, the tall (Admiral's height) Golden Lion Shiki stood up and looked at the battle unfolding on the screen. The spectacle of the navy dancing in the wind was all because of one girl:

"Marvelous!"

Without needing to Surveillance Den Den Mushi, Golden Lion's Observation Haki had already landed on Nami on the warship below, causing Nami, who was casually controlling the weather, to frown.

"Um?"

"This feeling..."

It's worth noting that Roman often uses Observation Haki to 'ambush' Nami, so he wants her to get used to being targeted. Therefore:

"Is someone spying on me?"

Nami looked around but found nothing, ultimately concluding it was just her own paranoia. Meanwhile, hidden within the giant pirate ship shrouded in clouds:

"What a perceptive young girl."

Golden Lion nodded in satisfaction. Ever since the Battle of Et Wall 27 years ago, when he led his massive fleet to besiege Roger, a sudden storm of wind, rain, and lightning struck at the most critical moment!

The massive 'Golden Lion Pirates' found themselves at a disadvantage and ultimately suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Roger. Even after a ship 'Golden Lion rudder was stuck in Golden Lion's head, 'weather' became a thorn in his side.

"Compared to this little girl, you are all a bunch of useless trash!"

The Golden Lion's cold gaze fell upon the white-coated researchers in the cabin, which was filled with various instruments, silencing these intellectually-based scientific researchers.

"Very well, I'll personally invite her to be my 'partner'."

"I hope she doesn't get the hint, hehehehe~~~!"

Laughing loudly, he went out the door, and at the same time:

"This is?!"

An undisguised, domineering aura descended from above, causing Roman to tense up as if countless sharp blades were pressed against his back. Instinctively, he wanted to turn around—

"Secret Technique - Flying Swallow Strike!"

In an instant, the figure of the samurai opposite, who could only walk on water, flashed and flew into the air like a swallow returning to its nest! His whole body was enveloped in thousands of sword energies, and he pounced on Roman with a ferocious aura that could shake the heavens and the earth!

With a sudden slash of his nodachi, countless blade energies surged forth like swallows in flight.

This attack was a desperate gamble, a fight to the death!

The samurai could almost see the distracted naval officer before him being torn to pieces by his blade. He had no doubt about the destructive power of his strike!

Even a fortress would be utterly shattered by his blade. He could clearly see the once handsome face of the young navy man before him contorted with rage under the fear of death—

Etc!

Anger?!

"Roll--!!"

In an instant, sensing the approaching enemy behind him, Roman went all out, and the longsword in his hand suddenly transformed into a hazy white light! The sword shadow could not be seen from above, nor from below; it was empty when held, and there was nothing when grasped. After a flash of formless and shapeless sword light, Roman turned and left without hesitation.

The flurry of swift-like blades vanished instantly. The samurai, renowned even in Wano Country, trembled, cold sweat pouring down his back! His Haki, swordsmanship, and killing intent had all been utterly destroyed by a single strike! He was as if standing naked in a frozen wasteland...

No, this is an opportunity!

Facing Roman, who had shattered his 'Secret Technique - Flying Swallow's Ultimate Move' with a single sword strike and then immediately turned away without hesitation, the samurai was initially filled with despair! Then, he was suddenly overjoyed! The other dared to turn his back on him? Then don't blame me—

Snap,

The samurai lifted his leg to take a step, but then his body lurched to the side! His eyes darted around, looking at his feet:

It was no longer a 'foot,' but pieces of flesh the size of a fingernail, torn apart. It split open abruptly with each step he took.

"I·····"

As the samurai opened his mouth, sword marks immediately appeared on his cheeks and throat!

I have already...

The next second, the samurai who was about to take a sneak attack was completely turned into countless pieces of flesh the size of fingernails, and then collapsed with a bang!

He died.