Golden Lion: Shiki

The Marines assigned to Captain Yaen's ship were true elites, even by Marine Headquarters' standards, possessing extensive sailing and combat experience.

At the same time, almost all of these Marines had personally witnessed the incident two years prior when "Golden Lion" Shiki intruded into Marineford alone.

Facing the "Golden Lion" Shiki, who displayed immense power as he attacked alone, countless Marines were defeated in a single blow, utterly defenseless.

In the end, it took the combined efforts of the current Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp to suppress the "Golden Lion" Shiki, at the cost of half of Marineford being destroyed, and then imprison him in the deepest level of Impel Down.

The earth-shattering battle scene was still fresh in the minds of these elite Marines, barely over two years later.

Because of this, they understood all too well what a terrifying monster the "Golden Lion" Shiki was.

For a moment, all the Marines were too stunned to consider why the "Golden Lion" Shiki, who should have been imprisoned in the deepest level of Impel Down, was actually behind the Gate of Justice.

At this moment, driven by fear, all the Marines on the warship instinctively followed Yaen's orders, pushing the ship to its maximum speed, wanting to get as far away from the monster known as the "Golden Lion" as possible.

"Faster, full power, maximum speed..."

"Lower the main sail, quickly..."

"Steer, steer..."

For a moment, if the warship had been equipped with oars, Second Lieutenant Hope would have personally led the charge to row and speed up the ship.

As the Gate of Justice slowly opened, the scene behind it became clearer, visible even to the ordinary Marine soldiers.

The surface of Impel Down, which had once stood over the sea to suppress countless pirates, was now in ruins. Large black shadows periodically rose, and explosions occurred occasionally. Vaguely, one could see large numbers of jailers and Marines engaged in combat with prisoners.

Chaos. Without a doubt, Impel Down had fallen into chaos.

And the one who had orchestrated all of this was none other than the "Golden Lion" Shiki, floating in mid-air, his legs severed at the knee bleeding profusely, his long golden hair billowing in the sea breeze like a wounded lion.

The next moment, under the gaze of all the Marines, the "Golden Lion" Shiki crossed the Gate of Justice and shot towards Yaen's warship.

The speed... was incredible!

"We can't escape. It seems the 'Golden Lion' Shiki's target is us."

Yaen said with a hint of gravity, raising a finger to have the inconspicuous Little Gold move away from the warship for the time being.

"Chirp!"

Little Gold seemed to understand Yaen's intention and didn't dare to hesitate. Using the warship as cover, it hugged the sea's surface and moved away in the opposite direction of the "Golden Lion" Shiki.

Soon, to the goosebumps of countless Marines, the "Golden Lion" Shiki landed on the warship's mast, his golden hair fluttering among the Marines as his arrogant laughter echoed.

"Hahahaha..."

"What do they call it, 'impenetrable fortress,' a prison no criminal can escape from, Impel Down? It still couldn't hold me?"

These words, filled with Haki and disdain, made the over five hundred Marines on the warship tremble like ants under the might of a lion.

"Pr... Prepare..."

Just then, Horton's voice, both nervous and firm, rang out. "All soldiers, prepare to apprehend the pirate 'Golden Lion' Shiki."

Interrupted by the voice, the "Golden Lion" Shiki's laughter faltered. He looked down with a playful smile and said, "Honestly, wouldn't it be better if you Marines quietly shared my joy and then obediently died?"

The next moment, as the "Golden Lion" Shiki raised his hand towards the sky, his five fingers grasping, the air itself seemed to be controlled by him.

"Lion's Roar: Air Scroll!"

Instantly, above the warship, a massive lion constructed from airflow appeared and roared towards the ship.

Just then, Yaen's voice rang out.

"Wait, Shiki, are you trying to blow up this ship and sink into the sea with us?"

"Hmm?"

The "Golden Lion" Shiki looked towards the bespectacled, seemingly gentle and refined youth upon hearing this.

In just a moment, Yaen, who had already grasped the "Golden Lion" Shiki's objective, spoke.

"You're not just heading for this warship to share your joy, but because you need a warship to rest on temporarily, right?"

"That doesn't conflict with killing you Marines. I just need a ship," the "Golden Lion" Shiki said dismissively.

"Heh, let's not even talk about whether your attack will affect the overall structure of the warship. More importantly, there are a large number of cannonballs stored in the cargo hold below deck. If you dare to attack, I'll immediately have the Marines in the hold detonate the cannonballs, causing this ship to instantly disintegrate."

He paused, then looked at the seemingly annoyed "Golden Lion" Shiki and stated with certainty.

"Your severed legs are still bleeding profusely, and you have many lingering wounds. Even the great pirate 'Golden Lion' Shiki can't endure such severe injuries for long, right?"

"And without a Log Pose to guide you, nor a place for a Devil Fruit user to rest, you're just a tired lion wandering the sky, unable to find an island to settle on. You might even be pursued by reinforcements from Marineford."

"Therefore, 'Golden Lion' Shiki, this ship is also your only hope of completely escaping Impel Down. Without this ship to take you away, when the reinforcements from Marineford arrive, your fate will be eternal imprisonment."

Listening to Yaen's methodical analysis, the "Golden Lion" Shiki's initially annoyed expression suddenly became gleeful.

"Hahahaha..."

Immediately, the "Golden Lion" Shiki floated down from the mast and landed before Yaen, saying, "Kid, interesting. What's your name?"

"Teffimoe Yaen."

The next moment, to the astonishment of countless Marines, the "Golden Lion" Shiki extended an invitation to Yaen.

"Very well, Teffimoe Yaen, join me. I'm going to re-establish the 'Flying Pirate Group' and dominate this sea from the sky. If you come with me, I'll give you the position of first mate."

"First mate?" Yaen asked.

"What? Are you not satisfied? Being my first mate is something countless pirates on the sea dream of."

He paused and asked, puzzled, "Do you perhaps have a grander ambition than this?"