Battle after battle came to an end.
The final showdown of the Swordsmanship Tournament had drawn everyone's attention.
As expected, the opponent facing Redfield in the final was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Already nearing his peak, Yoriichi had improved even further since his defeat by Golden Lion Shiki a few years earlier.
Watching from the sidelines, Shiki could sense the change in Yoriichi's overall strength.
His blade had grown sharper.
His Observation Haki, with its Transparent World ability, had become more refined.
After all, Shiki himself had gone to considerable trouble to defeat Yoriichi.
In pure swordsmanship, he had no real advantage over Yoriichi.
With his abilities restricted, Shiki had even found him troublesome at times.
But he was Golden Lion Shiki, a monster at the very top of this sea.
Even his seemingly ordinary physique was unquestionably monstrous.
When challenged by the swordsman Yoriichi, Shiki had still defeated him through sheer combat strength, despite restricting his Devil Fruit powers.
Shiki was proud to his core.
Back then, to bring Captain John and Ochoku to heel,
he had defeated them without using his powers.
That had cemented his supreme position in the New World.
Only after that war had he truly become the foremost Pirate, with the Flying Pirates becoming the strongest Pirate crew.
It had also put real distance between him and Captain John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku, who had long stood on the same level as him.
For a time, he had become their leader. Neither of the two bloody battles saw them dare refuse his invitation.
Losers had no say. Shiki could have killed them, but he had spared their lives.
From then on, they would forever stand a step below Golden Lion Shiki.
Once Shiki had brought together the John Pirates, Silver Axe Pirates, and Five Peaks Pirates—three