Shiki raided their base

While Lind was locked in a fierce battle with the Marines, elsewhere, Golden Lion was preparing to stir up trouble and draw their attention, just as he had agreed with Lind.

Only, the trouble he stirred up was a little too big, far beyond anything Lind had expected.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

As the headquarters of the strongest force on the seas, this island was like a secluded paradise in a chaotic world, filled with peace and order.

Every resident of Marineford trusted the island completely, enjoying the sense of security it provided.

Until this day, when enormous shadows suddenly fell over Marineford.

Along with them came a defiant voice:

"When the golden lion roars across the seas, all living things lament!"

"Cleaving wind and waves, all eight directions bow!"

"Thousand-Cut Valley parts wind and cloud; who can withstand wave-cleaving Earth-Roll?"

"With deadly Oto and swift Kogarashi, come only if you seek defeat!"

"Even burdened with a thousand islands, even with one hand holding up the Flying Fleet, I, Shiki, remain invincible in this world!"

"Marines, feel the terror of being ruled by the Float-Float Fruit!"

The newcomer was none other than Shiki, with his Flying Fleet and several islands he had gathered along the way floating behind him.

Among this world's pirates, Shiki truly stood above the rest in sheer audacity and nerve.

He really dared to storm Marine Headquarters alone.

Lind had asked Shiki to make some noise, but he had never imagined Shiki would make this much.

Shiki had seized the opportunity to raid Marine Headquarters while its defenses were thin and only Kong remained to hold the fort.

Whether he gained anything or not, Shiki was thrilled and in an excellent mood. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

As his performance ended, Shiki rapidly unleashed the Conqueror's Haki he had been holding back, pressing it down on the Marines below.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

With Shiki's Conqueror's Haki fully unleashed, Marines lacking strength and willpower soon began collapsing one after another.

At the same time, Shiki hurled the islands he had been carrying at Marineford.

Fortunately, Kong appeared in time and shattered the islands one by one.

The smaller meteors formed by the shattered islands were also broken apart by the powerful Marine officers who rushed over, preventing any major losses.

Shiki curled his lip, disappointed that the islands had merely caused the Marines some trouble rather than any serious destruction.

At most, they had destroyed over half the buildings on Marineford without causing any casualties. Even the Marines knocked unconscious by his Conqueror's Haki had largely been protected by their comrades.

Fortunately, Shiki had never expected to inflict any real losses on the Marines.

He had come to make their lives miserable and make a name for himself in the process.

Oh, right, and to help his good brother Lind by tying up some of the Marines' forces.

Shiki lowered the Flying Fleet until it hovered a meter above Marineford, then swept his hand forward and shouted:

"Boys! Attack!"

As Shiki charged at Kong, the pirates he had brought leaped off their ships and rushed toward the Marines on Marineford.

Every pirate's face was flushed, and they moved at breakneck speed.

Attacking Marine Headquarters-the mere thought was thrilling.

To prepare for this war against Lind, the Marines had pulled together a large number of powerful fighters to reinforce Zephyr.

To counter any possible moves by Golden Lion, who was allied with Lind, they had also sent quite a few powerful fighters to the G3 base on the border between Marine territory and Shiki's domain.

Even Garp, whom Lind had assumed was playing a game of chase with Roger, was there now.

But neither the Marines nor Lind had imagined that Shiki would be bold enough to raid Marineford directly.

As a result, Marine Headquarters was so undermanned that, faced with the motley rabble under Shiki's command, the Marines on Marineford could barely hold their ground.

Shiki was especially troublesome. Relying on the power of the Float-Float Fruit, he periodically used its abilities to reshape Marineford even while fighting Kong.

"Shiki, I really underestimated you. I never imagined you had this much nerve!" Kong said expressionlessly after blocking one of Shiki's slashes.

"But aren't you underestimating the Marines-or the World Government-a little too much?"

Kong continued speaking after sending Shiki flying with a punch.

Shiki used the Float-Float Fruit to steady himself in midair and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He was just about to mock Kong when his expression suddenly changed.

"Captain, save me!"

As Shiki shouted for help, he quickly used Earth-Roll to surround himself with several layers of defenses.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three powerful attacks struck in succession, easily smashing through Shiki's hastily formed defenses and sending him flying.

Three figures had appeared above Marineford at some point.

The figure in the middle was thin and wore a white mask.

The other two had the typical builds of powerful fighters, much like Kong, their bulging muscles a testament to their strength.

They, too, wore white capes, though theirs lacked the word "Justice" on the back, and their epaulets were slightly different.

The three were Zero, director-general of Cipher Pol, a user of the Paramecia Door-Door Fruit with Admiral-level strength.

Army Admiral Blade, a great swordsman with Admiral-level strength.

Air Force Admiral Griffin Lylett, a user of the Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Griffin, with Admiral-level strength.

Zero had just used the Door-Door Fruit's ability to transport all three directly to the battlefield and ambush Shiki.

Had Shiki not been prepared, he might have died on the spot.

Even with his preparations and a hastily raised defense, Shiki was surely gravely wounded now and had essentially lost the ability to fight.

Without any other preparations, Shiki would most likely be entering Impel Down more than a decade ahead of schedule.

Aside from Kong, the other three looked at the half-dead Shiki with disdainful smiles.

As the World Government's utterly loyal hounds, they held pirates like Shiki in deep contempt.

Just as they were about to mock him before having Kong send Golden Lion to Impel Down, something happened.

A large hand thrust out from behind Zero, piercing straight through his heart.

"Heh, you're the Door-Door Fruit user, aren't you?"

"If you die now, I wonder whether those five old men will still have a way to send reinforcements quickly!"

"Three Admirals and a Cipher Pol director-general. If all of you die here today, I'm sure the World Government will have a headache for a long time!" Rocks's voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"You're the dark-" The Cipher Pol director-general tried to say something, but Rocks's Devil Fruit ability had drained his strength, and his life was slipping away.

Before he could finish that sentence, Rocks killed him outright.

Rocks truly deserved his reputation as a man capable of ushering in an era. The moment he appeared, an Admiral-level fighter fell.

"Come out, all of you!"

As Rocks's voice faded, three figures descended from the sky: his three trusted subordinates, John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe.

At the same time, Shiki, who had been sent flying earlier, sprang to his feet, full of vigor. In his hand was an ornate bottle—Lind's Angel's Heart.

"Hahahaha! Now it's five against three. Do you have any more reinforcements? When will they arrive?"

I finally got Shiki into the action. The way I arranged the plot should be reasonably plausible, right?