"What did you say?!"
When the trembling Marine recruit uttered the words "It's already gone," Golden Lion Shiki's arrogant laughter on the other end of the Den Den Mushi abruptly stopped.
Dead silence.
A silence more terrifying than death itself came through the Den Den Mushi.
The Marine recruit went rigid with fear. He felt as though he were holding not a Den Den Mushi, but a supervolcano on the verge of erupting, powerful enough to destroy the world!
Crack.
A fine crack actually appeared in the Den Den Mushi's golden shell, unable to withstand the terrifying killing intent coming from the other end!
"Jihahahaha!"
Golden Lion's voice came through the Den Den Mushi again.
But it was no longer laughter. It was the grinding of teeth, more terrifying than the wails of evil spirits, filled with endless madness and brutality!
"Very good. Very good. What a fine Navy."
"Tell me! Whose troops are you?! Who's your commander?!"
Golden Lion's roar erupted from the Den Den Mushi like a tangible sonic cannon, blasting blood from the recruit's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth and knocking him unconscious on the spot. With a snap, the Den Den Mushi shattered completely as well.
Meanwhile, somewhere in an unknown stretch of the New World.
Aboard a massive floating warship like a moving island, the atmosphere was oppressively tense.
Boom!
Golden Lion Shiki stomped the enormous solid-gold round table before him to pieces. Hideously bulging veins now covered the face that always wore an arrogant smile, making him look like an evil spirit!
"Bakira Island is gone?"
"My entire Third Flying Fleet was wiped out?!"
His signature ship's wheel quivered violently with his extreme rage, and a burst of Conqueror's Haki violent enough to tear the sky apart swept across the entire warship like a