The Golden Lion's voice suddenly rose in pitch, the ship's rudder above his head trembled slightly under the impact of the Conqueror's Haki, and the veins on his forehead bulged out one by one.
"I am the Golden Lion!"
I was the Golden Lion of that era, on par with Roger and Whitebeard!
Even if I'm old, disabled, and obsolete now—I'm still Golden Lion!
You want me to be your transport team leader?
You're insulting every single battle I've ever fought in my life!
This is an insult to every one of my dead brothers!
He drew his famous sword " Oto " from his waist, the tip pointing directly at Roy.
" Roy, listen up! Even if I die, I'll die on the battlefield!"
They died on the way to the front!
He died like a true pirate!
Instead of being a dog for you new-age brats!
Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki surged once again.
This impact was even more violent than the previous one, tearing a huge hole with a diameter of over a kilometer into the surrounding clouds.
Even the sea surface below was pressed into a hemispherical depression.
Roy stood opposite Shiki, remaining silent for a long time.
His Observation Haki clearly perceived the emotions contained within Shiki's Conqueror's Haki —not fear, not anger, not bluffing.
It is pride, an inviolable dignity, the unwavering resolve of a man who once stood at the pinnacle of the world, who would rather die than bow down.
Roy sighed.
"Looks like there's no other way."
He said it in a low voice, his tone devoid of anger or disappointment, only a calm that came from confirming something.
"I was trying to save some time."
Roy's hand rested on the hilt of the Shusui Blade at his waist.
"Since you don't want to be the transport captain, then the only option is to kill you."
"I'll cultivate the Float-Float Fruit myself."
Shusui are drawn from their sheaths.
The blade reflected a blinding, cold light in the sunlight.
When Shiki saw Roy draw his sword, he showed no fear; instead, he grinned.
That smile was full of arrogance, full of fighting spirit, and full of the last dignity of a hegemon of an old era.
"That's more like it!"
"Come on, Roy! Let me see just how much this new king really weighs!"
The moment Roy drew his sword, everyone around him instinctively stepped back.
Tesoro deactivated the electric net, his figure transforming into a golden bolt of lightning as he retreated to the outer edge of the battle.
Enel retreated with him, the Golden Staff still spinning in his hand, but his expression became more serious.
Bullet also took a few steps back, standing with his arms crossed on the edge of a floating rock.
Although he was itching to get involved, he knew this was a fight he couldn't interfere with.
The Golden Lion was Roy's prey.
Crocodile, in the form of dust, drifted higher, a cigar dangling from his lips, overlooking the impending battle below.
A faint smile played on his lips—he had no doubt about the outcome of the battle, but he was Roy would deal with the old man.
"Everyone, step back."
Roy's voice rang out calmly.
"I'll fight this one by myself."
Upon hearing this, a complex expression flashed in Shiki's eyes.
He didn't thank him or say anything about "brave courage," but simply drew another famous sword, " Kogarashi," from his waist.
He crossed his two swords in front of him, and the blades began to gather a dark luster of Armament Haki.
"Kid, you know the rules pretty well."
"Ah! Ah."
Roy held Shusui horizontally in front of him, looking at Shiki.
"This is a sign of respect for a former hegemon."
"Hehehehe--I won't let you down either!"
Shiki kicked off with both legs, and the spaceship deck beneath his feet shattered.
He transformed into a golden streak of light, his twin swords slashing towards Roy in a cross pattern.
"Lion Slash!"
Two massive golden slashes flew from the sword's edge, crossed in the air to form an X shape, and slashed down at Roy's head.
Roy gripped Shusui in one hand and swung the knife upwards with a backhand motion.
The moment the Black Blade Shusui clashed with the golden strike, an extremely piercing metallic clang was produced.
The golden slashing wave was sliced in two by Shusui, flying out to both sides and cutting two cracks hundreds of meters long in the clouds.
"Is that all the strength you have?"
No sooner had Roy finished speaking than Shiki appeared above him.
He raised both swords high above his head, the Armament Haki on the swords concentrated to its limit, a faint purplish-red gleam emanating from the black luster.
"Lion - Wave Slash!"
Shiki brought down both swords simultaneously.
This sword strike was devoid of any fancy moves; it was simply a pure, heavy slash.
But the moment the sword fell, the surrounding space began to distort and deform due to the concentration of this power—it wasn't a Devil Fruit ability, but pure, compressed physical strength combined with Haki.
Roy raised his knife to block.
The swords of Shusui, Oto, and Kogarashi clashed fiercely in mid-air.
"Boom--!!!"
The shockwave exploded from the two people in the center.
The surrounding clouds were instantly evaporated by the shock, and the sea below was pressed into a huge crater hundreds of meters in diameter.
The seawater surged back, forming several walls of water tens of meters high.
Roy's feet created visible ripples in the air, but his body remained completely still.
Shiki's twin swords were steadily held in mid-air by Shusui, unable to be pressed down, not even by a millimeter.
"Not bad strength."
Roy looked at Shiki's arm, which was trembling slightly from the exertion.
"But not as good as Whitebeard."
"Nonsense! I'm not that kind of monster!"
Instead of retreating after being blocked, Shiki used the recoil to somersault in the air.
He swept his twin swords horizontally, aiming for Roy's side.
Roy dodged to the side, the blade grazing the hem of his clothes.
He swung his sword backhand towards Shiki's chest, but Shiki blocked with his left hand's Kogarashi and simultaneously thrust his right hand's Oto towards Roy's throat.
The two engaged in fierce close combat in the air.
The sound of swords clashing was so dense, like a torrential downpour hitting sheet metal, and each clash created a shockwave.
The two figures constantly intersected, separated, and collided in the air, moving so fast that even the Hachinosu cadres watching the battle had to be on high alert to keep up.
"This old guy is actually pretty good at fighting." Bullet crossed his arms, a rare hint of surprise in his voice.
Tesoro squinted, golden arcs of electricity dancing in his pupils:
His swordsmanship is very solid.
Unlike Hawk Eyes, who pursues ultimate sharpness, Hawkeye excels in versatility and possesses extremely rich combat experience.
"After all, he's a monster who survived from that era."
Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke.
"An old man who fought Roger and Whitebeard for decades, even if he's old and crippled, his skills are still there."
On the battlefield, Shiki swung his twin swords faster and faster.
His swordsmanship style is typical of practical combat – there are no superfluous moves, and every strike is aimed at vital points.
The Kogarashi on the left was responsible for defense and restraint, while the Oto on the right was the main attacker; the two swords worked together seamlessly.
But Roy handled it with ease.
Shusui's blade weaved through Shiki's sword shadows, each parry precisely hitting the weakest point in Shiki's sword stance.
He even had the energy to observe Shiki's swordplay during breaks in his defense, analyzing his habits and weaknesses.