In front of the massive palace, Wright stood at the golden gate at the end of the canal, his long sword in hand, while his Justice coat billowed fiercely in the wind and snow.
The courtyard was littered with groaning guards—loyal men who had done their duty. Wright had spared them, choosing not to cut them down on the spot.
If the Golden Lion won, they'd be fine. But if he lost…
"Boom—"
The palace doors swung open, and out strode Shiki, the Golden Lion, a cigar clenched between his teeth, his sword-legs clanking against the floor.
"A Marine?"
Seeing Wright's Justice coat, Shiki burst into laughter.
"Gehahahaha! I've hidden away for seventeen years, and now the Marines come knocking at my door!"
"What, did the Navy sail a battleship all the way up to my floating island?!"
"Not at all… don't overthink it. I came alone."
Wright smirked. "Honestly, this was an accident… I came across an enormous cloud and tried to fly over it."
"Who knew I'd find a place that could rival a paradise?"
"Shiki, the Golden Lion… you've certainly been living the high life these past years."
"…"
Shiki's expression darkened—an accident? This damn Marine barged into his secret base, where he'd been hiding for over a decade, took out his most trusted lieutenant, and ruined years of careful planning…
And now he calls it an accident?!
"Heh… hehehe… Gahahahaha!"
Shiki burst into laughter as he slowly levitated, rising to Wright's level and scrutinizing him.
"So, you're the famous Vice Admiral Wright, 'Orange Horse'—a candidate for Admiral…"
"No wonder you had the guts to challenge me after discovering my identity."
"That explosion earlier—your doing?"
"You destroyed my plans and didn't even try to run. Do you really think that, just because you're an Admiral candidate, you can take me on?!"
"Gehahahaha!"
With a sweeping gesture, Shiki sent a ripple through the wind and snow.
"I AM THE GOLDEN LION!"
The swirling snow coalesced into six massive lion heads, each letting out a deafening roar.
"Lion's Majesty: Imperial Earth Scroll!"
"ROAR—!"
The giant lion heads lunged at Wright, poised to devour him whole!
"Holy Storm—Overdrive!"
A massive golden whirlwind erupted from Wright's position, instantly shredding the incoming lion heads into nothingness.
"Is that your way of saying hello, Shiki?!"
Wright raised his greatsword, "Ashes," and slashed twice toward Shiki, sending two massive golden flying slashes hurtling at him.
"Final Judgment!"
Shiki's face twisted as he flickered away from the golden slashes, lifting his sword-legs in response.
"Golden slashes? Not bad!"
"Slash Wave!"
Two massive flying slashes, nearly identical to Wright's, shot toward him. Shiki laughed wildly.
"Kid! Now THAT'S a proper greeting!"
With a sweep of his hands, the ground beneath them trembled violently.
"Lion's Majesty: Earth Scroll!"
From the earth, six colossal lion heads formed from rock and debris emerged, roaring as they lunged forward—far more formidable than their snowy counterparts!
With flying slashes at the front and the lion heads closing in from behind, Wright was trapped in a deadly pincer attack!
"Wings of Holy Light!"
A radiant pair of Holy Light wings erupted from Wright's back as he shot into the sky, meeting Shiki's astonished gaze.
"Shiki! You know my name—but did you really think I couldn't fly?"
"An aerial battle—let's go!"
Shiki's eyes reddened with bloodshot intensity. Facing an opponent who could fly like him, Shiki no longer cared about Wright's rank or the destruction of his plans.
"Excellent! Only the strong deserve to be my opponents!"
"I am the man who will rule the seas—from the skies!"
"Whoosh—"
Shiki shot into the air, just as Wright's laughter rang out.
"Then I'll defeat you in the skies! As a Marine, I'll end your delusions!"
"Lightspeed—"
"Strike of Judgment!"
Shiki barely caught sight of Wright before he vanished—only to reappear at his flank!
"Damn—"
"BAM!"
A sweeping kick sent Shiki flying, barely able to block in time with Haki.
"Damn it!"
Adjusting his stance midair, he barely had time to react before Wright charged again, wielding his sword with both hands, the blade igniting in blazing golden-red flames.
"Secret Art: Holy—Skybreaker!"
A torrent of golden slashes surged toward Shiki, as if shattering the very air itself!
"Not bad, brat!"
Shiki countered with a flurry of sword-kicks, unleashing a barrage of golden flying slashes!
"Lion: Thousand-Cut Valley!"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!"
The collision of the two attacks was like two mighty rivers clashing, illuminating the darkened sky with their sheer force. A violent storm erupted from their point of impact.
Golden slashes collided and exploded in rapid succession, their deafening blasts ringing through the sky.
"Oh? It's already begun?"
At the edge of the central floating island, a puff of white smoke rose, reforming into Smoker's upper body.
Taking one look at Wright and the golden-haired old man locked in battle, he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Hmm, twin swords for legs, golden hair, freely flying—yep, that's definitely 'Golden Lion' Shiki."
Smoker took a long drag of his cigar, then pulled out a Den Den Mushi and fixed it atop the tallest tree.
"The people here really can fly… What the hell? Those tiny wings make no damn sense!"
Muttering to himself, he turned away and descended back to the island, continuing to gather the residents, leaving the Den Den Mushi trembling in the wind and snow.
"That bastard Smoker…"
Wright's Observation Haki detected Smoker's antics, making his lips twitch. For now, the battle remained at mid-range exchanges.
Against an opponent like Shiki, who could fly freely, his Observation Haki had to extend far enough to keep up with the Golden Lion's unpredictable aerial tactics.
Like Shiki, Wright had spent most of his time fighting grounded enemies—able to fly while they couldn't, naturally holding an overwhelming advantage.
Kaido was an exception—he could fly in his dragon form, but his sheer size made him a massive target, and in human form, he primarily fought on the ground.
Now, against someone nearly his equal in flight—but with decades more aerial combat experience—Wright's lack of airborne battle experience was becoming painfully clear.
"Brat! You're still green!"
Shiki laughed wildly. The Float-Float Fruit was truly broken—freeform flight wasn't just convenient; it was an absolute advantage.
Strictly speaking, Wright's Holy Light wings were better suited for long-range travel and direct bursts, but in terms of agile aerial maneuverability, they were at a disadvantage.
Even Moonwalk couldn't match the sheer freedom of movement that the Float-Float Fruit granted.
As a result, when facing Shiki, a master of aerial combat, Wright was gradually beginning to fall behind the rhythm of the battle.
"Slash Wave!"
Another fierce clash of blades erupted as Shiki keenly seized the momentary delay in Wright's turning speed, launching a devastating slash from an impossible angle!
"Holy Light Wall!"
A golden, semi-transparent shield materialized beside Wright, nullifying Shiki's attack upon impact.
Shiki's expression twitched. People always said his Devil Fruit ability was unreasonable—but compared to this Marine Vice Admiral, who was truly the more unfair one?
With a wave of his hands, massive boulders from the ground soared into the air, forming a protective wall around him, intercepting the flying slashes Wright had countered with.
A shield? Like hell he was the only one who had one!
"Brat! I admit, I underestimated you before!"
Watching Wright—his golden hair, golden slashes, golden longsword, golden Haki, and golden wings spread wide as he soared through the sky—Shiki felt as if he were staring at another version of himself...
A version with even flashier effects!
And yet, this Marine Vice Admiral hadn't even revealed his strongest ability—his healing power!
"This world belongs to the strong!"
"As one of the strong, ruling the world is only natural!"
"You bear the presence of a true powerhouse, so why waste it as a Marine? What kind of strength is shackled by rules and restrictions?"
"Join forces with me! With you by my side, we wouldn't even need the Beasts Plan to take over the world!"
Shiki's eyes burned with wild ambition, his imagination running unchecked—until a quiet chuckle from Wright cut through his delusions.
"Shiki, I come from the East Blue... the very sea you wanted to destroy."
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