As the Fleet Admiral of the Navy, Sengoku was well aware that, at this point in time, there could only be one Marine warship near the Grand Whirlpool.
The one carrying Trafymore Yahn.
And when it came to his long-time adversary—the "Golden Lion" Shiki—Sengoku knew his temperament all too well: unpredictable, volatile, and utterly ruthless.
After being imprisoned by the Navy for years and escaping from the underwater prison, Impel Down, at the cost of severing his own legs, how much hatred must the "Golden Lion" Shiki harbor?
If he were to confront a Marine ship, it wouldn't be surprising if he massacred every single crew member on board in a fit of rage—without hesitation or mercy.
Sengoku also knew Yahn likely harbored his own secrets. But this wasn't just any pirate—this was Shiki the Golden Lion, a living legend. It had taken both himself and Vice Admiral Garp working together to bring the man down in the past.
> It's too soon…
> For Yahn, this is still too soon! Dammit!
As Sengoku cursed both himself and the Golden Lion with bitter regret, far from the Gate of Justice—now barely visible in the distance—Yahn murmured to himself:
"It's about time. Can't drag this out any longer."
"Hm? What did you just say?"
The Golden Lion narrowed his eyes. He sensed something unusual in Yahn's tone.
"Nothing much," Yahn replied, calmly removing his glasses and hooking them onto the front of his chest. "Just calculating the time and distance. Seems like we're just about there."
He looked up at Shiki with composed determination. "Since I'm facing off against a legendary pirate, I should take this seriously. Otherwise, I might be dead in a flash."
"Oh?"
Shiki's expression slowly turned grim. A cruel grin spread across his lips.
"Yahn, the brat who thinks he can conquer the world by clinging to a woman… You've got the guts to challenge me?"
"That's because I'm self-aware," Yahn said coolly with a shrug.
"I know that if my strength only amounts to someone like you, I'd be nothing more than another loser adrift at sea. That's why—since I'm weak—I make sure I'm protected."
Shiki's smile vanished, his face turning cold. "Are you saying you think a weakling like you is stronger than me?"
"Without concrete proof, I'd never make such a reckless and arrogant claim," Yahn replied matter-of-factly. "But I've carefully observed your injuries and current condition. There's a high probability I can kill you. Even in the worst case, I could escape intact."
He paused, staring at the man slowly baring his fangs before him.
"But to avoid any complications… and to keep certain things from leaking out—I'm going to do my best to kill you right here."
Before Yahn could finish, the Golden Lion casually swung his hand.
A golden slash of wind, massive and terrifying, screamed through the air toward him.
"Slash Wave!"
Swish!
This time, Yan didn't dare be careless. He didn't play around like he had when dueling Gion. In a blink, his figure vanished from where he stood.
BOOM!
The slash tore off a massive chunk of the ship behind him, carving a gaping, endless rift through the clouds trailing behind it.
Moments later, Yahn stood calmly above the ship, as if walking on air, peering down at Shiki with serene eyes.
"Terrifying. As expected of someone once known as a master swordsman. A slash like that—if it had hit—would have ended everything."
For the first time, the Golden Lion grew visibly serious.
That speed… that ability to stand in the air… This wasn't something a mere rookie could do.
Back inside the warship, Shiki's flying slash had caused chaos among the Marines.
Through his senses, Yahn could tell that even Ensign Hope was about to peek out of the ship's cabin.
"I went through all that trouble to get you all safely into the hold… No need for you to see this. For now—go to sleep."
As he murmured, a terrifying pressure exploded from Yahn's body, radiating outward in all directions like a crashing wave.
Heavy.
A crushing, almost suffocating weight settled over the ship. Every Marine aboard was suddenly paralyzed by a despair so deep it stole the strength from their limbs.
"Conqueror's Haki? No… It feels different."
Shiki narrowed his eyes, confused by the overwhelming pressure he felt.
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki.
This… was Reiatsu—Spiritual Pressure.
Yahn's spiritual pressure had already reached the level of "Nineteen Wagon."
Reiatsu was a force born of the soul itself. The more powerful and dense the soul, the more pressure it exerted—like gravity.
For those with weak wills or frail spirits, standing in the presence of such power felt like being pulled into the deepest abyss. Overwhelmed by hopelessness, they couldn't even struggle back. In some cases, if the Reiatsu was strong enough, it could obliterate a person into nothingness—just by proximity.
Of course, Yahn hadn't yet reached the level where his Reiatsu resembled a black hole.
But knocking out every Marine on board?
That he could do effortlessly.
Even… former Marine Headquarters Captain Hope.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One by one, every Marine within the ship collapsed in the cabin, all losing consciousness.
Shiki frowned, still puzzled. "What kind of power is this? It's not Conqueror's Haki… Is it a Devil Fruit ability?"
Yahn chuckled. "Why don't you guess?"
Then, from his waist, he slowly drew the Zanpakutō and reversed his grip, holding it upright against his chest.
And then—he let go.
The blade dropped.
"Bankai—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
In an instant, an endless ocean of cherry blossoms burst out from where he stood, sweeping in every direction.
From a distance, it looked like the entire sky had been consumed by a dreamlike sea of petals—a beautiful, all-encompassing storm.
"Go."
With a thought, the tide of blossoms surged toward the Golden Lion.
"Shiki, just think of me as a user of the Cherry Blossom Fruit. Let me use this infinite sea of blossoms to send you off…"
"Your journey ends here."
BOOM!
As Yahn's voice fell, the overwhelming sea of petals came crashing down upon Shiki like a tidal wave.
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