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Da Da Da Da Da!
Rapid footsteps echoed from the Marine Headquarters building, followed by two figures emerging with grave expressions on their faces.
Suddenly...
"Boom... Rumble!"
A deafening thunderclap startled both men and the surrounding Marines, causing them to jerk their heads upward. In the next instant, the pupils of everyone present constricted sharply as their gazes converged on Marineford Square.
A gigantic pillar of lightning, blazing with intense heat, instantly vaporized the rain. It streaked across the churning waters of the inner bay and slammed into the massive Gates of Justice.
Without a sound, the Gate of Justice melted away, leaving a gaping hole as the thunderlight vanished into the distance.
Sengoku and Garp exchanged a glance; the shock on their faces was evident in each other's eyes.
That scene, like divine punishment descending from the heavens, had truly shaken them.
"Report!" Just then, a Marine rushed in, panting heavily, and shouted, "Report!"
"Speak!" Sengoku commanded.
"Golden Lion Shiki has single-handedly attacked Marine Headquarters! The C3 Unit, E5 Unit, and G-2 Unit have all been annihilated! Currently, Vice Admiral Kojin is engaged in fierce combat with Golden Lion!"
After gasping out these words, the Marine took another deep breath, his gaze fixed on the Gate of Justice, which had been pierced by a Thunder Pillar.
"Vice Admiral Kojin alone is holding off Golden Lion Shiki!!!"
The loud declaration caused the faces of the assembled Marine officers to pale dramatically.
"Are you saying that the lightning pillar was released by Kojin?" Garp asked in a deep voice.
"Yes! Based on our assessment, Vice-Admiral Kojin has become a Thunder-Lightning Human after consuming the Thunder Thunder Fruit!" The Marine answered loudly.
Garp and Sengoku exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes.
"Golden Lion Shiki! How did that bastard even reach Marine Headquarters?" Garp growled.
They set off again immediately, hurrying toward Marineford Plaza.
"It must be because of Roger," Sengoku replied.
Garp nodded gravely with a solemn expression on his face. He looked toward Marineford Plaza, where calm had settled after the earlier lightning pillar.
...
Rainwater poured down relentlessly.
Kojin maintained the posture of his outstretched hand, with electric arcs crackling and hissing between his fingers.
Golden Lion Shiki had vanished from his sight, leaving behind only the pierced Gate of Justice and the stunned, horrified faces of the surrounding Marines.
"What are you all standing around for?" Kojin roared. "Golden Lion Shiki isn't going down that easily! Clear the battlefield! This is my fight!"
The Marines snapped out of their daze and hurriedly retreated, shouting as they moved.
Bang! Rumble!
Thunder reverberated as Kojin slowly raised his head, his eyes now filled with intense seriousness.
'Never underestimate anyone, no matter the circumstances..'
As some Marines retreated, they followed his gaze upward.
"What's that...?"
"Oh my God!"
Cries of shock rang out as countless Marines turned pale, their eyes filled with disbelief.
They saw massive warships hovering overhead amid the storm. At the bow of the lead ship stood Golden Lion Shiki with his dual blades in hand.
At that moment, the imposing figure looked down upon them.
"Are you ready to face my wrath, Marines?" Golden Lion Shiki's deep voice reverberated across Marineford.
In the next instant, countless warships surged forward, plummeting toward Marineford Square with relentless force.
"Hua la la!"
The wind roared as Golden Lion's robes billowed. He leaped from the ship's prow, his twin swords flashing like lightning as he charged toward Kojin.
"And you!"
"You claim to have captured Roger!"
"Then show me the strength you used to capture him!"
"Otherwise!"
"Hand him over to me!"
At that moment, Shiki was unimaginably fast, borrowing the force of his dive.
Kojin tilted his head up, and lightning crackled all over his body as he slowly clenched his right fist.
"Crack!"
A bolt of lightning flashed, and Kojin appeared in front of Golden Lion. His right fist swung out violently, driving the curtain of rain upward in a reverse surge with the force of the punch.
"Fist of Bone-Aerolite!"
Golden Lion roared as he swung his blade.
"Zanpa-Slash Wave!!"
A razor-sharp slash whistled through the air, colliding ruthlessly with Kojin's fist.
Black-red lightning intertwined with golden arcs, erupting in a blinding flash before rippling outward in concentric waves.
Both figures were forced back, causing Kojin's expression to grow grave.
The man before him was indeed terrifyingly strong. Those clean, decisive slashes that could easily cleave mountains were clashing head-on with his fist.
Golden Lion Shiki was equally solemn. He had encountered a formidable opponent, much like when he faced Garp and Roger in the past.
Their gazes locked, and sparks flew between them.
At the same instant, both figures vanished.
Red light flared in Golden Lion's eyes as his Observation Haki activated. He appeared behind Kojin, swinging out the long blade in his hand, its edge infused with golden Haoshoku lightning.
Kojin kept his eyes closed.
Within a radius of several kilometers, fine arcs of electricity flickered everywhere. Every scene appeared clearly in his mind—even the tiny splashes caused by raindrops striking puddles on the ground were visible.
With the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's lightning domain supporting him, it was as though he had grown countless eyes. Every bolt of lightning and every spark became an extension of his thoughts and perception.
He spun around abruptly and threw a punch.
"Bang!"
Longblade clashed against the Seastone gauntlet, unleashing a shockwave that roared across Marineford Square like a hurricane. The force shattered nearby stone blocks and spiderwebbed cracks across the surrounding buildings.
"Jihahahaha!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed wildly and twisted his body as he slashed the long blade in his other hand toward Kojin's neck.
His speed was terrifying, like a streak of lightning.
"Shua!"
The slash sliced through Kojin's neck, leaving behind only wisps of crackling electricity.
Simultaneously, Kojin's fist slammed into Shiki's abdomen.
"Bang!"
The punch landed squarely to the gut, sending the Golden Lion staggering backward. He crashed to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Heh heh! A Logia... the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, huh?"
Kojin gazed down from above, lightning crackling around him. His expression was stern and cold, like that of a Thunder God surveying the mortal realm.
"Tui!"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood-stained phlegm, Golden Lion Shiki straightened up.
"I won't lose to a snot-nosed brat like you." He sneered coldly.
As he finished speaking, the long blade in his hand trembled slightly. In the next instant, the void within several kilometers shuddered with a loud buzz.
The falling rain froze mid-air, suspended in place.
The shattered ground of Marineford Plaza began to quake violently and suddenly reversed upward. Even the waters of the inner bay twisted at that moment, transforming into enormous water dragons that surged skyward with deafening roars.
"One of the Three Great Legends of the world!"
"Golden Lion Shiki!"
"He's gone berserk!"
The Marines who had retreated to a safe distance screamed in terror as they witnessed this earth-shattering spectacle.
At that moment, the entire island of Marineford trembled violently.
Kojin slowly floated to the ground, his gaze fixed on the man opposite him.
"Hoo..."
He exhaled slowly. Then, he abruptly extended his palm toward the sky.
"Boom… Rumble!"
The Thunder Cloud shrouding Marineford erupted with blinding brilliance, unleashing countless bolts of lightning that surged downward, striking the descending warships.
Simultaneously, Kojin seized a colossal lightning bolt stretching thousands of meters long.
"Vice Admiral Kojin!!"
"He's holding lightning itself!!!"
(End of Chapter)