In the second basement of the ancient castle...
Shizuku, her signature cowlick bobbing, stood with an innocent expression as she operated Blinky. The vacuum-like creature with a tongue and teeth was currently sucking up everything in the room like a maid doing spring cleaning.
"Shizuku... just take the treasure and the sea charts. You don't have to suck up those muscular guys; it's gross," Shalnark leaned against a wall, having deactivated his Autopilot mode.
Shizuku tilted her head in confusion.
Franklin explained kindly, "They're human, Shizuku. Even if Dr. Indigo modified them, they're still living things."
"Oh... really? They count as 'living'?" Shizuku adjusted her glasses with her index finger. After thinking it over seriously, she had Blinky spit out the gas-mask-wearing thugs one by one.
> [Blinky (Conjuration Type)]
> A conjured vacuum cleaner with eyes, teeth, and a tongue. Upon instruction, it can inhale anything the user considers non-living and spit it out later at will.
This was the Nen ability of Member #8, Shizuku Murasaki—the Troupe's official clean-up and logistics specialist.
Pakunoda watched the scene with a gentle smile, stifling a giggle. She walked to the side and reported into the compass on her wrist: "Leader, the Looting Team has finished. We're heading back."
---
In the banquet hall of the massive palace...
Chrollo held a dying pirate by the throat. Sensing the message from the compass, he smiled and tightened his grip.
Snap.
The pirate's neck gave way, and he slumped, dead as a doorknob. Beside him, Bonney was weaving through the crowd, her hands grazing the pirates and turning them into frail old men and women in an instant.
The floor around them was carpeted with corpses. The vibrant chandeliers and the spread of luxury food contrasted sharply with the rivers of blood, making the banquet hall look like a mural of a living hell.
To launch his attack on the East Blue, Shiki had gathered a massive number of pirates on this island. As a professional thief, Chrollo wasn't about to miss this opportunity. In his eyes, these weren't just pirates—they were walking piles of Prestige points!
> [Congratulations: Host has completed the cleanup of pirates on the floating island. Triggering Plunder. Total bounties: 87 million. Gained 8,700 Prestige.]
> [Current Prestige: 18,550]
"..."
You've got to be kidding me. Thirty-five pirate crews, over three hundred people, and the total bounty isn't even 100 million?
"Fine. Every bit counts," Chrollo muttered, tossing the pirate's corpse aside. "What a joke. No wonder Shiki hasn't made a comeback; his subordinates are all trash."
He felt the status updates through the compass and his smile returned. "Sounds like things went perfectly on Pakunoda's end."
Then, his expression turned grim as he felt the erratic life signals coming from Uvogin and Nobunaga.
"Looks like those two are having a rough time," Chrollo mused, rubbing his chin. "I should have seen that coming. They just couldn't resist challenging a powerhouse."
He looked toward the source of the fluctuations and grabbed Bonney by the arm. "Let's go. It's time for our grand entrance."
"To where?"
"To take down the Golden Lion, obviously."
"No way! I'm not interested in fighting legendary monsters! I don't even have the right gear for this!" Bonney wailed as Chrollo dragged her away.
---
Unlike the lighthearted atmosphere of the Looting Team, the tension at the battlefield was suffocating.
Drip... drip... drip...
Thick blood slid down Uvogin's arm and onto the dirt. He was gasping for air, his face contorted in a savage grin as he stared down his opponent. Nobunaga's brand-new sword had snapped in half yet again. He gripped the remaining shard with hands so strained his webbing had split. His body was a map of brutal gashes.
"Jahahaha!"
Shiki stood before them, looking smug and amused. "Basic Armament Haki and a swordsman's focus... not bad."
"For rookies, you've got guts to pull a blade on me. I'll give you that."
"I acknowledge your strength. How about it? Join me. Become my subordinates, and I'll show you the true joy of serving a top-tier powerhouse! Jahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
Uvogin's laugh suddenly drowned out Shiki's. It was a wild, bloody cackle that sent red droplets flying from his lips.
"Jahahaha! I take it that laugh means you agree?" Shiki asked, looking pleased.
"Not a chance," Uvogin chuckled, doubling over. "A true powerhouse doesn't have to force people to join."
"What did you say?" Shiki's eyes instantly turned cold.
"Am I wrong?" Uvogin's grin widened. "A real monster is someone people follow just because of the aura they project. You... aren't that guy."
The smile vanished from Shiki's face, a vein bulging on his forehead. All his life, Shiki had obsessed over his reputation. Nothing enraged him more than being told he wasn't a powerhouse.
"What do you know?!" Shiki barked. "I'll tell you right now! I am the Golden Lion! I'm the man who stood alongside Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate!"
"This entire ocean once trembled at the mere mention of my name!"
"Heh..."
"What are you laughing at?!" Shiki turned his fury toward Nobunaga.
Spit. Nobunaga spat to the side and leveled his broken blade at Shiki once more, his eyes cold and clinical. "Just a thought—a real powerhouse doesn't use past achievements to brag to their enemies."
"Looks like the Leader was right. You're just an old man."
"You little shits—!"
Shiki sent a massive wave of sword pressure toward them, but the duo managed to dive out of the way. Shiki's gaze was dark enough to boil water. "I see. You won't be broken by words."
Uvogin and Nobunaga took their combat stances in response.
"Then die."
"Lion's Threat: Earth Bind!"
Shiki rose into the air, his golden mane fluttering. He raised a hand, and the very soil of the island let out a groan. To the shock of Uvogin and Nobunaga, several square miles of terrain began to writhe like a living thing. The sound of breaking rock was deafening as mountains of earth rose and coalesced into massive, towering lions.
The lions shook trees and boulders from their manes as they opened mouths wide enough to swallow forests. They roared, lunging at the duo like the wrath of God itself.
There was nowhere to hide.
BOOM!
In an instant, the churning earth collapsed into a mountain of sand and stone, burying Uvogin and Nobunaga alive.
"It's over," Shiki said, his eyes indifferent. "That is the price of defying me."
He dusted off his hands as if he had just performed a minor chore and turned to walk away.
"Actually... they had a point."
A soft, amused voice drifted out from the mountain of earth.
Shiki froze in his tracks.
---