Under the skies above G-3 Base, the cloud layer was torn apart by raging air currents. Sunlight speared down like blades, illuminating the devastated land below.
Gern Reginald Sigmar knelt on one knee, the black blade Bahuang driven deep into the ground to prop up his barely standing body.
Sakazuki was half-transformed into magma, but the Armament Haki coating his right arm had already collapsed.
High in the air floated Golden Lion Shiki. His golden mane whipped wildly in the wind, the twin swords Sakura Ten and Withered Wood crossed before his chest. Haki flowed along their blades like something tangible, heavy and oppressive.
"To be honest," Shiki said slowly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the battlefield, "if you two were given enough time, you might've grown into something truly terrifying."
Did Golden Lion ever praise others?
Of course not.
"So—" His expression suddenly shifted. Looking down at Gern and Sakazuki, Shiki descended leisurely toward the ground, a cold, mocking grin curling at the corner of his mouth."—you should've knelt down and begged for mercy from the very beginning!!"
His laughter exploded into the air."That way, I might have been generous enough to let you live long enough to grow! Zehahahaha!"
"Bastard…" Gern clenched his teeth. The vibration particles around his left arm flickered erratically, bright one moment and dim the next—like a candle guttering in the wind, his stamina nearly gone.
Beside him, Sakazuki was gasping for breath as well. Molten magma dripped between his fingers, splashing onto the ground and scorching it black.
As for Golden Lion—aside from the very first moment, when Gern had taken advantage of his carelessness and injured him with God-Piercing Nail, he hadn't suffered a single wound since.
Gern and Sakazuki exchanged a brief glance.
In each other's eyes, they saw the same resolve.
This was a battle they could not win.
"But if I kill the two of you…" Shiki muttered to himself, tilting his head thoughtfully. "The bounty the Marines put on me will probably surpass Roger's, won't it?"
He shrugged lightly.
"If that's the case—then die."
With a casual swing of his sword, a slash that seemed to span the heavens themselves came screaming down toward them.
In an instant, the shadow of death engulfed everything.
Their bodies had already reached their limit.
Both of them knew it clearly—this single strike was enough to grind them into nothing.
BOOM!!
A purple figure crashed down from the sky like a meteor.
A pitch-black fist, wrapped in crackling black lightning, smashed head-on into the golden slash!
A deafening explosion tore through the air as the attack was forcibly shattered, the shockwave blasting rubble and debris outward for hundreds of meters.
As the dust settled, a towering figure stood in front of Gern and Sakazuki.
Zeff.
His arms gleamed like obsidian, hardened Armament Haki covering them completely. The cloak of justice snapped violently in the wind behind him.
"Zeff… Teacher?!" Gern blurted out.
Zeff did not turn around.
His gaze was locked firmly on Golden Lion, his voice cold as forged steel.
"What exactly do you think you're doing to my students, Shiki?"
Golden Lion narrowed his eyes at the man who had appeared out of nowhere. His expression turned solemn as cigar smoke curled lazily from his lips.
"…Zeff."
"It's been a long time since we last crossed fists, hasn't it?" Zeff slowly raised his right arm. Armament Haki surged like a tide, spreading up to his shoulder as his muscles bulged with compressed power.
Then, without looking back, he barked sharply, "Stand down. Leave this to me."
"Zeff-sensei…" Gern tightened his grip on Bahuang, his knuckles turning white.
This was Golden Lion at his peak.Meanwhile, Zeff's own strength had already begun to decline since reaching his peak after becoming an Admiral.
Facing one of the three greatest monsters of the era head-on—Zeff could not win outright.
"This is an order!" Zeff snapped, cutting him off. Behind the sunglasses, his gaze was as sharp as a blade."You've already done more than enough.This man is not someone you can handle at your current level!"
As he spoke, Zeff flung his cloak aside.
"Relics of the old era should be dealt with by people of the old era!!"
"Zeff," Shiki sneered, crossing his twin swords, "do you really think you can still handle me in your current state?"
"Then let's find out!" Zeff roared.
He stomped down hard.
The ground collapsed with a thunderous roar as his body shot forward like a cannonball, his blackened fist tearing through the air with a shrill, explosive howl!
"Black Arm — Falling Star!"
Shiki swung his swords up to block.
The instant fist and blade collided, a visible shockwave detonated across the sky.
Zeff's punch didn't budge even an inch—while Shiki's sword edge was actually forced backward.
"What?!" Shiki's pupils shrank.
Zeff's assault became a storm of blows, each punch carrying the power to shatter mountains.
Golden Lion was driven back step by step, his twin blades whirling into an airtight defense—yet his hands still went numb from the impact.
Below them, Gern stared at the battle, unmoving.
He had never seen Zeff fight like this before.
No—this still wasn't even his full strength.
"Haven't had a proper fight with you in ages!" Shiki's wild laughter echoed through the clouds, his golden hair dancing violently in the wind.
"Zeff!!!"
Before the shout even faded, Shiki's twin swords erupted with terrifying black-and-red lightning.
Conqueror's Haki surged across the heavens like a raging tide.
"Lion — Thousand-Cut Valley!"
Countless slashes, each wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, tore through the sky and rained down without mercy.
Zeff gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, pushing his Armament Haki to its absolute limit—
Even so, he was forced backward by the onslaught. His uniform was shredded in an instant, dozens of bloody gashes blooming across his powerful body.
From above, Golden Lion watched intently, a trace of seriousness flashing through his eyes.
"Even if he's past his prime… 'Black Arm' Zeff still isn't an opponent I can casually put down…"
As the thought crossed his mind, Shiki's gaze shifted subtly to the side.
Gern was already back on his feet.
Spatial-shaking vibration particles gathered in his left hand, while his right clenched the black blade Bahuang.
Sakazuki, his body half-transformed into seething magma, stood on the other side.
The two positioned themselves protectively at Zeff's flanks.
"One Tremor that can suppress its own Devil Fruit… one magma with serious single-target firepower… and 'Black Arm' Zeff…"
Golden Lion assessed the situation rapidly.
He had come ahead alone—his pirate fleet was still far away.
With these two brats having regained some strength, if this dragged on any longer…
Things would definitely turn against him.
And knowing that man—Garp was probably already on his way.
At that moment, Shiki's thoughts were shattered by a thunderous roar.
"SHIKI!!"
Zeff's bellow shook the battlefield. His muscles knotted and swelled, Armament Haki covering his entire body like black steel as the ground beneath his feet exploded.
"You lost focus!!"
"Damn—" Shiki snapped back to attention, only to see Zeff already upon him, charging like a living cannon.
Zeff's right fist was cocked back, spiraling black Haki twisting around it, warping even the air itself.
"Wha—?!"
Shiki hurriedly raised his swords to block—
But Zeff's punch landed first, slamming straight into his chest.
BANG!!
A terrifying force erupted instantly.
Golden Lion's body was blasted away like a broken kite, crashing through multiple ruined buildings before smashing violently into a distant cliff face. Rock and dust exploded skyward.
"Cough—!"
Blood spilled from the corner of Shiki's mouth, disbelief flashing through his eyes.
Zeff's punch…still carried this much power?!
He struggled to rise from the rubble, searing pain radiating from his chest—his internal organs had clearly taken damage.
"Heh…" Zeff slowly drew back his fist, his breathing slightly heavier now, yet his gaze remained sharp and unyielding.
"Looks like you haven't gotten much stronger than back then, Shiki."
Golden Lion wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned viciously.
"Interesting… really interesting!"
...
PS:Compared to the three absolute monsters of the modern era after the Rocks age—Roger, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion—Admiral Zeff indeed cannot overpower them head-on.
However, aside from those three at the very top, Zeff can easily handle anyone else.
Even against the current Rayleigh—Zeff does not fall short.