Chapter 154: The Sunny Takes Flight – Garp's Pursuit & Kaido's Unexpected Appearance
Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette, stubbed it out, then pulled the last one from the crumpled pack and lit it. "Haa…" He exhaled a long stream of smoke, brows tightly furrowed. "Neither side is a fight we can jump into."
"True." Zoro held his three swords, staring gravely at the massive stone sphere floating in the distant sky. "If we rush in recklessly, we'll end up just like that idiot captain hanging in the air. I wonder if he's even still alive?" His tone was clearly irritated. He had never approved of Luffy taking such risks, and the current level of battle had long surpassed anything they could handle.
"Luffy! Sol! You can do it!" On the Sunny's deck, Usopp, Chopper, and Karoo were desperately holding up a hand-drawn banner, cheering at the top of their lungs. The banner had crooked letters that read "Straw Hat Pirates Will Win!"
"Robin, Luffy and Nami… they'll be okay, right?" Vivi clutched her hands tightly to her chest, knuckles white from the force, her eyes full of worry.
Robin gently patted Vivi's shoulder. Although she herself wasn't entirely confident, she spoke softly to comfort her: "Don't worry. Nami has been circling high in the sky the whole time—no one has noticed her movements. As for Luffy…" She looked up at the floating stone sphere. "Vice Admiral Garp is right beside him. He'll be fine."
Just as everyone was filled with anxiety, a faint crack suddenly came from the stone sphere trapping Luffy. A small fissure quietly spread across its surface.
"Cough!" Shiki violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. In the earlier clash of techniques, he had clearly come out worse. He hadn't expected Garp's strength to remain undiminished by the years—this completely exceeded his predictions.
Noticing the shock on Shiki's face, Garp laughed loudly: "How about that? My iron fists are still as strong as ever, right? The Navy's medical support is not something you pirates can even imagine. Shiki, just surrender quietly!"
"Who do you think you're talking to?! I am the Golden Lion!" Shiki couldn't accept this cruel gap. The pride of a strong man drove him to try to awaken the Conqueror's Haki that had lain dormant in his body for many years. But at that moment, a heart-wrenching pain came from the rudder stuck in his head.
"It's this damn rudder again… Roger! Are you laughing at me for being a coward right now?" Shiki's aura grew increasingly frantic. "It's just a measly rudder! So what if pulling it out kills me? I've had enough of this humiliating defeat!" He roared, enduring the agony, letting go of his swords and gripping the rudder on his head with both hands, slowly pulling it outward bit by bit.
"Hey! Shiki, stop! You'll die if you do that!" Garp urgently tried to stop him, but he could no longer shake the man's resolve.
Splurt!
Accompanied by the horrifying sound of flesh tearing, Shiki forcefully pulled out the rudder that had been embedded in his skull for many years! In that instant, a long-dormant Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body like a volcanic explosion. The vast aura shook the entire battlefield. Even the fish and Sea Kings deep in the sea fainted under this pressure and floated to the surface.
Blood gushed like a fountain from the wound on his head, dyeing his unruly golden hair red. The crimson blood streamed down his cheeks, making him look like a demon returning from hell—a blood-soaked lion.
"Jihahaha… My power has returned!" Feeling his life draining away with the blood, Shiki didn't care at all. At this moment, he had finally reclaimed the last shred of dignity as the Flying Admiral—the man who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard.
"Let's fight, Garp!" Shiki gripped his beloved swords again, wrapping the surging Conqueror's Haki around both blades. The famous swords "Sakura Ju" and "Kogarashi" erupted with black-red lightning. As his arms swung, creating afterimages, countless slashes tore through the sky!
"Lion – Thousand Cut Valley!"
This technique's power and range far surpassed the previous ones. It completely engulfed Garp and even swept toward the distant battle between Sol, Kuzan, and Kaido. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Every slash carried the power to split mountains and seas, raging freely through the air. Garp swung his fists in an airtight defense, his pitch-black Armament Haki shattering every incoming slash. However, hovering in midair with Moon Step ultimately limited his full power. One moment of insufficient follow-through, and he was struck by an especially fierce slash, plummeting straight into the sea!
"Ugh!" Kaido took a slash head-on. In pain, he immediately changed tactics. He reverted to hybrid form and landed back on the ice, swinging his Hachijū wildly: "Gundari – Dragon Army!" The Conqueror's Haki-wrapped iron club erupted with violent shockwaves in all directions, constantly deflecting the incoming slashes.
"Kuzan! You bastard, stop only elementizing to dodge damage! Help me block some! Selfish jerk! Aminos!" Sol shouted in exasperation.
He looked enviously at Kuzan easily elementizing to avoid the slashes, while he could only endure them head-on. His arms were already covered in deep, bone-revealing gashes. Shiki's Conqueror's Haki-coated slashes had terrifying destructive power.
After enduring another slash, Sol finally couldn't hold on. He simply rolled and hid behind Kaido's massive body: "Kaido-sensei, lend me some cover!"
Kaido had originally wanted to casually smack Sol away with his club, but the sudden "Kaido-sensei" made him strangely decide to shield Sol instead.
Kuzan had of course heard Sol's shout, but he thought: You could elementize too if you wanted. Besides, even I need full Observation Haki to dodge these attacks safely. Moreover, he knew Sol's constitution was special—this level of flesh wound would have the kid bouncing around again in just two or three days.
"It's not over yet! Lion Majesty – Imperial Palace Severing Sky!" Shiki roared as he activated the Float-Float Fruit again.
The previously scattered sword energy was re-gathered and compressed by him, forming a ferocious lion in the air that blotted out the sky. This energy beast, made from countless slashes, let out a heaven-shaking roar, ready to launch a second wave of destruction at any moment!
"ROAR!!!"
The three who had just endured the fierce barrage all looked up at the same time, standing ready as they gazed at the ferocious energy lion formed from slashes hovering in the sky.
"Be careful. This move from Shiki looks like a desperate final strike." Garp, who had just surfaced from the sea, warned in a deep voice. He tore open his soaked Marine coat, revealing his muscular upper body. A fresh, massive sword wound on his chest was still bleeding profusely, proving just how terrifying Shiki's "Thousand Cut Valley" had been.
"Remnants of the old era refusing to die quietly and instead coming out to cause trouble—what for?" Kaido rested his mace on his shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of impatience. He would normally enjoy a normal fight, but this old lion was clearly here to go all out, and it was obviously aimed at Garp. But what did that have to do with him?
A glint of cunning flashed in Kaido's eyes. He had already begun thinking of retreating. Although he had a hobby of "suicide," dying in such a ridiculous place for no reason was absolutely out of the question.
Sol wiped the blood from his arms. His powerful regenerative ability had already started slowly healing the wounds: "What's the point of talking about that now? Let's figure out how to block this move first!"
Kuzan didn't speak, but the cold air around him surged. The entire sea surface began freezing rapidly, creating footing for everyone. He glanced at the wound on Garp's chest and frowned slightly. Even Vice Admiral Garp had been injured—this attack's power was truly not to be underestimated.
High in the sky, Shiki's long hair whipped wildly. Blood continued pouring from the wound on his head, dyeing him into a blood-soaked figure. But he paid it no mind. He raised both hands high, and the sword-energy lion let out a heaven-shaking roar: "This strike will settle all our grudges, Garp!"
The entire sky seemed to tremble under this power.
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