Rokushiki: Life Return.
Golden Lion understood this ability well. Life Return (Seimei Kikan) grants the user complete control over all of their body parts and bodily functions, allowing them to manipulate flesh and blood to their absolute limits, transforming muscle mass, activating dormant vitality, or redirecting qi and blood flow throughout the body. However, even with Life Return's remarkable regenerative capabilities, a body as severely damaged as Oboro's should have been incapable of such rapid recovery.
Perhaps elite masters could achieve this level of restoration, but Golden Lion had never witnessed anything comparable.
This kind of power transcended human limitations and imagination.
It represented something beyond what human genetics and physiology could normally accomplish.
Shiki found himself pulled into the void passage for two critical reasons: first, his own exhaustion had left him severely depleted after their prolonged battle. Second, Oboro had unleashed power that his grievously injured body shouldn't have been capable of sustaining.
Yet somehow, Oboro's condition had improved dramatically.
This development had completely blindsided Golden Lion.
Multiple theories raced through Shiki's analytical mind in the span of an instant.
Then came the sensation of passing through a transparent membrane, like breaking through the surface tension of reality itself.
When his vision cleared, Oboro had successfully transported him into another dimension entirely.
Beneath the ocean!
Golden Lion immediately understood the tactical brilliance.
As a Devil Fruit user, unless one belonged to a special aquatic race, submersion in seawater would drain his powers infinitely, leaving him progressively weaker with each passing moment.
Waves of debilitating weakness immediately flooded through his limbs, sapping his strength and leaving him feeling utterly powerless.
Meanwhile, both the God Slayer and his companion standing in opposition within the water remained completely unaffected by the ocean's presence.
This confirmed that neither Oboro nor Dom were Devil Fruit users.
"Actually... I've long suspected that the man who terrifies those Celestial Dragons couldn't possibly be limited to such mediocre capabilities," Golden Lion declared with his characteristic arrogant smile directed at Oboro.
He recognized that his fate had reached its inevitable conclusion.
What rotten luck... defeated by the ocean again!
Suddenly, Golden Lion's thoughts drifted to the Battle of Edd War against the Roger Pirates. That time, he had lost to a catastrophic storm rather than to Roger himself! It seemed as though the natural forces of the world perpetually conspired against him, intervening in every crucial battle. Now, while the circumstances differed from that legendary clash, he had been defeated once again.
However, this loss wasn't to the God Slayer's superior combat ability, but to the overwhelming power of nature itself.
The fundamental forces of the natural world.
Within the churning ocean depths, blood continued swirling around Oboro as the currents seemed to accelerate his body's healing process through some mysterious and otherworldly ability.
It wasn't merely a single supernatural technique.
This was precisely why the World Government remained so deeply wary of him.
It was also because even that legendary figure had been captured by the Celestial Dragons in the distant past. Any pirate capable of intimidating those aristocratic parasites couldn't possibly be considered weak.
"I've achieved victory!"
Suddenly, Golden Lion's eyes blazed with fierce determination. Even as he sank deeper into the suffocating water, he gathered his remaining strength and roared defiantly at the nearby Oboro.
He allowed the seawater to pour freely into his mouth and lungs.
His voice, in that critical moment, pierced through the water with enough force to scatter the surrounding marine life in terror.
"Golden Lion Shiki... you will rest here eternally."
Facing the cascade of bubbles rising toward him, Oboro remained silent, his mental voice transmitted directly into Shiki's consciousness.
Then, his arm moved like a black whip slicing through the water.
In a single, decisive flash, the pirate who had once defined an entire era was torn apart completely.
Golden Lion, dead!
After completing this final execution, Oboro's cold, calculating expression suddenly shifted, revealing a surge of throbbing exhaustion and fatigue that he could no longer suppress.
He forced himself to maintain consciousness just long enough to extract and absorb Golden Lion's abilities, transforming them into skill cards within his system.
He then carefully stored Golden Lion's two legendary swords, Oto and Kogarashi, within his dimensional storage.
As he watched the torn corpse beginning to float toward the surface, only to be immediately seized, shredded, and devoured by ferocious deep-sea predators, his vision finally went black.
He lost consciousness completely.
Several moments later, back on land...
The spatial passage reopened with a shimmering distortion.
A thoroughly drenched Dom reappeared before Lucci and the others, carrying the unconscious Oboro in his arms.
"Where's Golden Lion?"
Observing this scene, Lucci, Dolan, and Kaku immediately recognized the implications.
"Dead," Dom stated coldly, quickly setting Oboro down in a secure location.
Dead?
How could someone of that legendary caliber be killed?
The Captain actually achieved victory?!
Unlike Kaku and Dolan, who remained shocked by the outcome, Lucci rapidly analyzed the underlying cause.
It had been the sea itself.
Oboro had utilized Dom's dimensional abilities to transport Golden Lion into the deep ocean depths.
"Is the captain's condition stable?"
Dolan' eyes darted nervously as he immediately stepped forward with a worried expression, his voice heavy with apparent concern.
"He's seriously injured," Dom replied directly, not even glancing in his direction.
"Only three of them remain... Should we take action now? This represents the perfect opportunity to eliminate the God Slayer! Even Golden Lion has been defeated... If someone of this caliber continues growing stronger, he'll become an unstoppable threat in the future," Lucci thought, clenching his fists as he analyzed the tactical situation while the other three focused their attention elsewhere.
Now represented a golden opportunity!
Every member of the Hell Pirates was injured and mentally exhausted from the grueling battle, while he remained in peak physical condition.
Aside from Dom presenting a moderate challenge, Lucci felt confident he could eliminate Dolan and Kaku within moments.
"Should we move..."
"Right now!"
Dom and the other two stood protectively in front of Oboro, completely unaware that behind them, Rob Lucci's eyes flashed with cold calculation as he silently took a step forward.
One hand formed the characteristic finger gun position.
Lucci was already prepared to activate his Devil Fruit powers for a surprise attack... but as his gaze swept across Oboro's seemingly "unconscious" form lying on the ground, his mouth suddenly went dry.
Wait!
Could this be an elaborate trap?
Was he feigning unconsciousness?
Was this a test of my loyalty?
Oboro might have detected something suspicious about him... After all, this man possessed incredible cunning, having repeatedly outmaneuvered the World Government and Marine's strategic plans, leaving them with devastating losses.
Had he revealed his true allegiance during some previous encounter?
During the execution of the Celestial Dragons in the Goa Kingdom, he had definitely sensed something intriguing about the God Slayer's penetrating gaze.
While his performance during that incident had passed initial scrutiny, it remained difficult to determine whether Oboro had observed something incriminating.
Fresh from the slaughter of the Celestial Dragons, this dramatic battle had unfolded.
As this first suspicion crystallized in his mind, Lucci began to hesitate.
He worried that if he acted now, there was a significant possibility that the "unconscious" God Slayer would suddenly awaken. This pirate's strategic foresight was genuinely terrifying, capable of anticipating numerous potential developments! Therefore, by exposing apparent weakness and opportunity now, was he also predicting some form of "treacherous action" that the World Government might attempt against him?
The more he contemplated this possibility, the more uneasy he became.
For several tense moments, he remained frozen in place.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Just as the atmosphere seemed suspended in uncertainty, a sound disrupted Lucci's racing thoughts.
Dom and the others turned their attention toward the noise.
They observed Yurivitch, who had been presumed dead, dragging his mangled remains across a blood-soaked trail, somehow returning to the devastated battlefield.
Upon seeing them, Yuri's eyes remained vacant and unfocused before he collapsed to the ground, finally unconscious.
He had apparently been attempting to return and continue fighting Golden Lion, but the sheer willpower required to survive and travel this distance had reached his absolute limit.
Dolan and Kaku immediately rushed forward to examine Yuri's condition.
Seeing that Yuri had somehow survived, Lucci's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
He glanced once more at Oboro lying motionless on the ground, considered his options for several more moments, and finally retracted his extended finger.
He wanted to approach and personally investigate Oboro's true condition, but Dom remained vigilant, seemingly prohibiting anyone from getting too close. Even Dolan and Kaku, apparently dissuaded by Dom's protective gaze, maintained their distance. This behavior also struck Lucci as somewhat unusual.
After an indeterminate period, when Oboro finally regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a modest room.
After conducting a quick survey of his surroundings, he felt a wave of relief.
He then raised his arm and conducted a thorough self-examination.
He checked his entire body systematically... nothing was missing.
All wounds had completely healed.
The only lingering issue was a slight deficiency in his qi and blood circulation.
The image of Golden Lion's arrogant and satisfied smile before his death resurfaced in Oboro's mind.
Yes, in this battle... even though he had ultimately killed Shiki, the true victor had been the legendary pirate.
Because in a direct, one-on-one confrontation, Oboro genuinely couldn't have defeated Golden Lion.
Even utilizing his advanced qi manipulation techniques to absorb external spiritual energy, nourish his flesh and blood, and accelerate his healing process, he would have lost if the battle had continued on land rather than in the sea. Shiki's remaining strength would have been sufficient to defeat him once again.
This time, eliminating Golden Lion had been achieved through the collective efforts of every member of the Hell Pirates. If Yurivitch hadn't managed to delay Golden Lion for those critical moments, providing Oboro with the necessary time to recover and execute his decisive strategy, that brief burst of restored power, combined with the opening Dom had created by diving into the ocean depths to catch Golden Lion off guard, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
Golden Lion had underestimated these members of the Hell Pirates. Even in terms of raw combat power, regardless of how individually insignificant Dom and his companions might appear, as long as they performed effectively during crucial moments, they contributed significantly to his climactic battle against the legendary pirate.
Golden Lion's victory had been based purely on combat prowess... but Oboro's strength encompassed far more.
Strategic thinking, decisive action, and tactical wisdom were all integral components of true strength.
Oboro had anticipated Golden Lion's overconfidence and had fought with calculated precision from the beginning, using his intellect to exhaust the legendary pirate to the maximum extent possible, ensuring this final gambit would prove effective.
When his initial attempt to destroy Golden Lion's eye had failed to deliver a killing blow, Oboro had immediately considered "nature", Golden Lion's most fatal weakness as a Devil Fruit user.
Utilize the sea!
Fortunately, Dom and he had maintained perfect tactical coordination.
"You won, and you lost..." Oboro murmured to himself.
Golden Lion's character possessed obvious fundamental flaws.
Arrogance!
Insufficient caution... though it could also be argued that this very trait contributed to his legendary 'charisma.'
At least for the pirates and subordinates he had recruited throughout his career, that had certainly been the case.
"However... with my current capabilities, I'm still far from the level of the Four Emperors... I need to master advanced qi refinement techniques."
Oboro sighed deeply.
Golden Lion had been 'aged and weakened,' his energy significantly diminished compared to his prime years, and he had lost both legs in his escape from Impel Down. Yet even with all these debilitating factors, he could still display such terrifying strength. The current rulers of the New World would be incomparably more formidable.
"What a tragedy... If someone of his caliber could have joined the Hell Pirates, it would undoubtedly have been the optimal outcome."