New World, waters near Zunesha.
Thick smoke billowed from the sea surface as hundreds of pirate ships were utterly destroyed by Zunesha's simple yet brutal attacks.
Wreckage floated across the turbulent waters, and pirates who miraculously survived the onslaught desperately swam to cling to the debris.
A cacophony of pleas, screams, and wails filled the air, lingering over the area.
"Captain Shiki, save us!"
"Damn it, why is Zunesha suddenly attacking us?"
"Captain Shiki, what are you doing? Help me!"
On the water's surface, a group of pirates gathered around a middle-aged man who appeared to be their captain—some clinging to driftwood, others strangling their companions in panic, causing considerable chaos.
The middle-aged man had long abandoned any semblance of captain dignity, staring blankly at Shiki hovering midair as he continued to cry for help.
Shiki remained unresponsive.
Suspended in the air, his expression was vacant as he gazed at the dense wreckage strewn across the sea and the pirates screaming for aid.
The scene before him overlapped with memories of his fateful battle against Roger years ago.
His defeat back then had been due to the sudden storm and a freak accident—a ship's rudder crashing down from the sky.
Had it not been for those twists of fate, he might have conquered the world by now.
Yet after more than a decade, he had long made peace with that unexpected loss.
As a pirate, enemies weren't limited to rival crews—they included the Marines, the World Government, and the ever-unpredictable wrath of the sea itself.
But what was happening now?
Just as he had resurged, just as he'd rallied New World's scattered pirate forces under his banner, just as he'd begun reliving the thrill of vying for supremacy—Zunesha, that millennia-old colossus, had suddenly turned against them.
Zunesha still loomed in the distance.
But after sinking the last pirate ship in these waters, it ceased its assault, closing its eyes as if nothing had occurred.
Shiki remained motionless, hovering silently for several minutes.
"JIHAHAHAHA..."
Abruptly, the floating pirate erupted into his signature maniacal laughter.
As the laughter continued, his expression twisted into something grotesque, the sound itself warping into something darker.
When the mad cackling subsided, Shiki suddenly raised his head, his burning gaze fixed on the direction of the Red Line.
Through gritted teeth, he spat out each word.
"What a splendid Fleet Admiral's decree, Zunesha. To think you'd bow to the World Government."
His voice dropped to a venomous whisper before exploding back into madness.
"Good! This is perfect! Jihahaha! Today's lesson is one this Flying Admiral won't forget!"
BOOOOM—
At that moment, an earth-shaking explosion erupted from the sea.
A colossal Sea King surged from the depths, its maw gaping as it breached the surface with a tsunami-sized wave.
In an instant, it swallowed half the pirates floating nearby.
After devouring hundreds in a single bite, the monstrous creature didn't slow—its kilometer-long body crashing back into the sea a thousand meters away with apocalyptic force.
Before Shiki could react, the seabed erupted once more with swarms of Sea Kings, frenziedly tearing into the pirates floating on the ocean's surface.
"!!!"
"Damn it, the Sea Kings are drawn by the scent of blood!"
"Captain Shiki, save us!"
Amidst the cacophony of screams and wails, the Sea Kings emerging from the depths grew even more frenzied, each bite swallowing several unfortunate souls whole.
In less than half a minute, the pirates who had survived the attack from Zunesha were devoured cleanly by the Sea Kings.
Then, an even bloodier and more horrifying scene unfolded.
The few pirates floating on the surface were barely enough for the Sea Kings' appetites.
Those who hadn't gotten their fill began attacking each other.
With deafening crashes and the sounds of tearing flesh, the sea soon turned crimson with blood, attracting even more Sea Kings from the depths.
Two of the Sea Kings, unable to join the feeding frenzy, locked their sights on Shiki, who hovered in the air.
In the next moment, the two Sea Kings leaped from the sea, their massive bodies stretching thousands of meters as they opened their gaping maws to bite at Shiki from both sides.
Even a legendary pirate like Shiki was stunned by the sight.
Seeing the two Sea Kings charging toward him, he abandoned any thought of saving the doomed pirates below.
Instead, he swiftly kicked out two razor-sharp slashes, slicing the attacking Sea Kings in half before flying away without a backward glance.
After putting considerable distance between himself and the carnage, Shiki grew increasingly furious.
Originally intending to flee Zunesha's waters without a destination, he suddenly halted mid-air and glared towards Wano Country, his face darkening.
"You ordered Zunesha to sink my fleet. Then I'll make your precious Wano Country fly into the sky."
No sooner said than done.
Shiki unleashed his Float-Float Fruit powers once more, heading straight for Wano Country with deadly intent.
"Wait!"
After flying some distance, Shiki gradually regained his composure.
According to his intelligence, Wano Country was currently under the watch of Admiral Akainu, as well as Crocodile, the former shichibukai.
More importantly, Shiki no longer had his floating islands—he was alone, and far weaker than in his prime.
Had this been a decade ago, at his peak, he would have charged in without hesitation.
Even if he couldn't defeat Akainu and the Marines stationed in Wano, he could have retreated unscathed.
"I still need allies!" Shiki narrowed his eyes.
He never fought battles he wasn't confident in winning—that was true a decade ago, and even more so now.
Reckless suicide was not his style.
However, the only potential allies he could think of in the New World were the Emperors, Shanks and Whitebeard.
Yet neither would ever agree to aid him.
In fact, the moment he suggested they become his right-hand men, they'd likely told him to get lost.
How the mighty have fallen!
With a silent sigh, Shiki's eyes suddenly lit up.
If the New World held no allies for him, perhaps the Impel Down did.
If he remembered correctly, one of Roger's former crew members was imprisoned in the sixth level of Impel Down.
Besides that, there were many legendary pirates who had once dominated the Grand Line with their fearsome reputations.
If he could recruit them all...
At this thought, Shiki could no longer contain himself.
He spread his arms and burst into loud laughter.
He was highly confident he could rescue those pirates from Impel Down and even more certain he could recruit them.
After all, they were all good prison mates!
With this in mind, Shiki decisively abandoned his plan to lift Wano Country into the sky and instead turned to flash towards the first half of the Grand Line.