The great commotion Tsunade had caused in the East Blue quickly drew the attention of the reclusive pirate legend, Golden Lion Shiki.
Riding his floating island, Shiki rushed through the night and by noon the next day had already tracked down the Konoha Senju.
But instead of making a move immediately, the ambitious pirate quietly tailed them in secret.
Arima and his companions remained completely unaware that they were already being targeted.
Golden Lion Shiki's name carried weight across the seas.
Decades ago, he had already been one of the most feared men on the ocean, and at the Battle of Edd War he had even forced the Roger Pirates into a desperate corner.
When his old rival Roger was later captured, the incredulous Shiki had stormed Marineford all by himself, only to be defeated through the combined efforts of then-Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
In the end, he was imprisoned in Impel Down's deepest hell, Level 6.
Years later, he severed his own legs, replaced them with his two famed blades and broke out of prison. After that, he disappeared from the world.
Unknown to outsiders, Shiki had never let go of his hatred. He quietly schemed, plotting revenge against the East Blue.
Using the power of the Float-Float Fruit, he raised Merveille into the sky and built his own aerial kingdom.
The island's beasts, having consumed plants laced with "IQ," grew feral and monstrous. They became his strongest weapon in his plan for revenge.
To enact it, he had begun rebuilding his pirate crew, seeking new and worthy subordinates.
And just then, in the East Blue of all places, a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user had appeared. For Shiki, it was fortune handed down from the heavens.
Careful observation showed him that the Konoha Senju's ship only carried a dozen or so people. From their movements and daily routines, they didn't seem like a true pirate crew.
Over the next few days, he noticed the presence of a particular woman aboard, the "Devil's Child," Nico Robin, the only person alive capable of reading the Poneglyphs.
At that moment, Shiki knew his plan for revenge was finally taking shape.
Driving his floating island forward, he descended upon the Konoha Senju.
As Arima and the others were resting on deck, a massive shadow blocked out the sun.
At first, they thought it was a shift in the weather. But as the island grew closer, the looming threat became obvious.
Arima leapt from the ship, soaring toward the massive landmass, with Tsunade right behind him.
Seeing not just a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user but also another unknown flyer with Devil Fruit powers, Shiki's excitement doubled, two prizes for the price of one.
As the two young figures flew straight to his position, he couldn't help but admire their courage.
"Shihahaha! Which one of you has the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
The young man across from him spoke without expression. "Golden Lion Shiki? Why are you blocking our way?"
"What's your name, brat?" Shiki asked.
Arima only glanced at him coolly, refusing to answer.
Shiki didn't mind. "I want you two to serve under me! Come aboard my ship. That little boat of yours has no value!"
Arima shook his head. "No need. We walk our own path. We don't need anyone dictating our lives."
"Shihahaha! So you want me to use force, is that it? With just a twitch of my finger, I can drop boulders from the sky and smash your ship to splinters!
Choose your words carefully, understand? Shihahaha!"
But Arima replied unhurriedly, "I am Senju Arima, the Third Hokage of Konoha. Remember that name."
"Shihahaha! So you're the brat who stirred up Kano before.
That must mean the girl behind you is the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. Truly promising youngsters! … I'll give you one last chance, submit or die!"
Shiki laughed wildly. It had been decades since anyone dared threaten him.
"No need to choose. I was planning to make trouble for you anyway, and you've come to me yourself. Saves me the effort."
Arima's lips curved in a faint smile. Clearly, Shiki's threats didn't concern him.
Enraged, Shiki swung his hands, sending the earth itself surging up under the Float-Float Fruit's power, molding into massive lion heads that came crashing down upon Arima and Tsunade like the wrath of the heavens.
At the same time, he secretly directed massive boulders toward the Konoha Senju.
But Arima had already left a clone aboard, and with his grandmother watching over the ship, he had no concern for Shiki's little tricks.
This battle, Arima decided, would be for Tsunade's growth.
Tsunade did not hesitate, she charged forward to meet Shiki's overwhelming assault.
"Shihahaha! Girl, your Observation Haki isn't bad, but your Armament is sorely lacking."
He taunted her even as they clashed fiercely.
In truth, he hardly cared about Arima, whom he considered nothing but an empty shell he could slice apart with a single stroke. His real target was the woman wielding lightning.
When she called down a great thunderbolt, Shiki's blades lashed out, releasing twin colossal slashes that split the lightning in two.
Using his Devil Fruit power, he shaped the island's blizzards into a lion's head and sent it roaring toward Arima.
But the storm dissolved into nothingness the instant it neared him. Only then did Shiki notice Arima's left eye glowing blood-red.
'What kind of Devil Fruit ability is that?' Shiki thought in shock.
Before he could ponder it, Tsunade came at him again, this time wreathed in furious lightning.
Dodging and countering, Shiki tried to unsettle her. "Your little ship is probably at the bottom of the sea by now! Shihahaha! That's the price of crossing me!"
But to his surprise, neither Arima nor Tsunade so much as flinched at the taunt.
"Didn't expect you to be the kind to abandon comrades," Shiki sneered. "Perfect! That's exactly the kind of crew I need. Girl, after all this fighting, I still don't know your name!"
"Tsunade Senju."
Her curt reply carried no warmth. She had no fondness for Shiki and no interest in banter.
Still, as an opponent, he was more than qualified. With every exchange, she felt her mastery of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit sharpen further.
The clash dragged on for three days, neither able to gain the upper hand. But Arima could already see the cracks in Shiki's endurance.
The Golden Lion was growing desperate, clearly searching for a chance to break away.
While they battled high above, the World Government had already dispatched CP0 to the sea where the Navy had first reported the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.
To the Five Elders, such a dangerous power must never fall into pirate hands. This threat had to be strangled in its cradle.
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