Marineford, Outer Defenses.
Beneath the gloomy clouds, a man with wild golden hair resembling a lion, stood towering in the sky.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize—Those so-called "clouds" were actually shadows cast by something else.
Jagged boulders, seawater condensed into spheres, countless metal objects, and wrecked ships—
Even an entire small island!
All of it floated in the sky as if gravity had ceased to exist.
Enough to blot out the sun.
And this man… Was known as Shiki The Golden Lion.
A user of the Paramecia-type Float-Float Fruit.
A being capable of creating natural disasters, rivaling even Whitebeard in infamy!
"I can't believe it—I refuse to believe it! A man like Roger would willingly give up his life?"
"Damn you, Roger! How could you get captured!?"
"Didn't you say… that the freest man on the sea is the King of the Pirates!?"
"What kind of freedom is there if you're going to be executed!?"
His muttering escalated into a heart-wrenching roar!
Shiki, veins bulging on his face like a madman, screamed that name once more.
"Gol D. Roger!"
***
Meanwhile, on the distant shoreline, Garp had already arrived.
Hearing the furious roar from above, his expression darkened.
"Shiki! You damn pirate, Why aren't you out there seizing territory with your crew? Instead, you come here brazenly to Marineford, Have you lose your mind?"
"Garp?"
Only after his outburst did Golden Lion Shiki seem to register Garp voice.
It wasn't that he was arrogant enough to disregard Garp—it was just that nearly all his focus was on controlling his Devil Fruit powers.
The "ammunition" he had gathered with the Float-Float Fruit behind him was nearing the limit of his control.
"Perfect timing! Try and stop me if you dare! Hahahaha!" Shiki laughed maniacally.
"This measly Headquarters—today, I'll bury this island alongside Roger!"
With that, he drew the two swords at his waist 'Kogarashi' and 'Oto.'
Then, crossing his arms, he dove down from the skies!
"Slash Wave!"
Two ferocious flying slashes tore across the sea, hurtling toward Garp.
At the same time, the objects affected by the Float-Float Fruit began launching like cannonballs toward the distant Marine Headquarters.
Garp took a deep breath.
This was Golden Lion Shiki—Shiki at the peak of his power.
One of the most formidable figures on the seas.
Garp wasn't afraid of him, but… The Marine Headquarters behind him, along with the weaker soldiers and civilians, wouldn't stand a chance.
Yet Shiki slashes were already upon him, leaving no time for further thought.
First, throw a punch!
Then ask questions while punching!
If thats not enough, Throw another Punch!
Armament Haki instantly enveloped both of his arms!
Leaping forward, Garp shattered Shiki Slash Wave with just two ordinary punches.
But when he looked up, he saw the rain of debris crashing down toward the Marine Headquarters like meteors.
"Damn it!"
Cursing under his breath, Garp didn't hesitate—he leapt into the air, compressing and charging his Haki…
A black flash streaked across the sky!
"Galaxy Impact!"
With a single strike, an overwhelming shockwave erupted from sheer force alone!
Wherever he passed, the rubble and metal that Shiki had weaponized were instantly reduced to dust.
But... it wasn't enough!
Seeing Garp go all out, Shiki decided to stop testing the waters.
He had only used one-tenth of his ammunition earlier!
Now, he intended to unleash everything floating behind him directly onto Marineford!
In an instant... it was like a calamity descending from the heavens.
"Shiki! Are you really planning to take Marineford down with you!?" Garp gritted his teeth.
"I might not be able to stop your assault, but I'll give it everything I've got..."
"To kill you!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, another Fist of Love was launched!
However, it wasn't aimed at Shiki—instead, it was still focused on minimizing the aerial bombardment Marineford would suffer.
"Buddha Impact!"
Garp turned his head just as an incredibly wide golden shockwave swept over him.
Once again, it cleared a vacuum in the sky.
It was Sengoku, who had rushed over and immediately activated his Buddha form.
After Garp and Sengoku two massive AOE attacks, the rubble, steel and other debris had long turned to dust, falling into the sea.
But... The bombardment wasn't done and what remained... was the most destructive part of all.
Seawater.
An enormous volume of seawater.
Now crashing down toward Marineford!
The destructive force was no different from a catastrophic tsunami.
Sengoku face turned ashen.
There was no time for him to launch another Buddha Impact.
It was clear that under this Flood, less than a third of Marineford facilities would survive.
The buildings were one thing, But inside those buildings were still countless personnel who hadn't evacuated in time!
The casualties would be horrifying—predictable, yet unimaginable.
But at this critical moment, a figure with pure white wings streaked across the sky like lightning!
"Holy shit!"
"Old man Garp! And you, geezer! What the hell kind of mess have you gotten into!?"
"I kinda regret coming to help now!"
Sengoku was utterly stunned.
Michael had appeared right between Marineford and the cascading wall of seawater!
"M-Michael! What are you doing!? Why aren't you running!? This isn't a fight you should be involved in yet!"
"Cut the crap, old man!" Michael bared his teeth and roared. "My home's about to be wrecked! If I just sit back and take it, I'm not a man—I'm a damn turtle!"
The moment he finished speaking, countless white holy flames began spreading outward from his body.
Perhaps influenced by his emotions, the usually sacred and purifying flames now seemed unusually agitated, even tinged with a faint hint of crimson.
As the flames rapidly expanded and multiplied under Michael control, they formed several massive round shields, Positioned directly in the path of the terrifying seawater onslaught.
The moment the seawater touched the holy flames, vast clouds of white steam erupted into the sky.
Holy flames—burning everything, combustible or not.
Seawater was nothing in comparison.
But...
"Isn't there a bit too much of this damn water!?"
"Is that bastard Shiki trying to drown the whole damn Marine here!?"
Michael had to stand beneath the flame shields to maintain their output and this kind of overloaded holy flame exertion was a massive drain on stamina.
Even with his near-limitless endurance, Michael was starting to feel the strain.
The surging seawater carried over a dozen sailing ships, using the force of the waves to break through two layers of Michael holy flame shields in succession!
Of course, a considerable portion of the attack was dissipated in the process.
The remaining few ships, still borne by the raging waters, crashed violently against the final shield.
"Hiss!"
The sounds of evaporation and combustion rose and fell incessantly, as an unprecedented density of steam completely enveloped the entire Marine Headquarters...