Though Shiki possessed flight, this advantage meant little against senior Marine officers. After all, while they couldn't fly freely like the Golden Lion, they could walk on air using Geppo, one of the Six Powers techniques.
Several shockwaves from Admiral Sengoku's palms obliterated the flying ships Shiki had launched. The Buddha's massive form burst through the debris, golden light trailing behind as he closed the distance.
An enormous golden palm descended toward Shiki like divine judgment, attempting to crush him from the sky.
"Eliminate Evil!" Admiral Sengoku's voice thundered across the battlefield.
Shiki's face split into an excited grin. With blinding speed, he drew both swords from his waist, crossed them before his chest, and blocked the descending palm strike.
These were Shiki's favored blades: Oto and Kogarashi. Though never officially ranked among famous swords, they were legendary weapons nonetheless.
The clash of Haki erupted at the point of contact. Airflow around them became violently turbulent, creating shockwaves that radiated outward in all directions, churning the sea below into whitecaps.
"Shiki, why did you come to the North Blue?!" Admiral Sengoku demanded, pressing his palm downward, trying to force the pirate from the sky.
Shiki resisted the pressure, laughing with arrogant defiance. "I'm a pirate! I go wherever I please! I don't need to explain myself to someone like you!"
"Hmph. These seas don't belong to you pirates!" Sengoku retorted coldly.
As the words left his mouth, another devastating shockwave burst from his palms.
Though the attack failed to break through Shiki's guard, the overwhelming force drove him downward. The Golden Lion was knocked from the sky, his feet slamming into the port's stone surface.
But Shiki seemed completely unconcerned. Despite being forced down, that wild smile never left his face.
"Lion King: Imperial Earth Coiling!" Shiki roared.
The ground beneath his feet began surging like ocean waves. In seconds, it transformed into two massive lions constructed entirely of stone and earth. The beasts lunged upward, jaws wide, attacking Sengoku in midair.
" Great Light: Evil Extermination!" Sengoku shouted, his form blazing with golden radiance.
Invisible, intangible shockwaves erupted from his hands. The brutal force shattered both earth lions instantly, reducing them to rubble. Simultaneously, Sengoku descended, his feet striking the port's surface with ground-shaking impact.
Debris and dust billowed up, obscuring vision in a thick cloud.
But for fighters at Sengoku and Shiki's level, sight was secondary. Observation Haki served as their primary means of perception during combat.
Sensing movement, Admiral Sengoku's arm darkened with Armament Haki. He swung violently to the left.
As predicted, Shiki emerged from that direction, both swords slashing downward.
The blades struck Sengoku's forearm with tremendous force, but both men's Haki was too powerful. No real damage penetrated their defenses.
The collision of Armament Haki generated a shockwave that dispersed all the surrounding dust, revealing their figures once more.
Fierce combat erupted again, even more intense than before.
Meanwhile, Marines began assembling on the warship's deck.
Everyone understood that ordinary soldiers couldn't meaningfully participate in battles at this level. But the Marines operated according to established systems and protocols. Even if your presence was ultimately useless, you had to be prepared to deploy at any moment.
This also served as baptism by fire. Surviving exposure to combat of this caliber provided invaluable experience and mental fortitude.
Within the Marine hierarchy, this constituted both combat experience and service record, both critical for future promotions and advancement.
After several days of sailing, Finn's injuries had completely healed.
Though not yet officially transferred to Marineford Headquarters, his rank tentatively qualified him as a Headquarters Major-level officer.
At this moment, a group of Marines stood assembled on the warship's deck, ready to join battle at any moment.
Under Instructor Zephyr's command, the warship maneuvered rapidly toward the devastated port.
Admiral Sengoku seemed to deliberately coordinate with Zephyr, continuously attacking Shiki and forcing the pirate back from the harbor, creating relatively safe space for the ship to approach.
When the warship docked, Instructor Zephyr ordered, "Everyone prepare for combat. Aim all artillery at that bastard Shiki."
This was Finn's first time participating in such a scene. He felt somewhat uncomfortable, uncertain of proper protocol.
However, noticing the Captain-ranked officers around him remained stationary, he followed their lead and simply stood ready.
The other Marines moved with practiced efficiency, quickly calibrating the artillery.
Zephyr showed no concern for potentially hitting Sengoku. Once the cannons were ready, he immediately commanded, "Fire!"
The warship roared. Dozens of shells screamed toward the location where Shiki and Admiral Sengoku clashed.
The explosions were devastating, instantly demolishing several surrounding buildings. Thick black smoke and flames obscured everything.
Simultaneously, Instructor Zephyr, who'd been standing on deck moments before, vanished.
"So fast!" Finn gasped, shocked.
He couldn't track how Instructor Zephyr disappeared. One moment present, the next simply gone from his field of vision.
This must be one of the Six Powers techniques, he thought.
Zephyr's figure had already penetrated the explosion's smoke. Obviously, the bombardment had merely provided cover for his approach.
Zephyr's fist shot forward into the black smoke.
A metallic clang rang out. The sound of collision echoed, and airflow generated by Haki clash instantly dispersed the obscuring smoke.
Shiki had blocked Zephyr's punch with precise sword placement, his blade intercepting the attack perfectly.
However, it was evident that in terms of pure physical strength, Shiki was slightly inferior to Zephyr. The Admiral's punch was forcing him backward.
"Hahahaha! Zephyr, you bastard's here too? Come to think of it, haven't you already retired from active duty? Just keeping the Admiral title for show?" Shiki taunted through gritted teeth.
"I have no interest in explaining anything to scum like you," Zephyr replied coldly.
As he spoke, he suddenly stepped forward, pressing directly into Shiki's guard, his other hand reaching to grapple.
Shiki had no intention of engaging in close combat with Zephyr. He tapped his feet lightly, withdrew his sword, and floated upward, trying to create distance.
Shiki knew perfectly well that Zephyr's reputation as Marine Admiral wasn't undeserved. He'd fought this man multiple times before. His strength was genuinely formidable and not to be underestimated.
Unlike most masters, Zephyr had never consumed a Devil Fruit. He'd achieved his position as Admiral through pure physical prowess and mastery of Haki alone.
Therefore, in close quarters combat, even Shiki had to admit he was outmatched.
But before Shiki could rise three meters, a massive shockwave slammed into him, sending him hurtling backward.
The attack came from Admiral Sengoku.
Originally, all three were fighters of roughly equal caliber. In a one-on-one duel, determining victory would be extremely difficult. But the Marines had deployed two Admirals, and in terms of strength and coordination, Shiki couldn't match them.
His chances of winning were minimal.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy for Sengoku and Zephyr to completely defeat Shiki either. With their level of power, determining a clear victor would require fighting for days without rest.
Shiki wasn't seriously injured. After stabilizing himself, he raised a hand to wipe blood from his mouth. His eyes and expression remained defiant.
"Jihahahaha! Seems the situation's not in my favor..." Shiki grinned.
Despite his words, no worry showed on his face.
Conversely, Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr both wore grave expressions.
From the beginning, they'd understood the situation. Working together, defeating Shiki was certainly possible. After all, they were two Admirals. But actually capturing him? The probability was extremely low.
The most troublesome aspect of Shiki wasn't his strength, but his ability.
As the Float-Float Fruit user, he possessed enormous tactical advantages. If he decided he couldn't win and chose to flee, virtually no one could catch him.
As for pursuit? Forget it. Anyone familiar with Shiki knew that without absolute certainty, you never chased this man across open ocean. Otherwise, there was significant probability your entire force would be annihilated.
This was due to Shiki's particularly troublesome ability. He could effortlessly manipulate the ocean itself, creating tsunamis at will.
However, Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr had mentally prepared for this outcome. They didn't necessarily need to capture Shiki. Disrupting whatever he'd come to the North Blue to accomplish would be sufficient.
Of course, they currently had no idea what Shiki's purpose was, so they'd fight first and investigate later.
Regardless of whether Shiki's scheme could be stopped, this confrontation was necessary. This was the Marines' justice!
Soon, all three engaged again. In fierce battle, they destroyed the port and much of Minion Island's harbor town in frighteningly short time.
Shiki wasn't a good person to begin with, so naturally he didn't care whether innocents got swept up in the destruction.
As for Sengoku and Zephyr? To them, there were no good people on Minion Island anyway, so collateral damage was equally irrelevant.
Aboard the warship, Finn watched the three-way battle with intense focus, excitement building in his chest.
"One day, I'll become as powerful as them. I swear it," Finn vowed silently.
Before this, he'd had only abstract understanding of true top-tier power, imagination based on his previous life's knowledge of this world.
But now, witnessing the world's peak fighters clash with his own eyes, his heart raced with exhilaration!
Just as Finn contemplated this future, movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Surprise and disbelief flooded his expression.
"Are you kidding me? How terrible is your luck?!" Finn cursed internally.
Because he could see, in the port ruins not far away, that little brat Rosinante was digging through rubble. Looking closer, someone was buried beneath the debris, an arm visible. The kid was desperately trying to rescue them!
"How did he even manage to sneak off a warship this size? As expected, when you have a teammate with this kind of saint complex, you constantly have to guard against being sabotaged!" Finn cursed under his breath.
His eyes tracked back to the three titans still trading devastating blows, then returned to the small figure digging frantically in the ruins.
A child. In a war zone. Between three of the world's strongest fighters.
This was exactly the kind of compassionate idiocy that would eventually get Rosinante killed. And right now, his presence created a massive tactical problem.
If Admiral Sengoku noticed his adopted son in danger, he'd be distracted. If Shiki noticed a child connected to Sengoku, he might use that leverage.
And if Finn did nothing and something happened to Rosinante? He'd just been ordered by Admiral Sengoku himself to look after the boy.
"Damn it," Finn muttered, already moving toward the railing.
This was going to be complicated.