In the New World, with the formation of the Four Emperors system, pirate factions had firmly divided the territory alongside the Seven Warlords of the Sea, leaving the remaining second-rate pirates struggling to survive.
In today's New World, if a pirate sails in, they have two choices:
Join one of the Four Emperors' crews or become a lackey of the Warlords otherwise, the moment they're spotted, they'll be hunted down and killed.
This greatly restricted the living space for second-rate pirates, but ironically, it also stabilized the New World, causing the once chaotic region to gradually settle.
At this moment, over a certain sea in the New World, floating at a relatively low altitude of about 100 meters, several islands hovered in the sky.
The underside of each island was painted with a pirate flag—the emblem of the Golden Lion Pirates, belonging to none other than Shiki, the Golden Lion.
These floating Sky Islands were Shiki's main base in the New World.
It wasn't that this was his entire territory, but the islands he frequented the most and his primary headquarters were all here, kept aloft by his Devil Fruit powers.
The scenery across these islands was breathtaking, aerial waterfalls cascaded down from the floating lands, forming streams that merged back into the ocean below.
A powerful upward ocean current allowed ships to ascend to the floating islands, while waterfalls flowed down from the sky, creating an impressive sight.
Merchant ships could be seen freely passing through, as this area was relatively stable.
Unlike the rest of the lawless New World, Shiki had not chosen to spread destruction here.
At this moment, however, a massive floating ship—covered in reinforced rock plating with countless oars paddling through the air—was docked at the largest island.
Anyone in the New World could recognize it at a glance.
This was the personal flagship of Golden Lion Shiki, a symbol of dominance and power.
Moored at the harbor, the majestic ship, with its lion-shaped prow, exuded a commanding presence.
Descending from the ship was Shiki himself, his signature two swords, hanging at his waist.
The rudder remained embedded in his head, and though his face bore traces of age, his long golden hair still flowed wildly.
However, his expression wasn't good—his posture slightly hunched, his face worn, as if something was weighing on his mind.
Shiki's old crew—the one he commanded before being imprisoned in Impel Down was long gone.
Some of them had fallen under the control of Kaido and Big Mom, while others, having gone solo, were eventually destroyed by the brutal tides of the New World.
In the end, very few of his original subordinates remained.
After his escape from Impel Down, Shiki had rebuilt his pirate crew, and today, his main officers were ex-convicts who had broken out alongside him.
Among them were figures like Shiryu, and even former subordinates of Blackbeard—Marshall D. Teach—such as Laffitte, who somehow ended up under Shiki's command.
But unlike Kaido and Big Mom, Shiki didn't care about the title of "Emperor".
In fact, he despised the term.
Compared to those two, Shiki had an even greater sense of self-importance, he was more unruly, more arrogant, and more unwilling to accept reality.
Some said he was clinging to his past glory, while others believed he refused to accept how the world had changed.
Regardless, Shiki didn't want to be a mere "Emperor"—he wanted to be the next Rocks D. Xebec.
Once upon a time, he had almost succeeded.
The title "Pirate Emperor" was beneath him, only "Pirate Overlord" suited his true status.
Because of this, Shiki had clashed multiple times with both Big Mom and Kaido in the New World.
However, the reality was that neither of them were weak anymore, both had amassed immense power.
Shiki had launched attacks several times, but his efforts had not yielded significant results.
In the end, he had been forced to back down, swallowing his pride and reluctantly accepting the Four Emperors system.
With the increasing activity of Marine Headquarters, the balance of the New World was now in danger of collapsing.
At any moment, war could break out.
Recognizing this, Shiki had stopped provoking conflicts and had instead begun preparing for the inevitable storm ahead.
Sitting in his spacious yet somewhat empty quarters, he picked up a bottle of sake, took a few gulps, and gazed out the window, lost in thought.
In the past, the Marines had been less aggressive in the New World, and Shiki had largely ignored their presence.
Back then, he had always assumed he could easily outmaneuver them.
After all, with his ability to fly, he could simply observe the chaos from above, untouched by the tides of war.
But now, things were different.
Shiki's gaze drifted to an old newspaper on his table.
It wasn't recent—probably from a month or two ago.
Shiki didn't usually keep old newspapers, but this one was an exception.
The headline detailed the massive changes in Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had been promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Marines, and Sakazuki had become the new Fleet Admiral.
Shiki didn't care about those changes.
The passing of power from one generation to the next was inevitable.
What troubled him was one specific name.
Fujitora—Issho.
He had been appointed Marine Admiral.
Shiki acknowledged Fujitora's strength.
Even without a prestigious background, he had risen to the rank of Admiral solely based on raw power.
But what truly concerned Shiki was Fujitora's ability.
Gravity Manipulation.
Shiki's greatest advantage had always been his mobility, his ability to fly freely, avoiding danger and controlling the battlefield.
But with Fujitora's power, that advantage was completely nullified.
Shiki was certain, this wasn't a coincidence.
Maybe Fujitora's promotion was based on merit, but Shiki didn't believe for a second that Marine Headquarters hadn't considered his ability as a direct counter to him.
It was too convenient.
That damn Claudius… was this his doing?
Taking another swig of sake, Shiki calmly placed the bottle on the floor.
He then stood up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the horizon.
"Marine Headquarters has gotten stronger… even the old man, Whitebeard, fell to them. And now… my biggest advantage is gone."
"If they choose to make a move in the New World, who do they strike first?"
Shiki knew his floating base was vulnerable.
If he moved it now, it would be seen as fear, a weakness he refused to display.
He wasn't about to flee just because the Marines were gearing up for war.
But if a battle was inevitable, he had to consider…
"Linlin, Kaido… will you allow yourselves to be taken down one by one?
Or will you finally join forces… and cause absolute chaos?"
As he pondered, Shiki lit a cigar, took a slow drag, and muttered to himself.
"Let's see how this plays out."
(To be continued.)
***
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