"He... he really... succeeded..."
Sengoku stared blankly at Darren, whose pupils still flickered with an eerie red light. His heart was in turmoil.
This damn brat had actually used the Golden Lion—deliberately placing himself on the brink of death—to awaken his Observation Haki!
Sengoku had roamed the seas for decades, fought countless enemies, and mentored more elite officers than he could remember. Yet never—not once—had he seen someone as insane as Darren.
A man who stood at the very top of the world... a legendary great pirate...
Was used by him as a whetstone!?
If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, Sengoku would never have believed it was real.
"How fascinating... Jihahaha!!"
The Golden Lion suddenly burst into twisted laughter.
"Marine brat—I remember you. Rogers Darren..."
"You’re the one who killed that fool, Byrndi World. I heard even Roger took a loss at your hands?"
Hovering in the sky, he looked down disdainfully at the Marine commodore on the ground. His eyes gleamed with contempt and simmering fury.
"You said the ’real battle begins now!?’"
The Golden Lion’s golden mane flared as he laughed to the heavens—like he’d heard the most ridiculous joke.
"Don’t make me laugh!!"
"There was never a battle between us! You’re not even qualified to be my opponent!"
"In this sea... no one can stop me, the Golden Lion!!"
From his vantage, it was crystal clear.
This Marine brat had used him to create the pressure of impending death—to force himself into awakening.
"You all... open your eyes and watch!!"
"This—is what it means to be ruler of the New World!!"
The Golden Lion grinned viciously and swept his hand through the air.
It was as if an invisible force tore across the sky. Above the Island of Coins, the dense, black cloud cover—thick as castle walls—was suddenly blown away.
Countless black dots began to emerge from behind the clouds.
Like a shroud of darkness blanketing the sky, they slowly spread overhead.
Pierced through the cloud sea, hovering into view.
On each mast fluttered the Golden Lion’s emblem—a lion-headed skull on a golden banner. Mounted along their hulls were pitch-black cannons, their barrels aimed menacingly at the auction grounds below.
Even from hundreds of meters away, one could make out the densely packed figures on deck—pirates, armed to the teeth, their faces twisted into cruel grins. Their eyes looked down at the island as if it were already rubble.
"Wh-what... what is that..."
"How is this possible..."
"They’re floating... in the sky..."
"That’s... the Golden Lion Shiki’s invincible aerial fleet..."
Everyone on the ground stared upward in sheer terror, the light vanishing from their eyes—replaced by despair.
Such an airborne fleet—
Such scale, such numbers...
Even if they never landed, they could obliterate this entire island with bombardment from above alone.
"They’ve finally arrived... Darren, don’t get yourself killed out there..."
A heavy shadow crept across Sengoku’s face. A look of deep concern welled up in his eyes as he glanced at Darren.
"How terrifying... He actually brought the fleet."
On the other side of the battlefield, Borsalino flicked away King’s flaming blade with a lazy swing of his sword. Glancing up, he smiled slightly.
Bullet’s face twisted into a grimace.
"Oi, oi... this is looking bad..."
"Jihahahaha!! You see now, Marine brat!!"
The Golden Lion raised his blade and pointed straight at Darren.
"With just a few dozen of you, you dare talk of war with me!?"
"Be annihilated by the cannons of my flying fleet!!"
As his voice fell, the pirate ships above began to move in unison.
Laughing cruelly, the pirates moved swiftly to load their cannons.
Their actions were practiced, methodical—as though razing cities with a rain of cannon fire was something they’d done many times before.
Indescribable fear seized everyone’s hearts.
"If you stay on this island, you’ll die for sure!!"
"The Golden Lion’s gone mad!!"
The pirates who had snuck into the auction to fish in troubled waters now screamed in panic, fleeing madly toward the distant ports.
The wind howled through the chaos.
The venue had collapsed into a storm of confusion.
Before the overwhelming might of the Golden Lion’s flying fleet, everyone had abandoned resistance.
Some fled, arms shielding their heads.
Some trembled in terror.
Some stood frozen in place.
The wind carried the sharp scent of gunpowder.
It was clear—within seconds, this glorious city would be reduced to ashes.
The first cannon fired from one of the hovering ships.
Blazing orange flashes flared along the decks of the fleet. A hail of black cannonballs erupted into the sky, like a storm of death.
The barrage was dense—so dense it filled the heavens and darkened the sky, driving despair into every heart.
Countless shells fell like a net of annihilation, cast wide across the island.
Their descending shrieks of acceleration tore the air.
The flashes of cannon fire lit up the Golden Lion’s face—twisted into a feral, savage sneer.
The fleeing crowd froze.
Their bodies stiffened, eyes blank, gazing at the apocalyptic sight above.
A quiet sigh drifted through the wind.
In this hellish moment, it sounded absurdly calm... almost casual.
"Tch... been waiting long enough."
Everyone paused, turning as one.
The Marine commodore stood in place.
With a curious smirk, he slowly raised his right hand.
He grasped gently at the air.
Blue arcs of lightning flickered between his fingers. A strange, invisible pulse spread outward.
Everyone on the Island of Coins witnessed a sight they would never forget.
The net of cannonballs falling like rain—
Suddenly halted midair!
As if hitting a soft, invisible wall—or perhaps caught by an unseen hand of a giant—
Every shell froze in place, unmoving.
As if time had stopped.
The image was... surreal.
The savage grin on the Golden Lion’s face froze.