One Piece: Lightning's Heir

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A few years ago, Golden Lion Shiki was at the height of his power, a man who had nearly conquered the seas. The idea that a pirate on the Grand Line wouldn't know his name was laughable.

But to be forgotten in just a few short years... or perhaps they just didn't read the newspapers?

"Thunder Emperor, Golden Lion Shiki hasn't been captured by the Marines! He hasn't been in the papers for a long time!" The treacherous and cunning Foxy, completely overwhelmed by Arthur's presence, spilled everything he knew.

"Is that so?"

Having gotten the information he wanted, Arthur took control of the [Thor] once more, turning it around and flying towards Marineford.

As for these pirates playing make-believe—he couldn't be bothered to give them a second glance.

The Slow-Slow Fruit that Silver Fox Foxy had eaten had some potential for development. Anything hit by its light, whether living, liquid, or gas, would lose a degree of speed while its other energies remained unchanged.

Simply put, anything touched by the light would slow to a crawl. As long as it was within the beam's range, any object would be decelerated, regardless of its initial speed.

However, the fruit had a major weakness: the effect of the slow-down photon only lasted for 30 seconds, after which the speed would return to normal as if nothing had happened. Furthermore, in places without light, the fruit's ability was useless.

Foxy was just starting to build his pirate crew now, but he would fail to reach the New World for more than twenty years into the future. His potential was obvious. Arthur couldn't be bothered to recruit such a character.

"Scary..." Watching the golden ship fly away, the unfocused light finally returned to Foxy's eyes.

The burst of Haki had nearly paralyzed him, almost knocking him unconscious.

"Is that the power of a New World monster?? A dangerous place like that... I think it's best if I don't go!" Foxy made a decision.

He would stay on Long Ring Long Land until he died. As for the New World? To hell with it.

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Arthur would never know that the reason Silver Fox Foxy never entered the New World was because his terrifying presence had nearly scared the man to death, making him resolve to never set foot in the monster-infested waters.

"So the Golden Lion hasn't been captured yet, which is why it's not in the news? Or is he already attacking Marineford?" Arthur pondered, pushing the [Thor] to greater speeds.

The golden ship soared through the sea of clouds, its speed astonishing.

He didn't fly in a straight line towards Water 7. Instead, he cut across two of the seven magnetic tracks, passing over Enies Lobby and entering the Great Whirlpool Triangle and the Gates of Justice!

The magnetic fields of the Grand Line were extremely unstable. Once you entered one route, changing to another was incredibly difficult and required visiting a specific island, which was a huge hassle.

But there had always been an unmanned shortcut on the sea—the sky! The fastest shortcut was the sky. Not only was it empty, but the [Thor] could fly straight through without anything to stop it. This was the advantage of a flying ship.

After flying for a day and a night at high altitude, he finally neared Enies Lobby. The [Thor] swooped down from the sea of clouds, aiming for the Gates of Justice near the Great Whirlpool Triangle.

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At the same time, at Marine Headquarters, Marineford!

Countless pirate ships were suspended in the sky above the main plaza.

Golden Lion Shiki, wielding his twin swords, floated in the air. His eyes were crimson, ready to tear someone apart.

It was a horrifying sight. He had completely descended into madness.

"GET OUT HERE, YOU INCOMPETENT MARINE SCUM!!" he roared at the sky, his voice filled with rage.

"SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THE HELL YOU MANAGED TO CAPTURE ROGER!! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO EXECUTE A MAN LIKE HIM IN THE WEAKEST SEA??"

The Golden Lion's roar echoed through the heavens, reverberating across all of Marineford.

"Wooo wooo wooo..."

The alarms blared. Squads of Marines, armed with longswords and rifles, poured out of the buildings like a tide.

Led by Garp and Sengoku, they went to face the legendary great pirate, Golden Lion Shiki!

Although Roger had turned himself in, binding his own hands and walking right through their doors, the Marines didn't dare lower their guard. They had assigned a terrifying amount of manpower to watch over him, terrified that his crew would come storming their gates.

The three with Admiral-level potential who were just waiting on promotions—Akainu, Kizaru, and Kuzan—along with Chief of Staff Tsuru and Fleet Admiral Kong, were all guarding him personally, not moving an inch. The only available forces at Marine Headquarters were Garp and Sengoku.

In truth, the Marines were being overly cautious. Roger's crew had largely obeyed his final orders, lying low across the four seas, with no intention of attempting a rescue.

Emerging from the Marine ranks, Sengoku and Garp simultaneously tore off the Justice coats from their backs.

"RUMBLE!!"

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, thunder cracked, and rain began to pour down relentlessly.

"Shiki, cut the crap! The East Blue... is a symbol of peace, you bastard!" Garp tugged at his collar, his face grim.

He had been in a foul mood for the past two days and was itching for a fight to blow off some steam.

"Shiki, if you dare take one more step forward, you won't be leaving here today! You can go keep Roger company!" A golden light emanated from Sengoku as his body began to grow.

"I'D LIKE TO SEE JUST HOW THE HELL YOU INCOMPETENT MARINES MANAGED TO CATCH ROGER!!" The Golden Lion thrust his hand upwards, and the pirate ships suspended in the sky began to fall like rain.

"Impact Wave!!"

"Meteor Fist!"

The two greatest powers in the Marines simultaneously launched a furious assault on the sky!

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"

The exploding ships sent wood shrapnel flying everywhere, the fragments raining down on the ground.

"Lion's Threat—Earth Scroll!"

"RAWRRR—"

The wood shrapnel and earth fused together, suddenly forming into massive, earth-yellow lions. They let out earth-shattering roars and charged fearlessly at Garp and Sengoku.

One of the most glorious battles of the Golden Lion's life had just begun...

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Arthur, his Observation Haki wide open, suddenly stood up from his recliner. He looked toward Marineford. The towering, astonishing aura erupting from that direction was instantly detected by him.

"Three powerful auras? Two of them are familiar—Garp and Sengoku. The other... is it the Golden Lion?" he muttered to himself with a frown, because the power emanating from that direction was simply too astonishing.

The Golden Lion, driven to complete madness, had unleashed his full power and was actually able to continuously clash with the other two.

"Let them fight... I'll be taking Vegapunk off your hands!" Arthur smiled, fully charged the [Thor], and left it hovering in the air. His entire body transformed into a bolt of lightning and leaped down.

His target—the Marine Science Division!

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