One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

Fujitora's entrance sent a wave of unease through Shiki. The ability to suspend warships in midair with a mere gesture seemed like the perfect counter to the Float-Float Fruit.

All eyes, both from the sky and the ground, converged on Fujitora. This middle-aged man, who had only recently joined the Marines, now stood under the scrutiny of the Navy's finest and its rising pillars.

Unfazed by the attention, Fujitora maintained his calm demeanor. The cane sword in his hand slid from its sheath once more.

Reversing his grip, he traced a curved arc in front of him, sending a purple ripple skyward.

The blade slowly returned to its sheath.

Clink—

The crisp sound of the blade locking in place carried with the wind.

Above the clouds, a massive meteorite, wreathed in blazing flames, burst through the cloud cover, drawing the eyes of everyone present.

"What is that?!"

A sudden uproar rippled through the Marines.

They craned their necks, eyes wide with shock at the sight of the burning meteor hurtling towards the floating island ship.

It was undoubtedly the work of Fujitora.

What a monster...

Such thoughts echoed through the minds of the Marines.

At the front of the island ship, Shiki gazed upward at the approaching meteor. The flames flickered in his eyes, momentarily dimming the arrogance he'd exuded moments before.

"A man with such power... how could he have remained unknown?"

Ignoring the looming threat, Shiki's peripheral vision flicked toward Fujitora on the ground, his brow furrowing slightly.

None of the intelligence he possessed mentioned a figure like Fujitora.

"The meteor is coming!!!"

"What should we do? Should we change course?"

"Without the captain's orders, no one is to act rashly!"

In the island ship's control room, the crew's panicked voices echoed.

Shiki paid them no mind. He cast one final cold glance at Fujitora before turning his gaze back to the incoming meteor.

Slash Wave!

Shiki swung his leg.

The famed sword fused with his lower limbs unleashed a massive golden slash.

With a resounding metallic ring, the colossal meteor split in two, the halves following diverging paths to avoid the island ship entirely.

Casually slicing through the meteor, Shiki shifted slightly, his cold eyes sweeping across the shocked Marines below. He extended his right hand and flipped it palm-up.

The nine warships suspended by Fujitora's gravity suddenly began to rotate, rising further into the sky.

The violent spinning flung the remaining Marines aboard into free fall.

On the ground, the Marines watched in panic as their comrades plummeted and the warships spun higher.

"Hmph..."

Fujitora tilted his head back, opening his sightless eyes—milky white and devoid of pupils—as if he could see the floating warships manipulated by Shiki.

He wanted to reclaim the ships but found himself powerless.

When he had summoned the meteor, he had tried using gravity to pull down both Shiki and the island ship.

Yet neither had been affected in the slightest.

It seemed that anything under the Float-Float Fruit's influence could defy the downward pressure of his gravity.

However, when the warships fell, his anti-gravity could stabilize them effortlessly.

"A truly troublesome enemy..."

Fujitora murmured.

He now understood that his powers and Shiki's were mutual counters.

Turning his "gaze" toward the falling Marines, Fujitora activated his power.

Gravity fields enveloped the plummeting soldiers, lowering them gently to the ground.

Shiki, witnessing this, sneered and clenched his outstretched hand into a fist.

The nine warships collided like magnets, crashing together with a thunderous boom.

As if guided by invisible hands, the wreckage fused into a massive lion's head.

"Take this 'greeting gift' obediently! Gyahahaha!"

With those words, the colossal lion head roared and disintegrated into countless jagged fragments, raining down on Marine Headquarters like a storm.

The scale and speed of the attack left the Marines horrified.

Fujitora's eyes narrowed. He swung his blade, creating layers of gravitational barriers that intercepted the deadly rain.

The Marines didn't stand idle either, using sword slashes and Rankyaku techniques to fend off the debris.

When the storm finally passed, the battlefield lay in ruins—but casualties remained minimal.

"Gyahahaha..."

Shiki's manic laughter echoed from the skies.

In the distance, the island ship was already retreating.

From the observation deck, Sengoku scanned the devastation below, his brow furrowed.

Shiki's demonstration left him with a sense of foreboding.

The Marines were far from ready to face two legends at once...

Yet there would be no retreat.

...

Several days later, newspapers bearing news of two major incidents spread across the world.

The world was shaken.

"The Golden Lion Shiki, who escaped from Impel Down twenty years ago, has attacked Marine Headquarters once again!!!"

"As expected of a legendary pirate—he destroyed ten Marine warships and escaped unscathed."

"Hahaha, the Marines really embarrassed themselves this time."

"It feels like... something big is about to happen!"

People around the world buzzed with speculation.

...

Sabaody Archipelago.

Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.

Maude sat at the bar.

A newspaper lay spread before him, pinned under a glass of liquor.

Shakky wiped glasses behind the bar, her brow furrowed as she glanced at the headlines.

"That guy Shiki..."

The paper's front page covered not only Shiki's attack but also another major event.

Maude picked up his glass, eyes half-lidded as he scanned the article, a faint smirk playing at his lips.

Flap flap...

A round-headed bat with sharp fangs flew in through the window, clutching a letter sealed with a Marine emblem.

Amid curious gazes, the bat flew straight to Maude.

He took the envelope, and the bat squeaked before flapping away.

"What's that?" Perona and Urouge eyed the letter.

"..."

Law's eyes sharpened, as if realizing something.

Shakky set down her polished glass slowly.

Even without opening it, she already guessed—it was a Warlord of the Sea emergency summons.

Maude knew it too.

He didn't bother opening the letter, simply placing it on the bar.

"I'll go greet our 'guest.'"

He rose, hands in his pockets, and headed for the door.

"Guest?"

Everyone watched him in confusion.

Meanwhile, a ship with a lion-headed figurehead docked at Grove 20's shore.

It was none other than the Thousand Sunny, flagship of the now-famous Straw Hat Pirates.

As soon as the Thousand Sunny moored, a newspaper fluttered down from the sky.

Usopp's sharp eyes spotted it first.

At his prompting, Nami also noticed the paper.

Eager to save a few berries, she ordered Luffy to retrieve it.

"Gomu Gomu no—"

Reluctantly, Luffy stretched his arm and snagged the newspaper.

Snap!

He reeled it back, glanced at the front page—and froze.

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