A golden-haired head flew cleanly from Golden Lion Shiki's shoulders, spinning into the air. Behind the lifeless body stood Yoriichi Tsugikuni, his long blade held level, his expression calm as he stared at the now headless corpse before him.

Thud!

Shiki's body collapsed to the ground with a dull thump.

In the distance, the four massive golden lions Shiki had conjured with his Devil Fruit powers crumbled into dust, crashing down in pieces. The great river suspended in midair also tilted and poured toward the sea, while the giant fireball of a pirate ship, ignited by one of Yoriichi's slashes—shattered suddenly and fell into the ocean below.

On the shoreline, the pirates stood with their mouths agape, staring at Yoriichi and the corpse lying at his feet, so familiar, yet now so foreign that they could hardly speak.

"H-hiss"

After a long silence, one pirate finally reacted, gasping, "Captain... Captain Shiki is dead?!"

His hushed exclamation broke the spell. The rest of the pirates snapped to attention, their breathing heavy and erratic.

A few of the more quick-witted pirates quietly slipped to the rear of the crowd, planning to flee by boat. But when they looked toward the coastline, they realized something terrifying—every pirate ship they had come in on had already sunk.

Clearly, Shiki had never once considered the possibility of failure. Every ship had been sacrificed as a weapon against Yoriichi.

But Yoriichi paid the rest of the pirates no mind. His gaze remained locked on Shiki's corpse, watching for any remaining tricks.

Even he hadn't expected that a single slash would be enough to behead the infamous Golden Lion. Yoriichi briefly wondered if this was a puppet—perhaps an illusion created by one of Shiki's subordinates to fool him.

To lure him into a false sense of victory, then launch a fatal ambush the moment he let down his guard.

That's why Yoriichi hadn't looked away. His [Observation Haki] blanketed the shoreline, ready to intercept any sudden attack from any direction.

But after several minutes, the corpse didn't stir. There was no transformation, no signs of deception.

It seemed that this legendary pirate who had ruled the seas for decades… had truly fallen by Yoriichi Tsugikuni's blade.

And it had ended so quickly, so anticlimactically.

There had been no grand battle. From the pirates' perspective, Shiki had merely launched a few tentative attacks using his powers before being cleanly decapitated by this red-haired youth.

"Is he really dead… Golden Lion Shiki?"

Seeing no remaining life from the body, Yoriichi let out a quiet breath and muttered to himself, still surprised by how easily it ended.

This was the man who would one day raid Marineford in the future. Was he really... this weak?

"I wonder how much I've grown."

But there was no pride in his voice. Yoriichi still held a deep reverence for the sea, refusing to believe that killing a pirate on the level of Whitebeard or Roger made him invincible.

Slaying Golden Lion Shiki didn't prove anything. After all, this was the same man who'd eventually lose to Monkey D. Luffy.

Still, Yoriichi wasn't overly modest either. He knew that the years of training he'd undergone had paid off. And Shiki's severed head—was the proof of his progress.

"My stamina and Haki barely took a hit."

"But fighting the rest of these pirates will take some effort."

"I can't just let them run loose. If they escape into Migo Town, it could mean disaster for the civilians."

"To be safe… I'll deal with all of them here."

At last, Yoriichi pulled his gaze from Shiki's body and looked toward the remaining pirates along the shore. Though they didn't sense any bloodlust from him, his indifferent eyes struck more fear into their hearts than any killing intent they'd known before.

Buzz—

Yoriichi's eyes slightly widened. Then, a wave of terrifying [Conqueror's Haki] burst forth, crashing down on the pirates like a tidal wave. Even the ground beneath his feet cracked under the pressure.

The world fell silent.

Those facing him directly heard nothing. It was as if a giant hammer had smashed their skulls. Their minds swam with dizziness and fear.

Thud! Thud!

One by one, pirates collapsed. The weaker ones couldn't withstand the pressure and passed out on the spot, foaming at the mouth.

Even those with bounties of 40 or 50 million berries couldn't hold their ground.

"It's Conqueror's Haki!"

"It's Yoriichi, hurry!"

Far off on the island's west side, Kuzan and the others had already noticed the massive commotion. The moment Yoriichi released his Haki, Kuzan confirmed his location without doubt.

There might be many with [Conqueror's Haki] in the world, but only one on this island possessed that kind of presence. There was no way someone else had that level of spirit.

Back on the coast, Yoriichi gradually withdrew his Haki. The ground was now littered with unconscious bodies.

With the fodder cleared, Yoriichi raised his blade horizontally before his chest and locked eyes with the nearest pirate—then vanished with a flicker.

"No, no!!"

The pirate stared into Yoriichi's eyes and instantly lost all courage. The man who had killed Shiki was now staring directly at him.

Before he could even beg, his head was already gone. Yoriichi continued moving without pause, slicing down pirate after pirate.

Nearly a hundred pirates had withstood the [Conqueror's Haki]. Though that was a lot, some had their courage stirred by Yoriichi's violence.

"Don't be scared!"

"If we all attack, he can't kill all of us!"

"If we run, he'll pick us off one by one! Our ships are gone, so our only chance is to kill him!"

With a rallying cry, the remaining pirates gained new resolve. The foolish ones charged first.

Ironically, the one who yelled retreated to the back and tried to flee into town.

Others noticed and followed his example, slipping away instead of charging in.

Yoriichi sensed the runners but found himself surrounded.

These were the strongest pirates remaining—some even possessed Devil Fruit powers. They couldn't defeat him, but they could tie him down.

Soon, the entire shore rang with battle cries.

Yoriichi danced among them, his blade cloaked in flame. He weaved through the crowd like a whirlwind of fire, cutting down one foe after another.

If Madara saw this scene, he might even say:

"I'd call you the strongest."

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