"Damn it..."
Shiki staggered to his feet from the wreckage of a pirate ship. The scene before him nearly made him black out again.
The sea was raging, filled with the wreckage and splinters of shattered ships. Pirate corpses littered the waves, countless and densely packed—it was like hell on earth.
The flying pirate fleet he had rebuilt... had been wiped out. Again!
He instinctively turned his head.
Amid the drifting debris, the Oro Jackson of the Roger Pirates floated in the center. The ship's masts had snapped in the storm, sails hanging in tatters. The hull was pocked with damage, and the bow had caved in with a massive dent, almost beyond recognition.
Even so, this legendary ship, crafted by master shipwright Tom from the Treasure Tree Adam, had withstood the storm's full force and somehow stayed afloat!
The Roger Pirates clung to the ship, each one looking like they'd barely survived.
"We almost died..."
Buggy lay soaked and limp, face pale as a sheet.
Rayleigh gripped him by the waistband with one hand, looking equally grim.
Everyone looked like drowned rats, gasping for air.
"Wahahahaha!!!"
At the bow, Roger collapsed onto the shattered deck, throwing his head back in a booming laugh.
"We made it!!"
"I actually survived that!!"
His laughter was wild and full of exhilaration, his expression blazing with a boldness that came from staring death in the face.
Seeing their captain like that, the others exchanged glances—then couldn't help but laugh too.
Yeah. They survived.
The Oro Jackson was wrecked, but they were still alive!
It was a small miracle amid disaster.
In contrast, the flying pirate fleet under Shiki's command had been utterly destroyed by the storm.
This storm... had completely rewritten the course of the battle!
But they didn't have long to breathe.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar swept in from the distant sea, shaking the air.
"Kill!!"
"Take down the Roger Pirates!"
"Kill Shiki!!"
"For justice!!"
...
BOOM—
The roar of cannon fire exploded across the sky. Countless shells tore through the clouds like rain, crashing down with blinding bursts of flame.
"The Marines?!"
Rayleigh's pupils contracted.
Everyone's faces darkened. While blocking the incoming cannon fire, they all turned toward the direction of the attack.
One ship,
Two,
Three...
Ten heavily armed warships barreled through the storm like a torrent of steel, charging at them at full speed.
Their bloodlust was palpable, their momentum unstoppable!
Flames burst from the ship cannons, illuminating the ominous silhouettes of the figures standing aboard.
"It's the Marines!! We're screwed! We're really screwed! That's a Marine fleet—they're coming for us!!"
Buggy shrieked, voice cracking. His eyes bulged as he trembled in fear.
"How the hell did they know we were here?!"
Staring at the oncoming fleet, everyone's faces turned grim.
Seagull flags whipped in the wind, exuding a cold, iron-willed intensity.
"Sengoku!!"
Roger's eyes locked onto a familiar figure standing on the lead warship.
"And... those Marine brats!"
Rayleigh's face was deeply serious.
"C-Captain... and the guy who pulled your pants down!!"
Buggy's hand shook as he pointed toward a tall figure standing front and center on the flagship, his voice trembling in terror.
Roger: ...
"Stop bringing that up, you little punk!! It was just an accident!!"
Roger snarled back, teeth clenched.
Shanks gripped the broken mast, panting hard, his eyes locked in fear on that Marine.
He hadn't forgotten. Back in the first half of the Grand Line... it was that guy—he'd nearly killed him.
That was the closest Shanks had ever come to death in his life.
"We're in trouble... Even Sengoku showed up."
Rayleigh's brows furrowed deeply, but his hands never stopped moving. He kept slashing down the incoming cannonballs, one after another.
As the Marine fleet drew closer, the shelling intensified, becoming an unrelenting barrage that filled the sky.
The sea lit up with bursts of fire.
"No worries! Sengoku alone can't hold us back!"
Roger burst out laughing without a care.
"As long as that bastard Garp isn't here, we still have a shot at getting out!"
The moment he said that, the crew of the Roger Pirates was suddenly gripped by a bad feeling.
A second later—
"Bwahahahaha!! Roger!! So you really did pick the third route!!"
A booming laugh, deep as thunder, suddenly echoed from another direction.
The entire crew froze at the sound, then turned to glare sharply at Roger.
Roger: ...
The corner of his mouth twitched as he turned to look.
Out of nowhere, a uniquely shaped dog-headed warship broke through the waves, charging straight toward them.
Standing at the bow was a towering Marine, arms crossed and wearing a dog-head cap, his eyes blazing as he laughed wildly.
Vice Admiral... the "Hero" Garp!
Buggy clutched his head and screamed in panic.
"Garp's here too... There's no way we're getting out now!!"
Rayleigh and the others also looked grim, a chill crawling up their spines.
They were surrounded—again!
At that moment, Shiki suddenly let out a furious, venomous roar.
"Damn it!!! Damn Marines!!"
He staggered to his feet, eyes fixed bitterly on the incoming Marine fleet.
Just as he was about to take a step forward, a wave of dizziness hit him.
An unbearable, piercing pain shot from the top of his head, cutting straight through to the bone.
Shiki froze, then instinctively raised a hand to his head. The moment he touched it, his entire body went stiff.
His fingers met cold, solid metal.
His pupils shrank sharply—like lightning had struck him.
Drip...
A line of warm blood ran down his forehead, past his eyes, nose, and cheeks, and finally fell to the deck below.
His vision turned crimson.
Shiki took a shaky step back, and for just a moment, a flash of fear crossed his face.
The pain from his skull was blinding.
His head... had nearly been pierced through!?
He stared blankly at the Meito in his hand.
The rain-slick blade reflected his pale, distorted face.
Something was embedded in his skull. Deeply.
Perfectly lodged there.
Surprisingly, there wasn't much bleeding.
It was...
A pitch-black ship's steering wheel.