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[M.F.S] ch 96: The Golden Lion Shiki
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 03:33:55 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Whoosh!
At that moment—A figure descended from above.
"Jihahahaha!"
A bold and hearty laugh, like that of a lion, echoed through the air.
A man with long golden hair landed on the ground.
Thud!
IronT hurried over, his face filled with urgency. "Captain, you—?!"
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki roared with laughter. "IronT! Are you expecting me to abandon you? Don't joke around!"
"That would be an insult to me! I'm the Golden Lion! Do you really think I'd abandon my crew? I would never accept such a thing!"
His gaze then shifted to Joey, and he grinned. "Besides, I'm curious to see—what can the head of the Charlotte Family really do?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, and a sharp glint flashed within them.
"Bastard!"
"You're asking for it!"
"Maji Giren!(Genie-uine Rage Split!)"
"Heat Denasshi!(Heat Beating!)"
Daifuku and Oven attacked simultaneously.
Fools rushing in where they shouldn't.
Against a Silver Rank Level 3 opponent like Shiki, their mere Bronze Rank Level 8 strength was nothing but reckless.
They were throwing their lives away.
But that didn't matter. What mattered was that they dared to act.
Knowing when to retreat in the face of overwhelming strength was important. But failing to act out of fear—that was true disgrace.
"Jihahahaha!" Shiki laughed wildly. "You think you can take me on with that level of power? How foolish!"
Facing their attacks, Shiki simply extended one hand.
"Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki! (Lion's Threat: Earth Bind)"
Rumble!
The ground trembled violently.
A terrifying shockwave spread out in all directions.
The earth split open, forming roaring lion heads that surged forward to crush the two brothers.
But then—
Slash!
Suddenly, as if something had happened—or perhaps nothing at all—all of the lion heads were severed.
Silence returned.
Chunks of stone crumbled to the ground, yet an eerie sensation lingered in the air.
"Hmm?"
Shiki narrowed his eyes, sensing that something was off. His body tensed with newfound vigilance.
Ever since he'd been ambushed and beaten down by John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe, he'd become far more cautious.
His once careless nature was gone.
But just now—What exactly had happened?
He had no idea. Not a clue. Not a single trace.
Even his advanced Observation Haki, in which he had immense confidence, failed to pick up anything.
It felt as if something had happened—but at the same time, as if nothing had occurred at all.
Something about it was deeply unsettling.
"Heh…"
Joey smiled warmly. "Golden Lion, why so aggressive? My little brothers merely attacked first. And yet, here you are, a seasoned veteran, bullying the young. How shameful. My mother isn't even here to stop you."
He shook his head in mock disappointment, as if he looked down on Shiki.
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki smirked. "Oh? You should know that the seas don't run on words alone. This is a dangerous world!"
Clang!
At the same moment, Shiki suddenly drew his blades.
His twin swords flashed, their arcs slicing through the air with deadly precision.
A piercing clang echoed all around.
But once again—His attack vanished.
What had just occurred?
No one knew.
"Oh?"
Shiki locked eyes with Joey.
Yet Joey merely kept his gentle smile. "Golden Lion, do you really think I came out here relying solely on Daifuku and Oven? Don't get me wrong. My little brothers are talented, but they're still young. They haven't fully matured yet."
He spread his arms wide. "The Charlotte Family didn't rise to power just because of my mother. There are other strong warriors among us. Warriors that even you, Golden Lion, might not be able to defeat!"
His eyes narrowed with absolute confidence.
Not just him—Daifuku, Oven, and Counter all shared the same unshakable belief.
In their family, they knew their strengths.
Once, Joey had fought Linlin but even she couldn't claim victory over Joey.
The reason was that within thirty meters—Joey was invincible.
In this vast ocean, unless an ancient monster like Imu appeared—Nothing could threaten him.
Forty-seven elite Bronze Rank Level 7 soldiers stood behind him.
If they joined forces—No one could walk away unscathed.
Shiki's sharp gaze darkened. "Kid, are you trying to intimidate me?"
Joey chuckled. "Intimidate you? I, Charlotte Joey, have never needed to intimidate anyone."
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki grinned. "I see. You really are a remarkable man. To take the Charlotte Family this far despite that crazy woman—you must be a monster yourself. Your ambition and mentality are terrifying. You seem ordinary at a glance…"
"But—"
Shiki's eyes gleamed dangerously. "Are you truly just an ordinary man?"
Joey smiled. "Who knows? Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But one thing is certain—no one has ever been allowed to stand within ten steps of me. That is my confidence."
Clap!
His three brothers stepped forward in unison.
They weren't Shiki's match.
But—they would never back down. They would always protect their family.
Shiki's expression grew increasingly dangerous.
He seemed to be weighing his options.
Should he fight Joey? Or—should he consider what had just happened?
Then, without warning—
Whoosh!
Like a streak of light, Shiki lunged forward, his foot slamming into the ground as he shot toward Joey.
Slash!
His left hand gripped Oto, his right hand clutched Kogarashi.
The twin blades gleamed, aiming to cut Joey down.
Daifuku, Oven, and Count attacked in unison. But before Shiki, they were still lacking.
Even combined, they only managed to momentarily stall him.
Then, one by one, they were pushed back.
Or rather—They couldn't truly stop him.
On this sea, there were countless strong warriors. But none were as troublesome as Shiki.
His Float-Float Fruit ability made him a nightmare to deal with.
If he wasn't willing to fight to the death—no one in this world could capture him.
Joey watched as Shiki got closer and sighed helplessly, "Seriously, Golden Lion, going after a regular guy like me? How embarrassing!"
Clang! Clang!
Just as Joey finished speaking, a crisp, melodious sound echoed.
Shiki had been stopped just ten meters away from Joey.
In an instant, Shiki sensed countless attacks aimed at him.
These sword strikes were sharp and ruthless.
Even Shiki found it a bit troublesome. And the longer the battle went on, the more Shiki realized— There were simply too many of them.
And the strangest part?
He couldn't see them.
He couldn't sense them.
In the end—
Whoosh! Shiki retreated.
But the moment he stepped back, his attackers didn't follow up.
It was as if they had no intention of chasing him down.
Shiki remained silent, returning to IronT's side.
From start to finish, Joey had been smiling, his confident demeanor making Shiki uncomfortable.
Yet, there was nothing he could do.
No matter what he tried, Joey just stood there, untouched.
Joey shook his head and sighed, "What a pity! Looks like the mighty Golden Lion can't do anything to me today."
"Hmph!" Shiki scoffed and turned away coldly. "I hope next time, you still have someone to protect you. IronT, we're leaving!"
"Yes, Captain!" IronT led their crew back to the pirate ship.
Moments later—The pirate ship rose into the sky.
Shiki and his crew finally departed.
This man was always cautious. Without understanding Joey's true abilities, he wouldn't make an enemy of him.
After all for him—That crazy woman, Linlin, was powerful, and becoming enemies with the Charlotte Family would be a huge hassle.
The Charlotte Family's influence was massive right now, and it wouldn't be good for the Flying Pirates' future.
— — —
High in the sky—IronT asked seriously, "Captain, my Observation Haki picked up some figures, but they disappeared almost instantly. It was like they were never there. That was too strange."
Shiki nodded. "Indeed. There were many of them, and their strength was on par with you and those three brats. The real issue is, how many of them are there? It's impossible to tell. But based on my senses, they were all women."
IronT was stunned. "Captain, even you couldn't detect them properly?"
To him, that was unbelievable.
Golden Lion Shiki.
One of the world's strongest men.
And even he couldn't see through this?
Sure, Shiki specialized in Armament Haki, but his Observation Haki wasn't weak either!
For someone at his level—Even if he wasn't a master of it, he shouldn't be completely clueless.
Shiki shook his head. "It's not that I couldn't see them. It's that their numbers were overwhelming, and their coordination was flawless. They attacked once, then immediately disappeared."
IronT realized, "So they strike once and retreat instantly. That explains it!"
"However…" Shiki raised a hand. "I can't be sure whether these hidden figures were Devil Fruit users or something else entirely."
IronT frowned. "Captain, what do you mean?"
Shiki said calmly, "There aren't many Devil Fruits that grant invisibility. The most well-known is the Clear-Clear Fruit. And the current user of that fruit is Charlotte Mondee, that little girl who's still on Fishman Island. So how did that man pull this off? No idea."
IronT was at a loss.
Yeah…
It really was bizarre.
Shiki shook his head. "No need to dwell on it now. Until we interact with the Charlotte Family again, we don't need to concern ourselves."
"Just have someone gather information on them. That'll be useful when the time comes."
IronT nodded. "Understood, Captain!"
Then he went off to handle things.
Meanwhile, Shiki narrowed his eyes, gazing into the distance. He murmured, "Such a strange ability… Or rather… such a strange man. Which one is it?"
"No one's ever seen him display this kind of power before. No wonder he dares to travel alone, with just his younger brothers."
After a brief pause, Shiki suddenly laughed.
"Jihahahaha!"
"What an interesting man! Completely hiding his true self… What exactly are you up to?"
"This is just too interesting!"
Saying no more, Shiki simply felt more and more intrigued.
This man was deeply hidden.
If someone hid this much, they were either a recluse or they had boundless ambition.
Anyone with a brain could tell—Joey wasn't the first option.
Honestly—Shiki wasn't entirely sure if Joey had some hidden power or just had people protecting him.
But Shiki trusted his instincts. He was certain this was Joey's own power.
There was no definitive proof. Just a gut feeling.
At Shiki's level, instincts mattered more than logic.
Shiki murmured, "You… hiding… so deeply concealed…with strange power."
"Let's see what kind of storm you'll stir up when you finally emerge!"
"Jihahahahaha!"
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