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Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Spoiled of War

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The sky churned with dark, oppressive clouds. The Golden Lion floated serenely in the air, gripping Oto and Kogarashi in its hand, its face expressionless, like a proud and solitary beast.

Below him stood the battered figure of Atlas. Two massive, intersecting gashes writhed unnaturally across his body as countless flesh buds wove together, sealing wounds that had nearly torn him into quarters.

Only the bloodstains on his skin bore witness to the severity of the damage. I almost died! The thought stabbed into Atlas's mind.

He knew with chilling clarity that without the Horse Talisman's power, that final desperate strike would have reduced him to nothing more than a funeral offering for this old lion.

"What an unreasonable physique..." From above, Shiki studied Atlas's condition.

A strained, ugly smile tugged at his lips, bitterness dripping from his voice. "I… lost… again…"

That last attack had been the pinnacle of his power. The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki Coating wasn't just capable of cutting a man into four—it carried the Conqueror's will, which should have made the wounds impossible to heal.

Even Kaido himself would not have recovered so easily. And yet, this Marine before him had survived. The thought alone was terrifying.

"Jihahahaha! Brat, state your name."

"Kanos Atlas!" Atlas's deep voice echoed through the air.

"No 'D' in your name, eh? Jihahahaha! What an unprecedented monster you are. The world will surely tremble at your rise!"

The Golden Lion burst into laughter. Blood spilt freely from his body, yet his grip on his blades never wavered.

His gaze drifted upward to the clearing sky, his eyes turning vacant as he muttered, "As I thought… relics of the old era like me shouldn't stand in the way of the new generation's advance..."

As his words faded, his once-proud posture faltered. The swords in his hands suddenly felt as heavy as mountains. A flash of rage crossed his face.

"If that's the case, then take my head and carve your name across the seas! Jihahahaha!"

After one last laugh, the Golden Lion plummeted from the sky, landing before Atlas. Oto and Kogarashi slipped from his grasp, clattering at Atlas's feet.

"Hm?" Atlas narrowed his eyes as a small black shadow darted from Shiki's corpse.

Before he could focus on it, the shadow touched a beam of sunlight piercing the clouds and dissolved instantly, like a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected on water.

Atlas didn't notice that, deep within his mind, the pattern on the Chicken Talisman had darkened—etched more deeply than ever before.

Rumble!

The moment Shiki fell, the island beneath them began to shift. Fractures spread rapidly as the ground trembled.

Without Shiki's Devil Fruit holding it together, the island—already devastated by battle—could no longer remain aloft.

The same fate awaited every other floating island Shiki had raised into the skies.

"Hey! Vice Admiral Kizaru, you've watched long enough, haven't you?" Atlas said coldly, his eyes sliding toward a certain point in the distance.

"Ooooh~ What terrifying Observation Haki~ To think you noticed me."

A yellow flash lit the sky as countless particles of light merged into the form of a tall, languid figure.

Wearing his yellow-and-white striped suit, "Justice" coat, brown sunglasses, and black bucket hat, he pursed his lips in his usual drawl.

"How scary~ You really killed the Golden Lion. Seems this old man's getting rusty..."

"I'm not blind," Atlas muttered, rolling his eyes. He wasn't sure if Shiki had noticed Kizaru, but his own Observation Haki had sensed him lurking all along.

After receiving Sengoku's orders, Kizaru rushed over without delay. With Sakazuki and Kuzan tied up in the New World, he was the only one at Headquarters who could respond quickly.

Though reluctant, he had come—and upon arriving, chose to watch from the sidelines as Atlas fought Shiki evenly.

Looking back, it had been the wisest choice. That final slash Shiki unleashed… just remembering it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Alright, enough chatter. Let's clean up the mess Shiki left behind, Vice Admiral Kizaru," Atlas sighed. At least with Kizaru here, the workload would be lighter.

Handling the collapsing islands alone would have been exhausting—especially after fighting a legendary pirate and surviving wounds that still weighed on him.

"No problem at all, little Atlas~" Kizaru answered with uncharacteristic cheer, well aware he had slacked off while Atlas did the heavy lifting.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions thundered through the skies, loud enough to shake the seas below where Smoker and the others waited.

"That's—!" The sailors aboard the warship looked up in shock. A towering, bare-chested figure descended, each step punctuated by explosions behind him.

His massive frame cast a shadow over the sunlight.

"Vice Admiral Atlas!" someone shouted. As he drew closer, Atlas's stern face came into view. Excitement erupted across the deck.

His presence, alive and unbroken, could mean only one thing—the Golden Lion had fallen!

Cheers roared from the Marines.

"That was the Golden Lion! The disgrace of Impel Down! Vice Admiral Atlas defeated him!"

"His strength must be on par with an Admiral's by now!"

"As expected, Marine justice always prevails!"

"Vice Admiral Atlas will surely be an Admiral candidate soon!"

"Oooh~ So lively~ You're quite the popular one, little Atlas."

A familiar light shimmered into being beside Smoker, materialising into Kizaru's ever-sleazy grin.

"Vice… Vice Admiral Kizaru!" Smoker nearly jumped out of his skin, his heart skipping a beat as he turned and found Kizaru practically nose-to-nose with him.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru, please don't tease me. You're far more popular than I am at Headquarters."

"Is that so?" Kizaru stroked his chin, feigning deep thought.

Atlas wasn't wrong—everyone knew the two most admired men at Headquarters were Tokikake and Kizaru.

Atlas landed heavily on the deck, tossing Oto and Kogarashi to Smoker. "Keep these safe. They're my spoils of war."

"These are…?"

"Ah, the Golden Lion's swords."

Purupurupuru~ Purupurupuru~ Suddenly, the sound of a Den Den Mushi rang out from Kizaru's body.

"That should be Sengoku-san calling about the situation…" Kizaru said, raising the small Den Den Mushi on his wrist. 

"Moshi moshi… Huh? Moshi moshi… This is Borsalino." He scratched his head, turning the Den Den Mushi in his hand to inspect it from every angle. "Strange. Is it broken?"

Smoker, standing beside him, interrupted awkwardly, pointing at Kizaru's suit pocket. "Vice Admiral Kizaru… maybe the Den Den Mushi ringing isn't the one on your wrist…"

"Oh~" Kizaru suddenly realised. Pulling the Den Den Mushi from his pocket, he answered it and then turned to Smoker. "Thanks, little fella~"

"Hey! Borsalino, what's the situation with the backup for Atlas?" As Kizaru expected, Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi—calm but laced with concern.

"The battle was already over when I got here, Sengoku-san~" Kizaru replied, speaking lazily without a shred of guilt.

"Hmm? What was the outcome? Did the Golden Lion escape?" Sengoku pressed. He was clearly still in the dark about Shiki's fate. 

After all, Shiki had concealed his movements far too well; no intel had surfaced on him for eight years.

"Nope~ Little Atlas is too scary. He already killed the Golden Lion," Kizaru said casually, glancing at Atlas, who remained composed.

"What?!" Sengoku was shocked. As someone who had fought Shiki countless times, he knew his power better than anyone. 

Even if Shiki had weakened with age and injury, killing him would have cost Akainu or the other Admirals dearly.

 Could it be…? At that thought, Sengoku quickly asked, "How is that brat, Atlas? He's not seriously injured, is he?"

Kizaru's expression turned strange. He remembered Atlas tanking Shiki's final attack head-on, only for his severe injuries to heal almost instantly. 

He had never seen such recovery in his life. Even an Awakened Mythical Zoan like Kaido's wouldn't compare—it simply wasn't possible.

"Not at all. Little Atlas is in perfect condition right now~"

Sengoku was left speechless. Leaning back in his chair, Kizaru's words echoed in his mind. Perfect condition… Wait, how old is that brat, Atlas, this year?

.....

--East Blue, Loguetown--

Behind the bustling town lay a remote coast, usually deserted. On a towering reef, Atlas sat cross-legged on a flattened rock. 

His posture was upright, but his eyes were distant, as though lost in thought.

Smoker, Ace, and the others had been stationed at the Loguetown Marine base. In a day or two, they would head back to Headquarters, marking the end of their mission. 

Kizaru, under Sengoku's orders, had already returned to his post. 

Although Akainu and the others weren't officially Admirals yet, their strength was equal to it, and someone of Admiral level always needed to remain at Headquarters. 

Kizaru was more than happy with this setup. Very few pirates dared to attack Marineford—only a handful in history had ever tried. 

So why not enjoy easy days at Headquarters? Fighting to the death in the New World wasn't his style. Slacking off at work was much better.

"It seems the colour of this pattern is deeper than the other talismans…" Atlas murmured, his focus drifting inward. 

The Chicken Talisman had changed slightly since the battle with Shiki.

He had coveted the Float-Float Fruit's power ever since their fight. The ability to move freely through the air without relying on Moonwalk was invaluable. 

On paper, the Chicken Talisman didn't seem as strong as the Float-Float Fruit. But its concept was far superior—it was like an upgraded version.

Unlike Shiki's fruit, it wasn't restricted to non-living objects or physical contact. 

The high-speed flight it granted, especially when paired with the Rabbit Talisman, could give him mobility almost on par with Kizaru.

Still, its flaws were obvious. In the original story, the Chicken Talisman's power seemed to rely on telekinesis or some mysterious levitation force. 

Even Jade, who had been overpowered, could only move a few hundred pounds for a short time before exhausting herself. 

Nothing compared to Shiki, who could manipulate islands and seas. But now… something was different.

Atlas withdrew from his mental space, extending his palm as he activated the glowing Chicken Talisman in his mind. 

"Earth Coiling?" He muttered, borrowing Shiki's name for convenience. The man was dead, anyway—no one could sue him for plagiarism.

As soon as he spoke, a colossal lion's head rose from the sea. Every strand of its mane was vivid, every fang glinting in the light. It was a flawless recreation of Shiki's ability.

No—it was even stronger. Atlas realised he didn't need to touch objects to move them. The effect even extended to living beings. 

Against monsters like Kaido or Big Mom, it might not restrain them fully, but it could at least interfere.

"This change… it must be tied to the Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit." Atlas stroked his chin, watching as the water lion dissolved back into the sea.

The timing was clear: the Chicken Talisman had transformed right after Shiki's death. It had to be connected.

"Next up…" With a splash, Atlas dove into the churning waves. He had to confirm whether the talisman also carried the Devil Fruit's curse of the sea.

Splash!

To his relief, he wasn't cursed. The Horse Talisman's power to erase negative effects must have overridden it.

(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)

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