"Of course…"
Staring at the arrogant, defiant "Golden Lion" Shiki before him, Yahn quietly rested one hand on his Zanpakutō. His expression, however, was as calm and natural as ever.
"As a man of the sea, how could I not have a dream?"
The "Golden Lion" looked down at Yahn from above and said coldly, "Speak."
Yahn's voice was steady. "Naturally, it's to become the world's strongest…"
At this point, even someone as thick-skinned as Yahn couldn't help but feel a tinge of embarrassment.
Both Shiki and the countless marines aboard the battleship were now filled with intense curiosity, waiting eagerly to hear the rest of his ambition.
The world's strongest…
Any dream prefaced with those words was bound to be no small matter.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yahn slowly continued the second half of his sentence.
"…the world's strongest woman's husband!"
In an instant, silence fell over the entire warship. Only the sound of waves crashing against the hull remained.
"???"
Shiki. The marines. All of them were dumbfounded.
Then Shiki tilted his head slightly, letting out a confused grunt. "Hah?"
Even with Shiki's decades of experience and countless encounters with ambitious men of the sea, he wondered if he'd misheard.
"What kind of bullshit dream is that?!" Shiki cursed, clearly thrown off.
Yahn shrugged, replying as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"As a man who knows his limits, I'm fully aware that I can't conquer the world through force alone. So, I plan to conquer the strongest woman in the world… and thus conquer the world through her."
Shiki immediately barked back with his usual arrogance. "Bullshit! If a man wants to rule the world, he should do it with his own power!"
Yahn shook his head and sighed faintly. "You don't understand the beauty of it."
"Pfft."
Shiki snorted disdainfully through his nose. Then, placing his palm on the deck of the warship—
The power of the Float-Float Fruit activated!
In a flash, the steel-boned battleship seemed to lose all its weight and began rapidly floating into the sky.
"You brat. Don't say I never gave you a chance. Join my Flying Pirates, and I'll spare these marines. I'll give you a few days to think it over. Otherwise, I'll throw each and every one of you into the sea."
Casting a sidelong glance at the alert and defiant marines behind Yahn, Shiki added,
"And you navy rats better not get in my way. Get below deck, now!"
Though fear gripped the hearts of many marines, they still stood firm, unwilling to abandon their pride as soldiers of justice.
Seeing this, Yahn waved his hand and said,
"Go on, Ensign Hope. Take the soldiers and head below deck. When faced with an overwhelming foe, survival is the best path to upholding justice in the future."
Hope stepped forward anxiously. "Lord Yahn, at least let me stay and protect you!"
Yahn barked back sharply. "Don't be ridiculous! Know your limits. Assess the gap between you and your enemy before taking action. Obey orders!"
"…Yes, sir!"
The marines saluted in unison, then retreated in an orderly fashion toward the interior of the ship.
Watching all this, Shiki grew more curious about Yahn. Glancing at his commoner-like clothes, he asked,
"You're actually in charge of this battleship? What rank are you?"
"Barely scraped by as… a Navy Lieutenant," Yahn replied.
Shiki eyed him again with disinterest, clearly unimpressed.
A mere lieutenant?
In terms of power, such a rank wasn't even worth a glance from the Golden Lion. Just another small fry.
Then, Shiki sat down casually, stabbing his two famed swords—Oto and Kogarashi—into the deck. As he began tending to his wounds, he spoke:
"Think it over, kid. Use that brain of yours and come sail with me. Together, we'll start a new era."
---
Meanwhile…
At the very top level of Impel Down, the underwater prison, Deputy Warden Magellan stood watching the warship slowly rise into the air. A deep shadow crossed his face.
"Damn it…"
He cursed under his breath, then turned to a nearby guard.
"Quickly—report this to the Chief Warden on Level 6, and to Navy Headquarters."
---
"What?!"
Back in Navy Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had just returned to his office after a short break—only to be struck speechless by the news of Shiki's escape from Impel Down.
"How could this happen?! Wasn't 'Golden Lion' Shiki locked up in the deepest level of the underwater prison, chained in Seastone?! How could he possibly escape?!"
The messenger straightened up and answered quickly and clearly.
"Reporting, Admiral! According to Deputy Warden Magellan, Shiki severed his own legs to escape his bindings. Then, using the powers of the Float-Float Fruit, he released large numbers of inmates, causing chaos across the prison."
"Though the guards managed to stabilize the situation temporarily, Shiki fought his way through and escaped. He broke through the Gate of Justice and hijacked a battleship to flee into the sky—"
"Wait…"
Sengoku's expression suddenly darkened. "What did you just say? Repeat it!"
The messenger was stunned by the sheer intensity radiating from the Admiral. A crushing aura swept over him, causing his heart to nearly stop.
Gulp.
The messenger swallowed nervously and forced himself to continue.
"Shiki broke through the Gate of Justice… and hijacked a battleship."
BOOM!!
A section of the office wall exploded into dust under Sengoku's fist.
The wide-eyed messenger could hardly believe it. The steadfast Admiral—pillar of the Marines—stood there with bloodshot eyes and a faint shimmer of tears behind his glasses.
'Is… is Admiral Sengoku crying…?'
The messenger could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"Shiki, you bastard… I'll tear you to pieces myself!!"
Sengoku let out a roar of pure fury, then dashed out of the office—heading straight for Vice Admiral Borsalino's quarters.
---
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