Sengoku initially didn't want to enter the Edd War Sea because he wanted to avoid unnecessary losses.
But the Marines' warships proved remarkably reliable.
They moved steadily through the storm.
And once they entered the Edd War Sea, Sengoku and the others noticed something surprising.
The storm was rapidly dissipating.
From a logical standpoint, this only reinforced Sengoku's belief that Shiki wasn't here.
If the storm was already ending—
It likely meant the bad weather had been raging for several days.
Now it was simply reaching its conclusion.
Inside the command room, Sengoku sipped tea while reviewing documents.
He was already thinking about how the Marines should deal with the increasingly chaotic situation in the New World.
Looking over the reports, he couldn't see any scenario where Shiki would lose.
"If that's the case…"
"Perhaps the Roger Pirates will soon become history."
"For the Marines, that wouldn't be a bad thing."
"But we still can't lower our guard."
"If Shiki chose to surround Roger under these conditions…"
"…there must be a deeper reason."
Sengoku continued analyzing the situation.
Then suddenly he muttered quietly,
"Shiki has invited Roger many times before…"
"But this time…"
"He seems determined to settle things once and for all."
"Why?"
"Has he simply run out of patience?"
Gradually, Sengoku's expression grew serious.
He stroked his braided beard and frowned.
"Ancient Weapons…?"
It had to be said—
Sengoku truly was brilliant.
Shiki's desire to ally with Roger was indeed related to the Ancient Weapons.
"If that's the case…"
"Shiki's threat level has increased significantly…"
Sengoku muttered grimly.
Before he could think further—
The door suddenly burst open.
A Marine colonel rushed in.
Sengoku's thoughts were interrupted.
He looked toward the door, slightly annoyed.
Not even knocking?
Where were this man's manners?
"Admiral!!!"
"The situation outside has changed!"
Sengoku blinked.
"What happened?"
"Did the storm stop?"
"The storm is almost gone," the colonel replied quickly.
"But… it seems we've actually found Shiki's grand fleet."
Sengoku froze.
"…Impossible!!!"
But immediately afterward—
Excitement flashed across his face.
He jumped to his feet and rushed out of the room toward the deck.
Outside—
The violent storm had almost completely subsided.
Even the thick clouds in the sky had begun to disperse.
On the sea ahead—
Broken shipwrecks were scattered everywhere.
Wreckage from dozens of ships floated across the water.
Countless pirate corpses drifted among the waves.
A few survivors struggled desperately in the sea.
Judging from the scale—
It looked like a massive fleet of dozens of ships had been utterly destroyed by the storm.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
Even though the ships were shattered—
Their flags and symbols were still recognizable.
"Those are ships from the Flying Pirates…!" Sengoku said in disbelief.
Sakazuki and Borsalino were equally stunned.
On the other warship, Kuzan, Gion, Garp, and Tsuru were also bewildered.
What was Shiki thinking?
Charging straight into a storm like this with his entire fleet?
And he was a Float-Float Fruit user.
This was practically suicide.
Was he trying to kill himself?
Sengoku was the first to react.
His voice carried excitement.
"Quick!"
"Find Shiki's flagship—the Lion's Pride!"
This was a golden opportunity.
If they could find Shiki's flagship among the wreckage—
Or even capture Shiki himself—
The Marines would gain an enormous victory.
Wasn't this basically a free win handed to the Marines?
After shouting the order, Sengoku turned to Diarmuid and slapped his shoulder excitedly.
"Well done, Diarmuid!"
"Your persistence was right!"
Diarmuid grinned.
"Yes, Admiral!"
Meanwhile—
On a shattered pirate ship drifting across the sea—
Shiki slowly regained consciousness.
He opened his eyes and looked around.
His expression immediately turned dark.
What happened?
This wasn't part of his plan at all.
At first, everything had gone perfectly.
The Battle of Edd War had begun.
With overwhelming numbers and superior firepower, Shiki's fleet had completely suppressed the Oro Jackson.
Victory was already within reach.
The Roger Pirates were on the verge of being annihilated.
Then suddenly—
A massive storm formed behind them.
The storm appeared far too quickly.
In all his years at sea, Shiki had never seen a storm develop this fast.
And before he could react—
The storm crashed straight into his fleet.
As if it had locked onto them.
Within moments—
The terrifying winds tore his grand fleet apart.
Under such circumstances, Shiki's Float-Float Fruit ability was heavily restricted.
Because of the violent turbulence and the side effects of the power, he could barely keep his body stable.
While the storm destroyed his fleet, he himself suffered serious injuries.
Thinking of this, Shiki raised a hand and touched his head.
A ship's rudder had become embedded in it.
He recognized it immediately.
It was the rudder from his own flagship—the Lion's Pride.
At the same time, the final scene before he lost consciousness resurfaced in his mind.
The Oro Jackson of the Roger Pirates had seized the gap torn open by the storm—
…and escaped.
He had failed.
Not defeated by Roger.
Not defeated by anyone.
But defeated by the ever-changing, merciless sea itself.
"…Fate?" Shiki muttered viciously, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
But he did not sink into despair.
Shiki understood one thing very clearly.
The core of the Flying Pirates was himself.
As long as he, Shiki, was still alive—
A fleet like this could be rebuilt anytime.
It would just take time.
One defeat was not enough to bring down the Golden Lion who had dominated the seas.
However—
At that moment, the injured Dr. Indigo rushed over in panic.
"Admiral! The Marines!"
"Sengoku and those bastards are here!"
Shiki froze.
He quickly rushed out of the shattered cabin and looked toward the sea.
Not far away, two massive Marine warships were approaching.
His expression darkened.
His condition was terrible.
He had a rudder stuck in his head, had just fought the Roger Pirates, and had been battered by the storm.
Even though the storm had mostly subsided, the environment still severely limited his abilities.
Fighting here meant he couldn't unleash his full strength.
Meanwhile, the Marines had arrived with two warships.
It was almost certain that Sengoku himself was aboard one of them.
The situation was extremely unfavorable.
In his current state, even in a one-on-one fight he might not defeat Sengoku.
And the Marines undoubtedly had other powerful fighters present.
Just as Shiki spotted the Marines—
Sengoku also discovered the shattered Lion's Pride.
And he saw Shiki standing there.
Although Sengoku found it strange that Shiki had a ship's rudder stuck in his head—
There was no time to think about it.
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Shiki!"
"It's over!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Sengoku kicked off the deck with explosive force.
His body shot forward like a cannonball, flying straight toward Shiki.
Under normal circumstances, Shiki would at least exchange a few blows with Sengoku.
But now—
Shiki's nature as a ruthless pirate overlord fully revealed itself.
He glanced at the sea where his subordinates were still struggling among the wreckage.
A cold flash passed through his eyes.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Dr. Indigo with one hand.
Activating his ability, he lifted into the air—
And fled immediately without even saying a single threatening word.
Truthfully, if Indigo hadn't been useful to him, Shiki probably wouldn't have brought him along either.
Although the sea conditions were still rough, the storm had weakened enough.
Shiki maintained a low-altitude flight, fleeing without looking back.
"Don't run!!!" Sengoku roared.
Without slowing down, he chased after Shiki.
At the same time, the Marine officers began moving into action.
Shiki might escape—
But the many pirates of his fleet couldn't.
Even though Shiki had never truly treated them as trusted subordinates, the pirates he gathered under his command were all capable fighters.
Otherwise, he couldn't have dominated most pirate crews in the New World with that fleet.
Kuzan, Borsalino, Sakazuki, Gion, and Garp all began acting immediately.
Only Vice Admiral Tsuru remained on the warship to oversee operations.
Borsalino and the others started capturing the surviving officers of Shiki's fleet.
Garp, however, seemed to be searching frantically for something.
Diarmuid guessed what it was.
Garp was probably looking for the Oro Jackson.
Perhaps he thought the Roger Pirates had also been caught in the disaster.
Unfortunately—
Unlike Shiki, that unlucky man—
The Roger Pirates had already escaped long ago.
With the danger mostly gone, the Marines launched numerous small boats.
The soldiers began systematically cleaning up the battlefield.
It almost looked as if they were the ones who had won the war.
And in a sense—
That was exactly what had happened.
Diarmuid didn't remain on the warship.
Instead, he boarded the shattered Lion's Pride.
"Rear Admiral Kuzan," Diarmuid greeted.
Kuzan had just arrived aboard the wrecked ship as well.
Kuzan looked to be in a very good mood.
Seeing Diarmuid, he laughed.
"This is all thanks to you, Diarmuid."
"We're going to gain huge rewards from this operation."
Kuzan meant that sincerely.
Before reaching the Edd War Sea, they had almost turned back.
Yet they followed Diarmuid into the storm—
And now they had found Shiki's entire fleet in a defenseless state.
The Marines hadn't even fired a single shot.
And still picked up an enormous victory.
"Honestly, I'm a bit shocked myself," Diarmuid said with a smile as he walked toward Kuzan.
But after only two steps—
CRACK.
The deck beneath his foot suddenly collapsed.
Half his leg sank straight through the broken planks, leaving him in a rather ridiculous position.
No wonder Roger escaped while you couldn't, Shiki, Diarmuid cursed internally.
This garbage ship deserved it.
Seriously—
This was supposed to be a flagship?
Look at Roger.
He built the Oro Jackson using Adam Wood.
And Shiki's ship?
What kind of poor craftsmanship was this?
While grumbling inwardly, Diarmuid awkwardly smiled at Kuzan and pulled his leg out of the broken deck.
Then he noticed something.
Beneath the shattered planks—
There was a small treasure chest.
It looked like part of a cabin below.
But seawater had flooded the space, making everything murky and messy.
"What's wrong?" Kuzan asked curiously.
"Looks like… there's a chest down there," Diarmuid replied honestly.
"Haha," Kuzan chuckled.
"Maybe it's part of Shiki's collection."
"If you're curious, just take it out and have a look."
"Oh, I'm definitely curious."
Diarmuid grinned.
"Mind freezing the water for me first?"
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