Rumble!
The sound of something tearing through the air echoed out.
Above the largest island at the center of the floating archipelago, a massive pirate ship with a lion's head figurehead soared through the sky.
Shiki stood at the bow with his arms crossed. He looked down at Lius and Nami from above, a wild smile spreading across his face.
The pirate ship stopped ten meters away. An invisible pressure crashed over them.
"Hey! Old man, you aren't hurt too badly, right?" Lius asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked at the old pirate's arm wrapped in white bandages.
"Jihahaha! Don't be too confident, kid. This little scratch is just the result of my own carelessness at best!"
He laughed around the cigar clamped in his teeth, his tone incredibly arrogant. "Although you've grasped conqueror's haki coating, you still have a long way to go compared to the top powerhouses of this sea!"
"But since you managed to injure me, even if I was careless, it proves you have the qualifications to set sail!"
"However, you must remember. Never use conqueror's haki lightly unless you are pushed to the absolute brink! Your conqueror's haki is too powerful. If you want to use it without limits, you need to train yourself even harder!"
"If you use it recklessly, you will drive yourself into a corner..."
He rambled on and on.
This great pirate of the old era showed rare patience in his instructions and careful reminders. He acted just like an elder expressing concern for a younger generation about to go on a long journey.
Shiki's eyes were filled with complex emotions as he looked at the young man.
They had spent two years together, and he had taught him everything he could.
Every little memory flashed through the mind of this pirate from a bygone era.
Before meeting Lius, he only believed in himself. He had nothing but utter disdain for the so-called concept of passing down a legacy.
But now...
The appearance of this boy had caused this aging lion king to undergo a change of heart regarding his original ambitions.
Right now, he only held one firm belief.
Lius would surpass the former captain Rocks and become the true king of the world!
He had absolutely no doubts about this!
...
Similarly, Lius felt a surge of emotion as he looked at Shiki and listened to his endless nagging.
Since he knew the original plotline, he had initially felt somewhat uncomfortable around this remnant of the old era.
After all, the man had lost twice to Roger from East Blue.
Such luck was not just terrible, it was practically on the level of being abandoned by the entire world.
But the old pirate's personal strength was undeniable.
If he hadn't encountered the unsolvable bug known as plot armor, his mindset wouldn't have collapsed so completely.
He had hidden for over twenty years, pinning all his hopes on external objects from his own research.
This kind of mentality was equivalent to denying his former powerful self!
Having spent two years together, Lius naturally understood this well. Therefore, he often calmly and slowly guided the old man's thoughts. He didn't want him to end up with such a stifling and frustrating fate as he did in the anime.
It could be said that Shiki's current transformation was not merely due to Lius's overwhelmingly powerful conqueror's haki.
More than that, it was the young man's forward-thinking ideas that convinced this relic of the old era that changing the world was truly possible.
"Alright, old man, spare me the nagging. When I reach the peak, I'll take you under my wing!"
Lius declared boldly, tilting his head up at Shiki while keeping an arm wrapped around Nami's soft waist.
Then, thinking of something, he added a reminder. "Instead of believing that external forces like ferocious beasts can rule the world, you might as well believe in me. I will bring changes to this world that you can't even begin to imagine!"
The smile on Shiki's face gradually stiffened upon hearing this.
He met Lius's gaze. Feeling the absolute confidence radiating from those eyes, he nodded heavily.
"I'll be waiting!"
After leaving those words, the lion-headed pirate ship slowly rose into the air. It continuously pulled away from the island where the pair stood, flying toward the main base at the center of the floating archipelago.
"Thank you for looking after me all this time!"
Seeing that the ship was about to leave, Lius released Nami and cupped his fists together.
His voice pierced through thousands of meters, echoing beside the old man's ears.
The great pirate of the old era broke into a smile once again and let out a wild, arrogant laugh.
"Jihahaha! brat, hearing such sentimental words just pisses me off. I am the Golden Lion! I hate tender farewells the most!"
His smile faded. He raised a hand and pointed in Lius's direction.
"Poison Snake!"
As soon as his voice dropped.
The island where Lius and Nami stood began to shake violently.
Having lost the support of the Float-Float Fruit's power, the small island was immediately gripped by gravity. It plummeted straight toward the ocean ten thousand meters below.
"You damned old man! When I reach the pinnacle of the world in the future, I'll definitely make you pay!"
Lius cursed loudly as he pointed at the retreating figure of the pirate with one hand while grabbing Nami with the other.
"Kyaaahhhh!!!!!"
Beside him, Nami was so frightened that she was on the verge of passing out.
Witnessing this scene.
In the distance, the ship's doctor, Indigo, widened his eyes in fright. "Mr. Shiki, is this really okay?"
They were ten thousand meters in the air!
Aside from that emperor of the sea in the New World who frequently attempted suicide, no one could survive this unscathed.
"Jihahaha!"
Shiki tilted his head back and laughed freely. "Don't underestimate him. He is a natural-born emperor! This level of difficulty is absolutely nothing to him!"
Sure enough!
Right after he spoke.
A massive balloon suddenly inflated from where the boy had been. It carried the duo against the roaring air currents, descending toward the ocean below amid a stream of constant cursing.
It was a parachute!
It was precisely because he understood his student so well that he used this unique method to send him off.
All just to minimize the sentimental dialogue as much as possible.
"That brat! He really came prepared!"
A relieved smile spread across Shiki's face.
For some unknown reason, his cloudy eyes grew slightly blurry.
This lion in his twilight years seemed to be watching a growing young lion being driven from the pride, hoping the boy would become the true king of these seas.
In the distance, the parachute carrying the two gradually shrank into a black dot before finally vanishing from sight.
Shiki stood at the bow, remaining silent for a long time.
"Mr. Shiki, what do we do next?" Indigo asked with a heavy sigh.
The only person capable of making this legendary great pirate show such deep emotion was probably the young boy who had just set sail!
"Release all the people we captured!"
Hearing the ship doctor's words, Shiki snapped back to reality. He reined in his emotional expression and spoke sharply. "However, you can resume the beast research we paused for two years. After all, twenty years of effort will definitely be put to use one day!"
The massive lion-headed pirate ship shuddered and fully detached from the floating archipelago.
"Captain, where are you going?" the crew asked in confusion upon seeing this.
"I'm making a trip to the New World. It's time to catch up with some old friends!"
After he finished speaking, the pirate ship soared into the sky, flying toward the vast horizon.