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"Cough... I never expected to lose to you and that orange-haired girl!" Golden Lion smiled bitterly, feeling the black blade that could crush his heart at any mont.
He gave up struggling and looked at Ikki, as if trying to morize his face.
"To be honest, I couldn't have defeated you without my friends' help," Ikki said calmly, sensing Shiki's fading life force. "Even though you've neglected your training, a legendary pirate is still a legendary pirate."
He felt relieved that the battle was finally over.
"I never expected soone like you to be a bounty hunter," Shiki said. "Well, it seems this era belongs to the young after all. But... can you tell , is Ace really Roger's son?"
Golden Lion coughed up blood, still concerned about Roger even in his final monts.
"I didn't lie before," Ikki nodded. "Fire Fist Ace is Roger's son."
The man was dying anyway, so Ikki had no reason to hide the truth.
"Shihahaha! I'm... about to die, you shouldn't lie to ," Shiki laughed weakly. "Roger... you bastard, you actually left a son in this world. But there really is... your..."
With those final words, Golden Lion fell unconscious.
At the sa ti, the system's voice sounded in Ikki's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host for defeating 'Golden Lion Shiki, Swordsman of the Mountain-Cutting Realm', obtaining 'Shiki's Dual Sword Style', and gaining permission to challenge 'Swordsman of the Mountain-Cutting Realm, Shiki'.]
[You can now take Golden Lion's legendary swords 'Oto' and 'Kogarashi'.]
'So it really was Mountain-Cutting Realm swordsmanship,' Ikki thought. 'I wonder if your sword skill declined with your overall strength, or if you had only trained to the Mountain-Cutting level to begin with.'
Ikki shook his head, turned his blade and shattered Golden Lion's heart, ending his life completely.
After glancing toward where the flas and black mist had disappeared from Mock Town, Ikki thought for a mont before deciding to rush back to Nami and the others.
Having used too much energy, he could no longer sense Blackbeard's or Ace's auras with his Observation Haki. Though keeping Blackbeard alive might affect the future, Ikki's priority was confirming his crew's safety.
At the coast of Mock Town, few ships remained in what had once been a bustling port. Many people had fled, but a small three-masted sailboat with a crossed-swords symbol on its sail still waited at the dock.
"He's coming!" Nojiko smiled, suddenly looking up at the sky.
Seeing her reaction, Robin, Vivi, and the others quickly raised their heads and followed Nojiko's gaze.
Sure enough, they saw Ikki descending from the sky using Moonwalk, carrying Golden Lion's body.
"Everyone, I'm back," Ikki smiled at them as he tossed Shiki's body onto a corner of the deck, then landed in front of Nojiko.
However, due to exhaustion, his legs gave way as soon as he touched the deck. Nojiko quickly caught him in her arms.
"Ikki, are you okay?" she asked with concern. "I'll heal your wounds right away."
Seeing the blood soaking through Ikki's clothes, Nojiko's heart ached. It was ti to use her Shikai's healing ability.
Ikki didn't stop her. Golden Lion had been incredibly strong, and even with Nami's help and their two Bankai, he hadn't escaped without injuries.
"Don't worry, none of my wounds are fatal," Ikki assured them. "But it might not be safe here. Everyone, sail the Explorer to the other side of Jaya Island. Let's find the descendants of that braggart Noland to confirm the Sky Island boarding location."
Ikki smiled at everyone on deck before being enveloped by the one-eyed manta ray ford by Nojiko's released Minazuki.
It was Ikki's first ti experiencing Minazuki's treatnt thod of being swallowed by the manta ray. Though a bit uncomfortable, he couldn't complain if it ant recovering quickly.
"I can't believe Ikki actually defeated him," Robin said with awe. "Golden Lion Shiki, the man who nearly drove Pirate King Roger to despair. I imagine it won't be long before Ikki's na spreads throughout the world."
She turned to Nami. "And yours too, of course."
"I just stood there using my Bankai's power," Nami shook her head modestly. "In the end, it was Gonryōmaru that helped Ikki. Robin, if your Zanpakutō reaches its full power too, you might be even more helpful."
"Let's not talk about that now," Nami added. "Let's get the ship away quickly before anything else happens."
Nami ran toward the helm while Vivi and Robin nodded, jumped to the masts, and lowered the sails.
Soon, the Explorer was sailing toward the other side of Jaya Island with the sea breeze at its back.
Ten minutes after the Explorer departed, Blackbeard erged in a cloud of dark mist, holding the unconscious Ace in his hand.
"That man actually defeated Golden Lion!" Blackbeard muttered, looking into the distance with growing hatred in his eyes.
Aboard the Explorer...
"Ikki, are you okay?" Robin and the others asked with concern as he erged from the one-eyed manta ray.
"Don't worry, Nojiko's healing ability is very powerful," Ikki nodded reassuringly. "My wounds are fully healed, though my strength hasn't completely returned yet."
"That's a relief," Vivi said. "By the way, what are you going to do with Golden Lion's body? I've already taken photos for the bounty."
By now, she had learned about Shiki's enormous bounty from Nami and hadn't neglected to docunt his defeat.
"He... wait, where are the swords from his legs?" Ikki frowned, looking at Golden Lion's body.
"I already removed the two swords from his legs. I thought you might want them," Robin said from behind Ikki.
Ikki turned to see Robin holding 'Oto' and 'Kogarashi', the legendary swords that had been embedded in Golden Lion's legs.
"Thank you, Robin," Ikki smiled, taking the swords. "These swords are in excellent condition. I like them very much."
Ikki imdiately chose to upload the two swords to his system.
[Ding! Host has uploaded the 21 Great Grade Swords 'Oto' and 'Kogarashi' and received a total of 6 lottery chances.]
Ikki felt even happier hearing the system's voice in his mind. He almost wanted to thank Golden Lion for coming all this way to deliver these treasures to him, even if the incident had affected the criminals in Mock Town.
'System, use all six draws!' Ikki commanded after calming himself.
[Drawing... Congratulations to Host for winning C-level nutritional potion x10, B-level nutritional potion x1.]
[Congratulations to Host for obtaining Zanpakutō 'Katen Kyōkotsu'!]
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