Next Bonus, 100!!
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Dressrosa.
High above the chaos, Jin's Observation Haki expanded, a spectral eye sweeping across the battlefield to take in every detail.
"K-ROOM: Anesthesia!"
Law unleashed the awakening technique of his Op-Op Fruit. His blade pierced through Saint Gunko, the user of the Arrow-Arrow Fruit, skewering her completely.
However, the wound knitted together before his eyes, healing at a visible rate.
"What a pain..."
Law scowled.
In terms of combat regeneration, the demonic carrier's healing factor wasn't nearly as broken as Imu's power.
These members of the God's Knights... their bodies could be sliced in two, and they would simply reattach.
They didn't seem human at all.
The tide of the battle was turning against them.
Saint Shamrock possessed the combat power of a Yonko. Paired with Doflamingo—a master of crowd control and underhanded tactics—they were a nightmare team.
Together, they entangled Loki.
Despite his immense strength, the giant prince couldn't fully utilize his power.
It was the inherent disadvantage of his colossal size; his lack of agility made him an easy target.
Saint Killingham was a one-man army. Using his Devil Fruit, he summoned a horde of nightmarish monsters from the dream world.
Endless flame clouds billowed around him, thick and oppressive.
Grotesque, suffocating figures emerged from the nightmare realm, a sight that made scalps tingle with dread.
Individually, they weren't overwhelmingly strong. The problem was that, like the God's Knights themselves, these monsters were unkillable.
It was an immortal legion.
Furthermore, Doflamingo's forces already outnumbered Loki's army and the Riku Royal Army. Now that the enemy's top-tier combatants had joined the fray, the scales had tipped disastrously.
"It's time..."
Training was one thing, but Jin had no intention of letting Law and the others be captured or suffer heavy casualties, repeating the tragedies of the future timeline.
Since the enemy had played their ace...
Teleport.
A massive heptagram summoning circle materialized in the sky above Dressrosa, causing the air itself to ripple violently.
"Hm??"
Saint Shamrock, Saint Gunko, Saint Killingham, and Doflamingo all sensed the disturbance simultaneously, looking skyward.
A magic circle??
Did Lord Imu send reinforcements?
No!
That circle...
It felt different from Lord Imu's power.
How was that possible??
Just as the shock set in—
BOOM!
A sharp, domineering, and tyrannical wave of Conqueror's Haki slammed down like a hurricane.
RUMBLE!
The sky above Dressrosa churned uneasily. The sea boiled, sending massive waves crashing against the shore.
An oppressive aura suppressed everything in its vicinity. Crimson lightning and sparks danced in the air, heralding the arrival of a figure.
Golden hair, a golden mane...
A legend of a bygone era had returned from the grave.
"GOLDEN LION SHIKI??"
Doflamingo's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Isn't he dead?"
"The rumors came from his own suppliers! They said he and his islands just vanished!"
Doflamingo couldn't believe his eyes.
But it was true.
The man descending from the sky was none other than the "deceased" Shiki the Golden Lion.
And this Shiki... the steering wheel was gone from his head. His legs were whole again.
He wore a demon mask and hovered silently in the air, letting the gale whip his clothes around him.
The pressure of a true conqueror radiated from him.
Jin had obtained Shiki's complete body after their battle.
Then, Judge had conducted experiments with his lineage factor.
After the battle of Cocoyasi Village, and considering the threat posed by the God's Knights, Jin had been brainstorming countermeasures.
To kill the God's Knights and the Five Elders, only top-tier Conqueror's Haki would suffice.
But where could he find such power?
A flash of inspiration had struck him.
Could he grant authority to Shiki's corpse and control it like a puppet?
He tried it, and to his surprise—it worked.
Jin used the demonic carrier's restoration functions to heal Shiki's body and even performed some modifications.
Of course, this wasn't a resurrection. Shiki's soul and will had long since dissipated. He was now nothing more than a puppet.
A vessel controlled and dominated by Jin.
It was similar to how Imu descended and controlled Saint Gunko.
This was also one of the reasons Jin hadn't passed the Float-Float Fruit on to anyone else.
But the world didn't know that.
"Shiki!"
"That guy is the Golden Lion?"
"Why is a monster like him here?"
Shiki floated there, sleeves fluttering, emitting an unparalleled Conqueror's Haki that shook everyone to their core.
This was the Flying Pirate, a legend who had once rivaled Roger!
When a figure from the history books appears right in front of you, awe is the only natural reaction.
"Oi, oi... you're kidding, right? Another big shot?"
Seeing the magic circle, they instinctively assumed it was an enemy reinforcement. Very few people knew that Jin had been the one to kill Shiki.
News of Shiki's death had only leaked because he owed money to his suppliers, and they couldn't find him.
Saint Shamrock, Saint Gunko, and Saint Killingham frowned in unison.
Shiki looked down on the island—and on them—from high above, as if he were the god sitting on the throne.
This arrogance did not sit well with those who considered themselves "gods."
"The Golden Lion..."
Doflamingo felt the heavy pressure crushing down on him.
The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He had gotten stronger. He knew he had.
So why did it feel like nothing had changed? Why did it feel like anyone could still come along and stomp him?
Shiki's entrance brought a momentary, terrified silence to the battlefield.
Everyone felt a deep sense of unease.
An invisible, murderous atmosphere brewed in the air.
Beneath the demon mask, Jin's will seized control of the legend's body.
Zip!
His figure vanished from the sky. In the next instant, he reappeared directly in front of Saint Killingham.
The name of a man is like the shadow of a tree. Being targeted by such a legend made the fine hairs on Saint Killingham's body stand on end.
Unlike the small-time pirates of this era, Shiki was a figure who had truly stood at the pinnacle of power.
He had been a member of the Rocks Pirates.
He had fought Roger for the title of Pirate King.
He had clashed with Whitebeard and Big Mom.
He had fought Garp and Sengoku alone at Marineford, destroying half the base.
He had escaped Impel Down...
His list of deeds was legendary.
Saint Killingham's pupils contracted. He swung his trident.
Countless nightmare monsters—manifestations of fear in the shape of Garp, Sengoku, Whitebeard, and legendary demons—lunged forward.
They were the terrors lurking in the human heart.
Now, they swarmed like locusts, blotting out the sky, rushing toward Shiki.
A ghostly wind howled between heaven and earth.
It was a terrifying sight.
Saint Killingham was among them, gripping his trident with both hands, thrusting it toward Shiki. The blade shone with a cold, sharp light.
A sharp, piercing Haki erupted from Shiki's body.
Centered on him, crimson lightning and sparks danced wildly.
The light was more blinding than the sun.
Attack!
Jin didn't know if Shiki would have used this move, but controlling the body, he executed it effortlessly.
Conqueror's Haki surged outward like a tidal wave, invisible lightning and sparks rolling over the battlefield.
Hiss... Hiss...
The incoming nightmare monsters melted away like snow under a scorching sun.
Instantly dissolved.
"What??"
Saint Killingham's heart sank, a bad premonition gripping him.
Sure enough.
In the next instant, Shiki's hand reached out and grabbed the trident directly.
Then.
He slapped.
A palm wrapped in Conqueror's Haki struck Saint Killingham across the face.
SMACK!
Saint Killingham froze. A distinct red handprint bloomed on his cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
A crisp, loud slap.
The surrounding crowd fell deathly silent.
People gasped.
He... he just slapped a Celestial Dragon in the face!!!
"You bastard! You lowly, filthy mortal! How dare you strike my face??"
Saint Killingham snapped back to reality, unable to believe what had just happened. His rage peaked.
He tried to yank his trident back.
"Celestial Dragons? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but farts in the wind."
Shiki spoke, raising his hand casually.
SMACK!
Another heavy slap landed viciously on Saint Killingham's face.
This one had real force behind it. It sent the Celestial Dragon flying, tumbling awkwardly across the ground, crying out in pain.
It wasn't that Saint Killingham was weak. It was that Shiki, under Jin's control, was simply stronger.
"Damn you! You lowly scum!"
Two slaps. Saint Killingham was going to explode with rage.
As a Celestial Dragon, he was born noble.
As a personal guard to Imu, he was the highest of the high, even among the World Nobles.
Even other Celestial Dragons had to bow and kowtow to him. He was like a god.
When had he ever been treated like this?
Slapped in public?
He was always the one slapping others! No one dared to slap him! NO ONE!!!
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