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Arthur, having stored Gram's head in his bracelet, adjusted his clothes and waited.
His Observation Haki had detected an approaching ship, its crew discussing him. He was their target.
He wasn't curious about how they'd found him. It was easy enough, if you knew where to look.
Monts later, a ship bearing Shiki's Jolly Roger appeared on the horizon, sailing towards the island.
Two figures, their auras strong, disembarked—the blue-haired woman, Amy, whose Devil Fruit granted her enhanced vision, and Brindle, her hulking companion.
They spotted Arthur, a flicker of surprise in their eyes, quickly replaced by understanding.
"You we're waiting for us, I see. Your Observation Haki is impressive," Amy said with a smile.
Arthur's expression remained impassive. "My Haki is none of your concern. If I'm not mistaken, that's Shiki's Jolly Roger. What do you want? I suggest you choose your words carefully. You're trespassing. I'm sure you know the consequences—"
——
Arthur's Rumble-Rumble Fruit had reached its current voltage limit of two hundred million volts. Further increases required a qualitative change, a breakthrough he hadn't yet achieved.
So, he'd been focusing on other applications, like amplifying his Observation Haki with Electromagnetic Waves, creating a "Haki Net" that extended far beyond its initial range. It now covered over a hundred miles—a tenfold increase, not a re doubling, as so might assu.
Amy's Devil Fruit granted her vision far surpassing his initial Haki range. He hadn't even sensed her watching him. But Brindle, steering the ship towards him, had brought them within Arthur's expanded Haki Net.
Paracia fruits, manipulating the very laws of reality, were truly formidable, granting abilities that defied nature.
Human vision had its limits.
Amy's Devil Fruit allowed her to see incredible distances, even beyond the horizon, with enough practice.
Many Paracia fruits had higher "Ceilings" than Logia, though not the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or the Dark-Dark Fruit, whose control over fundantal forces like Electromagnetism and Gravity gave them limitless potential.
"You recognize our flag. Good." Amy smiled.
Shiki, though weakened, was still a force to be reckoned with in the New World, his Jolly Roger recognizable to every pirate.
While he'd neglected his territories recently, his influence waning, his na still commanded respect—and fear.
"I'm Amy, and this is Brindle. We're with the Golden Lion Pirates," she introduced herself and her companion.
"And?" Arthur wasn't impressed. Shiki's reputation wouldn't intimidate him.
"It's nothing serious, really. Boss Shiki heard you t with Roger. He respects Roger, but he's always wanted to beat him. He's offering you a position in the Golden Lion Pirates. A Commander position," Brindle explained, puffing on his cigar.
"He thinks recruiting ans he's better than Roger? That old man's losing it..." Arthur's words were sharp, his insults cutting deep. He enjoyed pointing out others' weaknesses.
But he also sensed Shiki's decline.
That crushing defeat at Edd War—It had broken his spirit, his ambition—a tragic fall from grace.
"Join the Golden Lion Pirates? Don't waste my ti. Shiki's beco pathetic." Arthur felt a pang of disappointnt, a touch of pity for the fallen Emperor.
So couldn't handle defeat. A single loss could shatter their ambition, their drive.
But Shiki had been defeated by Roger—a legend, a force of nature. It was almost inevitable.
"Well, judging by your past actions, you're not exactly rational. We expected this—" Amy said, a hint of regret in her voice.
"But... traveling alone is dangerous. Have you considered joining a crew? It would make things…easier for you."
"Joining a crew? Bowing down to another captain?" Arthur scoffed, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. "Enough with the small talk. I'm busy."
Shiki, preoccupied with so unknown sche, had neglected his own territories. He wouldn't bother with Arthur, no matter the provocation.
Roger had beco Shiki's obsession. He admired him. But also desperately wanted to prove himself, to defeat him. Arthur was likely an insignificant pawn in his ga.
Did Shiki really need such petty victories to validate himself? His na—Golden Lion Shiki—it spoke for itself.
Was this just a way to prove he was a better judge of character than Roger? That he could recruit soone even Roger couldn't?
Amy and Brindle, seeing their efforts were futile, didn't press the issue. They turned and left.
Arthur watched them go, a sigh escaping his lips.
The once mighty Golden Lion—reduced to this?
Was this the sa man who'd once dread of conquering the world??
Everyone had the right to choose their own path. He wouldn't judge Shiki—or try to goad him into action. The descent into madness was Shiki's own choice.
Just like Dragon had said to Smoker: there was no reason to stop a man from chasing his dreams on the sea.
Arthur felt a pang of regret, like when he'd considered Roger's impending death.
The sea was losing its legends, its monsters—but their absence would create new opportunities, a new generation of powerhouses rising to fill the void.
He pulled a bottle of sake from his storage bracelet, uncorking it and pouring a libation onto the waves.
He had promised to give the old guard a proper send-off. This was the first—a toast to the fallen Golden Lion.
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