Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

Shiki the Golden Lion, that man like a golden lion, was someone Yann had never forgotten.

However, his encounter with Shiki the Golden Lion was fifteen or sixteen years ago.

At that time, Shiki the Golden Lion escaped from Impel Down at the cost of serious injuries. Later, in the battle with Yann, the proud golden lion was eventually worn down and died.

Afterwards, the two swords, the famous swords Kuki and Sakura Ju, which were once the personal swords of Shiki the Golden Lion, became spoils of war for Aon and were thrown into the warehouse of the castle inside Shiki's body.

More than a decade has passed since then, and even Arn has completely forgotten about the existence of the famous swords, Kuki and Sakura, which were placed in the corner.

only……

Why are these two famous swords displayed here?

Yann pushed up his glasses and glanced at Little Gold, who was huddled up on his shoulder.

Immediately, Yann realized that those two little rascals, Kong and Ying, were definitely not just causing trouble in Marineford while he was out fishing.

Marshal Sengoku crossed his arms and stared intently at Ya'en as he continued speaking.

"Ever since Shiki escaped from Impel Down, the Navy has been searching for his whereabouts, but in the past ten years or so, they have not been able to find even the slightest trace of him."

"You were the last person to have contact with Shiki back then, Yann. Don't you think you need to explain yourself?"

Arn appropriately displayed a puzzled expression, while secretly frantically recalling the reasons he had fooled Marshal Sengoku back then.

However, just as people don't remember how many meals they've eaten, Yann had absolutely no recollection of how he casually fooled Marshal Sengoku back then.

In the end, Yann could only reply somewhat dryly, "Perhaps... he died somewhere?"

"Then why is his sword in your possession?"

Vice Admiral Tsuru asked with a half-smile, "Wasn't Shiki the Golden Lion already dead at your hands back then?"

“Um, Lieutenant General Tsuru, we may be familiar with each other, but it’s not quite right to just arbitrarily pin the credit on me, is it?” Ya’en replied.

"Then... explain it." Marshal Sengoku asked again, pointing to the two famous swords.

Arn's lips twitched slightly. The hardest part of the problem wasn't that Arn couldn't come up with a suitable excuse, but that he didn't know if those two little bastards, Sora and Ying, had leaked anything they shouldn't have.

"How about I go ask Kong and Ying first? Maybe they know something?" Ya'en suggested.

"Planning to coordinate your story? Don't waste your time. Otherwise, why do you think we're waiting for you in your courtyard? It's to prevent you from making any preparations in advance..."

After a pause, Marshal Sengoku took a step forward towards Ya'en and shouted, "Answer immediately, Ya'en!"

Faced with the relentless questioning from Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru, along with the presence of Admiral Borsalino, Admiral Kuzan, and Vice Admiral Garp sitting idly by, the situation became increasingly dire.

For a moment, Yann felt an unusual sense of embarrassment, as if... as if he were being forced to slap himself in the face.

"Ugh……"

Yone sighed deeply and said, "I confess, these two famous swords were indeed obtained from Shiki the Golden Lion."

Zeff, who had remained silent until now, finally stood up and pressed on, "So... Shiki the Golden Lion died at your hands back then?"

Just like the three most outstanding Marines of that era: Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, the most terrifying pirates of the same era were "Pirate King" Roger, "Golden Lion" Shiki, and "Whitebeard" Edward.

Among them, Admiral Zephyr and "Golden Lion" Shiki have fought countless times.

Facing the many gazes fixed upon him, Yann slowly nodded.

In fact, given Arn's current status, there's no point in hiding such a thing.

The reason Yann concealed this fact back then was simply to avoid attracting the attention of the World Government and his sudden promotion.

Now that Yann has already achieved the status of "Naval Hero" and even holds the rank of Vice Admiral, it's unlikely that he would be promoted to Admiral... even with this additional merit.

As Yann nodded, the expressions of almost all the high-ranking naval officers present changed in ways that were hard to conceal. Even Kuzan, who had been feigning sleep, was so startled that he couldn't help but open his eyes.

Shock! ! !

Even through comparing the "Famous Sword: Drywood" and the "Famous Sword: Sakura-ju" with the reports recorded back then, these high-ranking naval officers had already begun to make some guesses.

However, he was still shocked when he actually received Yann's affirmation!

That's... "Golden Lion" Shiki!

He was once the captain of the Flying Pirates, who roamed the seas and traversed the skies. He was the legendary man who nearly destroyed the Pirate King's crew in the Battle of Edd War and dared to take over Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, all by himself.

Borsalino pulled his brown sunglasses down further, staring at Arn as if he were getting to know him all over again, and said with a sigh.

"That's incredible! Back then, young man Yan was only sixteen, right? He was a monster."

This sentence truly expressed the feelings of everyone present.

Killing "Golden Lion" Shiki at the age of sixteen—such fame would make any man instantly famous.

Furthermore, compared to Pluton, an ancient weapon that only appears in legends, Shiki the Golden Lion's reputation and strength are much more deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Marshal Zhan Guo's chest heaved slightly as he pressed on, "Ya'en, why did you conceal this matter back then?"

"Because... my strength back then simply couldn't withstand that level of fame..."

Yann shrugged and said truthfully.

"I was too weak back then! My frail physique, shallow domineering aura, and lack of combat experience were not the kind of reputation that I, at the age of sixteen, could bear."

Upon hearing Yann's words, the expressions of the high-ranking naval officers present became strange.

Weak? Superficial? Lacking?

So... he killed "Golden Lion" Shiki?

In the end, it was Vice Admiral Tsuru who first suggested a possibility and asked, "Back then, wasn't it you who killed 'Golden Lion' Shiki alone?"

Now that things had come to this, Yann readily admitted it. "No, I did it all by myself."

???

High command of the Navy. (To be continued)

[Chapter 442. Arrangements for the Void and the Fire]

"Cough cough..."

Lieutenant General Tsuru, who had almost choked on Yaen's answer, steadied himself and guessed again. "Then... was it a sneak attack?"

Yaen shook his head again in denial.

As an outstanding young man and hero of the new generation of the Navy, Yann would never do something as unethical as a sneak attack.

To be more precise, it was Yann who was most afraid of being ambushed.

“Lieutenant General Yann, since you killed Shiki with your own strength, it is only natural that you should receive the corresponding reputation. Why do you say that you cannot bear that reputation? Why do you even say that you are weak?”

In the end, Zephyr, who had hardly ever had any contact with Y'en in the past, couldn't help but have a strange expression on his face.

After all, according to the customs of this sea, mutual flattery is always the norm.

The logic is simple: if I can't beat you, it's not because I'm bad, but because I admire my opponent's strength, which also makes me feel strong.

Therefore, this ocean is full of all sorts of "strongest" nicknames, such as "the strongest man in the world", "the strongest creature on land, sea and air", "the strongest marine"...

In short, if you are the strongest, I am the strongest, and everyone is the strongest, then no one will lose face.

It's truly... rare for someone like Yann to defeat a notorious pirate and then frankly admit to being weak.

In the end, Zephyr can only be described as "rare".

"Ugh……"

Yaen let out a helpless sigh.

Then, Yann vividly recounted the battle from back then.

Of course, it has undergone a certain degree of artistic processing.

Yann first described in detail the near-death experiences he had during the battle, and frankly admitted that "Golden Lion" Shiki died because he was devastated after hearing that "Pirate King" Roger was dead, and fought to his last drop of blood.

"So, Shiki was a martyr..."

Upon hearing the last word, Lieutenant General Tsuru realized that such a description might not have been entirely appropriate.

After all, these two big men, Shiki and Roger, seemed to have nothing to do with a passionate love affair.

Ignoring Lieutenant General Tsuru's strange expression, Yann spoke directly.

"Therefore, I don't think I am worthy of the title of 'killing the Golden Lion'. I can only be considered as someone who barely survived the counterattack of a crazed and out-of-control lion."

Seeing the complex expression on Yaen's face, which still carried a hint of lingering fear, Zefa, being a gentle man, subconsciously believed everything Yaen said and offered words of comfort.

“Lieutenant General Yann, even so, it is still very remarkable.”

On the contrary, Marshal Sengoku, who was Aon's adoptive father, stared at Aon with some suspicion, feeling that this little rascal was not the type to tell the truth.

However, Marshal Sengoku just meticulously pieced together every detail of what Yan had described... It was incredibly detailed.

It would be impossible to fabricate such details in such a short time if one hadn't experienced it firsthand.

"So... Shiki, that bastard who dreamed of dominating the seas is completely dead?" Sengoku asked, confirming.

Yann nodded; this was the only point he had no doubt about.

After all, back then, Yann was afraid that the Navy or civilians might discover the body of "Golden Lion" Shiki, so he directly sent the body of "Golden Lion" Shiki back to the sea with local specialties such as the large iron ball.

"Alright, in any case, Shiki, who has been a source of concern for years, is no longer a threat to the sea, which is a good thing," Vice Admiral Tsuru concluded.

"Well, we can announce this fact to the sea at the right time."

As a naval admiral, Sengoku would not misunderstand his position and would certainly not let go of such good news that could boost the morale of the navy.

However, Yan felt that Marshal Sengoku's approach was too troublesome.

Even though Yann had almost forgotten about this, his credit was forcibly dug up.

'Seriously... even fishing can turn into something like this...'

Ya'en couldn't help but purse his lips, then spoke in a way that implied he was about to ask them to leave. "Have you all had dinner? Would you like something prepared for you?"

Upon hearing this, the Warring States Marshal replied matter-of-factly, "Not yet. You brat, prepare one for me."

“I was so busy arranging for people to deal with the ruins caused by the fire that I didn’t really have time to eat. If Lieutenant General Yann doesn’t mind, I can stay and have a meal too,” Lieutenant General Tsuru said gently and kindly.

"Young Yann, then I'll leave it to you." Lieutenant General Karp didn't even bother to give a reason.

"Lieutenant General Yann, do you mind having me along?" Borsalino asked with a smile.

"Thanks." Kuzan remained as taciturn as ever.