"According to the information provided by the Master, Shiki, the Golden Lion, had a ship's rudder stuck in his head because of the storm during the naval battle at Edd War and nearly died.
"Although he managed to survive, his Conqueror's Haki, which once shook the seas, has completely faded over the past twenty years due to that rudder.
However, the Master also mentioned that if Shiki were to remove the rudder, he might regain the ability to use his top-tier Conqueror's Haki in the final moments of his life, so we cannot give him that chance."
"There was also his escape from Impel Down. Shiki lost his feet in the underwater prison, which threw off his balance. Even though his swordsmanship is still at the level of a master swordsman, it's no longer the same as when he was in his prime."
So for this mission, we have an absolute intelligence advantage.
Looking down at "Foosha Village" in the center of the archipelago below, Carina, the mission commander, first boosted the team's morale, then seriously said, "But legends are legends. Even if the opponent has lost his top-tier Conqueror's Haki and his dual-sword technique is no longer unmatched, we still can't underestimate these old-era sea emperors."
"To prevent him from using the abilities of the Float-Float Fruit to counter us or escape, we'll continue using assassination tactics as before."
After saying that, Carina turned to Viola beside her, "Sister Viola, please use your Paramecia ability, your farsight and clairvoyance, to check if Shiki is at his base."
"When I scouted the floating islands earlier, I confirmed Shiki is in the mountains on this island," Viola immediately replied.
"Good. We'll remain invisible for now. Perfect Five, you'll use the ability of your Paramecia Teleport-Teleport Fruit to take us behind Shiki. This will be crucial for installing the scanning devices and uploading all bounty information. I trust this will be an easy task for you. After that, Oro Jia, you're up..."
After confirming Shiki's presence in "Vilmejo," Carina laid out her strategy.
Once she finished, the invisible team of six vanished into thin air.
When they reappeared, they had already moved into a relatively spacious room.
Not far in front of them stood a man in a kimono, his long blond hair nearly touching the ground.
Upon seeing this man, a scarlet light flickered in the eyes of Perfect Three, Perfect Four, and Perfect Five, who had come along with the group.
In their vision, next to the long-haired man, a bounty poster with an evil grin immediately materialized.
The figure on the bounty was none other than Shiki, the Golden Lion.
After confirming the target, Perfect Five, following the plan, used the ability of the Teleport-Teleport Fruit to instantly bring the invisible Carina and Oro Jia to the front and back of Shiki.
"Barrier Ball—"
"Dark Vortex—"
As soon as they teleported to their positions, Oro Jia and Carina immediately activated their Devil Fruit abilities."
Moreover, their movements were perfectly in sync with Perfect Five's teleportation, clearly showing this wasn't their first time working together.
"…Who?!"
The sudden sound startled Shiki, the Golden Lion, who had not only lost his Haki and swordsmanship but also much of his sharpness over the past twenty years.
Before he could instinctively use the Float-Float Fruit's ability to lift himself into the air, his pupils suddenly contracted.
An irresistible gravitational force yanked him down almost instantly.
A hand, shrouded in a jet-black mist, appeared out of nowhere and stuck to his body.
Golden Lion's eyes widened in shock as his Devil Fruit powers vanished the moment that hand touched him.
In a panic, he tried to suppress the fear rising within him, grabbing the famed swords tied to his stumps and slashing at Carina, who had also dropped her invisibility after the attack.
But his movements were unnaturally slow as if he were moving through molasses.
Beside him, another figure had appeared unnoticed, sending out a pink wave of light that passed right through him.
It was at that very moment that Shiki realized his Float-Float Fruit powers were gone. The one who fired the light was Perfect Four, who wielded the Paramecia Slow-Slow Fruit.
With his Conqueror's Haki long gone, Shiki had no way to resist the slowing effect of this power.
"Puchi—"
As Golden Lion struggled to understand why his body wouldn't respond, a sharp, fleeting pain slashed across his neck.
In the next instant, his world began to spin and blur as his vision dimmed, his consciousness slowly slipping away into darkness.
Before everything went black, Shiki's fading eyes barely made out six figures—three women and three men. Among the men, he thought he recognized a figure resembling a young prodigy, one who reminded him of someone from the Roger Pirates. He believed his name was… Douglas Bullet.
The one who beheaded him was Perfect Three, who had consumed the Paramecia Combined Fruit, created from the fusion of Douglas Bullet's bloodline factor.
Thus ended the life of the Golden Lion, a legend of the old era, who had once stood equal to the likes of Pirate King Roger, Whitebeard, and Patrick Redfield.
Without even having the chance to use his Devil Fruit abilities or his swordsmanship as a great swordsman, Shiki was slain by Carina's six-person assault.
The stealth function of their battle suits concealed them at first. Then, using Viola's Paramecia ability, the Glare-Glare Fruit, they locked onto Shiki's position. Perfect Five then teleported them within striking distance using the Teleport-Teleport Fruit. After that, Perfect Five used the fruit's power again to bring Carina and Oro Jia directly behind Shiki.
Oro Jia employed the Barrier-Barrier Fruit to trap Shiki within a spherical barrier, restricting his movements and preventing escape. Carina followed up with the Dark-Dark Fruit's ability, sealing Shiki's Devil Fruit powers.
Then, Perfect Four's Slow-Slow Fruit further hampered his movements, reducing him to a snail's pace.
Finally, Perfect Three delivered the killing blow with a cold weapon, decapitating Shiki.
This was Carina's tactic—an overwhelming combination.
Those without Haki, or who lacked the time to use it, would meet the same fate as Shiki when faced with the flawless teamwork of Carina's crew.
In recent years, no one has been able to counter Carina's strategy once it has been set in motion.
The six-person team had taken down Shiki in mere seconds.
Carina, having grown used to such scenes, casually took the backpack from Viola, the only one who hadn't participated in the fight but had provided crucial assistance. She pulled out a fruit from the bag, beginning the claiming process.
Before long, the fruit in Carina's hand transformed into a Paramecia Devil Fruit, one of immense power. The Float-Float Fruit, in terms of its abilities, rivaled even the Paramecia Quake-Quake Fruit. It was now ready to take its place among the most famous of the Paramecia class—the Float-Float Fruit.
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