It was impossible for Shiki not to be surprised. After all, his unique technique was now being used against him by someone else.
The path of the sword is not something that can be mastered overnight, and swordsmanship is honed through countless battles and relentless practice. Every swordsman's skill is the result of a long process of refinement through countless fights.
Yet the young man in front of him had learned his sword technique after just seeing it once?
Shiki found this hard to believe. Rather than thinking Wood possessed some inexplicable talent, he was more inclined to believe that Wood had a special Devil Fruit.
However, the truth was that Wood had genuinely learned Shiki's technique!
Wood's unique Observation Haki slowed down Shiki's movements to a high degree, and in such a scenario, it wasn't difficult for a swordsman like him to mimic the opponent's technique.
The multiple slashes, though they had the same form, lacked the power of the original and were easily shattered by Shiki before they even reached him.
Wood's seemingly provocative actions thoroughly enraged Shiki.
Meanwhile, several warships from Marine Headquarters had set sail and were heading towards Impel Down.
With such a major incident occurring at Impel Down, there was no way Marine Headquarters could remain unaware.
Initially, when the news of a breakout at Impel Down reached Marine Headquarters, Sengoku remained calm, believing it was Wood finally taking action.
However, when the reporting marine stated that the escapee was Shiki the Golden Lion, Sengoku lost his composure.
Sengoku knew very well who Shiki was. Allowing him to return to the seas and rise again would undoubtedly create a major threat.
So, upon hearing that Shiki had escaped and that Impel Down was requesting reinforcements, Sengoku immediately dispatched Garp and Aokiji to handle the situation.
But just after Garp and Aokiji had left Marine Headquarters, another marine entered with news that caused Sengoku to inadvertently crush the pen in his hand.
He couldn't help it; the news was simply too shocking.
The Warden of Impel Down had died in battle while trying to stop Shiki from escaping, former Marine Major Wood had betrayed the Marines, released 150 prisoners from Impel Down's Level 1, and escaped with the help of Impel Down's marines!
While the news of the Warden's death was surprising, it wasn't entirely unexpected to Sengoku. After all, Shiki's strength was well-known, and without the Sea Prism Stone restraints, there were few on the seas who could hold him back.
What truly shocked Sengoku was Wood. According to the original plan, Wood was supposed to release a specific prisoner out of greed. That prisoner, arranged by Sengoku, was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and if Wood successfully freed him, it might have given Wood a chance to infiltrate the Whitebeard Pirates.
But upon hearing the latest report from Impel Down, Sengoku was undoubtedly furious.
He had thought Wood was a relatively cautious person, but it turned out that when Wood acted, he either didn't do anything or went to the extreme, blowing things up entirely.
First, he killed a Celestial Dragon at Mary Geoise, and now he had released 150 prisoners from Impel Down!
Sengoku opened the drawer beside him, intending to take out a special small Den Den Mushi to contact someone, but just then, there was a hurried knock on the door.
"I'm busy right now. If it's not urgent, you can report later."
When Sengoku had assigned Wood to be an undercover pirate, he had, of course, set up a means of communication with him.
The small Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's drawer, which bore a striking resemblance to Wood, was specifically for contacting him.
To maintain confidentiality, Sengoku and Wood had agreed that unless it was an emergency, they would only communicate once every three years.
But now, Wood had been a pirate for less than a day, and Sengoku was already preparing to use the Den Den Mushi to contact him.
He had no choice; what Wood had done this time was too outrageous—releasing 150 prisoners from Impel Down.
Sengoku even wondered if Wood was really just pretending and had genuinely decided to defect to the pirates.
"I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but I really have urgent business that requires your approval. It will only take a moment of your time, just to stamp an authorization."
The knock on the door was accompanied by a woman's voice. There weren't many female officers in the Marines, and just by hearing the voice, Sengoku already knew who was outside.
"Rear Admiral Gion, I've already said that I'm dealing with urgent matters. What you're doing now is close to disobeying orders, do you understand?"
Sengoku set down the Den Den Mushi he had been about to pick up, looking at Gion, who had disregarded his orders and insisted on entering, with a face full of helplessness.
"My apologies, Fleet Admiral, but I really need your urgent approval. I'm willing to accept any punishment afterward," Gion said with uncharacteristic firmness, even at the risk of punishment for disobeying her superior, as she handed over her application.
Gion's application was concise, and Sengoku only needed to glance at it to understand her purpose for coming.
"You're requesting permission to lead your forces in pursuing the Marine traitor Wood?"
As a Marine officer, you couldn't just mobilize whenever you wanted; there had to be relevant orders and tasks. For top-tier forces like the Admirals, even more stringent approval was required to leave headquarters.
Gion was requesting to take out her entire force, which was the maximum deployment she could command as a Rear Admiral, so she needed Sengoku's approval.
"I'd like to know why, Rear Admiral Gion. Compared to the Marine traitor Wood, I believe our priority should be pursuing Shiki the Golden Lion. After all, his threat to the world is far greater than that of a mere former Marine Major."
Until it was confirmed whether Wood had truly betrayed the Marines, Sengoku was reluctant to allocate too many resources to hunt him down.
Otherwise, the undercover operation might end before it even began, with Wood being brought back by his own side, which would be quite ridiculous.
"No, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you're underestimating Wood. If he has indeed defected to become a pirate, he will be far more dangerous in the future than Shiki the Golden Lion could ever be. Shiki is just a remnant of a bygone era, a defeated foe of the Pirate King, Roger. Without his former edge, he's no longer a threat. But Wood is different. No one knows him better than I do. If he's given another twenty years… No, perhaps less than ten years, Shiki will pale in comparison. Moreover, I don't believe Wood would betray the Marines. There must be some special reason behind this, and I want to hear it from him personally!"
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 200+ at patreon.com/Betek.