The storm came fast and left just as quickly. Using the remnants of the shattered ship to stay afloat, Claudius and the others weathered a few more waves. The sky slowly began to clear, with the storm seemingly chasing after Roger's group.
Lying on the wreckage of the deck, Claudius glanced over at the unconscious Golden Lion, Shiki. He didn't have any Seastone handcuffs to properly restrain him. The knife still stuck in Shiki's abdomen meant pulling it out could cause even more blood loss. Claudius briefly wondered if the infamous pirate would bleed to death before he did.
Summoning what little strength he had left, Claudius grabbed a piece of hemp rope from a broken barrel and tied it around Shiki's waist. Then, with a swift kick, he sent Shiki's body into the sea, leaving most of it submerged. It wasn't as effective as Seastone, but it was better than nothing.
After doing all that, Claudius finally allowed himself a moment to relax. He leaned against the remains of the mast, breathing heavily. Time passed slowly. Claudius had no idea what fate had in store for them, whether another storm would come and finish them off, or if, by some miracle, they'd drift to an island and survive.
As for everyone else, he didn't care much. He only knew that Crocodile had been lucky enough to crash near him and hadn't died. He'd passed out after falling into the cabin. Probably overexerted himself, as usual.
"If I make it back to Mariejois alive, I'll buy you a whole box of tonics," Claudius muttered with a weak smile.
The sea eventually calmed down, and a few survivors both Marines and pirates could be seen clinging to floating debris, just hoping to stay alive. At this point, it didn't matter who was who. Everyone was just trying to survive.
Just when Claudius thought he might actually bleed out, a figure leapt from the broken half of the ship in the distance, landing with impressive power.
"Bunny girl?" Claudius managed a faint, blood-stained smile.
Gion froze for a moment, stunned by the sight before her.
She, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and the others had been relatively lucky. They hadn't suffered as much damage, and once the storm subsided, they immediately began searching for Claudius. After all, losing a Celestial Dragon of his status was unacceptable, and they were friends.
Now, seeing Claudius in such a miserable state, Gion didn't know what to say.
Snapping out of it, she tore a strip of cloth from her tattered justice cloak and hurried over to Claudius.
As she approached, her eyes fell on the knife stuck in his side. "Looks like your highness was rather unlucky, running straight into a blade. But don't worry it doesn't seem to have hit any vital organs. I'll stop the bleeding for you."
"Ran into a blade?" Claudius paused. "I'm a Logia user, remember?" Then he gave a weak, bitter laugh. "If only that were the worst of it... you have no idea what I've just been through."
Gion blinked, confused, and asked, "What exactly did you go through, your highness?"
Just as Claudius was about to brag that he'd taken down the legendary Golden Lion, a sharp pain shot through his waist, cutting him off. Gion, by accident, had yanked the knife from his side.
"Uh... maybe be a little more gentle next time?" Claudius gasped, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Ignoring his comment, Gion quickly bandaged him up, then studied the knife more closely. "This knife... I feel like I've seen it before."
As one of the top swordswomen of the Marine, Gion was familiar with many famous blades. This one seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen it.
Claudius weakly pointed toward the nearby hemp rope and said, "The owner of that knife is tied up over there. If it feels familiar, why not take a look?"
Gion turned to where Claudius was pointing, and her eyes widened in shock. "Golden Lion? Is that... Shiki?! No wonder—this is Yubashiri!"
In a flash, Gion rushed over to Shiki's limp body. A knife was lodged in his abdomen probably Claudius' work and there was a rudder embedded in his head. Half of his body was submerged in the sea, with a rope tied around his waist. He looked completely pathetic.
Realizing that Claudius had managed to subdue and restrain the infamous pirate, Gion felt a wave of disbelief. "Wait, we were just on the same warship, and somehow during all this chaos... you took down the Golden Lion?"
"Your highness! You actually captured Shiki, the Golden Lion? But how... how did this even happen?" Gion hurried back to Claudius, completely flustered, unsure of what to say.
Claudius coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, then smiled weakly. "Just lucky, I guess. Shiki must've gotten caught in the same storm. You know, his abilities are pretty much useless in these conditions. Especially with that rudder stuck in his head, he couldn't even use Haki properly. He was practically powerless…"
Seeing Claudius trying to keep talking, Gion gently interrupted him, "Your highness, maybe you should save your strength and stop talking."
"Did you find everyone else? What about Enel?" Claudius asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Although capturing Shiki was a huge success, Enel was the main reason for this mission. If Enel had been lost in the storm, it would've been a major setback.
Gion quickly reassured him, "Enel's fine. He passed out, but Vice Admiral Tsuru has him. We haven't found Crocodile yet, though. He might've..."
Her voice trailed off, sadness filling her eyes. After all, if not for Crocodile, they might not have survived the storm. He'd overexerted himself, and now he was missing. Since Crocodile was a Devil Fruit user, if they couldn't find him soon, it was very likely he had already drowned.
Claudius let out a sigh of relief when he heard Enel was safe. Then he gestured toward the broken cabin. "As for Crocodile, I tossed that bastard into the cabin earlier. He's probably still unconscious. Go check on him."
Gion's eyes brightened. She nodded and quickly disappeared into the cabin. Moments later, she emerged, dragging the unconscious Crocodile behind her. "He's fine just passed out."
After ensuring Crocodile was safe, Gion took out a flare gun from her belt and fired it into the air. The bright flare signaled to the other Marines and confirmed to Vice Admiral Tsuru that the important individuals, Claudius and Crocodile, were still alive.
As for the pirates? Well, saving them wasn't a priority. They were left to their own fate.
"Do you think we'll make it back alive?" Claudius asked weakly, slumped against the mast.
Gion glanced at him, and for a moment, it seemed like the usual strength and pride in Claudius' eyes had been replaced by a hint of vulnerability. Her heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.
Without thinking, she reached out and smoothed Claudius' messy, wet blonde hair. A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she said softly, "We'll definitely make it back alive, so don't worry. Vice Admiral Tsuru has a distress signal transmitter. Once it's activated, any nearby World Government ships or allied forces will come to rescue us as quickly as possible."
"Really? I guess I'll live to fight another day..." Claudius murmured, a faint smile on his lips.
Exhausted, his body finally gave in to fatigue. After fighting Shiki and surviving the storm, his adrenaline was wearing off. As he whispered a few more words, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.
Listening to the soft sound of his breathing, Gion glanced down at him. Claudius was curled up against the broken mast, his body battered and bruised, his once-pristine appearance contrasting sharply with the wreckage around him. There was something oddly beautiful about the scene a kind of fragile strength.
Gion's heart stirred once more. For a brief moment, she felt her heartbeat skip again.
After collecting herself, Gion gently stroked Claudius' wet hair and whispered, "Sleep well, your highness. I'll protect you."
This time, it had nothing to do with her duties as a Marine or her mission. Gion simply wanted to protect this unique Celestial Dragon—this proud, strong, yet unexpectedly vulnerable Claudius.
Hours passed, and as night began to fall, a large sailing ship finally appeared on the horizon. It was from a nearby nation that had received the distress signal and hurried to the rescue.
Still unconscious, Claudius was carried aboard the ship by Gion, who cradled him in her arms like a princess. They had survived the ordeal, but at great cost.
Nearly half of the Marine soldiers had been lost in the shipwreck. Their bodies hadn't been recovered, so they were presumed dead. Yet despite the heavy losses, they'd gained something monumental.
Tsuru Vice Admiral looked at the unconscious Golden Lion, Shiki, lying on the deck, feeling as though she were living in a dream. Somehow, amidst all the chaos, Shiki had fallen from the skies, been caught in a storm, and ended up as their prisoner. The infamous Golden Lion, captured alive? It seemed unbelievable.
"His highness Claudius... I can't tell if he's the luckiest or the unluckiest man alive. But thanks to him, the whole world is about to be shaken. The Golden Lion, Shiki, who once ruled the seas, has been captured. And in the strangest way possible," Tsuru muttered to herself with a helpless smile.
She quickly relayed all the details of their encounter and the capture to Marine Headquarters. When Marine's Fleet Admiral Kong received the news, he was left in utter disbelief.
"What? Sengoku and the others just set sail for the New World, and now you're telling me Claudius has already captured the Golden Lion? Are you kidding me?"
As the photos and reports reached Marineford, shockwaves spread through the ranks. The entire Marine force was buzzing with disbelief and amazement. The legendary pirate, Golden Lion Shiki, had been captured alive?!
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Bonus chapter for 200PS, if you enjoy reading this book please leave a review so we can at least reach 10 reviews. Also if we somehow hit 20 review before this week ends I'll drop 4 Bonus chapters