Mornings in the Shadowed Cliffs were supposed to be peaceful, but Shiki always found a way to make them his own brand of chaos.
Perched on a floating platform just off the fortress's edge, Shiki puffed on his cigar and stared out at the crimson sky. His golden swords hovered lazily at his side, slicing small patterns into the air.
"Another day in this upside-down devil world," he muttered, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Still beats rotting in that prison."
Shiki stretched, cracking his neck as he leaned back on his imaginary chair of gravity-controlled air. If anyone looked at him, they'd think he was taking this new life in stride. And, well, mostly he was. But every now and then, those pesky thoughts of his old life crept in.
Back When I Ruled the Seas
"Pirate King, my ass," Shiki said to no one, twirling his cigar between his fingers.
He didn't hate Roger—not entirely, anyway. He respected the guy. But dammit, did that old fool know how to ruin a perfectly good plan. Shiki thought back to their legendary clash in the Edd War. He'd had everything: a massive fleet, a solid strategy, and a devilishly handsome captain leading the charge. And then some random storm decided to show up and ruin it all.
"You can fight the Pirate King, but you can't fight the damn weather," Shiki muttered.
And then there was Straw Hat Luffy—the little punk who'd put an end to Shiki's big comeback. Oh, Shiki remembered that fight vividly. Luffy had been all grins and optimism, bouncing around like a rubber ball while spouting nonsense about friendship and dreams.
"He was just a kid," Shiki grumbled. "How the hell did a kid beat me?"
The answer, of course, was that Shiki had been too cocky. Too stuck in the past. But hey, he wasn't bitter. Okay, maybe a little.
Waking Up Here
When Shiki had first woken up in this world, he thought he was hallucinating. Devils? Magic? Castles in the sky? It was like someone had smashed together all the weirdest parts of his old world and turned the dial up to eleven.
Then Raizer had shown up.
Shiki still laughed when he thought about their first meeting. The kid had strutted in, all sharp suits and golden eyes, and tried to recruit him like he was selling some fancy product.
"I'm offering you freedom, Shiki," Raizer had said, dead serious.
"Freedom?" Shiki had replied, leaning back on a floating sword. "Kid, I'm already floating in the air. How much freer can I get?"
But the kid didn't back down. He'd talked about empires, legacies, and a bunch of other things Shiki didn't care about at the time. What had eventually sold Shiki was the promise of something new—a chance to make a mark in a world that hadn't already written him off as ancient history.
"Well, that and the fact that he had snacks," Shiki said with a chuckle, flicking ash off his cigar. "Never say no to free snacks."
Life in the Shadowed Cliffs
It didn't take long for Shiki to settle into his new life. The Shadowed Cliffs were actually pretty great—lots of space to fly around, plenty of strong opponents to spar with, and, most importantly, no one telling him what to do.
Well, except Raizer.
The kid was a perfectionist, always planning, always training, always thinking. Shiki didn't mind the ambition—it reminded him of himself, back in the day—but he couldn't resist poking fun at Raizer whenever he got too serious.
"Hey, kid!" Shiki had called once during one of Raizer's strategy meetings. "Why don't you take a break and join me for a midair nap? It's good for the brain."
Raizer had given him one of those looks, the kind that said, I can't believe I have to deal with you.
"No thanks, Shiki," Raizer had replied. "Some of us actually have work to do."
"Suit yourself," Shiki had said with a grin, floating out of the room. "Don't come crying to me when you burn out!"
The Peerage Circus
Shiki had to admit, the peerage was an entertaining bunch. Garp was loud and hilarious, always looking for an excuse to punch something. Mihawk was the opposite—quiet, brooding, and way too serious about swordsmanship.
And then there was Roger. Oh, how Shiki loved messing with Roger.
"Come on, Roger," Shiki would taunt during their sparring matches. "You call that a swing? Even my floating rocks could do better!"
"Shut up, Shiki!" Roger would yell back, grinning like an idiot. "At least I'm not using cheap tricks!"
"Cheap tricks?" Shiki would laugh. "My gravity powers are art, you buffoon!"
Despite the banter, Shiki genuinely enjoyed their matches. Roger was unpredictable, which made every fight a challenge. And when Shiki wasn't sparring, he liked watching the others train. Seeing Raizer's vision slowly come to life was… satisfying, in a way.
Thoughts on Raizer
Shiki leaned back on his platform, staring up at the endless sky. His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to the young devil who'd brought him here.
"Kid's got guts," Shiki said aloud. "I'll give him that."
Raizer reminded Shiki of Roger in some ways—calm under pressure, endlessly determined, and way too good at rallying people to his side. But Raizer wasn't Roger. The kid didn't fight for freedom or adventure; he fought for something bigger, something Shiki didn't fully understand yet.
"An empire, huh?" Shiki muttered, puffing on his cigar. "Big dreams for a kid."
What impressed Shiki the most, though, was Raizer's work ethic. The kid trained harder than anyone else in the peerage, pushing himself to his limits every single day. It was almost… inspiring.
"Almost," Shiki said with a smirk. "Let's not get carried away."
A New Ambition
For years, Shiki had believed his dreams died with him in his old world. But being here, surrounded by legends and driven by Raizer's vision, had reignited something in him.
He didn't want to rule anymore. That part of his life was over. But he did want to leave a mark on this world, to prove to himself—and everyone else—that the Golden Lion wasn't done yet.
"Maybe I'll build a floating city," Shiki mused, grinning at the thought. "Show these devils what real creativity looks like."
Evening Banter
As the day wound down, Shiki floated into the common hall, where most of the peerage had gathered. Garp was busy recounting some ridiculous training story, while Mihawk quietly sipped his wine in a corner.
Raizer sat at the head of the table, surrounded by papers as usual. Shiki grinned and floated over.
"Still working, kid?" he asked, leaning on one of his golden swords.
Raizer didn't look up. "What do you want, Shiki?"
"Just checking in," Shiki said, smirking. "You know, making sure you haven't turned into a statue from all that sitting."
Raizer sighed but couldn't hide a faint smile. "If you're here to distract me, it's not working."
"Distract you? Never!" Shiki said, laughing. "Just keeping you grounded. Ironically."
As Shiki floated back to his seat, he glanced around the room and felt a rare sense of contentment. For all the madness and ambition, this place felt… right.
"Kid's got something special," Shiki muttered, lighting another cigar. "Might as well stick around and see where it goes."
And for the first time in a long time, Shiki wasn't just floating aimlessly. He was moving forward.
This version of Chapter 21 is more casual, humorous, and lighthearted while maintaining Shiki's reflections and character depth. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to tweak!