"One Piece: Sign-In at the Start to Get Ryūjin Jakka"

As the light faded, the terrifying explosion finally echoed in everyone's ears.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The blazing sword slash Roya had unleashed grew larger and clearer in Golden Lion Shiki's vision.

At this moment, there was nowhere left for him to run.

"Bang!!"

Another deafening explosion resounded—

It was the sound of the sword strike landing squarely on Shiki.

Countless Marine soldiers, witnessing this scene,trembled at the sight.

In their minds, the invincible Golden Lion had just been defeated by this mysterious swordsman in a single strike!

And so effortlessly at that.

"How is this possible?!"

"That's the Golden Lion we're talking about!"

"The legendary sky pirate… beaten by one swing of this mysterious guy's sword?!"

…

Through the rising flames, they could just barely make out Shiki's, his figure warping from the heat.

There were no screams—only the constant roar of the fire.

None of them could imagine how much agony Shiki must have been enduring within those blazing flames.

Had it been them, they would've long since perished, body and soul incinerated.

When the fire finally dissipated, what appeared in their view was a blackened, charred figure—Shiki.

The once-glorious golden mane he had was gone without a trace. His entire body was pitch-black, the stench of scorched flesh clinging to the air.

And yet, even in such a horrific state, Shiki slowly lifted his hand, driven by nothing but sheer willpower.

Everyone who saw this felt a chill in their hearts.

"No way… he still has strength left to fight back?!"

"Even after that? Is he still able to move?"

"How terrifying must his willpower be…!"

…

Seeing this, Roya knew Shiki no longer had the strength to fight—but he had to admit, the Golden Lion possessed the heart of a true warrior.

And so, in a voice only Shiki could hear, Roya quietly said:

"I take back what I said earlier… I acknowledge you as a true warrior."

With those words, Roya turned around and activated the Rooster Talisman.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight, leaving gracefully.

Shiki clenched his teeth tightly. Despite his serious injuries, those words stirred memories of a moment long ago—

A moment when he had said to Gol D. Roger:

"You bastard, one day I'll definitely defeat you!"

And with that final thought, Shiki could hold on no longer. He closed his eyes and plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Only then did Sengoku and the others snap out of their shock.

Staring in the direction Roya had vanished, Sengoku—still in his Great Buddha form—tightened his fists with frustration.

"That bastard… he got away again!"

With a scowl, he canceled his transformation and issued an order:

"Restrain the Golden Lion with seastone immediately and lock him back in Level 6 of Impel Down—Eternal Hell!"

Once all the follow-up commands were given, Sengoku turned toward the carefree Garp beside him and asked:

"We only completed half the mission. And you're still smiling? Tell me—what are you thinking?"

Garp replied calmly:

"I never expected this mysterious man to not only possess unrivaled flame powers and swordsmanship, but to also have the same ability as the Golden Lion. And from what I can tell… he also holds the Ope Ope no Mi."

"I'm really curious—how the hell is that possible?"

As he finished, Garp slowly let his smile fade.

"But one thing's for sure… the seas are about to plunge into chaos."

Sengoku sighed at Garp's words.

"Yeah… things are about to get wild. That mysterious man has ruined our plans again and again… damn him!"

This time, he had even taken down the freshly escaped Shiki with a single sword strike.

Though Shiki had just escaped from prison and was far from his prime—his legs were severed, and he was no longer at his peak as a swordmaster—

his Devil Fruit power had grown significantly.

Yet even then, Roya defeated him in a single slash, reducing him to burnt charcoal.

This once again reshaped Sengoku's view of Roya's strength.

At this moment, Roya was already flying swiftly toward the Holy Land , as the system had issued a new mission.

[Ding! New sign-in mission issued: Location – the Holy Land.

Reward – A random top-tier Devil Fruit with no side effects.

Time limit – 3 days.]

Utilizing the power of the Rooster Talisman, Roya soared through the sky.

However, flying like this alone was inefficient.

He planned to take a page out of Shiki's book.

After flying for most of the day over the sea, Roya finally spotted an island.

Without hesitation, he descended onto it.

Activating the Rooster Talisman at full power, a deep-blue glow instantly enveloped the island.

Under Roya's control, the island began to float into the sky.

Waves crashed violently below as the landmass lifted from the sea, forming a floating island.

With his new aerial platform ready, Roya continued his journey toward the Holy Land.

the Holy Land sat at the peak of the Red Line, between the first and second halves of the Grand Line.

It was the residence of the Celestial Dragons, filled with top-tier combat forces and intelligence agencies.

Trying to sign in there was extremely dangerous.

But Roya had a plan.

Three days passed in a blink.

On the final day of the mission's time limit, Roya leisurely arrived in the skies above -the Holy Land.

It was night. Thick clouds covered the sky—no stars, no moon.

Exactly as Roya intended.

His floating island blended seamlessly into the black night, completely hidden from view—no one noticed a thing.

Standing at the island's edge, Roya looked down at the land below.

The Holy Land was engulfed in flames and chaos.

He could see faint signs of a riot down below.

Roya adjusted his hat and muttered:

"If I remember correctly, the Holy Land once suffered a major uprising…"

It was the time when Fisher Tiger, once a slave, climbed up to the Holy Land barehanded and freed thousands of enslaved people.

This new chaos would serve as the perfect cover for Roya to slip inside undetected.

Leaning forward, Roya jumped off the floating island.

The cold night wind whipped against his cloak as he plummeted toward the Holy Land.

As he descended rapidly, the chaotic scene of the Holy Land became even clearer.

From above, he even spotted Marineford in the distance—sending out fleets of warships toward the area.

"Truly a beautiful sight."

Roya whispered to himself, then activated his concealment and stealthily infiltrated- the Holy Land…

With a faint smirk, Roya vanished into the shadows of the Holy Land…