Chapter 43: Retreat, Golden Lion Shiki

After nearly killing Claudius with a single blow, a flicker of surprise crossed Shiki's eyes. Then, with clear frustration, he sneered, "I thought you were something special. Turns out you're just a silver-plated weakling."

Shiki had initially assumed that the person who managed to land a blow on him had to be someone formidable, especially after seeing Claudius standing there so confidently. The air of arrogance, the calm demeanor it all fooled him into thinking Claudius was a legitimate threat. Even Sengoku, usually sharp, seemed to misjudge the situation, likely because of the way Claudius presented himself.

But now? Shiki was irritated. He, the feared Golden Lion, had allowed himself to get scratched by some nobody. A mistake like this could damage his reputation. In a world of pirates, where status and image were everything, this was no minor matter. If word got out, how could he maintain his standing as a top dog?

Furious at being caught off guard, Shiki readied his sword to finish Claudius off. But before he could strike, Sengoku launched another attack, forcing Shiki to deal with the Marine Admiral instead.

Still feeling the aftereffects of Sengoku's last blow his internal organs had taken a good hit Shiki realized this wasn't the time to push his luck. Sengoku wasn't a small fry. If they continued to go head-to-head like this, especially without the clear advantage of air superiority, Shiki could be in serious trouble.

Sengoku, on the other hand, was just as furious. If Shiki had killed Claudius, the consequences would have been catastrophic. Going back to Mariejois without him? Sengoku might as well put up the pirate flag and prepare for a swift execution. But seeing Claudius still alive, albeit shaken, gave Sengoku some relief. At least they had avoided the worst-case scenario.

Meanwhile, Stussy was helping Claudius back to his feet, pulling him out of the shattered deck. "Your Highness, that was reckless! Shiki might not have noticed you earlier, but now you've practically thrown yourself into his crosshairs! Are you alright?"

Claudius, still wobbly but regaining his balance, gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm fine. A bit winded, but nothing serious. Just ran out of steam, that's all…"

Even as he spoke, Claudius could feel his strength returning rapidly, his body recovering at an extraordinary pace. His legs, which had been trembling from the impact of Shiki's attack, were now feeling much steadier. "Zero Hour Mizu," he thought to himself.

When he had first inherited this strange power, Claudius assumed it could only be used at specific times, as its name suggested. But after much experimentation, he had realized that the power had transformed along with his physical capabilities. Instead of being a fixed store of energy, the Zero Hour Mizu allowed him to rapidly replenish his stamina and strength, drawing from the reserves he had built over the years. This meant that as long as he didn't overextend himself, he could recover from exhaustion in no time.

Smiling to Stussy, Claudius continued, "I thought I might be able to kill or severely wound Shiki with that last hit, but I underestimated him. He's not just any pirate; he's one of the most feared men on the seas. It was foolish of me to think I could bring him down so easily."

Stussy sighed, relieved that Claudius was recovering but still concerned about his safety. "Even so, Your Highness managed to injure him, and that created a window for Sengoku and the others to press their attack. It wasn't for nothing."

Claudius nodded thoughtfully. "True. And I've learned a bit more about his weaknesses. He's powerful, but he's not invincible. He relies on his air superiority. If I can just disrupt that…" Claudius trailed off, a plan forming in his mind.

Stussy, noticing the shift in his tone, looked at him curiously. "You have another idea, don't you? What are you planning now?"

Claudius grinned, that same glint of mischief returning to his eyes. "Remember, I'm not just any noble. I ate a Devil Fruit, and not just any Devil Fruit. I have powers that could shift the tides in our favor."

Stussy raised an eyebrow, still unsure. "But I've rarely seen you use your abilities, and none of what I've seen so far seems like it could stop someone like Shiki."

Claudius let out a confident laugh. "That's because I haven't had to go all out yet. You forgot, Logia users are some of the most dangerous in the world. There's a reason we're considered the strongest of the three Devil Fruit types. Watch this."

With that, Claudius took a deep breath and raised his hand toward the sky, as though he were reaching out to grasp something invisible. Immediately, Stussy felt a shift in the air around them. The wind, which had been relatively calm, began to stir, and a powerful force radiated from Claudius's body.

The sky above the battlefield darkened, clouds swirling and condensing as the wind picked up speed. Claudius, wielding the power of the Nitrogen-Nitrogen Fruit, was drawing on the nitrogen in the atmosphere, manipulating it to create a cyclone high above. The air pressure began to drop, and soon a powerful vortex formed in the sky, pulling the clouds into its growing spiral.

Shiki, still dodging attacks from Sengoku and Polusalino, suddenly felt the shift. His instincts screamed at him, and he glanced down toward the source of the disturbance. What he saw made his blood boil. That same young man, the one he had dismissed as a nobody, was now conjuring a storm.

"No way… this brat can control the weather?!" Shiki snarled, his fury rising.

The Golden Lion's greatest fear was a storm. His Devil Fruit gave him incredible control over floating objects, but in a fierce storm, his precision and stability would be severely compromised. It was his one significant weakness, and now it was being exploited.

Sengoku noticed the sudden change in Shiki's demeanor and grinned. "Looks like the tables have turned, Shiki! Your greatest advantage is now your biggest weakness!"

Shiki, already feeling the powerful winds tugging at his control, realized that the longer he stayed, the worse it would get. Evading another one of Sengoku's shockwaves, he snarled, "Don't get cocky, Sengoku. You might've pushed me back today, but this isn't over! Sooner or later, I'll crush you all, Marines and your precious Celestial Dragons included!"

Without wasting another second, Shiki turned and shot upward, fleeing the battlefield with as much speed as he could muster. He knew when to cut his losses. He might have taken a few hits, but his pride was still intact. There would be another day for revenge.

Claudius watched from the deck as Shiki made his retreat, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Well, I didn't expect him to retreat that quickly. Guess he's smarter than I gave him credit for."

Sengoku returned to the ship shortly after, shaking his head. "It's a shame we couldn't capture him. We had a real chance today."

Claudius, still catching his breath, shrugged. "Honestly, we're lucky to be alive. If you think about it, we're not equipped to take him down right now. At least not without losing half the fleet."

Sengoku let out a tired sigh but nodded. "You're right. It's better this way. We'll fight him another day."

With Shiki gone, Kuzan and Sakazuki worked together to thaw the ice surrounding the ships, allowing the fleet to return to its original course. They had narrowly escaped disaster.

Back in the cabin, Sengoku turned to Claudius with an appreciative smile. " After thinking it through, Sengoku realized that without Claudius on board, the situation would have been very different. If not for Claudius' presence, the Marines would have likely avoided a direct encounter with Shiki altogether. At the very least, they would have had an easier time retreating rather than getting tangled in this dangerous battle.

No Shiki, no near-death experience, no battle at all, just a straightforward, albeit frustrating, search for John on Cornillo Island. After releasing a Buster Call and coming up empty, Marine would've stuck around to scour the place until they found something or finally gave up.

In that scenario, Shiki might not have even bothered with them. He wouldn't have had any reason to pick a fight, and the Marine fleet could have avoided this entire deadly confrontation.

Sengoku shook his head at the thought, sighing internally. This was one of those moments where everything seemed to spiral out of control for no good reason. But, dwelling on what could've been wasn't going to change anything. Best to focus on what actually happened.

With that, Sengoku shifted gears and gave a tired smile. "Regardless, it's fortunate we had your help today. I didn't expect you to have the ability to manipulate the weather like that. Your power is..."

"Nitrogen," Claudius interrupted with a casual smile. "To put it simply, I control the nitrogen in the air. Since it's an invisible gas and makes up most of the atmosphere, I can use it to influence the climate, at least to a certain extent."

Sengoku could tell Claudius didn't want to go into too much detail about his power, and respected that boundary. He nodded, deciding not to press further. "Well, your control over it is remarkable. Without you here, it's hard to say how much worse today could have gone. Shiki is always difficult to deal with, but you really tipped the scales."

While Sengoku expressed his gratitude, Claudius couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted. If not for his involvement, Shiki likely wouldn't have attacked in the first place. Claudius' mere presence on the ship had drawn attention to the fleet, and that attention had nearly gotten them all killed.

After all, if Sengoku and the others had been on Cornillo Island as originally planned, scouring the ground for any sign of John, Shiki probably wouldn't have cared enough to intervene. There wouldn't have been any reason for him to pick a fight with the Marines, especially one as serious as this.

But there was no point in bringing that up now. What mattered was that they survived and they even managed to push Shiki back.