World Traveler - Chapter 25

Grand line Skies – (7000m – 7Km) above the sea.

Aizen and his ‘vassals’ didn’t pass a lot of time in Skypiea. The moment the rumbling stopped and the three that gone to have some fun returned with variant expressions, they hurriedly ducked below towards the sea downwards.

“To think that freak called himself God with that puny power!” Grumbled Bartolomeo from the side. He sounded mighty but his current state was nowhere near that. It seems that he got his ȧss burned by some lightning. he was still trembling from time to time.

“Pfft, hahaha, Bartolomeo, he may have no right to call himself God, but looking at your state, his power wasn’t puny at all!” Desire mocked from the side.

Her light power and element state made her ‘invincible’ as no matter what the long earlobes freak tried, he would end up frustrated. The crazy part that he acclaimed that she was fit to be his Goddess, the reason why Bartolomeo seems to be on edge every time the freak was mentioned.

Desire still remembered that pervert shamelessly proposing to her, while talking about world domination.

“I’m lightning and you are light! We’re fated to a union, claiming the world as ours while we are at it!”

Goosebumps!

Desire only sighed, but Bartolomeo was different, he could only think that maybe Desire silence was her thinking about his proposal which throw him in dismal, he didn’t know why, but seeing his childhood friend about to be stolen from him, made him throw all his defenses, and attack that pervert madly.

“Youth! Fate! To think that those two are tied with all those numerous strings” Mumbled Van Augur by the side while fooling around with his weapon.

Van Augur also joined the fight, and he made the self-proclaimed God suffer a big loss, still, that man was strong, even without armament haki, he was still a tough opponent. His devil fruit development was simply unheard of.

The three of them may be strong than him, but even with their advantages, they were only able to subjugate him after a stringent battle.

Aizen didn’t question their experience. He knew that Enel was quite strong although he only used his fruit blindly, coupled with his mantra, he was quite the challenge.

The warship treaded on the clouds unbounded, while the occupants enjoy the scenery.

“An Island on sight!” Shouted the solider in dismay, as he also didn’t understand how did they made it on the ground hastily.

On the other side Aizen was calm, and it seems as if he wasn’t that surprised, as if everything is under control.

All those two years, he scanned the whole east blue looking for Shiki, unfortunately, he was never able to find his hovering Island base. Still, Aizen was never the one to give up.

This whole journey, he kept probing all around him with Air law, but he wasn’t able to come up with any result, the reason why he choose SkyIsland, was for the sake of the rumble fruit.

The moment he integrated with it, his observation and scouting abilities just gone off charts.

Shiki base wasn’t haphazardly found, rather, meticulously and through Aizen efforts.

“Call Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and report this to him ‘Shiki Golden Lion is attacking our ship, Rear Admiral Aizen is already in an intense combat with him, Assistance is needed’” Ordered Aizen in a laid back manner.

Everybody looked towards him with confused expressions, but soon the realization downed them.

‘Wasn’t it Lord Aizen the one moving the ship?’

The soldier didn’t hesitate anymore, and soon Sengoku was reported, and the whole marine headquarters was thrown in chaos.

“Robin, keep the ship away from harm, It would be troubling if it ended up destroyed” Said Aizen, as he started to hover heading towards Shiki base with an astonished speed.

“As you command my lord!” Answered Robin back, as she watched the disappearing back of her lord.

Robin quickly took command, and using her Air law, she already secured the ship. By that time, she could already hear explosions sounds and tearing sounds in the hovering island.

“The fight must have been started!” Said Robin with a little worry in her face, after all, Golden Lion wasn’t to be trifled with. She didn’t know about her lord plan, she felt a little bad as he didn’t told her anything about this at all, but she could only follow his commands.

The trio watched the explosions in the faraway island with awe and reverence.

No matter who was the one that could entertain their lord all this time, it was clear that he deserved all the respect!

It was a universal thought, a truth that couldn’t be denied, their lord was invincible.

Marine HQ

“Damn you Shiki! How dare you show your face again after what you did!” Shouted Sengoku while his veins was throbbing in rage.

“Shiki, that old geezer still alive? The fact that he is alive out there is nothing but troubles.” Said Garp in a solemn tone.

“Arara, didn’t he lose both of legs? I don’t think he is a ‘real’ threat!” Commented Kuzan from the side as he didn’t understand why are they bothered by a cripple old man.

“Kuzan, you don’t understand, even if he lost both of his legs, he isn’t someone to be underestimated at all, the scary part about Shiki isn’t his strength, fleet or his swordsmanship, what’s really dangerous is his devil fruit!

Do you still remember what happened when seven meteors attacked the island? It was this kind of threat, yet even more scarier.

That monster can throw islands like pebbles, even warships are mere toys in his eyes. He is someone that is hard to deal with.” Added Sengoku the last part while clenching his teeth.

For this kind of feats, Shiki didn’t need his legs at all.

Kuzan expression was surprised, He never thought of it from this angle. Just the thought of ‘meteor Island’ send the shivers down his spine.

What is the World Government doing letting such a variable roaming freely.

“That’s why I told you, he is hard to deal with, He is a pirate that lost everything to Roger, his reputation, fleet and honor, He doesn’t have anything to lose, nor to protect, simply put, he is a psychopath.

Why do you think W.G didn’t kill him? it’s because his devil fruit is so dangerous that it was decided to lock him in Impel down, killing him would only generate another devil fruit user that maybe hostile towards us. The moment Shiki run away from the prison, and we failed to apprehend him. W.G stopped all attempts to capture him.

No one would want to deal with flying islands daily!” Sengoku was having hard time to express one of the most ‘shameful events’ of his past.

“Sakazuki is out, Borsalino would never want to go and meddle in such a troublesome thing, you are the only one available Kuzan” Said Sengoku.

“Arara, I can’t refuse, can I?” Said Kuzan as he breathed white mist.

“No, you can’t, and remember, if you can’t apprehend him, kill him!” Sengoku emphasized last part was said with a a cold tone.

Kuzan left Sengoku office leaving the two old geezers in deep contemplation.

“That kid, I hope he will be able to drag it for some time” Said Garp from the side.

“Don’t worry, That kid won’t die that easily, his regeneration and stamina can put anyone to shame, It would not be easy for Shiki to take him down!” Answered Sengoku, He may not know about his raw power that he predicted may not any lower than Vice Admiral, but surviving was that brat forte.

If Aizen heard him, he wouldn’t hesitate to fall out with him.

Shiki Base.

A rooster like man with a steering wheel that lodged into his head, donned golden traditional Japanese cloth trimmed with orange, a black robe underneath that was tied with a green sash.

The man had a black goatee, and a golden weird shaped beard, but the most special feature was the swords used as prosthetic legs.

The said man was currently laying comfortably while drinking his tea. His face looks focused while his whole bearing was calm and unperturbed.

Suddenly, his instincts started kicking on, and his whole body moved unconsciously to the back, strangely, that sense of danger still roaming around him.

The danger kept increasing only to force him to activate his observation Haki, the moment he did that, his expression turned cold, and his eyes were burning with rage.

Slash!

A trail of light passed with a horrible speed, only to be stopped by his leg sword! still he was still thrown to the back, only after using his sword legs as a stopper and tearing a huge part from the ground did he stopped.

“Who dare to attack this king!” Screamed Shiki with a raging tone. He couldn’t fathom just who is crazy enough to offend him. Even The five elders as the world rulers would give him face.

On a cue, The attacker showed himself. A youthful appearance, a white peculiar uniform and an unknown Katana the same level with the Twelve Saijo O Wazamono Grade Swords.

“Who are you brat? Is it boring to live anymore, you come to find me to end your life?” Asked Shiki with blue veins appearing in his forehead.

“I pass! I came to take your head, It may come up with a lot of benefits!” Answered Aizen, unaware of the raging state Shiki was thrown in right now.

“Brat, Do you know who I am?!” Screamed Shiki, as the air vibrated around him.

(A/N= It wasn’t written anyway that Shiki has any conqueror haki, but it would be ridiculous for such a ruler character to not have one, so I took the liberty to gave him one!)

“Haoshoku? What a surprise, I also have this thingy!” Said Aizen, enraging Shiki even more, as he calmly took his Haki without any trouble.

The air between the two started to precipitate, and the sky soon turned dark, as clouds blown up, and red lightnings appeared as if to witness the battle between two kings!

Shiki was a little taken back seeing that a boy actually can rival his hard earned haki without a sweat, but he was more perturbed at the stormy climate, so he choose to hurriedly end up the showdown.

He didn’t care about his loss, because, the boy will not live to tell the tale.

Aizen on the other side smirked a little.

‘So, he is traumatized by storms!’

Shiki didn’t take the smirk with a good complexion, and swiftly attacked the boy with his two sword legs. He wanted to erase that smile from his face.

Shiki movement was very fast, and his swords moved elegantly taking Aizen by surprise.

Aizen didn’t have a chance to respond, before he was sent flying deep in the island.

Two deep cuts could be seen in his ċhėst, but they were soon coalesced and started to heal.

‘What a dangerous bastard, I thought angering him would make him irrational, to think that he was this strong, I can’t understand how could Luffy even beat him!’

If it wasn’t for Aizen instincts kicking on the last seconds, he would have beheaded in one shot.

He didn’t use any haki, because he wanted to be brought at the threshold of death, and it seems Shiki won’t disappoint him.

Aizen could already play with Doflamingo ‘without his awakening’ just by raw prowess and sword play, but to think that this rooster was that strong.

He was a master of sword, the same level as Dracule Mihawk.

“You dodged that? splendid indeed, but so what? your fate is already sealed!” Shiki seeing that his opponent was only talk, and couldn’t even follow his sword play, made him relaxed again.

Aizen stand up from the debris, his upper clothes were red with blood and teared apart, strangely enough, there was no scars remaining.

Shiki seeing that was surprised again, he failed to understand what exactly happened.

“Old man, surprisingly, you are more stronger than I thought, Yet, if you weren’t that strong, you won’t be this tempting for me!” Said Aizen with a mysterious tone, while he looked towards Shiki with happiness.

Shiki was thrown in dismay again.

‘Is this person one of those Legendary M? What did I do to actually met someone here!’ Shivered Shiki while he looked towards Aizen with apprehension.

He was now more convinced, no matter what, he would need to erase this person from existence.

Shiki moved with more haste then before, but this time, Aizen already predicted the trail of swords.

The fight was intense, but that was only for Aizen.

Every so often, Shiki swords would draw blood and scars from Aizen body, but the creepy thing was that Aizen never showed any pain in his face, his eyes were focused, and the baffling part to shiki was that the boy was ȧssimilating his sword insights.

“What is it old man? Don’t tell me that’s all you have?!” Said Aizen, this time, his face was disappointed.

Although, his body was full of blood, and his stamina was decreasing in an alarming state, he wasn’t bothered, because he was pretty much sure, that if killing, he would rip off Shiki head without trouble.

Why? Shiki already looked towards him with disdain, as other than mastering the sword in the fight, he was already dead meat in his eyes. that regeneration would soon stopped and at that time, he would reap his head.

Shiki was already mad, every time, he would approach to take the head of this boy, he would only cut a part of his ċhėst or his arms.

It may look like a coincidence at first, but as time passed, he started to get sure that the boy, was learning using his body.

The more he got injured and battered, the more he would increase his mastery of sword.

Hearing the disappointment in the youngster tone, He used his fruit to hover in the sky, as he looked towards the youngster, this time , he was fully enraged, Full of killing intent.

Aizen could feel his body turned cold, numb.

Fear and danger was approaching him, at the same time he was excited.

Fear was necessary, he would only evolute to another strong form when his body experience fear, because for him fear was only a stimulus, an easy to discard feeling.

Shiki waving his two leg swords, this time, it was the essence of Sword Master! a true master!

If the levels before was about refining and fortifying the sword aura and integrating it with the intent, then this master level, was about fusing the two to another sort of power.

Domain!

A Domain like surrounded the whole Island as it started to tear apart. Dozens of swords aura could be seen hovering randomly cutting everything apart.

Aizen who was also inside the domain was slashed thousands of time, as he watched the whole ordeal with fascination.

He finally grasped the secret!

Another Domain exploded from inside his body as the fight intensified.

other than thousands attacks, he was now only sustaining hundreds.

Shiki watched this with hurried breath.

‘This brat is dangerous!’ Shouted Shiki inwardly. To think that he would still survive his Sword Domain! this domain took a lot of power from him. He was even confident that he would kill any admiral or heavily injuring him, but the boy regeneration was simply monstrous.

He didn’t know about Kaido, but if he got the chance, he would gravely answer that the boy was more scarier.

Kaido was tough, coupled with his regeneration, he was unbeatable, but Aizen wasn’t that tough, but his regeneration was more intense that would even put Kaido to shame.

Aizen already surpassed any Zoan Devil fruit users in regeneration. As long as his head didn’t flew, and even that was doubtful, as he suspected that even with his head missing, he could still live. call it an instinct, but he was near-immortal.

‘What Dracule Mihawk is the strongest, this old man is on another level! No wonder Whitebeard was never impressed with the new generation, they were only playing in his eyes.’ Mumbled Aizen, as his Domain was more and more refined under the abuse of the mad Shiki that seems adamant to kill him.

Every sword aura would target his head threatening to take it away, but Aizen never gave him the chance, as he didn’t have that courage to bet his life, he took every sword with his own body or legs protecting his jewels and head.

And soon, the crazy improvement stopped, along with the crazy attack of the old man Shiki.

Aizen injuries were restored again almost choking Shiki that seems to lost the light in his eyes.

He was used as a sharpening stone! the mere thought endanger to broke his last kept honor. First was Roger, now this brat!

Shiki eyes turned red, as he raised his hands above his head! debris started to hover along with the half destroyed island.

He was bent to take away the life of this brat. Although swords were his expertise, his devil fruit was more stronger.

Aizen watched the sight with unimpressed eyes. He already deemed the old man as useless pawn.

“Kughauh! Ho How!” Shiki body suddenly started to shiver, not understanding what happened.

He let his eyes trail off towards his ċhėst, only to found a big hole in his heart area. He was appalled, afraid, confused! what happened?!

Raising his head again, he saw the same brat appearing strangely in front of him, as if an illusion was broken.

The boy was putting his index finger in his left ċhėst area, the same place his fatal injury was at.

The boy finger was glowing with yellow like light adorned with Domain intent that he just learned in the fight with him.

“I’m sorry Old man! You were a good mentor, that, I gave it to you, sadly, you never had a chance to win from the start.” Smiled Aizen at the face of the dying Shiki, a smile that could only described as demonic in the eyes of the once, now fallen legend.

A sword waving like was heard, as Shiki head flied in the air, beheaded! while Aizen other arm shined with blinding photon light power that swallowed the remaining of the legend body, only leaving his head as a proof of his existence.

The hovering Island that was supported by his once power was already falling. Screams could be heard all around, humans and beasts.

Aizen choose to fall along with it, while keeping his bloodied body to gain more merits.

He already detected Kuzan Approaching, and didn’t mind showing a heroic performance.

Holding Shiki terrified face in his right hand, along with his devil fruit in the second. It was easy feat to get it using the law understanding to form it. (7.2%)

Aizen sword mastery was formally at the peak of the world, but he was pretty sure that he wasn’t, there was still the fabled heart boundary and the legendary law boundary.

His body already surpassed Accurate Admiral Level, and was now at Executive Yonko Level. He won’t even be suspected, as he could use danger and mortality threat was the reason he exploded with power slaying a legend!

But that’s it, his all power was now ȧssimilated, and if he wanted to get more stronger, he would need another death like battle, but he was sure he won’t have one any time soon.

Marine soldiers aren’t free like Pirates, they weren’t allowed to fight stronger people on whim. Shiki could be described as a stray one, so Aizen could only defend himself, wich ended up with Shiki death.

‘Dracule Mihawk, I wonder if we are the same level, or did I already surpassed him?’ mumbled Aizen, for him to think that he was bellow the first swordsman in the world wasn’t convincing, Shiki was a great sword master that wasn’t any weaker if not stronger than the later.

At least Shiki could put any Admiral in death state if he go all out, something Aizen highly doubt Mihawk could do.

An hour or so later, the air breeze started to get colder, and the sound of bike pedals were audible.

At that time, Aizen knew that back up finally arrived.