Konoha Yellow Monkey: The salary is in place, and Wukage is useless!

The person who could shock Zephyr to the point of turning pale was certainly no small fry. The man sleeping soundly with his eyes closed in the coffin once had a title that shook the seas: "Pirate Admiral" Golden Lion!

As for how the Golden Lion ended up in the hands of the Land of Light, that's a little-known story that didn't cause much of a stir.

"The Golden Lion actually died at your hands." Zephyr was still in shock.

Kizaru sat calmly in his seat. "This old man who has gone mad failed to recognize the new era. After the Land of Light occupied the East Blue, he still thought there was no difference between here and when the World Government ruled. So, he paid the price for his arrogance."

“It was you who made the move.” Zephyr looked at Kizaru.

Kizaru shook his head slightly, saying with some regret, "If it were me, I wouldn't let his Devil Fruit ability go."

At this point, Kizaru felt a little regretful, because the first enemy Shiki encountered when he arrived in the East Blue was Uchiha Madara, and then the story came to an end.

Madara Uchiha easily defeated Shiki, and didn't even report the news. He just thought he had casually dealt with an old pirate who had some skills but was already too old to stand on.

If it weren't for the fact that, by chance, after Madara Uchiha left, a retired Marine who happened to pass by the island where Shiki was buried recognized Shiki's remains and then reported it to the nearby political officials, Kizaru and Danzo, the high-ranking officers of the advance team, would not have known that this battle had taken place.

Kizaru briefly recounted the events to Zephyr. After listening, Zephyr had only one question in his mind: Just how powerful is the Land of Light?
A powerful figure whom I've never even heard of can easily defeat the Golden Lion, even if the Golden Lion is already old.

"What position does that powerful figure named Uchiha Madara hold in the Land of Light?" Zephyr asked with some curiosity.

Faced with this question, Kizaru pondered for a moment before answering, "Senior Advisor, Inspector, can be roughly understood as the highest-ranking officer in the Navy responsible for managing military discipline. However, he dislikes ordinary trivial matters and prefers to act freely and conduct inspections everywhere."

Speaking of this, Kizaru recalled a major incident that Madara Uchiha had committed and reminded him, "By the way, he was the one who killed a Celestial Dragon in the Sabaody Archipelago last time."

Hearing this, Zephyr understood. "If it's this person, then that's certainly how it should be!"

After all, in Zephyr's understanding, those who would kill a Celestial Dragon at the slightest provocation are a minority in the world of One Piece.

"We'll talk about Madara Uchiha later. Orochimaru, you can continue!" Kizaru steered the conversation back on track and said to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru nodded slightly, then manipulated the golden lion in the coffin to open its eyes and slowly walk out of the coffin.

As Shiki opened his eyes and his consciousness gradually returned, he looked somewhat dazedly at Kizaru behind the dining table to the side, a stranger he recognized, and a somewhat familiar figure beside Kizaru.

"Admiral Zephyr! Navy!" Shiki's eyes sharpened instantly, but before he could act, he felt his body bound by a force, unable to move.

"Golden Lion, have you forgotten that you are already dead?" Kizaru looked at Golden Lion and kindly reminded him.

The Golden Lion muttered in a daze, "I'm dead? I'm dead? Yes, I'm dead! That man, that guy! I lost to that man!"

His memories of his life gradually became clearer, especially the exhilarating battle before his death, which left a deep impression on Golden Lion!
The golden lion's eyes, which were filled with black, once again shone with a certain light. For a hero like him, to die at the hands of such a strong person, to die experiencing such a great battle, could be considered a worthy death.

"Who are you? Are you bastards from the Navy? Only the Navy would do something like this, not even sparing the dead." Shiki's gaze swept past Kizaru and stared directly at Zephyr, like a lion that was trapped but still refused to give up, looking directly at Zephyr with eyes full of fighting spirit.

“Admiral Zephyr is my guest. He has broken away from that corrupt navy. As for your presence here, it is thanks to us. It was the master behind you who brought your soul back from the underworld. You should thank us for giving you a second life.” Kizaru smiled and drew Shiki’s attention back to himself.

"You..." Golden Lion Shiki turned his head with some difficulty and saw the cold, serpentine man. He looked back at Kizaru and asked in a deep voice, "I will not become your slave! I am Golden Lion Shiki!"

"Stop being so self-delusional. We didn't need any of your power to awaken you. You're just a tool we used for testing," Kizaru said deliberately in a disdainful tone.

"Experiment? Tool?" Golden Lion was enraged by Kizaru's words. His face contorted as he tried his best to break free of his restraints. Orochimaru, who was controlling him from behind, was no longer as relaxed as before. Instead, he formed a hand seal with one hand, and his face became more serious.

"Orochimaru, give him his freedom. While alive, he was nothing more than a defeated foe of Madara. Now that he's dead, what trouble can he cause?" Kizaru said in a very casual tone. He even had the leisure to pick up the teacup in front of him and take a sip of the tea that had gone lukewarm.

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru stopped his technique. The Golden Lion, who was temporarily free, did not launch a rash attack. Instead, based on the information revealed in Kizaru's words, he asked, "The person who killed me, do you know him?"

Kizaru didn't reply, but leisurely lit a cigar for himself and casually tossed one to Zephyr, who was standing to the side ready to make his move.

Seeing this, Orochimaru, who knew his junior brother's personality very well, said in a very cooperative tone, "The person who killed you was called Uchiha Madara, and the person sitting in front of you is called Kizaru. He is one of only two people in the Land of Light who defeated Uchiha Madara."

Orochimaru's words, calm and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, silenced the entire room. Zephyr knew Kizaru's strength, but still looked at him with some surprise. As for Shiki, he looked at Kizaru with some suspicion, seemingly not believing Orochimaru's words.

"You? Kid!"

Golden Lion stared sharply at Kizaru, like a bloodthirsty lion poised to pounce on its prey.

Kizaru sat firmly in his chair, smiling as he remarked, "What a terrifying gaze!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful pressure, strong enough to affect reality, burst forth from Kizaru's body along with Conqueror's Haki, transforming into an invisible giant hand that pressed down on Shiki.

Golden Lion Shiki, of course, would not surrender easily. He, who also possessed Conqueror's Haki, released his own Haki and wanted to fight against Kizaru.

However, the two's Haki were on completely different levels. When Shiki's Conqueror's Haki met Kizaru's Haki, it was like an unarmed vagrant encountering a heavily armored cavalry. The former collapsed at the first touch and was mercilessly crushed and slaughtered.

Golden Lion was lifted up and slammed against the wall behind him by Kizaru's materialized Conqueror's Haki, without any power to resist.

Such a huge difference left the Golden Lion still reeling after being pinned against the wall. He could feel that his body after his return was not as good as when he was alive, but it was no weaker than when he was old.

Not to mention the exchange of Conqueror's Haki; the difference in physical abilities had almost no effect. He simply lost completely in the contest of Haki.

This was hard for Shiki to accept for a moment. He was a very proud man. He believed that his will and domineering nature were second to none. Even when facing Roger, he was confident that he could take action and believed that he would not lose so quickly and completely.

"Such domineering aura, who exactly are you? When did someone like you appear on the high seas?" The Golden Lion, pressed against the wall, looked at Kizaru with a mixture of anger and confusion.

"You've really gotten old, Golden Lion." Kizaru looked at Golden Lion with some emotion. He wasn't lamenting Golden Lion's current strength, but rather that his wisdom and insight seemed to be aging along with his body.

Golden Lion was naturally unwilling to admit defeat. He glared at Kizaru and was about to retort when Orochimaru's words flashed through his mind. He suddenly understood and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! I am indeed old, so old that I didn't even recognize such an obvious identity right in front of me! Kizaru, you are the one who defeated all the Marines at Marineford and led the Land of Light to seize the entire East Blue from the World Government. If you are a man like this, then it is no problem for you to have such domineering presence!" Shiki looked at Kizaru again, and at the same time looked at Zephyr, who was silent beside Kizaru. He seemed to have seen more, and a smile appeared on his face again. This time, he smiled even more happily.

"What? Haven't you laughed enough yet?" Kizaru exhaled a puff of smoke, then put down his cigar and smiled at Shiki.

Golden Lion shook his head and said with a hint of interest, "My laughter just now was mocking my own stupidity, but now it's mocking those idiots in the Navy and the World Government! Even the Navy Admiral and Chief Instructor Zephyr have become your friends. Is there anything more ridiculous in this world?"

"Yes, for example, the Pirate King Roger reappearing," Kizaru said with a smile.

The Golden Lion's smile vanished abruptly, and Zephyr's expression instantly turned serious. The room, which had been somewhat noisy just moments before, fell silent once more.

"Yes! If you can revive me, you can revive Roger, and you can revive other pirates! With this power, you can create an immortal pirate army. As long as you control them, you can easily overthrow the World Government's rule." Shiki, displaying his ambition, instantly connected many ways to overthrow the World Government.

Zephyr, standing to the side, also changed his expression once again because of Shiki's words.

Only Kizaru maintained his smile, saying as usual, "So, in a sense, you, this experimental tool, are the starting point for overthrowing the World Government, right? Golden Lion! This idea pleases you!"

"I'm already dead, so of course I can't care what happens to the sea. As long as it causes trouble for the World Government and the Navy, I'm happy!" Shiki said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Kizaru looked at Zephyr beside him and said with a smile, "Admiral Zephyr, you see. This is why we are forming a new Navy. With these pirates and ambitious people around, without a pure army, we cannot suppress so many demons and monsters!"

Zephyr nodded in complete agreement. (End of Chapter)