"Shihahaha! Just a mere shield!"

"Slash Sharp!"

Golden Lion let out a wild laugh as he drew the twin blades at his waist, coating one in thick Armament Haki.

A golden slash tore through the sky in an instant.

Clang!

The massive shield, which once had formidable defensive power, was split cleanly in two.

It was as if the blade hadn't struck solid steel, but soft butter.

Hammer stared coldly at the shattered shield, his eyes showing no hint of surprise.

Having seen Whitebeard's world-shaking might firsthand, he knew exactly what kind of power these top pirates wielded.

"Shock Hammer Barrage!"

Hammer smashed five punches into the air.

Five shock-infused hammer strikes roared toward Golden Lion in the sky.

"You brat! You're a century too early to challenge me!"

"Lion's Roar: Thousand Slashes!"

Golden Lion sensed that familiar shock force. As a ruler of the seas, he would not tolerate anyone challenging his pride.

Thousand Slashes, an upgraded version of Slash Calamity, unleashed multiple slashes, strong enough to cleave mountain-sized waves into countless pieces.

"Tch! What a pain, you damn lion!"

Winterborne!"

The Winterborne appeared once more, summoning a massive wall of frost that formed instantly overhead.

Even though Thousand Slashes was fierce, it had already been weakened by the shock strikes. Crashing into the ice wall only shattered the frost, leaving the attack defused.

"We can't let him stay up there, it's too much of a disadvantage for us."

"We have to drag him down!"

Lance had his sniper locked on the Golden Lion, but Shiki wasn't standing still in midair; he was flying.

Lance kept tracking him but never pulled the trigger.

He knew that even if he did fire, Shiki would just dodge.

"No shit!"

Hammer shot him a glare. Of course, he knew they had to pull Shiki down. But could they really do it right now?

...Wait. Maybe they actually could.

"Shirley, Hina, hold the defense! I need to find something!"

Hammer suddenly remembered he had an item in his stash that could grant short-term flight.

He just needed a moment.

Shirley and Hina exchanged a quick look and unleashed their powers once more.

"Shield-Shield! Explosive Shield!"

"Cage-Cage! Launcher!"

A shield glowing with dark runes appeared, an Explosive Shield.

Meanwhile, Hina used her Cage-Cage Fruit to build a giant ballista.

They both knew pure defense was pointless against Golden Lion.

So they'd attack instead!

The massive black ballista fired the shields up into the sky one after another.

Shield after shield rocketed upward.

Golden Lion sneered.

"Pathetic."

"Lion Menace: Wind Coiling!"

Without even moving, several yellow tornadoes rose from the floating island above him, morphing into massive lion heads.

Each one devoured a shield in a single bite.

"Against my Devil Fruit, any ranged attack is USELESS!"

"Slash Wave!"

After devouring the shields, Golden Lion swung his sword down once more.

A massive slash cut straight for the Warhammer.

"Tch! LIKE HELL!"

"It's just a slash. You think you're the only one who can do that?!"

Facing a blow strong enough to split mountains and seas, two figures leapt up without fear.

Same long blades. Same cloaks of justice.

Momonga and Yamkaji each unleashed a slash of their own, following their blades to meet the attack head-on.

Clang!

The clash of slashes whipped up a storm of air.

Even the sea beneath erupted in waves.

"RRRAAH! BREAK!"

The two Marine Rear Admirals threw everything they had at Golden Lion's strike.

With a final roar, the golden slash split apart.

"These new blades, Hammer forged really saved us. If we'd used the old blades, they would have snapped!"

Landing slowly, Momonga rubbed his trembling right arm with a wry grin.

Beside him, Yamakaji did the same, nodding grimly.

Both of them looked grim.

Blocking just one blow from Shiki had left them shaken. If they took another...

"Hmph! Just a bunch of brats!"

"Brats, huh? You golden-haired old bastard, don't get too cocky! So what if you can fly?!"

Hammer's roar cut through Shiki's taunt.

He now held four cloaks, glaring fiercely.

"Anyone who wants to fight in the air, take one!"

He tossed the cloaks to Lance and the others, putting one on himself.

"Hover Cloaks?! You had more of these?!"

Lance stared in shock at the cloak in his hands, the same type Hammer had used when he fell from the Red Line.

"Wear it, use Moonwalk with it, you'll be more than enough to handle that old furball up there."

"Shirley! Make some ultra-durable shields; that bastard's slashes are too strong. We need defense."

Shirley nodded hard, pressing her hands together.

"Shield-Shield! Diamond Shield!"

This was the toughest shield Shirley could make right now. Small, but ultra durable.

"Hahaha! Hammer, you're like a treasure chest! From now on, I'm sticking to your missions!"

Momonga threw on a cloak, picked up a shield, and looked genuinely excited.

"Agreed! I second that!"

Even the usually silent Yamakaji cracked a rare grin.

"Enough chatter, until Borsalino arrives, we hold this ourselves!"

"Air Hammer!"

"Hey, rudder head, I'm coming for you!"

A massive Sky Hammer made of compressed air formed instantly in Hammer's right hand.

In the next second, he shot skyward at high speed, straight for Golden Lion.

Momonga, Lance, and Yamakaji charged up right behind him.

"Fools! You think Geppo can match me in the air?!"

"Lion Menace: Wind Coiling!"

Massive lion heads rose up once more, mouths gaping wide to devour the charging squad.

"Heavy Hammer Spark!"

Midair, Hammer suddenly stopped.

The air hammer in his hand burst into roaring flames.

The sea of fire blocked the lion's charge.

"Scatter!"

"Lance! Take the shot!"

Without hesitation, Lance raised his rifle.

The sniper's barrel glowed faintly with Armament Haki.

A bullet brimming with killing power blasted from the muzzle straight at Shiki.

"Tch."

The shot was powerful enough that even Golden Lion felt a hint of danger. He instantly sped up, narrowly dodging.

A streak of white split the sky where he'd been standing.

The bullet slammed into the floating island overhead, blowing a huge hole straight through it.

Golden Lion's face twisted in anger.

'A brat with a gun actually made me dodge?'

"You're distracted, old man!"

"Wild Cloak! Overlord Smash!"

Hammer's trio seized the opening, hammer and two blades crashing down on Shiki all at once.