===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The murky waters of Grandline are starting to go out of control with the recent news that reaches the Mafia groups all around it. Some may have shrugged it off, some are worried, while the big shots are dreading for another rival that will strike at any given time.
Naturally, such news reaches one of the Emperors' ears.
"He has returned." His voice sounds calm but his eyes betray the calmness of his voice. "He has not given up his ambition to dominate Grandline."
"Are we supposed to do anything against him?" Benn Beckman, Shanks' right-hand man asks.
"No. Not yet. We will keep a close eye on him instead. I beckon the other Emperors will also do the same." He throws the paper on the table. It's the information about the return of none other than Shiki, the Golden Lion.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The news of Shiki's recent movements reaches Sab's ears as well and is just in time for Ann to come back from her vacation. The blonde's head is getting split into two just thinking about what her twin sister is doing. The heavy worries in her chest continue to grow whenever Ann is out with Marco doing who knows what.
"Things will get uglier with what you are doing Ann." The sisters are in their hideout. While Luffia is busy stuffing herself with food, Sab made a move to confront Ann.
"I am doing what I told you I would. And that is to hunt down everyone who drove our parents to their deaths."
"Yes. But do you need to use his son for your plans? Worse of all, you're seducing him."
"And since when were you concerned about us using anyone? Didn't we use different people just to do what needs to be done?"
Sab sighs at the argument. True, they did that. They deceived far more people than they can count but this is different. It would have been okay had there not been emotions involved. The younger of the twins can't help but frown at what she's noticing now. It's as if she's seeing a reflection of herself in Ann's eyes. It's the eyes of someone falling in love.
That's kind of scary because Sab has been there in that situation years ago. It was a situation that forced her to choose between her lover and her thirst for revenge. It's a type of guilt that will weigh down in your heart for as long as love remains there. She doesn't want Ann to drive herself in that situation if she can help it.
"Hey, Sab. Why did you call for us today?" Luffia must have been done eating her fill so she came back to the couch, prompting the conversation to meet its end.
"Right." Sab coughs, forcing herself to focus now. She will deal with Ann later on. "Shiki resurfaced. Along with his group."
The atmosphere turned heavy the moment they heard the name. It's one of the people on their list. From what they gathered, Shiki was imprisoned after fighting their father's group years ago. The sisters do not know the full details of the fight, but Roger's group managed to wipe out Shiki's and even pulled strings to get this group arrested.
Shiki's hatred runs deep in him. About a year after his imprisonment, Roger was declared as Mafia King and so begins World Government's hunt. Someone from the higher-ups struck a deal with Shiki to help hunting Roger down. With his connection, he used it to strike at times when Roger's group least expected it. And at the time when Roger was announced as dead, World Government released a statement that Shiki was wrongly accused of the sins that sent him to prison.
That announcement led to his freedom. For years, the sisters never got much news from this man. His return to the spotlight can only mean that he has something planned. And it will be trouble.
Regardless, this is the best chance for the sisters to strike at him.
"Big Mom, Kaido, Whitebeard, Shiki, and the World Government. Of all the people on our list, Shiki will be an easier target for us." Ann speaks out, a grim look on her face while thinking about the enemies they have to kill. They've killed some groups affiliated with the people, but it's not enough. They have to cut the head somehow.
"Now is the best time for us to strike. He doesn't know about us. With him back in the spotlight, his guard will be up against the bigger fishes in the streets. That's not us."
"Are we supposed to cease operations to focus on Shiki?" Luffia frowns at the thought. With a new variable added, their plans will have to change as well.
"Of all the people that are involved with the World Government cornering our father's group, Shiki has the most things at stake - his freedom at that time. World Government has more leverage with him than the others, so he should know something. If we can interrogate him, perhaps he can lead us to more of the missing pieces. He has the biggest grudge against our father." Sab explains. When she heard of the news days ago, she started weighing down what they should do.
This is an opportunity that is very rare for them. Shiki was gone from the spotlight for many years considering he was weakened after his release from the imprisonment. Some of his allies have decided to cut ties with him, so getting back to his former glory will not be easy.
Years since they started their plans, the three of them collected information about the former connections of Shiki and kept an eye on them in case Shiki will return. This is the time to get the fruits of their labor.
"Then, we need to move as fast as we can. The faster we get to him, the better." Ann said.
"It might be difficult for me to move with my group since we're still being hunted."
"You still have not eradicated that government dogs?"
"Not yet. We will. I'll have my group deal with them after we deal with Shiki." Luffia knows that she's the primary target of the World Government. The past few days have been a war of tug. One moment they are on the offensive and the other on the defensive. Gaining an upper hand with the World Government Agents is not easy given they also have to move against Apoo's group while keeping their territories guarded.
"We will help you as soon as Shiki is out of the picture." Sab offers. Most of the time, Luffia will decline help from her sisters insisting she can take care of them, but not this time. Declining help when they need it is not an option. After all, their priority will always remain the same - to kill all of the people on their list.
And it seems Shiki will be the first of the big shots to meet his end by the hands of Roger's daughters.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"Someone is so refreshed, eh?" Thatch's voice echoes in Marco's ears and when the blonde looks at his brother, he finds him wiggling his eyebrows. He just returned from his trip to the island with Ann. The results of hours bathing under the sun is still fresh for everyone to see.
"Shut up, Thatch." There's a lack of insistence in his voice that had the red-haired man laugh in glee.
"Better keep her secured. You won't find someone who wants an old man like you, hahaha!" Marco frowns at that. He's never been insecure about his age but remembering the age gap doesn't sit well with him. "I'm kidding. She doesn't look like she's bothered about it. What I meant is her security though."
"I know, yoi," his tone changes now. "She doesn't want bodyguards assigned to her nor does she want to move out of her apartment."
"But she still lives in our territory. At least near. Almost to Shanks' territory."
"That still is not secured enough, yoi."
"Yeah, you might want to convince her otherwise now that some bigshots are returning."
The worries grow inside Marco for Ann's welfare. Shiki might not be declaring war against Whitebeards - he would be a fool if he does - but it does not mean they can trust him completely. His return means that he's up to something and how the waters of the streets will play out is yet to be revealed.
"Shiki, huh? Why return to the spotlight now?" The deep voice of Whitebeard echoes in one of the rooms in the mansion. "Keep a close eye on him and his movements. We do not know what kind of party he will bring."
Caution. A man like Whitebeard won't be where he is if he is reckless. Years after Roger's death, many regarded him as the new Mafia King. Such a title makes him scoff, not bothering to crown himself as such.
He may be nonchalant about the title, but some will not. Especially not Shiki. This is a symbol of power he sought after, more so since his mortal enemy used to hold it.
What kind of storm will happen now that Shiki has returned?
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"Dr. Indigo." Despite his age, the deepness of his voice never faded. "They say that when it rains, it pours. I fundamentally disagree with that. Do you know why?" A grin appears on his face while looking at his partner.
"Why is that?"
"Because I don't want rain. I want storm." Then, he laughs at his heart's contents. "I waited so many years just to execute this plan. No one can hinder my path anymore! Roger will roll over his grave once I get his throne!"
"Is that why you want these bombs deployed to different establishments? You're inevitably declaring war on cities where your jurisdiction runs thin." Dr. Indigo shakes his head, warning his boss about the consequences of deploying these mass destructive bombs Shiki has been working on for years.
"Isn't that why you're here? Ah, they won't know what will come after them. I can release the drugs in the water system and the antidote will be in our hands. Everyone won't have a choice but to submit to me!"
What he's planning is to destroy the water system in several cities under the rule of the Emperors as well as different large Mafia Groups. With the water system destroyed, he can then release the drug that Dr. Indigo worked on for years. A drug that is tasteless, colorless that goes straight to people's systems. They conducted several tests over the years to perfect this plan. Even went as far as kidnapping people from the streets to be their guinea pigs.
Getting the blueprint of the water system from several cities is a hard work than Shiki expected. This is why he never resurfaced till now. His main targets are the cities that used to be under Roger's.
Perhaps it's out of spite of the late Mafia King that he worked so hard to get the information he needed. The destruction of several cities and the deaths of many people are not the only ones he's after. What he's after is the domino effect that this will do and the changes that are inevitable.
Surely, Roger's members won't stay quiet, would they?
Once again, he laughs while looking at the bombs and the chemical securely placed in several flasks. Every night, he dreams of this day happening. The day where he will get the haughty Emperors on their knees to beg at him, the day where there's nothing but destruction.
This is power. A power that Roger lacked. Shiki can never imagine how Roger was crowned as Mafia Kind when he's done nothing remarkable. Sure, he battled several of the current Emperors and came out victorious for the most part, but that's not enough. He might have outwitted World Government and might have covered a few secrets, but that's not remarkable at all, at least not in Shiki's books.
Had he been in Roger's shoes, he would have utilized all the information he obtained just to prove to the world that he's the most powerful man. Roger failed in that part and Shiki hates it.
Yes, he hates Roger for sending him to prison, but what he hates the more is his lack of drive to gain more power and wealth. He had everything at his disposal, yet where is he now? Dead!
Shiki swore he won't be like that ever.
Or so he thought.
The headquarters he built is near the territories of Kaido and Whitebeard. It's in the outer areas of the city where there's nothing but dead silence that stretches for miles - an undeveloped area perfect as his hiding place. No one will think that a man like him will hide like a rat in this area. Besides, this area is nothing but a junkyard for the big cities.
The place is built in what looked like a junkyard on the outside. It's nothing but a facade because below the ground is where the laboratories and weapon production are. There are only six people in this place including himself four of which are guards situated outside, ready to warn them should there be unexpected visitors.
Should it comes to emergencies where they need to flee, they already have an escape plan they can utilize or call the guards situated 15 minutes away from their location.
Perfect plans from Shiki.
But perfections will always meet rustles that can make them imperfect. Just like now.
In the middle of the night where there's nothing but deafening silence in the area, three unknown figures sneak past the four guards. Their footsteps are like cats' strides on the field, like hunters that are about to catch their prey.
And those are none other than the three sisters, Ann, Sab, and Luffia.
"We can't kill them," Sab says.
"Why not? We could just use a sniper rifle to hit them all one after another." Ann's hand stretches to Luffia's shirt, keeping her in place just in case she storms off to their enemies. It wouldn't be the first time she will do that, often headstrong and hyper to pick fights that sometimes jeopardize their plans.
Plans and Luffia will never belong in one sentence. Ever.
So Ann takes it to heart to firmly grip Luffia's shirt, preventing her from going off somewhere else and get herself injured (again).
"Shiki is a very smart man. The Doctor with him is a genius inventor. For all we know he could have attached some sort of devices into the guards."
"Device like what?" Luffia usually never listens, but her attention is now on Sab.
"A device that can monitor the heart rate. If it goes off, that will alarm them. We can't have that." Understanding dawns on Ann. With Sab's further explanation, they formulated the plan to use the guns that use a metal syringe as bullets. They will have to knock out the guards.
Sab is tasked with doing it, having more sniping skills than the three of them. While waiting for Sab to knock the hell out of the guards, Ann kept Luffia in check.
The task is easy for the blonde. It helps that the guards are at the minimum number compared to what they expected. Besides, Shiki doesn't look like he's expecting this kind of assault this early as soon as he made his movements known to the streets. Had Shiki been more guarded than this, the sisters wouldn't have pursued a raid tonight.
With precision, Sab knocks out the four guards situated at four separate locations. Surveying the area, she approaches the man and inspects the devices inside. She found several pieces of communicating devices, and the other is the man's electronic ID, probably used to enter the building.
With her hand raising, she signals her sisters to join her. They have no information about this building and despite it being less guarded, they still do not know what kind of traps are in there. Still, they have to go inside and kill Shiki. With a personality like Shiki, a rare chance like this will be hard to come by.
They have to be swift with their movements. The only thing the twins are worries is the fact that they do not know what the inside of the building looks like.
The entrance looks normal, just a hallway and at the end of the corridor, they see two doors.
"No CCTV." Ann whispers.
"No. Shiki is very cautious. He wouldn't want to have an evidence against him. If they installed CCTV camera, in case they need to flee, they will inevitably leave an evidence to be exploited." Sab answers.
"They could just blow up the entire place."
"And have the World Government look into it? No. The World Government will find a chance to get him back to prison whatever the cost despite their alliance before."
Their strides are as careful as they can be. The first door they came across leads to another hallway with two doors from different sides. One is what looks like a library. They chose not to enter it and proceeds to check the other door. And this is where they see the laboratory filled with inventions that may shock the entire Grandline. On the floor, they see boxes of what seems like firearms.
"Split up. They are not here." Sab and Luffia went to the other side of the building to go the unexplored areas. True, just as soon as they are at the doors, they hear footsteps in the room and a distinct voice laughing.
Sab proceeds to knock on the door, the other hand clutching on her gun while Luffia readies her fist.
"What, Mr. Shiki? You forgot something to say - " And when he opened the door, his eyes went as wide as they can get when he recognized that the person in front of his room is not Shiki. "You - "
And before he can speak, Luffia throws her fist, hitting Dr. Indigo's jaw. Sab's eyes are as sharp as ever when she noticed the Doctor's hand reaching on his sides.
'I won't allow you.'
Then... Bang! Bang!
The decisiveness of her actions surprised the man who is now lying on the ground with a wound on his shoulder blades. Sab made sure to only aim at the shoulder blades so he won't die immediately.
"We're not killing him?" Luffia asks.
"Not yet. We have use for him. At least for a short while." Sab starts walking towards the man crawling on the floor. She didn't bother to look at where she's going, stepping on the pool of blood on the floor like a person walking on the path of death.
"W-Who are you? H-How did you get here?!"
"No use telling you." Sab signals Luffia to go to the other side of the man so they can tie him up. They made sure not to tie his hands together in case this person has cards up his sleeves. "Go help the other. I'll watch this person while looking around."
"Aye! Aye!"
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Ann's standing in front of the door, hands shaking while clutching onto her gun, eyes filled with rage accumulated from the memories of her parents burning.
Exhaling, she calms herself before briefly opening the door, gun pointing forward.
Just as it opens, a swift kick came flying on her side. With no time to dodge, she rolls over the floor, positioning the gun to point at the attacker. Then she pulls the trigger.
"Who are you?" Shiki's 6-footer figure looms over her, his gun pointing at her.
"Do you want to know?" She asks.
"Never thought someone will sneak in here without us noticing till you reach the corridor. Damn, who are you working for?"
"I am working for myself so the likes of you will pay for the sins of your crime!"
"Ah, I commited crimes. Which one are you referring to?" His tone pisses Ann off. With anger resurfacing, she made a swift kick in an attempt to throw him off balance, but Shiki is a much skilled fighter and an experienced one to boot. He knows what to do in situations like this. Despite his age, he managed to dodge the kick and aims another bullet at Ann.
Years of training with the Revolutionary Army had Ann's body acting on instinct. The assassination skills embedded to her instincts made her survive the doom of the bullet.
"Damn it. You're quite quick on your feet. Die, already!"
"No, you will die." Ann ducks, one hand is steadily on the floor as he sweeps Shiki from below, kicking his shin, and using the hand holding the gun, she fires at him, aiming for his stomach.
"Fuck!" Ann has no time to relax, she rolls over to avoid the bullets. Thank goodness that Shiki's age is somehow preventing him from reacting to Ann's attacks.
Bang! Another one fired and this time aimed on his right shoulder. The impact made him lose his grip on the gun and this is Ann's chance to take the gun out of his reach.
"Damn you! Who the hell are you, bastard?! How did you know this place?!" Shiki's cursing to the hell and back from his carelessness. The timing is impeccable that this person right in front of him happened to target him right where they are at a point of certainty that their plans will not be thwarted by anyone else.
Oh, how wrong he is.
"Doe it hurt?" The position is now revered with Ann looking down on Shiki's form. Despite the anger burning in her chest, she made sure that his hands are on her sight. She fired another shot aimed at his arms that earned another pained shout from the Mafia veteran. "I asked you. Does it hurt?" She emphasized every word while pinning wounded arms, making sure the sole of her foot is directly hitting the bullet wound.
"AAAAHHH! FUCK! YOU!" Shiki cannot move both arms because of the wounds. It doesn't help that his stomach is also shot. With three bullet wounds on his body, it is only a matter of time before he looses blood to assure his death.
"You must be so overconfident that no one will find you, huh?" She mocks him, smirking in the process. "Four guards? Really?"
"S-Shit. Are they your spies?"
"Spies? No. We just didn't kill them. Killing them would alarm you, wouldn't it? We can't have that." Ann's sinister smile is hidden underneath the mask she wears.
"A-Are you working for a-anyone? Which Emperor? Damn them all! It must be Whitebeard!"
"Emperors? They will soon follow you to hell, Shiki. To pay for the sins you all committed. Whitebeard. Big Mom. Kaido. The World Government. Everyone will burn."
"Just who the hell are you?"
"Perhaps you deserve to know who will kill you. Engrave this in your mind that the person who killed you is none other than a remnant of your enemy."
"Remnant..." Shiki's words trail off, eyebrows knitted into a frown while thinking which enemy this person is referring to. It seems that guessing which one is difficult for he didn't answer Ann at all.
"You should all regret when you didn't hunt all of us down. When you let us survived the Buster Call."
The mention of Buster Call enlightens him.
"Y-You..."
"Yes." Ann starts lowering her mask just to show her face to Shiki. "I am not alone. Roger and Rouge's children survived and will hunt every single one of you that conspired with the World Government."
Fear is such a foreign concept to these veteran Mafia lords but when it comes, it strikes fast enough that they won't know when it arrived.
"It's your father's fault! Your father is weak! All the power he has, and he has no guts to use it!"
"And that's the reason why you will never be crowned as Mafia King. All you do is play hide and seek. That's all. You only strike when you know you can win. You're nothing but a coward."
In a last attempt to escape, Shiki reaches for his side to get a knife but Ann is much quicker. A kick on the stomach sent him on the floor, worsening the bleeding.
"AAAHH!"
The blood pools right beneath Ann's feet - the blood of his enemy that she spilled.
"Alright. Alright, you win. I'll... I will serve you. J-Just let me live. I will help you hunt all the culprits, okay? Then, you can rule the world - AAHH!"
"Do you think I will fall for that trick?" Ann showed no mercy in beating the hell out of him. She made sure that he will remember this kind of pain till the last moment of his life.
The pain he is going through is not enough to lighten the suffering Ann and her sisters went through. As much as Ann wants Shiki to continue begging for his life and to be tortured, she knows that they cannot stay here for long. They must finish what they came here for.
"Who is the traitor?" Ann knows that Shiki knows who she is referring to - the traitor in her father's group.
"Ha... Ha..." He pants, now bathed in his blood on the floor. "Why should I tell you? Are you going to let me live if I tell you?"
"You're right. I will still kill you. It doesn't matter because we're going after them!"
"You should have targetted the Emperors! The rival of your father didn't sit still after all. He claimed half of your father's territory!"
Ann freezes from hearing these words. Then, he smiles.
"Whitebeard..." She mutters.
"They're all bigger than you thought they are. You will die and follow your parents to their deaths."
"We will kill them all and avenge our parents' deaths. We've started. You're just among the many that will die." To prove her point, she points the gun right on his head. They locked eyes. One reflect that of hatred while the other is that of amusement and resignation to his fate.
"I... I am sure Whitebeard will have a feast now. He's looking for Roger's children." Once again, Ann freezes from her spot. "With me gone, he's going to have less people to worry about."
"Why... Why is he looking for us?"
"What do you think?" He smirks menacingly and understanding dawns on Ann. That Whitebeard is looking for them to finish them off.
"Say goodbye now, Shiki. Your treasures, everything you have will be ours and you will die here."
Shiki looks up, wide-eyed and that's when the last bullet of Ann's gun was shot off, aimed at his head. Slowly, the light in his eyes died down, his body is motionless, and more blood drips from the center of his forehead where Ann aimed the bullet.
Lion Shiki is now dead. And with his death gives birth to a new motivation for Ann to continue on her plans.
To kill Whitebeard.