Shiki

Shiki the Golden Lion is the notorious captain of the Golden Lion Pirates and the first prisoner ever to escape from Impel Down. He wreaked havoc on the seas during Roger's time and is the main antagonist of the 10th One Piece Movie. He is also known as the "Flying Pirate".

Appearance
Shiki is a massive pirate dressed in traditional Japanese clothes consisting of an orange, a red and a black robe tied together with a dark green sash, with a golden chain around his waist; he also wears a yellow stripped tattered coat draped over his shoulders. He has golden mane-like hair, reaching down to the ground, and on the top of his head is a part of a steering wheel that got lodged into his head after his battle with Roger. The doctor has noted that trying to remove it could result in death, as it is lodged too deep. Shiki himself thought he looked like a rooster without realizing that it was himself when looking into a mirror. As for his facial features, he sports a golden bushy tuff of hair for a beard at the bottom of his chin, and a black goatee with pointed edges surrounding his mouth. His eyebrows are dark and pointed as well, and he has some purple spots on the left side of his face right around his right eye that indicates his age. He is usually seen smoking a cigar.

20 years ago, his hair covered the now bald top part of his head, and the coat on his shoulders had a different pattern, with big flower-like motifs on it.

Instead of using more conventional prosthesis after cutting off his own legs to escape Impel Down, he uses his own swords as prosthetic legs, which he openly shows. He is quite skilled at using the swords, as he has little difficulty standing or walking using them.

His overall design resembles a typical shogun.

Personality
Shiki is usually a calm person at most times. He takes most things with a cheerful smile and even getting a steering wheel stuck in his head, losing half his Pirate fleet to Roger, or cutting off his feet didn't bring him down much.

He also seems to be a little bit absent-minded, as he often mistakes things for other things, such as a giant stormy cloud for a perm, or Scarlet for a relative of his. He apparently likes to dance, as when first introduced to Nami he was seen performing a dance with Indigo and Scarlet. The three of them often act as a comical trio.

He also seems to have a knack for planning, often coming up with grandiose ones (which he once attempted to invite Roger to take part of) that can be incredibly long-term, and even Whitebeard seems to warily view him in this regard.

And according to Garp, he is not the type of person who could tolerate a peaceful era for long, but also added that Shiki would not instigate something big without extensive planning and preparation beforehand. He possesses an extreme amount of patience as shown by the fact he was not upset at all about having to wait for twenty years before he could complete his plan.

He has shown that, when the time calls for it, he can be absolutely ruthless, such as when he slaughtered dozens of Marines at Marineford, shot one of his subordinates in annoyance, destroyed the only village on Merveille just to prove the strength of his mutated animals to his allies, and tried to destroy the entire East Blue, a sea which he refers as the weakest and which during the years he has started hating, because of the man who defeated him coming from there and having died there.

Crew
By Shiki's own admission, he values his crewmates very much. This respect, however, doesn't seem to extend to the lower members of his fleet and will not hesitate to injure them if they don't live up to his expectations, as he was seeing shooting one of them in a leg simply because he informed him of Roger's capture; he also shot one of his navigators for his incapability in forecasting weather conditions.

Dr. Indigo has spent over twenty years at Shiki's service, and the two now seem to share some sort of friendship relationship, as Shiki doesn't mind being slapped by the Doctor whenever he mistaken something for another thing, and he stands the noises of Indigo's shoes, despite them irritating him. The two also dance together, with Scarlet as the third one. He (among with everyone else) become completely surprised when they realize he can talk, despite the fact he spoke to them before.

Shiki seems to be fond of Scarlet, since the gorilla is almost always seen at his side, and he even takes part in his and Indigo's "dance shows". He often mistakes Scarlet as a relative.

Shiki admires both Nami's forecasting capabilities, having enlisted her as his crew's navigator, and her beauty, for which he refers to her as "Baby". After she betrayed him, however, he showed no hesitation in leaving her to die.

Enemies
Shiki is one of the many Pirates whose utmost respect had been gained by Roger. In fact, during their youth, the two Pirates flew into several skirmishes against each other, but in their last battle, Shiki has shown to be willing to treat the past as letting bygones be bygones, if Roger would just agree to cooperate with him. However, Roger may not have regarded him likewise, apparently having refused the offer many times in the past; the fact that Roger did not bother to at least talk with Shiki prior to his execution, as he had done with both Whitebeard and Garp, suggests that he did not think much of Shiki as a rival. When Roger was captured by Marines, Shiki angrily invaded Marineford, saying that he should have killed him himself, and when in Impel Down, he thought of his old rival, showing sadness because of all the new rookies wanting to invade the Grand Line, and veterans like Roger dying.

Shiki also is a firm opposer of both the World Government and the Marines: he tried to conquer the first one with an army of mutated animals, as seen in Movie 10, and in Chapter 0 deemed the Marines of being too weak to capture a man like Roger. He was however defeated by Sengoku and Garp, and this may have caused him to hate the two as well. The first time he resurfaced to the world after 20 years he once again attacked the Marine HQ, "as a warning".

Shiki made his biggest enemies out of the Straw Hat pirates by threatening East Blue. Luffy was the most eager to personally defeat Shiki after the latter abducted Nami. The other Straw Hats as well as Nami worked together to foil Shiki's plan.

Others
Despite not apparently being an ally of him, Shiki didn't have a bad relationship with the other powerful pirate from the Roger era, Whitebeard; he thought of him as a strong man, able to take over Roger in the dominion of the sea, as he said when they were drinking together on the Moby Dick and speaking about old times. Whitebeard apparently knows about Shiki's penchant for planning.

Abilities and Powers
Shiki commands a large pirate crew, of at least 51 divisions, somewhat similar to Don Krieg's Pirate Armada and the Whitebeard Pirates. It is unknown how strong his crew is, but what is known is that the largest pirate fleet was under his control at that time.

During the Roger Era, he was one of the most powerful figures of the time, being in line with Sengoku, Garp and even Whitebeard or Roger. He was also sent to Level 6 in Impel Down, which may also give an idea as to how powerful he is. It is unknown how much strength he lost during imprisonment, or how his strength might be different in the current storyline as opposed to twenty years ago.

However, during his confrontation with the Straw Hat Pirates, he displayed tremendous fighting abilities. On their first encounter, he effortlessly defeated Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper, consequently trapping them in a giant pillar of earth. He was able to block one of Sanji's kick with just one hand and later fight on par with Luffy in Gear Second mode, dodging his punches and attacking him at the same time. He also managed to negate one of Zoro's powerful slashes with his leg, and sent him crashing to the ground with one crunching punch.

Shiki also has a huge tolerance for pain and great endurance having cut off his own legs and then escaped Impel Down, which, as seen during the Impel Down Arc is a staggering feat. He suffered almost no damage from Chopper's Kokutei Roseo.

Devil Fruit
Shiki ate the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, a Paramecia type Devil Fruit which allows him to make almost anything he touches levitate, and also make surrounding non-living matter levitate once he has come in contact with it. Shiki states that once he makes something float it will stay that way until he himself undoes it or he loses consciousness. He has been shown to make several Marine vessels and even vast island areas float.

He seems to have mastered the use of this fruit, as he has shown a variety of skills which manipulates the surrounding non-living environment in complicated ways, even manipulating it from its simplest components, such as earth's fragments and snow flakes being used to build up gigantic, elaborate structures that are then used to attack for a variety of purposes.

When attacking Shiki uses the surrounding environment against his enemies, shaping earth or snow into giant lion heads and launching them towards his foes, or even making water float to drown his opponents in it.

As stated, his powers are unable to be used on any living matter other than himself, meaning he cannot touch another person, animal, or plant and allow them to levitate.

Weapons
Shiki possesses two double-edged swords by the names of Oto and Kogarashi, which according to him were famous. In the past he used them like regular swords but after escaping Impel Down replaced his missing legs with them.

He possesses great skills as a swordsman and was able to kill a mountain of Marines before getting captured. Shiki is also capable of attacking from a distance with them, by sending slashes from his sword legs in a Rankyaku like fashion; in the anime, these air-blades have a light-yellow/gold color-scheme, matching his epithet. He fended off all the slashes from Zoro's Nanajuni Pound Ho with great speed and reflexes, and later another attack from Zoro's was countered in mid-air and he knocked Zoro back down to the ground with great force. He was also able to fight on par against Roger, and later both Garp and Sengoku in their prime.

He was also seen using a flintlock pistol in various occasions, and seems to be quite accurate with it.

Past
Twenty five years ago, two years before Gol D. Roger and his crew reached Raftel, Shiki had learned that the Pirate King had located an ancient weapon. Seeing the opportunity, he asked Roger if they could join forces. With his large pirate fleet and Roger's weapon, Shiki believed that together they could take over the whole world. Roger however refused Shiki's offer saying that there was no point in being a pirate if he could not do as he wished. A great sea battle soon ensued between their crews at Edd War. Due to a storm that happened during their fight, Shiki unfortunately lost and half of his fleet sunk. Despite this and getting a piece of a steering wheel lodged into his head that almost killed him, Shiki came to have great respect for Roger.



After hearing that Roger had been captured Shiki shot the man who had informed him and went to Marineford on his own where he beat up several Marine soldiers. He yelled out how he could not believe how such "wimps" could have captured Roger and told them to bring him out if they had him so that he could kill him with his own hands. Shiki was suddenly approached by Sengoku who went on to explain that he would never have another fight with Roger as he could win and then be able to escape. Sengoku goes on to explain that Roger was scheduled to be executed in Loguetown, "The Town of Beginnings", within a week and that the execution was meant to break the heart of every pirate. As Shiki lamented on the fact that the "Legend of the Pirate King, Roger" would end in the weakest sea and how it would be the greatest insult to him, Monkey D. Garp appears and tells him that East Blue was a symbol of peace while Sengoku explains that they won't let him interfere in the execution. Both Garp and Sengoku prepare to fight and an unseen battle began between the three that destroyed half of Marineford but in the end Shiki lost and was imprisoned in Impel Down.

Shiki lay broken in his cell and heard about how everyone was setting out to find Roger's treasure. He thought to himself that he would prove to the world how pirates were the rulers of the world. Twenty years ago, Shiki was the first prisoner to escape from the great prison Impel Down, by cutting off his own shackled legs and later replaced them using his own personal swords as prosthetic limbs. Because of this event, Sengoku states it was a serious mistake on their part to let him escape.

He later sought out Whitebeard and offered him to be a part of his plan although he was cut short as Whitebeard threatened to throw him overboard if he did not cut his crap. Shiki then revealed to Whitebeard that he would disappear for a while and that he would show the real fear of pirates to the rookie pirates. Shiki is then seen at a mountain on a unexplored Grand Line island. He asked Dr. Indigo how the experiment is coming and is told by Dr. Indigo that he made a discovery that there is balance between the plants and animals on the island. He also explains that many plants and animals can not be found elsewhere to which Shiki interrupts him. Shiki orders him to get straight to the point and asks Dr. Indigo how long will his plan take and is told that it will take twenty years, at least. Accepting this Shiki says that he will then carry out his plan in 20 years and then he will show "them" hell on Earth by releasing tons of mutated animals in the world similar to Boss, declaring war with the world.

Pre-Movie Arc: Little East Blue
After 20 years have passed, Shiki is set to put his plan in motion. However, one of his animals, a large horned beetle, escapes from his base of operations. He contacts the Amigo Pirates and their leaders, Largo and Corto, and offers them to let them join his conference provided they retrieve the beetle for him. In the end however they fail thanks to the Straw Hats (though Shiki is unaware of this) and Shiki ultimately dismisses the escaped beetle citing one escapee won't stop his plans.

Movie 10: Strong World
During the years spent in Merveille, Indigo managed to develop from a local plant, the IQ, a serum called SIQ, that if injected into animals, enhances their evolutional process, granting them the ability to adapt to their natural environment better. Using this incredible drug, Shiki started creating his own army of mutated animals, in order to defeat the World Government. After gathering a large amount of these animals, as well as old and new allies, Shiki sent some of them to attack East Blue, causing incredible damage. Then, he resurfaced to the world in Marineford, flying over the island with his ship and destroying several Marine battleships by levitating them and then crushing them to the ground, as a warning for his old enemies.



After that, by chance he came across the Straw Hat Pirates. They first communicated through a Tone Dial he sent them with his levitational powers, but after Nami warned him and his crew of an incoming storm through the use of the same device, he flew to the Thousand Sunny himself. Having learned of the Straw Hats concern about the events in East Blue and their will to return there, with them still unaware of his involvement in the disaster, he apparently offered to help them, bringing them to their destination with his powers. However, it was all a deception: the Flying Pirate brought the Straw Hats up in the sky, to his base, Merveille. There, he kidnapped Nami, wanting her as his navigator, and sent the others flying to the nearby islands levitated by his powers, as preys for his mutated animals.



He brought Nami to his palace, offering her multiple times a chance to join his crew, but the girl refused each time, and eventually managed to escape with the aid of Indigo's last project, a bird producing electricity from his feathers. He chased her to the only village on the island, where she had taken refuge with some other members of the Straw Hats. The Golden Lion effortlessly defeated Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper, trapping them in a giant pillar of earth with his powers, and eventually convinced Nami to join his crew, with the promise of sparing her former crewmates and East Blue. He gave the girl a Tone Dial, in order to leave a last farewell to her friends, and then brought her up again to his base. Here, he had his allies witness the destruction of the village at the hands of his mutated animals, as prove of their strength. After that, he was informed of something by Indigo which was revealed to be Nami's attempt to destroy the trees protecting his palace from the wild animals, in order for the place to be destroyed by his own bestial minions. Having seemingly foiled her plan, he had his subordinates immobilize her with long spears and left her to die from the Daft disease she contracted during her attempt to blow away the trees.



He summoned the pirates under his command to drink with him, explaining his plan, but the meeting was interrupted by the Straw Hat Pirates, who attacked the place in order to save Nami. Shiki's allies confronted Luffy's crew in the hall and were eventually defeated, while the Straw Hats captain fought Shiki, riding on Billy. The Golden Lion seemingly defeated Luffy, having almost drowned and slashed him, and was then informed by one of his subordinates of an incoming storm. He returned to the palace, attacked by his animals as Nami planned, and just as he was going to take revenge on the healed navigator, together with Usopp and Chopper, Luffy shows up again, having survived his injuries, and finally defeated Shiki by boosting his Gear Third's power with the electricity generated by the storm.

As he is beaten, Shiki questions whether he was meant to be defeated once again by a man from East Blue before yelling Roger's name. With his defeat, the control his power held over the flying islands disappeared, forcing them to crash into the sea. Shiki was last seen falling unconscious into the sea as well, followed shortly by his subordinates Indigo and Scarlet. Apparently, the Marines spotted him, and were hurrying to capture him, but it is unknown if they managed to. It is also unknown if he died from the fall or if he survived.

Major Battles

 * Shiki vs. Gol D. Roger (unseen, several times)
 * Golden Lion Pirates vs. Roger Pirates (Battle of the Edd War)
 * Shiki vs. Sengoku and Monkey D. Garp
 * Shiki vs. Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Usopp, Sanji and Tony Tony Chopper
 * Golden Lion Pirates vs. Straw Hat Pirates
 * Shiki vs. Monkey D. Luffy and Billy

Early One Piece
In the early design sketches of Shiki, Oda originally drew Shiki as bald and with more lion-like facial features. In a later draft of Shiki, Oda drew him with the steering wheel but embedded in his head in a different position. In an interview about Strong World, Oda also revealed that he originally intended this concept of Shiki to be used for Bartholomew Kuma. However he turned down the idea but later decided to use it for Shiki.

Anime and Manga Differences
A notable difference between the anime's and manga's episode 0 is that, during the scene Shiki escapes Impel Down, when his cut off feet are seen, in the manga, they are barefooted, while in the anime, they keep the traditional Impel Down's shoes.

Trivia

 * Like other characters in One Piece, he has a distinct laughter which is "Ji ha ha ha ha".
 * A fan noticed Shiki being mentioned in the manga and asked Oda if the character was one and the same with the character in the movie. Oda confirmed that the two characters were one and the same, and explained more about him. Originally, Oda wanted to have Shiki be mentioned during the meeting between Shanks and Whitebeard. He however held back because he thought it might be too much info for readers and confuse them. At that time, he did not know that the story about the pirate who caused havoc during Roger's time would be made into a movie.
 * Oda personally selected Takenaka for Shiki due to his large range of character roles.
 * Like other One Piece characters (such as Franky), Shiki has undergone some of the strangest appearance alterations as the result of an injury. He has a steering wheel jammed in his head and replaced his feet with his swords.
 * Of his known surviving crew members, they all have a colour in their name. His colour is "Golden" as per his epithet "Gold Lion".
 * In the Chinese subbed version of the movie, his name can be seen in kanji (獅鬼), which is translated into "Lion Demon".
 * Shiki is a support character in Gigant Battle and playable character in its sequel.
 * The lion is traditionally referred to as the 'King of Beasts', so it is symbolic that Shiki uses an army of beasts to do his bidding.
 * In an early trailer for the movie Strong World, Shiki, like the rest of the Straw Hat crew, was seen wearing different attire than what he wore in the actual movie. Shiki was seen wearing a white suit with red marks on the sleeves. He also seemed much skinnier and carried a red sword.