"It seems you'll be staying here today, Golden Lion."
A fierce gust of wind swept through as the tall figure of Christian Raleigh materialized before Golden Lion, gripping his renowned sword, Mikazuki Munechika.
"Karakara... Shiki, this is the latest supernova in the Marines," Dr. Indigo sneered. "At a young age, through his achievements of slaying Byrnndi World and suppressing pirates and Mafia in the North Blue, he attained the rank of Vice Admiral—Christian Raleigh."
Facing the sudden appearance of Raleigh, Dr. Indigo showed no tension.
Even if he was a supernova, he was merely a Vice Admiral now. Not all Vice Admirals were as monstrous as Garp.
Golden Lion's gaze fixed on Raleigh's youthful face, scrutinizing him up and down before suddenly speaking.
"Kid, your talent surpasses even that ice brat's. Why not join the Flying Pirates? You'll be the Vice Captain."
Hearing Golden Lion offer Raleigh better terms than he had received, Kuzan, visibly displeased, shot a blast of cold air toward Golden Lion's face.
Golden Lion casually sliced through the cold air with his famed sword and said:
"Ice brat, I'm not looking down on you. I'm just stating facts. This kid is younger than you and stronger than you."
"Kid, if you don't have a Devil Fruit, I have a few I've collected over the years that I can give you."
Golden Lion's body slowly levitated from the deck, the blade of his famed sword turning jet black as his expression grew serious.
"Although I just fought with the heavens, I'm not someone any random cat or dog can push around. If you want to kill me, you need strength and the courage to face death."
A bloodthirsty killing intent erupted from Golden Lion's body—this aura had nothing to do with Conqueror's Haki, but was naturally cultivated through years of killing as a pirate.
Ordinary people would tremble in fear under this pressure, completely at his mercy.
"Save those petty tricks, Golden Lion."
Raleigh elegantly twirled his Mikazuki Munechika before flashing in front of Golden Lion.
Clang!
Raleigh's sword clashed with Golden Lion's Oto, sparks flying as the two blades crossed.
"Hey, old man, you still have this much stamina left?"
Raleigh found it unbelievable.
As the mastermind behind this plan, he had calculated many factors, with Golden Lion's stamina being the most crucial.
Theoretically, Golden Lion should have expended massive amounts of energy battling the storm—otherwise, there was no explanation for why he had a ship's rudder embedded in his head.
But now it seemed his calculations were off. While Golden Lion's stamina was indeed depleted, he still had enough strength to fight.
Golden Lion smoothly thrust Kogarashi upward from below, aiming to gut Raleigh.
Raleigh pushed off with his right foot, using clever momentum to fly backward and land on the deck near Kuzan. Golden Lion stared at the retreating Raleigh with a satisfied smile.
"Kuzan, that rudder has a significant impact on Golden Lion. When I got close to him just now, he only used Armament Haki and Observation Haki."
Yet the Conqueror's Haki he frequently used remained concealed—whether he intended to hide it or could no longer wield it remained unclear.
Golden Lion felt Raleigh's assessment of him like a specimen stripped bare for examination.
With a thunderous roar, the wooden planks on the deck churned and coalesced, swiftly forming a lifelike lion.
After suffering Kuzan's earlier assault, he would refrain from creating lions from seawater to attack Raleigh or Kuzan, at least for this battle.
"Lion's Timber Roll!"
The massive wooden lion behind Golden Lion leaped over his body, pouncing toward Raleigh.
Raleigh showed little concern, as if dismissing the attack as unworthy of defense.
Crack!
On the sea surface, the previously frozen lion suddenly roared skyward.
An ice lion gleaming with dazzling light surged from the waves, lunging at the wooden lion.
When the two lions of different materials collided mid-air, wood splinters and ice crystals scattered like shrapnel.
Amid the chaotic debris, a flurry of razor-sharp slashes followed Golden Lion's movements, sweeping toward Raleigh and Kuzan.
"Lion's Thousand Cut Valley!"
True to his reputation as a veteran pirate forged in countless battles, Golden Lion's timing was impeccable.
Exploiting the obscured sightlines, he concealed his assault until the last moment, forcing his enemies to confront his razor-edged onslaught head-on.
Raleigh's expression darkened. Golden Lion's attack was seamless—it seemed a direct confrontation was inevitable.
As a cold gleam flashed across his blade Mikazuki Munechika, Raleigh prepared to charge when Kuzan's voice echoed in his ears.
"Leave this to me, Raleigh."
"Ice Wall!"
The air before Raleigh instantly crystallized, forming a thick barrier of ice within a breath, rapidly thickening further.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Golden Lion's relentless slashes hammered against the newly formed ice wall, shredding layer after layer of frost into glittering shards.
Driven by inner fury, Golden Lion shattered the ice wall to splinters—only to find Raleigh had vanished from behind it.
Clash!
The ring of clashing blades cut through the air, revealing Golden Lion's figure amidst turbulent energy waves.
In his left hand, the legendary sword Kogarashi parried a razor-sharp ice javelin—undoubtedly Kuzan's doing.
"Ice Partisan."
Kuzan maintained his attacking stance, bone-chilling cold radiating around him.
"Take this, old fool!"
Raleigh materialized behind Golden Lion, Mikazuki Munechika gleaming lethally in his grasp.
"Single Blade Style: Ryuo Falling Slash."
Boom!
Raleigh's full-powered strike crashed against Oto, which Golden Lion had hastily raised to block.
The impact transmitted through Golden Lion's body into the pirate ship beneath them.
The terrifying force made the vessel groan under renewed strain as its draft plunged abruptly.
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