Golden Lion wiped the ice crystals from his face, glaring resentfully at the two Marine officers across from him. He was filled with utter frustration!
He never imagined that Golden Lion, who had dominated the New World for so many years, would meet his downfall today at the hands of two young naval officers.
Time had been dragged out long enough, and Garp's warship had already arrived.
In his prime, Golden Lion was confident he wouldn't have lost—even in a one-against-three scenario, he could have escaped unscathed. But now, his stamina was completely depleted.
Of the three massive seawater lions he had summoned to combat the blizzard, two had been shredded to pieces by the storm, and the third was left with only half its body.
Golden Lion glanced at the wounds covering his body and remarked with a sigh:
"Aside from my early days as a pirate, this is only the second time in all these years I've been in such a sorry state."
Garp stood at the bow of his warship, arms crossed, observing the battered Golden Lion.
He then glanced at Raleigh and Kuzan, who were busy eating, and burst into laughter.
"Shiki the Golden Lion, it seems you've grown old. I think Impel Down would suit you just fine."
Golden Lion didn't waste words.
Earlier, he had used his ability to fish a large catch from the sea.
Without bothering to cook it, he sliced the fish open with his famed swords and devoured the tender flesh in large mouthfuls.
His mouth was smeared with fish blood, making him look like a demon clawing its way out of hell.
"Life Return."
He was racing against time, trying to recover some stamina.
Even facing a fully restored Garp, Golden Lion wouldn't pass up any chance to turn the tables.
"That's enough, Shiki. You no longer have the strength for this," Garp said as he picked up a cannonball.
"Fist Bone: Meteor!"
In Garp's hands, the cannonball felt like a small pebble as he hurled it.
Yet its speed and power far surpassed that of a cannon-fired projectile.
This was Garp's signature move—Boom!
The ice layer struck by the cannonball exploded into powder.
With no other choice, Golden Lion could only dodge while trying to recover his stamina.
Meanwhile, Garp's warship drew closer and closer to Golden Lion.
Seeing that Golden Lion was now within his attack range, Garp stopped hurling cannonballs.
He leaped from the warship, using Moon Walk to swiftly close in on Golden Lion.
"Fist Bone: Impact!"
Garp launched a tremendously powerful strike from mid-air, descending toward Golden Lion's head like a falling meteor.
His fist, coated in Armament Haki, possessed unparalleled destructive force—even the sturdiest warship would be shattered and sunk by such a blow.
Golden Lion tried to evade, but he realized Garp had completely locked onto him; there was no dodging this attack.
So, he crossed his two famed swords in front of his chest, reinforcing them with Armament Haki for defense.
Bang!
A violent impact echoed as Golden Lion's swords bent into a terrifying arc under Garp's mighty punch.
Blood trickled from the corner of Golden Lion's mouth as his body hurtled backward, trying to dissipate the force of Garp's strike.
Seeing Golden Lion thrown back, Garp didn't immediately pursue. Instead, he stretched leisurely and remarked:
"Shiki, Roger ran off too quickly just now, so you'll have to take his place in the unfinished fight."
After saying this, Garp used Soru to catch up with the rapidly retreating Golden Lion.
Seeing Garp's arrogance, Golden Lion's fury reached its peak.
Holding his sword in his right hand, he used his Devil Fruit ability to lift his body and swung a backhand slash aimed at Garp's head.
"Lion's Slash Wave."
Clang!
Golden Lion's strike landed on Garp's iron fist, failing to inflict any serious damage.
Feeling subtly suppressed by Garp, Golden Lion's frustration mounted.
Garp suddenly laughed and said, "Shiki, it seems you've indeed suffered severe injuries this time. You're not even using Conqueror's Haki."
In reality, only a small number of people could coat their weapons with Conqueror's Haki.
When attacking, even if an opponent could block physical swords or fists, they couldn't avoid the damage from Conqueror's Haki.
The older generation of Marine officers, lacking Conqueror's Haki, suffered many losses because of this.
To counter Conqueror's Haki attacks, they had no choice but to focus intensely on mastering Armament Haki.
This was why every veteran Marine officer was exceptionally skilled in using Haki.
The pirates they fought mostly possessed Conqueror's Haki and knew how to wield it.
Without specialized counter-training, there would be no way to capture these notorious pirates.
Seeing his attack suppressed by Garp, Golden Lion had no choice but to strike early with the famed sword in his other hand.
Coated simultaneously with Haki and Devil Fruit ability, it unleashed an unparalleled offensive force.
Clang!
Yet this famed sword met the same fate as before, blocked by Garp's other iron fist.
Garp grunted heavily, genuinely surprised that Golden Lion still had the stamina to counterattack at this stage.
One could only say, this was truly a powerhouse who had dominated the seas.
No one knew how many hidden cards he held. After enduring natural disasters and tidal waves, barely surviving, he then clashed with a Marine Vice Admiral.
And now, facing Garp, who had barely expended any energy, even someone as iron-willed as Golden Lion couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Suddenly, Golden Lion seemed to sense something and grew frantic, trying to escape Garp's range.
But what Golden Lion sensed, Garp also knew—the Roger Pirates, after leaving, had turned back and were nearly upon the battlefield.
Garp abandoned the idea of defeating Golden Lion with a single punch, released his grip, and instead tightly seized Golden Lion's arms.
Golden Lion hadn't expected this move from Garp. With both arms pinned firmly in Garp's grasp, he couldn't break free.
Ssshh!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed as a gleaming famed sword plunged into Golden Lion's back.
Mikazuki Munechika, an exquisitely beautiful famed sword, Its owner, Raleigh, had just driven it into Golden Lion's body.
Golden Lion let out a furious roar, then madly channeled his Devil Fruit ability toward his back, attempting to seize control of Raleigh's sword.
Raleigh resisted Golden Lion's ability, wary of his sword being turned into one of Golden Lion's extensions.
That earlier strike had already met the criteria of being steady, precise, and ruthless.
Originally, Raleigh had been aiming for Golden Lion's heart.
But at the last moment, Golden Lion seemed to be pushed by someone, causing the blade to narrowly miss his heart.
Still, it didn't matter.
A penetrating wound like this could never heal in the midst of battle.
Even after disengaging, proper recovery would be necessary.
Golden Lion spat out a mouthful of blood with a loud cry, his imposing aura shrinking significantly.
If things continued as they were, even without further fighting, Golden Lion would bleed to death.
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