At this very moment, Blackbeard's eyes narrowed, heavy and solemn.
He had originally been staring at Red with naked greed—but now, another sinister thought rose uncontrollably in his heart.
Though Blackbeard, a pirate of the old school, had always believed that humans triumph over heaven and had never put any stock in fate or destiny…
If he had a chance to become that legendary existence—
Then what harm would there be in being a hypocrite just this once?!
"Zehahahahaha…"
"I really underestimated you, Monkey D. Luffy!!!"
Endless darkness once again surged violently from Blackbeard's body, rolling outward like a tidal wave and condensing into a colossal, monstrous presence. It stared up at Luffy, who hovered in the sky, radiating scorching brilliance.
This time, after linking Luffy's power to that ancient legend, Blackbeard finally shed his ever-arrogant disdain.For the first time—
He became truly serious.
In an instant, the skies over the entire sea seemed shrouded in pitch-black demonic miasma!
"Hm?!"
"Is Dazzling Gleam no longer working?!"
Shock flashed through Luffy's eyes.
The next second, he mobilized every ounce of Pokémon energy within him and unleashed Dazzling Gleam at full power.
Under the blazing sunlight, Luffy became like an artificial sun suspended high in the sky.
Darkness surged endlessly toward him from all directions—only to be completely driven back by the boundless radiance.
Light and darkness clashed for the first time in this world.
…
…
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield—
Golden Lion spat out a mouthful of blood as he was blasted backward, staring at the rapidly shifting clouds before him in utter disbelief at the power Red had just displayed.
Even if he was no longer at his peak.Even if age had worn his body down…
To defeat him head-on in a contest of raw power still required strength equal to his prime!
"That brat is still so young… how is this possible?!"
Golden Lion was shaken to the core, completely unable to comprehend Pokémon techniques.
But before he could steady himself, a figure suddenly appeared beside him, flying parallel at astonishing speed.
"Senior Golden Lion, this isn't the time for a nap!"
Red—transformed into the Three Legendary Birds Form—beat his wings and grinned teasingly.
"You brat!"
Golden Lion's eyes widened—but before he could stabilize himself with his Devil Fruit power, an unfamiliar force suddenly wrapped around his body, freezing him in place.
Red's eyes glimmered with deep violet light as Psychic power violently compressed Golden Lion's movement space.
The next instant, eerie flames surged like a tide from Red's body, engulfing Golden Lion and scorching him with searing heat.
"Gah!"
Golden Lion let out a muffled cry of pain.
A terrifying aura erupted from his body, black lightning crackling violently through the surrounding space.
Yet just like that strange electrical current earlier, the flames—which should have been extinguished instantly by his aura—clung stubbornly to his body.
Move — Will-O-Wisp!
A peculiar move that deals no direct damage, yet guarantees the Burn status.
Because burn was a relatively common debuff and caused no additional effects, Will-O-Wisp required far less Pokémon energy and was far easier to execute than most techniques.
And after loading the Fire-type Legendary Beast template—Moltres—Red wielded this move with effortless mastery, instantly coating Golden Lion's entire body in flames.
Clearly, after fighting a top-tier powerhouse like Zephyr, Red had developed a combat style uniquely his own.
Against apex fighters, elemental attacks alone could scarcely break through Armament Haki.
And physical combat wasn't Red's forte.
So his solution was simple—
Wear the enemy down with status effects, evade with moves like Hyperspace Hole, and block head-on with powerful Normal-type techniques.
"Damn it! That cursed power again!"
Golden Lion cursed bitterly, once more tormented by Pokémon techniques.
But after adapting to the pain, he quickly stabilized his body.
"Creepy little brat! Don't think mastering some bizarre tricks means you can challenge my strength!"
"I am—"
"The man who rules the seas from the sky!!!"
Whooo—!
Golden Lion roared, flames of an unnatural color burning across his body.
Red's eyes widened.
In the distant sky, a small Sky Island had appeared out of nowhere.
He recognized it instantly.
This wasn't the Sky Island above Amazon Lily, the Black Lion Alliance's headquarters—
It was a hidden island Golden Lion had prepared long ago.
Sure enough—
Seconds later, islands of varying sizes came flying in from all directions.
The sheer scale was enough to leave the world dumbstruck.
"So this is your true weapon… Senior Golden Lion."
Even Red couldn't help but marvel.
He had assumed the Float-Float Fruit had range limits—that was why he'd relocated the battlefield with Hyperspace Hole.
But now it was clear—
Either the fruit had no range limit…
Or Golden Lion had pushed its development to a completely absurd level.
In terms of sheer destructive potential, this fruit was no less dangerous than Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
"Zehahahahaha—!!"
Golden Lion laughed wildly, flames blazing across his body.
"Brat! Did you really think I'd be scared of your tricks?!"
"Everything before this was just a smokescreen!"
"Now—"
"Witness the true power of the King of the Skies!!!"
Rumble—!!!
Under Golden Lion's command, several islands collided violently before Red, triggering a massive explosion.
Dust and debris swallowed the world.
ROOOOAR—!!!
From the smoke emerged a gigantic Island Lion, its colossal head blotting out the sky as it bared fangs like a bottomless abyss.
Golden Lion soared upward and landed atop its head, his flaming cloak billowing triumphantly behind him.
Magnificent beyond words.
Yet Red—still in Three Legendary Birds Form—grinned.
"The power of the King of the Skies?"
"What a stubborn old man."
Though Golden Lion's strength was awe-inspiring, Red didn't believe—
That he was truly still at full power.
Regardless, the battle had entered a brand-new phase.
The legacy might of a legendary pirate…
Versus—
A shameless, buff-stacking teenager's drug-powered supremacy!!!
Gulp gulp gulp—!
As Golden Lion postured atop the Island Lion, Red was already downing his fourth vial!
First: Full Restore, instantly returning him to peak condition.Second: PP Max, enhancing all move power and effects.Third: Special Attack Boost.
Then came the fourth, fifth, sixth…
Defense Boosts, Critical Capsules, Speed Enhancers—
Since Golden Lion had revealed his strength, Red abandoned all notions of "martial virtue" and went all-out.
As empty vials fell and dissolved into light, a radiant bird with blazing eyes appeared above the sea.
"Senior Golden Lion!"
Red smirked mercilessly.
"Your era is over."
"If you refuse to step gracefully into the new age…"
"Then I'll do it for you!!!"
"The legend ends here!!!"
BOOM—!!!
A massive lightning bolt tore across the sky.
Red unleashed an unprecedented aura—
Conqueror's Haki + Divine Power of the Three Legendary Birds + Quadruple Pressure!
For a moment, he seemed like a god ruling heaven and earth.
Clouds churned.Heaven and sea obeyed his will.
"Sharp-tongued brat!"
"Let me remind you—"
"Why legends are legends!!!"
Golden Lion's eyes darkened, yet he charged fearlessly.
"Think I'm the same as before?!"
Red's red and blue eyes flashed.
Lightning exploded across his body.
"Try this!"
"Thunder Blade!!!"
Slash—!
Air Slash + Thunderbolt!
For the first time, Red unleashed a combo Pokémon move.
Blades of lightning-infused air tore forward like a storm.
"Useless!"
"The sky is my domain!!!"
"Lion God's Might · Divine Roar!!!"
ROOOAR—!!!
The sonic wave collided with the lightning barrage.
The Island Lion was sliced apart—only to reform endlessly.
The battle locked into a deadly stalemate.
Golden Lion grew anxious.
The flames still burned.
And Red still had drugs.
This couldn't continue.
With a glint in his eyes, Golden Lion quietly reached toward Amazon Lily.
The Float-Float Fruit activated.
Minutes later—
A colossal island descended.
Covered entirely in strange blue vegetation, it shimmered like a sapphire.
Red recognized it instantly.
Interesting.
As the island fused with the Island Lion, its body doubled in size.
Only one thing stood out—
Its right leg was covered in that blue flora.
Red's attacks began to falter.
Golden Lion laughed.
"Prepare to die, brat!!!"
But—
Red smiled.
"Sorry, Senior Golden Lion."
"I'll be taking the win."
"You should've been more careful."
"Friendly reminder—don't pick up things that don't belong to you."
A deep Ground-type aura erupted.
Red roared—
"Rototiller!!!"
(End of Chapter)