Their chatter reached the ears of Golden Lion, who remained still as if petrified, mainly due to a bit of embarrassment.
He thought, upon hearing his name, Golden Lion, the other party would react with either shock or fear, or even disdain, to which he could respond accordingly.
What he hadn’t expected was this kind of response from these youngsters in front of him.
His current identity was quite special. His bounty in the outside world was even zero because after being imprisoned by Garp and Sengoku, his bounty had been removed.
Although Golden Lion successfully escaped, the World Government didn’t publicize this matter, considering it a disgrace rather than an achievement.
Given his subsequent disappearance after the escape, they didn’t have to reissue the bounty.
A remnant of a bygone era settling down quietly was their most desired scenario, because of which, Rayleigh could live comfortably in Sabaody Archipelago.
Even if it was Golden Lion’s own doing, he never imagined being forgotten so completely.
“Ahem, young people nowadays are no good. They know nothing about their predecessors. Well, let me tell you how gentle today’s era is compared to the old days…”
“It’s not that, I just can’t remember who Golden Lion is. Hey, old man, were you famous back in the day?”
Golden Lion had barely found a way to get out of this embarrassing situation, but it was quickly destroyed by Yamato.
“No, I think you just haven’t learned about the past…”
“Nonsense! My history grades are excellent! Roger, Whitebeard, Red Count, Byrnndi World, Ochoku, John – aren’t these all great pirates of the old era!”
Golden Lion clutched his chest, feeling a slight difficulty in breathing.
He could understand the others – the Pirate King, the strongest man in the world, both top figures in the pirate world, and he could even make sense of the lone wolf Red Count and the madman World. But Ochoku and John…
They were all pirates on the same ship back then. After the dissolution of the Rocks Pirates, his reputation far surpassed those two, yet these youngsters couldn’t remember him.
This is actually a temporary lapse in memory, similar to reciting an ancient poem where you’ve memorized the entire poem but can’t recall just that one missing line. Golden Lion is like this for Yamato and Jack.
Strictly speaking, they were enemies, making this conversation inappropriate. However, ever since having a ship’s helm lodged in his head, Golden Lion’s thinking had become increasingly odd. He wouldn’t be able to sleep well until this issue was clarified.
“Listen up! I am…a legendary great pirate! Captain of the Flying Pirates, Admiral of the Golden Lion Pirate Fleet, Roger’s arch-rival! Golden Lion Shiki! You’ve heard of Ochoku and John, yet you don’t know my name?!”
There was no mutual respect among the officers on the Rocks ship. Golden Lion acknowledged Whitebeard’s strength and saw Roger as his greatest rival. It would be strange if no one knew them. But the latter, he just couldn’t accept.
However, he and Yamato were like two parallel lines, without any common language, or rather, Yamato’s focus was on an entirely different thing from what he expected.
“Roger’s arch-rival? Wasn’t his rival Garp from the Marines?”
“…That’s a man I acknowledged! His greatest enemy was me. If it weren’t for that bastard’s luck, how could he have become the Pirate King?! Garp? He’s nothing! Do you even know what you’re talking about, brat!”
“Well, whatever. No matter how famous you were, today I’m going to send you flying!”
“…”
Golden Lion’s momentum, just built up, was deflated again. The other party’s offbeat way of speaking was displeasing, making him wonder if he’d been isolated for too long and if this was the current style on the seas.
…
“Jihahahaha, youngsters today are not only ignorant but also foolish. You three brats intruded on my territory just for that bird?”
Sometimes he seemed like a crazy old man, but he wasn’t truly insane. Despite Corviknight Gigantamaxing, he could still recognize it. Coupled with the malfunctioning of the locator earlier, even thinking with the ship’s helm in his head, he understood what had happened.
These two giant birds looked stronger and more fitting as war weapons in his mind.
“You, who don’t understand Pokémon… don’t deserve to mention them! The suffering you caused to Corviknight, I’ll repay you today!”
Just now it was a strange debate-like situation, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into a tense standoff.
Yamato took a deep breath, and the Takeru 7.0 forged by Tinkaton appeared in her hand, covered with Armament Haki. The “Wolf’s Fang” forged from Arceus Steel gleamed with a cold light. [Wolf- Yamato’s beast form and Fang- Wolf’s weapon.]
White fur began spreading over her body, gradually enveloping her entirely, transforming into the modified Okuchi no Makami – Full Power Mode.
She still couldn’t recall who this golden-haired old man was, but the earlier water lion made her realize this wasn’t a simple opponent.
…
“Beasts are merely tools. If you place such importance on them, you’ll pay the price sooner or later. Since the sea has forgotten me, I’ll make you people remember my terror once more!”
“I am Golden Lion Shiki!”
Golden Lion clenched his hand, causing the island’s ground to rise like waves. Rocks and soil gathered in the sky, forming a gigantic rock lion.
“Lion’s Threat: Earth Bind!”
Boom!!!
The ground shook, the sound of rocks and soil moving was like a lion’s roar, with the giant lion’s mouth biting towards Yamato.
The island was floating due to his ability. All inanimate objects on it were also under his control.
“Thunder Bagua!”
Facing the attacking lion mountain, Haki on Takeru transformed into new strength. A single strike created a massive hole in the lion mountain, turning the hard rocks into dust.
However, the attack was largely meaningless. Golden Lion simply clenched his hand again, and the shattered parts reassembled, just like with the water lion earlier. Against the Float-Float Fruit, merely smashing things was pointless.
Even if it turns to dust, it’s still an inorganic substance influenced by the Golden Lion’s power. Unless it disappears into thin air, no amount of attacks will be effective.
But taking advantage of this opportunity, Yamato had passed through the lion mountain. With Corviknight’s assistance, Jack and Maria took to the skies again, evading Golden Lion’s first wave of attack.
Their target was Golden Lion himself. Rather than going head-to-head with what he controls, it’s better to go after the Devil Fruit User himself.
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