At this moment, Golden Lion's expression darkened.
He couldn't believe it—he was being completely overwhelmed by this Straw Hat brat. Even his most trusted technique, Lion Majesty: Earth Coiling, had failed to take Luffy down.
That attack could manipulate seawater into a massive lion—normally, any Devil Fruit user caught in it would be doomed. But Luffy's Observation Haki remained active the entire time, allowing him to avoid the worst of it.
Their battle grew faster and more intense, taking them far from the deserted island.
Along the way, several merchant ships spotted the fight, and the people onboard were left in shock.
"W-What's happening?! There are two people fighting… in the air?!"
"Whoa! That's the pirate with a 100 million berries bounty—the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy!"
"Incredible! So this is the strength of someone worth 100 million? But… who's the old man fighting him? Since when did the East Blue have such a powerhouse?!"
Then, someone recognized him.
"No way… That's the Golden Lion!!"
"WHAT?! You mean the legendary pirate Golden Lion? The one who was as infamous as Roger and Whitebeard?! The first man to ever escape from Impel Down, who then vanished without a trace? Why is he fighting Straw Hat Luffy?!"
"This is huge! A major event is unfolding right in front of us!"
The crew of the merchant ships erupted into frantic discussions.
Fearing they might get caught up in the battle, the ships quickly changed course to avoid the area.
However, it wasn't just merchants and sailors on board—there were also spies among them. The moment they confirmed Golden Lion's presence and his clash with Straw Hat Luffy, they slipped away to send reports.
Marineford – Marine Headquarters
At Marine HQ, Sengoku was in the middle of his duties when he received the urgent report.
His eyes widened in shock.
"WHAT?! Golden Lion has appeared?!"
Nearby, Garp, Vice Admirals, and Admiral Kizaru all turned their heads at those words.
Golden Lion had been completely off the radar ever since his escape from Impel Down. Why had he suddenly resurfaced? Was this part of some greater scheme?
Sengoku pressed for more details—and what he heard next left him even more stunned.
"What?! Golden Lion is fighting Straw Hat Luffy?! And they're evenly matched?! No—Golden Lion is actually at a disadvantage?!"
The entire room fell into silence.
A moment later, Sengoku let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples in exasperation.
Then, he turned to Garp, who was casually munching on donuts without a care in the world.
That sight made Sengoku snap.
"GARP! YOU OLD BASTARD! WHY IS IT YOUR GRANDSON AGAIN?!"
"Sengoku, my grandson didn't do anything evil, so don't yell at me. And shouldn't you be focusing on that old rooster instead of blaming Luffy?"
Garp casually picked his nose, completely unbothered.
To him, as long as Luffy was safe, everything else was just a chaotic mess.
And he wasn't wrong—Luffy hadn't actually done anything bad. Even though he was strong, he was still just a rookie pirate. In comparison, Golden Lion was the real threat.
Vice Admiral Tsuru quickly stepped in. "Sengoku, Garp has a point. Right now, our priority should be dealing with Golden Lion."
Sengoku sighed, knowing she was right. He turned his gaze toward Kizaru, who was lazily trimming his nails, completely uninterested in the situation.
"Borsalino, head to the East Blue and capture Golden Lion. If you run into Straw Hat Luffy, arrest him too. And don't give Garp any special treatment!"
Kizaru groaned as he stood up, clearly reluctant.
Giving Garp face wasn't a big deal—but actually having to go do work? Now that was a problem.
The same went for Marshal Sengoku, always making people work overtime without even paying extra. But there was no way to win against him. After all, Kizaru wasn't the Fleet Admiral.
East Blue – The Battle Continues
Meanwhile, the fight between Luffy and Golden Lion had reached a critical stage.
Unlike in the movie version, Golden Lion wasn't weak at all. Even though his strength had declined over the years, he was still a legendary pirate.
The battle had raged on for over two hours.
Luffy was physically drained—maintaining Second Gear for so long had taken a huge toll, and he was gasping for air.
But Golden Lion wasn't doing much better. His aged body couldn't keep up like before, and he was also breathing heavily.
Realizing that he couldn't take Luffy down, he shifted his gaze toward Carl, who had been watching from the sidelines.
At that moment, Golden Lion made a decision.
This wasn't cowardice—it was strategy.
Even if he kept fighting Luffy until one of them fell, Carl would just swoop in and take advantage of the situation. That would put Golden Lion at an even bigger disadvantage.
He was envious.
Luffy had such a strong crew backing him.
Meanwhile, his own subordinates were disappointingly weak. Dr. Indigo and the orangutan man weren't completely useless, but compared to Carl, Sanji, Zoro, and the others… they weren't even close.
Golden Lion hadn't expected to run into such powerful opponents just from going out to collect islands today.
Was he really about to be defeated by someone from the East Blue… again?!
He clenched his fists, unwilling to accept it, but he knew when to retreat.
He still had big plans for the future.
Golden Lion smirked, trying to hide his frustration.
"You're really strong, Monkey D. Luffy! I'll admit it—you're not just some loudmouth brat. You actually have the strength to compete with the big names of the New World.
But I'm not at my best today. Let's settle this another time!"
With that, he took off, flying into the distance.
Luffy's expression darkened with frustration. "Stop! Golden Lion Shiki, are you running away?! What kind of pirate avoids battle? Are you a coward?!"
But Golden Lion ignored him and flew forward at full speed.
Carl quickly accelerated as well, but his ability had a limitation—he generated magnetism through electricity and used it to control his iron sword. This extra process slowed him down just enough for Golden Lion to gain distance.
Seeing this, Luffy didn't hesitate.
He clenched his right fist, already coated in Haki, and then bit down hard.
"Muscle Balloon!"
In an instant, his muscles swelled, his entire body growing strong and massive, wrapped in a layer of crimson Haki. His fierce expression resembled an unyielding guardian deity.
"Fourth Gear! Bounceman!!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Luffy kicked the air rapidly, launching himself forward at incredible speed.
Golden Lion's eyes widened.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy was right in front of him!
"Gomu Gomu no… Kong Gun!"
Luffy's massive, Haki-infused fist contracted for a split second before smashing forward with devastating force.
Golden Lion took the hit directly—half of his body was crushed, blood splattering into the sea.
He was lucky. Instead of falling straight into the ocean, he crashed into a massive reef. If he had hit the water, it would have been game over.
"Urgh!"
Golden Lion coughed up blood, his body now limp and weakened.
As he looked up at Luffy, for the first time in decades, he felt fear creeping into his heart.
His desire to escape only grew stronger.
Seeing Luffy charging again, Golden Lion gritted his teeth and pushed his power to the limit.
With a roar, he ripped the entire reef out of the sea.
At the same time, he reached out, his fingers brushing against the ocean's surface—activating "Lion Majesty: Govern Place Earth Coiling" once more.
But this time, his target wasn't Luffy.
Instead, he aimed at several merchant ships in the distance.
"Damn it!"
Luffy's eyes widened.
There was no way—no way—he would just stand by and watch innocent people sink into the sea.
Without hesitation, Luffy dodged in front of the reef and smashed it to pieces with a single punch.
At the same time, Carl drew Obsidian and, in one swift motion, cut down the sea lion attack.
Golden Lion used the distraction to escape.
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