Faced with Yamato's attack, the Golden Lion displayed an even quicker response, his body flickered in the sky, and Yamato's attack brushed past him, the gust from the Wolf Fang Club barely stirring his sleeve, leaving no other effect.
"Haki... it's been a long time since I've seen that..."
Ever since escaping from the Undersea Prison, it had been years since he encountered an opponent skilled in using Haki. Hidden in the sky, he rarely met enemies, mostly just recruiting manpower by taking entire pirate crews or islands along.
Those were mostly ordinary people, the most formidable being a great ape he found in the East Sea, and that particular move, it always felt somewhat familiar to him.
"Thundering Hakken, what's your relation to Kaidou, that little brat?"
Hawkeye's moves had no names, and his enemies never knew if it was a simple strike or a major move.
Kaidou was different; although he had numerous moves, all his club-related attacks were derived from that one Thundering Hakken. Yamato's techniques were learned from Kaidou, carrying strong traces of inheritance.
In the Golden Lion's view, Kaidou was still a brat, but an unforgettable one, too. Not many could make Rocks issue an invitation to join the crew.
The double horns on the head didn't signify much; there were many individuals with horns on these seas, but along with that signature move, it made a difference.
Yet Yamato had no intention of answering him. One swing of the club missed, and she swung again; it had become an instinctive combat move for her.
"As annoying as that brat was back then, let this ignorant brat feel the terror of the past."
Yamato's attack missed again. Without being headstrong, it was difficult for most to hold onto the Golden Lion. Flying abilities were always rare, and using strong physiques to execute techniques like Moonwalk allowed rapid movement but differed fundamentally from actual flying.
The Float-Float Fruit allowed the Golden Lion to soar freely, which was his advantage.
Currently, Yamato couldn't fly, but she had external aid. The slicing Corviknight now cut through the air, slashing toward the Golden Lion with a piercing whoosh.
"Lion's Might·Thousand-Cut!"
His legs unleashed several golden slashes, forming a net-like defense, slicing down the incoming Corviknight, severed into two halves and losing the ability to continue autonomous combat.
The remaining Slash Wave flew towards the Corviknight's body, but before they struck, it reverted from its Gigantamax state to its normal form.
The initial flying task was completed, and a normal form sufficed with Yamato now.
"These birds are really interesting, it seems you have more research in this area."
The change in the Corviknight aroused the Golden Lion's interest. He thought the Corviknight caught earlier was a juvenile, and these Gigantamax Corviknights were in their adult form.
However, as they reverted from Gigantamax, he realized things weren't as simple as he thought.
Those flying feathers were cut down, but he was the Golden Lion; even losing his legs, he remained one of the world's Great Sword Masters. While the Sword Qi from his legs might have lost some finesse, the force was mightier.
Sliced into mere halves under his Slash Wave, those Iron Feathers would be deadly to others. Such a group of monstrous birds, enhanced with IQ, would be an invincible aerial army.
"Slash Wave!"
Thinking this, the Golden Lion unleashed another solitary slash, a gigantic golden Sword Qi slashing straight toward the island, but Yamato didn't dodge, sensing it wouldn't reach her.
And indeed, it was so. A deep ravine scarred the island's surface, more of a warning than an attack from the Golden Lion.
"Kid, you can control these monstrous birds, right? I'm giving you a chance to join me. If you bring these birds under my command, I will overlook your intrusion.
Once I rule the world, you'll be..."
"Not interested!"
"Hmm?"
"I have no interest in ruling the world, and the Corviknight are not tools to be controlled by you. I just want to send you flying right now!"
"Your companions have already fled."
"No, they haven't. They just have other tasks to do."
Below the battlefield, Jack and Maria moved in another direction; it was their mission to destroy the facility here, a tactical maneuver they arranged while en route.
The Golden Lion might be difficult to handle, but for them, "destroying the tower" was the ultimate goal.
Stopping them wasn't difficult for the Golden Lion, but Yamato's next words made him abandon that plan.
"I remembered who the Golden Lion is."
"Phew..."
The Golden Lion exhaled a long breath, rubbing his head, feeling Yamato was testing his patience. After all that self-introduction, if she still couldn't recognize him, it would be maddening.
"You're that unfortunate loser under Roger!"
Had it not been for the tsunami, the outcome of the Battle of Edvaul would still be uncertain; calling it bad luck wasn't unfounded, yet this seemed to touch a nerve with the Golden Lion.
"Kid, you better die here! Lion's Might·Earth Scroll!"
The earth flipped again, transforming into two gigantic lion heads, snapping toward Yamato's position.
As for Maria and Jack, he wasn't concerned, for it wasn't just him on this Sky Island; he had his own subordinates too.
.....
"Jack, will Yamato be okay over there?"
"If she can't handle it, then there's no way we would. This is an aerial battle; you and I can offer little help, so let's go destroy that research facility."
This information was gleaned from the fragments from the lost Corviknight, and it was the task for the two of them.
The ground on the battlefield behind heaved, but it bore little relevance to them.
As he ran, Jack gradually transformed, shifting toward the form of Copperajah; rescuing others wasn't his forte, destruction was his specialty.
"Chemical Magic Ball!"
Indigo's voice sounded beside them. As the scientist of the Flying Sky Pirates, he wasn't particularly adept at combat, but he wasn't a feeble weakling either; researchers these days often had some unique combat methods.
And the stronger the scientist, the more combat methods they possessed, like those monsters from MADS.
With a clap of his hands, a mysterious ball of green flame seemingly appeared like magic, with many such spheres spinning above his head, falling into his other hand.
It was something he created using chemical reagents, containing elements of IQ as well.
"Go!"
Indigo pushed with one hand, and those chemical fireballs flew towards Jack and Maria.