Chapter 166Who in the Rocks Pirates hadn't been hit by that old bastard's iron fist?Golden Lion even suspected that some of the decisions the Rocks crew made later were because their heads had been hit too many times by Garp; even now, he couldn't forget it.It was all thanks to that guy!That man's name, he would never forget it for the rest of his life!Monkey D. Garp!Golden Lion's expression instantly became quite interesting. He stared at Luffy and asked with a hint of disbelief, "What is that old man Garp to you?""That shitty old man is my grandfather."Luffy looked Golden Lion up and down and asked, "You're an old acquaintance of his, aren't you, old man?"Golden Lion: "..."A brief silence fell over the deck.Golden Lion's eyes widened, his mouth hung slightly open, and the cigar he was biting almost fell out.He looked at Luffy, then thought of Garp's stubborn Marine ways, then thought of Luffy's pirate identity and his declaration of becoming the Pirate King just now."Puhaha, hahahaha... Jihahahahahaha!!!"The next second.A wild laugh that almost tore his throat apart erupted from Golden Lion's mouth. He laughed so hard he leaned back and forth, clutching his stomach, even rolling on the ground exaggeratedly, with tears coming out of his eyes."I say, old man, is there something wrong with your head?""Hahaha, I can't... this is killing me. That old man Garp is a Navy Hero, hahahaha, and his grandson actually became a pirate."Golden Lion was truly dying of laughter.Being a pirate was one thing, but wanting to be the Pirate King?This was truly the funniest joke since the Great Pirate Era began!If that guy Roger came back to life, he would definitely be laughing his head off just like him.The Straw Hat Crew looked at the legendary pirate rolling on the ground laughing, momentarily stunned.Nami's mouth twitched: "No, wait... why does it feel like these legendary figures are all a bit mentally unstable? Mr. Garp is like this, and this Golden Lionis the same."Usopp whispered: "Could it be that Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard also have this kind of style?""They're all such strange people anyway."Chopper hid behind Zoro, showing only his eyes: "Laughing like that will cause a stitch. He won't die on our ship, will he... I'll go get the first aid kit."Luffy was quite calm.This style was all too common.Garp was like this, and so were Shanks and the others.Golden Lion laughed for a full minute or two before he finally managed to catch his breath. He climbed up from the ground and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, but the smile on his face was still uncontrollable.The more he thought about it, the more he felt this matter was simply wonderful beyond words.That old fellow Garp had chased them for most of their lives, acting as the embodiment of Absolute Justice, yet his own grandson had taken a path completely opposite to his."I can't take it, I can't take it. If I run into that old guy one day, I must use this to mock him for three days and nights, hahahaha!"Golden Lion slapped his thigh and couldn't help laughing again.After quite a while, he finally stopped laughing completely and turned his gaze back to Luffy. His eyes were filled with an indescribable light, a mixture of malice and excitement."Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy, right?" Golden Lionstared at Luffy and suddenly grinned, revealing a row of ivory-white teeth. The domineering aura of a Great Pirate reappeared in his eyes. "How about joining my Flying Pirates?!"He raised a hand and clenched his fist in front of him, powerful confidence bursting forth with his words:"If you join forces with me, this sea will sooner or later be in our grasp! The Four Emperors, Marineford—all will be trampled under our feet!"Since he was imprisoned in Impel Down, the once-massive Flying Pirates had long since disintegrated. His old subordinates had scattered or died; now, there were few truly capable fighters still following him, leaving him almost alone.And the Straw Hat Crew before him had a total bounty exceeding billions of Berries, and their Captain, Luffy, was even called the Fifth Emperor of the Sea by some, though Golden Lion scoffed at this.But regardless of strength or fame, this group was fully qualified to become his strongest cadres, the sharpest sword in his hand, helping him realize his ambition of world domination!The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.Garp's grandson becoming his subordinate... just the thought of it gave him a secret thrill."Not interested."Luffy rejected him flatly without even thinking."What?" Golden Lion's eyes widened."I said no,"He even looked Golden Lion up and down. Even under that highly oppressive gaze, he didn't waver in the slightest. Instead, he said with a hint of scrutiny:"And you're someone who lost to my grandfather, right? Why would I join the pirate crew of a loser?"Golden Lion: "..."Chapter 242: Pirates of the Old Era, Take Your Final BowSnap!Hearing Luffy's clean-cut rejection, which even carried a hint of insult, Golden Lion almost bit through the cigar in his mouth.This Straw Hat kid, just like his grandfather, really has a foul mouth!"Hmph! Don't be too arrogant, kid,"He lowered his fist and slightly raised his head, trying to regain his momentum with a condescending posture:"Although I haven't paid attention to the sea for a long time, I know some people don't know the heights of the heavens and call you the Fifth Emperor of the Sea? You're just a wet-behind-the-ears brat; you're still far off!"As for the so-called Four Emperors, except for that old fellow Newgate, the others were nothing more than rising stars in Golden Lion's eyes.Whitebeard was an opponent from the same era whom he acknowledged.While Big Mom Charlotte Linlin and Kaido of the Beasts also came from the Rocks Pirates, they were only apprentices or young cadres at the time.He, on the other hand, was Rocks' ally.And they could become the Four Emperors?Then wouldn't he be the Emperor of Emperors?He possessed the pride of a powerhouse of the old generation."I think,"Luffy picked his ear, his tone still flat, even matter-of-fact,"Old man, you don't look like you're my match."Presence is a very subtle thing.Golden Lion didn't give him the same sense of oppression that Aokiji did.But Luffy could feel that this was an opponent he could enjoy fighting.Golden Lion stared at Luffy for two seconds, then laughed instead of getting angry, but this laughter became cold and filled with murderous intent."Jihahahahaha!"He suddenly tilted his head back and let out a more wild laugh, which carried anger, his voice echoing through the clouds. "Brats nowadays really don't know the heights of the heavens."The moment the sound vanished, Luffy instinctively narrowed his eyes.Roar!Simultaneously, a familiar, terrifying aura, like a bursting flood, erupted from Golden Lion as the center, booming in all directions!Several bolts of purple lightning crackled out of nowhere and struck the thousand sunny. This was not something that could be achieved by a simple release of Haki.In almost an instant, the sky seemed to darken.With the thousand sunny at the center, the clouds within a radius of hundreds of meters were violently impacted, as if stirred by an invisible giant hand. The originally calm sea of clouds instantly turned into a massive vortex!The world lost its color, and the winds and clouds surged!This Conqueror's Haki was exceptionally powerful, filled with the arrogance and weight of an old-school overlord.Golden Lion laughed wildly, his voice coming through the impact of the Haki: "Kid, don't think a mere bounty of 660 million Berries means anything in front of me. Before entering Impel Down, my bounty was 4,230,500,000 Berries!"However, Luffy, who was at the very center of the Haki impact, remained calm.He never cared about things like bounties.That was just a price set by the World Government, not an absolute standard for measuring combat power.On the contrary, this aggressive aura triggered a certain instinctive response within him.Luffy took a step forward,"Conqueror's Haki,"Luffy felt the subtle vibrations and pressure acting on his spirit and body, showing an excited expression at having met an opponent.Aside from his grandfather Garp, this was the second time he had encountered an opponent with such powerful Conqueror's Haki!"So you have it too, old man!"Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a crimson light flashed through Luffy's pupils.An equally powerful black and red torrent erupted from him as the center, booming out.Boom!Two top-tier Conqueror's Haki collided fiercely like two invisible giant waves.There was no sound, yet an impact more heart-shaking than thunder erupted.At the center of the collision, the air distorted, and black and red electric arcs could even be seen jumping and flickering wildly.The cloud vortex in the sky was torn even more into pieces by these two forces!"Oh? You have it too? Well, you should!"Golden Lion felt Luffy's Conqueror's Haki, which was not inferior to his own, and his laughter carried a hint of recognition. "Since you're that bastard Garp's grandson and turned the Buster Call and Enies Lobby upside down, it's only natural for you to have the qualities of a king!"The two Conqueror's Haki clashed in the air, neither able to overcome the other, eventually dissipating slowly.The anomalies in the sky gradually subsided, but the atmosphere became even more tense.Although Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and the others had experienced the collision of Haki between Luffy and Garp, they still felt as if their hearts were being gripped by a giant hand. Breathing was extremely difficult, fine cold sweat instantly broke out on their foreheads, and their bodies trembled involuntarily, barely staying upright through sheer willpower.This power was too terrifying."A legendary pirate, not bad." Zoro and Sanji, on the other hand, became excited.Looking at Luffy and the others, who were excited and showed no fear, Golden Lion gradually stopped his laughter, and his entire aura became dangerous.He slowly floated up, looking down at Luffy from above."To have this kind of courage and talent is indeed very good. Kid, for your grandfather's sake,"Golden Lion said: "I'll give you one more chance. Hand over the ability user who makes this ship fly, and I can let the rest of you leave safely."He ultimately set his sights on the ability to make the ship fly, which would be of great benefit to his plan.Luffy was originally quite interested in Golden Lion, wanting to hear stories of the pirates from their era and learn about the past of his grandfather and Roger.However, the one thing Golden Lion should never have done was touch Luffy's absolute bottom line.In Golden Lion's mouth, companions seemed to have become objects that could be traded at will; this was something Luffy could never tolerate.Luffy said coldly to Golden Lion: "I've decided. I'm going to send you flying first.""Jihahahahaha, you sure have a big mouth, kid."Golden Lion also laughed, naturally scoffing at Luffy's arrogant attitude.He had seen too many arrogant newcomers like Luffy, who rose rapidly with a bit of talent and luck and then became conceited and thought they were everything.Only by personally experiencing the despairing gap between oneself and a true powerhouse, and going through bitter defeat, can one smooth out those arrogant edges."Want to experience the gap? You arrogant brat!"Golden Lion declared arrogantly, "I am a legendary pirate!"
