Little did the Golden Lion expect that Rowan would unleash that sword strike.
It was just too "unreasonable."
In the Golden Lion's view, Rowan, in his unarmored state, was barely in control of his own actions.
That was no exaggeration at all.
When fighting Rowan in his unarmored state, the Golden Lion felt like he was facing a flawless, precise machine.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land an effective blow within the "normal" parameters.
Completely at his wit's end, the Golden Lion resorted to a desperate, trade-damage-for-damage fighting style.
But he never imagined that at the very end of the battle, at the crucial turning point of the final blow, Rowan would perform the most "unreasonable" move—
He raised his massive gravel sword high, imbued it with Armament Haki, and then brought it crashing down toward the Golden Lion!
This was completely different from the understated simplicity he'd used before.
The momentum of that falling sword was absolutely "exaggerated."
Dark Armament Haki was concentrated within it, so dense that it couldn't be entirely contained within the blade. Instead, it clung to the swirling gravel around it.
Countless black sands swirled around Rowan and the massive sword in his hand.
But compared to the soul-stirring power, the swirling black sand seemed so peaceful, like layer upon layer of thin veils encircling them.
Rowan, bare-chested, gripped the black sword, surrounded by the black sand.
The Golden Lion could clearly feel that the "reasonableness" he'd sensed in Rowan before was gone.
In its place was a pure sense of power!
A man, bare-chested, his lower body clad in rough fabric, held a massive black sword aloft, breathing deeply and steadily.
"Hiss… Huff…"
The Golden Lion was surprised, as he sensed a feeling of "weight" from the man before him.
Rowan's Armament Haki gradually receded, all of it flowing into the massive sword he held raised.
The calm black sand around them finally stirred, becoming restless.
Suddenly—
The restless black sand grew calm.
More accurately, it "froze."
It was as if time and space had stopped.
At that moment, the Golden Lion made his choice.
He let out a low roar, and a "kacha kacha" sound echoed from near his knees.
Screw after screw, nail after nail, shot out—these were the mechanisms the Golden Lion used to fix his two famous swords to his legs.
With the devices broken, his two famous swords, "Sakura Ten" and "Kogaru," were finally unleashed!
The power of the Float-Float Fruit flowed through them. After a large circle in the air, Sakura Ten and Kogaru landed in the Golden Lion's hands.
After many years, these two swords, once famous throughout the seas, were once again held in the Golden Lion's hands!
"Kekekekekeke, it's been such a long time!"
The Golden Lion grinned broadly and twisted his shoulders.
At this moment, his legs were empty, and he could only suspend himself in the air using the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
Honestly, he didn't like this feeling.
But he didn't care about his lost legs; after all, they were his "parting gift" to the Marines!
What the Golden Lion was truly annoyed by was the memory of Gol D. Roger.
Whether it was his defeat by Roger, Roger's execution by the Marines, or his own solo assault on Marineford because of Roger…
All of it made the Golden Lion intensely dislike the man from the East Blue!
It's just that…
Why do I think of that scoundrel from the East Blue the moment I grip my swords!
Because of this, after Roger's death, the Golden Lion stopped wielding his swords with his hands, instead fixing them to his legs with prosthetic devices…
Until the last moment!
Just a moment ago, the Golden Lion subconsciously activated his Float-Float Fruit ability, disassembled the fixing devices on his legs, and then re-gripped his two swords.
The Golden Lion himself didn't know why he did it.
After thinking it over, the Golden Lion could only offer a general explanation—
Perhaps it was "instinct"!
"Instinct" told the Golden Lion that he had to pick up his long-unwielded twin swords again!
And so, the Golden Lion acted on instinct.
He gripped Sakura Ten and Kogaru tightly and, against the falling black sword, charged fiercely at Rowan!
Swish!
In an instant, the Golden Lion flashed before Rowan.
He pulled Sakura Ten and Kogaru back behind him, striking a cross-shaped pose, his center aimed at Rowan.
The Golden Lion never thought he would use this move with his hands again.
Lion Scatter!
Swish!
Sakura Ten and Kogaru were swung simultaneously, crossing each other in the air.
Sharp slashes burst forth in a cold glint, heading straight for Rowan.
At the same time, Rowan's black sword descended.
Unarmored — Black Blade!
Swish!
The black blades collided with Sakura Ten and Kogaru simultaneously. Three sharp blades clashed at the same point, unleashing astonishing power!
Boom!
Rowan and the Golden Lion stood their ground, but their clothes billowed wildly in the wind generated by their clash.
Black sand churned around them, its Armament Haki being slowly worn away.
As for the Golden Lion, the power of the Float-Float Fruit stirred invisible currents of air, subtly distorting the surrounding space!
"Kekekekekeke, this is exhilarating, Ryan Rowan!"
On Rowan's side, he finally let out a roar for the first time.
"Haa!"
This roar held no "reasonableness," no calculation.
All it contained was the single desire of Rowan as his black sword fell—
To win!
Both the Golden Lion and Rowan harbored only one emotion in this strike—
I must win!
Boom!
The three sharp blades collided, the sound surpassing the threshold of metal striking metal, erupting into an explosion-like roar!
The two of them unleashed a total of three slashes, and the aftershocks of these three slashes penetrated their bodies, impacting the dense fog behind them.
A cross-shaped gap appeared behind Rowan, and large amounts of dense fog were stirred by the invisible sword energy, eventually forming a storm that swept off into the distance.
In contrast, for the Golden Lion.
A black slash descended from above, cutting through the dense fog behind the Golden Lion, along with the sea surface, cleaving the mist and the ocean into a massive rift!
This was an attack far more imposing than the Golden Lion's "Wave Slash."
The dense fog that perpetually hung over the Devil's Triangle, centered on the location of Rowan and the Golden Lion, finally changed.
To keep the clash between these two powerhouses unknown, even the sea itself had to pay a price.
That fog, which had existed for an unknown number of years, was now split in two!
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