The morning light pierced through the thin clouds, gilding the edges of the floating island cluster.
Black's figure instantly appeared in the ship's cabin at the rear.
Before the two CP agents could even notice the Sky Island, he knocked them all unconscious and threw them onto their respective beds.
The upcoming scene might not be suitable for them to watch.
After doing all this, Black came to the bow of the sanctuary.
Conqueror's Haki, mixed with Ghost Qi, shot skyward, and the weather suddenly changed.
Everyone on the sanctuary, except for the women on the deck with Black, fell to the ground.
Black's Conqueror's Haki, after several Overlay, was even superior to that of Imu possessing Junko.
Not only did it stun all the strange creatures on the Sky Island, but it even formed a tangible storm.
Golden Lion was sitting in the palace on the central volcanic island, with his legs crossed.
Correction.
He no longer had legs to cross.
He merely crossed his two sword-legs, dozing off.
Suddenly, Golden Lion sensed a surge of Conqueror's Haki sweeping over him, as if it were tangible.
The intensity of this Conqueror's Haki was so great that even an old pirate like Golden Lion, who had witnessed countless powerhouses, couldn't help but lose himself for a moment.
Immediately, he let out a burst of laughter:
"Gyahahahahaha..."
Golden Lion's figure shot up, directly smashing through the palace's dome, and appeared in mid-air.
He looked closely and saw Black standing on the bow of the ship, looking at him from a distance.
Golden Lion flew closer, examined him carefully for a moment, and raised an eyebrow:
"Gyahahahahaha..."
"As expected of a descendant of the Twenty Kings..."
"Another fellow like you has appeared among the Celestial Dragons."
After a sigh, Golden Lion suddenly sneered:
"I don't know how many Celestial Dragons brats like you I killed back in the day!"
"Don't those five old men dare to let a brat like you out, aren't they afraid I'll finish you off?"
Black bowed slightly, his posture as elegant as if attending a court ball:
"I've heard a little about your deeds at God Valley, Senior Shiki."
"I heard that the four seniors were chased all over the place by Garp back then."
"Is Senior now only able to scare people with those past events?"
Golden Lion's eyes narrowed:
"Oh? So you want to see my skills?"
"Exactly! Please enlighten me, Senior Shiki!"
Black walked to Mandy's side and reached out to unbuckle her rapier.
His most proficient weapon was a long scroll, which he had already ordered craftsmen to forge before leaving the Holy Land.
Because Black's demands for weapons were a bit high, it hadn't been completed until now.
Now he could only temporarily use a less handy weapon.
Seeing this, Golden Lion couldn't help but laugh again:
"Gyahahaha..."
"Has the World Government become so useless that it can't even find a swordsmith?"
Black took off his fishbowls (helmets):
"With all due respect, Senior Shiki."
"If the swords forged can only be stuck in legs, that would be too much of an insult to the swordsmith."
Golden Lion's face, suspended in the air, turned gloomy.
Don't hit a person's face, don't expose a person's shortcomings.
Why does this kid always poke at people's sore spots?
The kogarashi and Sakura Ten on Golden Lion's legs emitted a clear hum:
"Brat, when your head and body part ways, you'll understand what true insult is!"
With that, Golden Lion suddenly swooped down, his legs crossed, unleashing a cross-shaped sword qi.
"Slash Wave!"
Black held the rapier, not drawing the long sword from its scabbard.
He precisely struck at the weak point where the two sword auras converged, deftly dissolving the attack.
"Senior, no need to hold back, I can still endure for now."
Black chuckled, clearly not taking the previous attack seriously.
"Your Highness! I'll help you!"
Koala rushed over, her hands clenched into fists, shimmering with dazzling golden light.
Black reached out to stop her; he didn't want Koala to ruin his hard-won battle:
"This is an exchange between Senior Shiki and me. You all should stay here and observe the gap between yourselves and the world's peak."
It was really difficult for Black to find a suitable opportunity to make a move in the real world.
As he spoke, Golden Lion had already closed in on Black.
"Two Sword Style: Swallow's Return to Nest!"
Golden Lion's moves were astonishingly fast, his twin swords carving out perfect arcs, even imbued with Armament Haki.
Black retreated half a step, and a dazzling spark erupted the moment his scabbard blocked the attack.
"Senior's strength is truly surprising."
Black tried to chat with the opponent while fending off Golden Lion's attacks.
He had fought too many speechless AI opponents in the card space; they ignored whatever Black said.
It was a rare opportunity to encounter an opponent he could communicate with, so Black couldn't help but want to say a few words.
Hearing Black's words, a cold glint flashed in Golden Lion's eyes:
"Just how much do you look down on me, you brat?!"
"I am Golden Lion!"
Golden Lion knew better than anyone how his current strength compared to his peak.
He thought Black was mocking him.
In reality, Black truly had no intention of mocking him.
The Golden Lion in his impression was from the movie era, an old lion who couldn't even use Haki and whose slashes relied more on his Devil Fruit ability.
However, his current state was even stronger than what was described in the newspaper about his Impel Down escape.
It seemed the Flying Pirates' doctor, Indigo, was quite skilled.
As the two clashed again, Black suddenly charged forward, his long sword finally unsheathed, piercing towards Golden Lion's throat like a venomous snake:
"Good technique."
"Unfortunately, you're an old man who can't even hold a sword now."
Golden Lion's figure rapidly retreated, landing on the Sky Island:
"Kid, didn't those five old geezers teach you to respect your elders?"
"Of course they did."
Black followed closely, his sword already entwined with Black-gold, dark-red, and deep-purple light:
"So they specifically instructed—"
He suddenly slashed with the long sword in his hand:
"—to use strength to make outdated seniors recognize reality!"
The sword qi flew towards Golden Lion like lightning, leaving a vacuum slash mark in the air.
A burst of air explosion only came long after the slash had flown past.
"Two Sword Style: Omamori!"
Golden Lion crossed his legs, attempting to block.
With the two famous swords, Golden Lion barely blocked the attack but was sent flying several thousand meters, directly from the edge of the island to near the palace in the island's center.
His bones crunched; Golden Lion, who had already lost his lower legs, felt his thigh bones also begin to fracture.
"What the hell?!"
"Only Roger can defeat me!"
"How could I, Roger, be defeated by a Celestial Dragon brat like you?!"
"Lion's Might: Earth Scroll!"
The entire main island suddenly trembled violently, and thousands of rocks detached from the surface, reassembling in the air into a three-dimensional lion's head.
"Arcane Art: Ghost Flash!"
Three sword auras cut through in a triangular formation, shattering the surging lion's head.
Black couldn't help but shake his head:
"Senior, your current techniques are quite inferior to those of your younger days."
"Arcane Art: Yellow Springs!"
Black leaped into mid-air, his sword qi splitting into eight, striking at Golden Lion from different directions.
Facing Black's sword qi, Golden Lion tried his best to block.
However, the flexibility of his legs could never compare to that of his arms, and with his leg bones already fractured, he ultimately failed to block all the sword qi.
Boom!
Golden Lion crashed into the palace ruins like a cannonball.
Black didn't rush to deliver the finishing blow this time.
Old men aren't like young people; they can't improve their strength through sit-ups.