Golden Lion

After seeing Momousagi leave, Carlos had no intention of approaching her. Although she was a super beauty, he would never be a simp; he was the boss of a Mafia family, after all. Did he have no pride?

He devoured a large skewer of grilled baby octopuses, took a sip of ice-cold rice wine, and strode away in his stylish clothes, drawing many gazes.

Hmm... I should find an inn or hotel to stay in and slowly wait for Golden Lion Shiki to arrive. Calculating the time, Shiki should be coming soon, right?

This kind of large-scale battle, although he couldn't participate yet and had no need to, was a rare opportunity!

Watching battles of this caliber was a great way to improve his strength, especially for him who possessed the Byakugan and Sharingan. The Body Techniques of Garp and Sengoku, the Swordsmanship of Golden Lion, and Haki were all rare sights!

The next day, Golden Lion didn't come, but Carlos wasn't in a hurry. He continued to wander around town, enjoying himself and eating delicious food, not holding back at all.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened during this time, like someone coming to cause trouble and him easily defeating them. Apart from meeting Momousagi and Chaton on the first day, everything was very ordinary, but he had a great time.

On the evening of the third day, after enjoying a spicy and appetizing seafood feast, Carlos prepared to go to the night market. He didn't care about the argument that spiciness ruined the original taste of seafood; he simply loved it.

Carlos was from Sichuan Province in his previous life, so he had a heavy palate and especially loved spicy food. While he could eat other flavors, his passion was his passion. He had to have a spicy meal every so often, or he would become very unhappy, even irritable.

Just as he walked out of the restaurant, Carlos heard a loud boom. His relaxed, leisurely, and even somewhat nonchalant expression instantly vanished. The citizens enjoying the pleasant nightlife on the street also froze, looking towards Marine Headquarters.

"Ahahaha... Marines, I'm here! Hurry up and get out, let me see what skills you trash have to arrest Roger..."

Above the main plaza of Marine Headquarters, a man with lion-like golden hair, a ship's rudder on his head, a cigar in his mouth, and a wild, dangerous smile on his face, wearing a deep yellow and light yellow striped cloak, a dark green and black belt, light yellow loose pants, and wooden clogs, wielding the twin swords Sakura Ten and Kureki, stood proudly in the air, roaring like a wounded lion!

As soon as he finished speaking, Golden Lion lightly slashed his twin swords, and two intersecting Sword Qi descended like Heavenly Punishment. The Sword Qi stretched for thousands of meters, striking a section of Marine Headquarters' buildings.

The highest quality concrete buildings were cut in half by this strike, leaving a large 'X' mark on Marine Headquarters. The Sword Qi erupted and rampaged, turning a section of the buildings into ruins in an instant!

Although the current Golden Lion was not at his peak, he was far stronger than when he fought Luffy. He was still one of the world's top powerhouses, most skilled in Swordsmanship and the Float-Float Fruit's abilities!

Golden Lion's peak was before the Battle of Edd War with the Roger Pirates. At that time, Golden Lion didn't have the ship's rudder on his head, nor had he experienced the bizarre and seemingly heaven-targeted crushing defeat. Both his physical condition and willpower were at their peak. That Golden Lion was the strongest, and his influence in the New World was the most extensive!

He could be said to roar across the four seas and swallow the world, an invincible force!

In the era before and after the Pirate King, every legendary pirate in the New World had their own area of expertise. Golden Lion's expertise was in his Devil Fruit abilities and Swordsmanship; he was a top-tier user and a Great Swordsman!

Whitebeard was a top-tier user and a Body Techniques expert; Count Redfield, before obtaining his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, specialized in Body Techniques and Haki; Pirate King Roger excelled in Swordsmanship, Body Techniques, and Haki, with Roger's Conqueror's Haki being the strongest!

This was merely the difference between these four legendary pirates. It didn't mean Whitebeard and Golden Lion didn't use Haki; in fact, their Haki was also very strong, surpassing most people in the world.

They were currently at their peak, with terrifying overall strength. Moreover, with their mastery in their respective fields, they generally only used Haki when facing opponents of the same level.

For example, Golden Lion's Swordsmanship, as one of the world's top Great Swordsmen, capable of vying for the title of World's Greatest Swordsman, could defeat an elemental user without using Haki if they weren't of the same level. His attack power had long surpassed the limit, and he could even cleave through natural elements!

The Golden Lion's voice boomed throughout Marineford, and the entire Marine Headquarters was instantly like a sleeping giant awakened. High-powered searchlights shot into the sky, and countless Marine officers and soldiers clad in Justice capes rapidly assembled from all parts of Marine Headquarters!

This was originally a defense against Roger's crewmates coming to break him out of prison, but now the Golden Lion had gotten his hands on it. Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, and Vice Admiral Garp, who were doing their own things deep within Marine Headquarters, quickly left their rooms and rushed towards the main plaza of Marine Headquarters.

"Hahahaha... I'll kill all you trash!"

As if provoked, the Golden Lion dove down from the sky. He didn't unleash any devastating Sword Qi, seemingly wanting to vent as he went straight for close-quarters combat!

Wielding his twin swords, Sakazuki and Kiyomizu, two Meito, unleashed chilling cold light. The Golden Lion charged into the flock of sheep like a maddened lion. Wherever he went, no one could withstand him for a single move. Weapons snapped, blood splattered, and screams were endless. It was a naked slaughter; the gap was too immense!

In the blink of an eye, within perhaps one or two minutes at most, by the time Garp and Sengoku arrived, an elite force of a hundred Marine Headquarters officers and soldiers had already been slaughtered by the Golden Lion. Their bodies lay scattered everywhere at the Golden Lion's feet, piled up into a small mountain. Blood seeped out, forming a small stream of blood, and the stench of blood was overwhelmingly thick, making one feel nauseous and sick!

Carlos found a high mountaintop and stood on a tree on the summit. He activated his Byakugan and three-tomoe Sharingan. The first thing he saw was the scene of the Marines being abused and slaughtered...

Too brutal!

Too bloody!

Too awesome!

Although it was brute force, and he was a bit stubborn, invading Marine Headquarters alone, his soaring heroism and invincible demeanor, along with his immensely powerful strength, were worthy of admiration!

Sengoku and Garp looked at the scene before them, their faces extremely grim. Their eyes met, and with perfect understanding, they grasped each other's thoughts: tonight, no matter the cost, they had to keep the Golden Lion here!

With the Pirate King Roger about to be executed, and the capture of another legendary pirate, the pirates' prestige and morale would plummet to a low point. The Marines' reputation would soar, and perhaps this would be the opportunity to eliminate the pirates!

Rumble... Thunder roared. At some unknown time, the sky had already been shrouded by thick, oppressive clouds. Black clouds pressed down as if to destroy the city, and blue-white lightning snakes occasionally roamed within the black clouds.

Drip, drip, raindrops began to fall...

Carlos looked up at his surroundings, focusing on the events unfolding in the plaza. He hadn't even noticed the weather changing.

Seeing this, Carlos took an umbrella from his Kamui Space and simultaneously prepared to move to another location, lest he stand too high and be struck by lightning under a tree – that would be too unfair!