CP0's Decision
"Hmph, so what if you're Vice Admiral? You old codger, you were still defeated by Vice Admiral." Chaton mocked with a gloomy expression.
Now it was Golden Lion's turn to turn pale. Being defeated by that old geezer Garp was a humiliation he would never forget.
"What do you know, Garp, that bastard, doesn't want to be promoted to Admiral, but you..." Golden Lion looked Chaton up and down, and said in a mocking tone, "Tsk tsk... you're far from qualified."
"You're not even as good-looking as that little girl next to you. You're disgustingly ugly. Is your navy so desperate for someone else that you're just filling in?"
"Ah... you bastard, I'm going to kill you!" Chaton, whose sore spot had been hit, went completely berserk and pounced on Golden Lion.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself!" The Golden Lion swung its legs, and the two famous swords "Sakura Ten" and "Kogarashi" unleashed dark golden Sword Qi, descending from the sky with a destructive edge.
Although Chaton was not weak, he was still significantly weaker than Golden Lion in terms of combat experience and overall strength. In addition, he was in a state of rage and could not make accurate predictions, thus negating his only advantage in Observation Haki. As a result, he was unable to resist and was blasted into the ground by Golden Lion's slash in an instant.
Seeing the situation was not good, Momousagi also rushed to catch up. The crimson sword light of her Famous Sword Kompira clashed violently with the golden slash of the Golden Lion. It was as if ripples were stirred in the air. The distorted spatial waves continued to vibrate in all directions. The deafening roar caused the eardrums of many pirates who were close by to rupture and their eyes to go blank.
"Golden Lion, are you trying to obstruct our navy's operations? Or are you an accomplice that Nightmare has found?" Momousagi frowned slightly, feeling that Golden Lion's appearance was too coincidental. Could it be that he came specifically for Nightmare? Considering that the intelligence mentioned that Golden Lion was rescued last time, it meant that he might have joined a large dark force or found a reliable ally. From any perspective, Nightmare has the qualifications and strength to do so.
"Hahaha, is there anything more interesting in this world than disrupting your navy's operations?" With Golden Lion's cunning, he wouldn't be so easily tested. He replied ambiguously, "Of course, interpret it that way if you want. After all, that guy certainly has the qualifications to cooperate with me. So I won't make any definitive statements. Even if we don't join forces now, maybe next time you see me, it'll be me and that brat coming to cause you trouble, hahaha!"
Momousagi remained silent. In truth, there was no point in saying anything now. After all, the Marine Headquarters and Nightmare had long been at odds. Whether it was Nightmare's alliance with the Four Emperors Big Mom or the Marines' repeated actions against Nightmare, it was inevitable that the two sides would be pushed to the opposite side.
The reason there is no large-scale conflict now is purely for the sake of maintaining stability. Without absolute certainty, the Navy and the World Government are unwilling to push the Nightmare to the other side completely. After all, the transformation from the Shichibukai to the Four Emperors has a significant impact on both the morale of the Navy and public opinion.
In Momousagi's opinion, Nightmare to completely break ties with them so far might be due to deeper considerations.
Therefore, even if Nightmare and Golden Lion secretly joined forces, at most they could only verbally rebuke them and strengthen their defenses against Nightmare and Golden Lion. It would still be too difficult for them to have a real impact on these two behemoths.
"Red Hair, I hope you succeed!" Momousagi prayed silently while dealing with Golden Lion's fierce attacks.
In any case, leaving one of the Shichibukai vacant is much better than having one more Four Emperors.
"It's Golden Lion Shiki, one of the three great pirates alongside Gol D. Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard Newgate. What's going on on this sea? Is the era of chaos finally about to begin?" someone muttered to themselves.
"The legendary pirate of the previous era was indeed terrifying. It is said that he cut off both of his own legs to escape from Impel Down. Even so, he was able to fight against two of the strongest men in the Marine Headquarters without retreating. His strength is truly awe-inspiring!"
For the powerful figures in the Golden City, Golden Lion's intimidation was not as great as Whitebeard's, and his reputation was not as great as Roger's, but his legendary status was no less than that of the two of them.
He nearly drove the Roger Pirates to the brink of destruction, single-handedly destroyed half of the Marine Headquarters, and was the first person to successfully Impel Down, a prison known as the "Iron Wall." His life is truly legendary.
That's why when these pirates witnessed the Golden Lion's reappearance, they always felt like they were stepping from reality into legend.
"However, now that even the Marine Headquarters has taken action, do you think the CP0's experts will remain indifferent?" The crowd scanned the masked individuals, shrouded in white coats, with ill intent.
Seeing Roy being completely suppressed, Bazel had to admit that for a moment, he was indeed tempted and seriously considered the suggestion that Chaton had made earlier.
He had firmly rejected Chaton's proposal to join forces, not because he disdained using siege tactics, nor because he needed the Five Elders' approval—the most direct reason was that he was afraid of being beaten.
The horrific state of the CP0 chief in particular sent chills down his spine. He simply couldn't imagine what terrifying power lurked beneath Nightmare's seemingly harmless, beast-like exterior.
But now, he was conflicted because he discovered that Roy seemed to be much weaker than he had imagined.
Of course, this is not to say that Roy is not strong. A man who can keep fighting back against the attacks of the Four Emperors and legendary pirates is definitely a monster in human skin.
But Roy's performance at this moment was indeed much weaker than he remembered. Although he had considered whether it was due to the difference in weapons, he did not think that Roy, wielding the Seven Star Sword, could beat their boss into a dead dog.
"Could it be that when Nightmare severely injured our leader, he also suffered irreversible injuries himself, which led to a decrease in his strength?" The more Bazel thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Although their leader was not well-known, in terms of strength, he was definitely no less than any of the Four Emperors. How could he be severely injured and on the verge of death without paying a price himself?
However, after much deliberation, Bazel ultimately decided to just play a minor role.
On one hand, he had these Celestial Dragons to take care of, and he couldn't bear to leave them to his subordinates for protection. On the other hand, it was also because of their boss's last words of advice that left a thorn in his side. If Nightmare had really paid a huge price to seriously injure their boss, their boss wouldn't have been so wary...
Ugh, I'm in a really bad mood today. I was just planning to write a couple of chapters to get by, but I never expected to turn my frustration into energy. Could this be the legendary "error evolution"?