The Banquet Begins, A Dazzling Entrance

"What a huge octopus!"

"Luffy, don't bully them—"

Rumble~~

In the forest, Luffy is 'playing' with a group of animals: a giant octopus that knows how to punch, a giant mantis that knows how to Saber Technique, a long-armed bear that fights bare-handed... These creatures are generally quite strong, although not as strong as the island where Luffy 'levels up', but at least they can play with Luffy for a few rounds.

Add to that their enormous size and certain level of intelligence, and they are definitely a top-notch group:

Destroyers!

"These are the 'IQ Evolution Beast Corps' created by Golden Lion. They are fierce, warlike, and powerful, but there is one problem with them: they are difficult to transport."

"Although these Sky Island can move freely under Golden Lion's power, they would suffer heavy losses if they encountered extreme weather along the way, which is why Golden Lion suddenly appeared and kidnapped Nami."

On the Giant Tree next to them, Roman sat in a row explaining the cause and effect to the others, while Zoro glanced at Luffy and the others who were having a great Luffy.

"Is it okay to let them make such a fuss?"

"It doesn't matter,"

Roman waved his hand, "I've already had... had the paper birds set up a defensive line around here. The Golden Lion keeps these creatures injected with special drugs to maintain their aggressive nature, so any fighting won't attract their attention. Besides:"

Roman turned and pointed to the largest island in the distance, shrouded in snow, and continued.

"Tonight, the enemy will gather a large number of pirate crews, drink 'sworn brotherhood wine' to formally form the Golden Lion Grand Fleet, and then use these Reinforced Beasts as the vanguard. The pirates will just burn, kill, plunder, and destroy the weakest part of the East Blue!"

!?

"Roman, you just said he wants to destroy the East China Sea?"

With a snap, Luffy suddenly stretched out and leaped forward, even causing Robin, who was studying the island's ruins nearby, to stand up.

"Yes, some towns have already been affected."

Roman flicked his wrist, and several newspapers appeared in his hand, which he handed to everyone to read.

A town mysteriously destroyed? Was it the work of pirates or monsters?

The accompanying image shows several enormous beasts that were wiped out by the navy, much like—"the creatures we encountered on these islands?"

"East China Sea!"

Luffy's expression turned serious.

Foosha Village, Dadan, Makino...

"Speaking of which, many of us here were born in the East China Sea."

"Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji..."

"Ah, although I was born in Beihai, Donghai is my hometown."

In that case, the Straw Hat crew can no longer sit idly by!

"That's right, this is Golden Lion's plan: to destroy the weakest point, East Blue, as a warning to the World Government! Although in my opinion..."

The Golden Lion also fell.

The claim that the East China Sea is the weakest point and a warning to the World Government is clearly a sign that they lack the strength to confront the World Government head-on!

If you're so capable, go challenge Marine Headquarters and Holy Land Mary Geoise! What's the point of attacking the East Blue? Do you think you can infuriate the Admiral and Vice Admiral? But:

Let alone the Red Line, even the Marine Headquarters could easily defeat Golden Lion. If it weren't for the shameless mobility of the Float-Float Fruit, Golden Lion would have been captured and imprisoned in Impel Down long ago. Moreover:

The current Marine Admiral include Kizaru, and Fujitora, who is about to be drafted. Neither of them is afraid of Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit mobility. If True Striker, it's hard to say how long Golden Lion could last.

To put it bluntly, Golden Lion no longer has the ambition he once had to storm the Marine Headquarters alone!

Once this world loses its spirit, its strength will decline drastically! The Devil Fruit abilities may not be apparent yet, but Haki will definitely regress significantly!

The fact that Roman was able to fight the Golden Lion several times in such a hurry speaks volumes.

As the saying goes, "Despise the enemy strategically, but take the enemy seriously tactically."

"Golden Lion Shiki was indeed a figure who rivaled Roger and Whitebeard, and his strength goes without saying. In his prime, he could take us down with a single blow, but—"

Roman looked around at the Straw Hat crew members who were listening attentively to his explanation. Over the course of their journey, Roman's intelligence-gathering abilities had become deeply ingrained in their minds, making it virtually impossible for him to make a mistake.

"The Golden Lion is old now."

"Not only is he physically aging: he suffered from dementia after a ship's rudder was impaled in his head during the battle with Roger, and his legs were left behind when he escaped Impel Down; he is also psychologically aging:"

"The older you get in the martial arts world, the more timid you become."

"If Golden Lion were truly capable, why didn't he step in during the Marineford War? And why didn't he dare cause trouble in Holy Land Mary Geoise, the Celestial Dragons' stronghold on the Red Line? Why did he choose the weakest region, the East Blue, to attack him...?!"

Why are you all staring at me like that?

When asked about Roman's question, Robin smiled and answered on behalf of everyone.

"Roman, your identity..."

Celestial Dragons.

"Tsk," Roman rolled his eyes. "What kind of monsters are the Celestial Dragons? You all knew what they were like back in Sabaody, didn't you? Don't lump me in with those idiots. But—"

The Five Elders and Imu...

"In short, the Golden Lion's strength is not as exaggerated as the legends suggest."

After thinking it over Roman decided to use a more intuitive comparison to show everyone the strength of the Golden Lion.

"I fought that guy called Golden Lion for three sword strikes before I was defeated."

—Dead silence.

Then:

"Mommy~~!"

"Doctor~~~!"

"Yohoho~~~!"

With Nami gone, the new Straw Hat trio of cowards huddled together, trembling, practically shouting, "We want to go home!"

"What kind of expressions are those?!"

"Roman, even you were defeated in three moves. Does that mean we're doomed to be instantly killed?"

Roman thought carefully about what Usopp said.

"Um······"

"Just say we'll be wiped out in an instant!"

The Straw Hat crew is well aware of Roman's strength; he's comprehensively powerful with no weaknesses. Recently, he even mastered advanced Haki and acquired a very powerful ability, joining forces with Luffy to defeat a Great Pirates with a 500 million bounty...

Even the formidable Roman only lasted three moves against that Golden Lion?

"I····"

Roman didn't want to use Golden Lion as an excuse to justify Nami's interference in the battle. However, he didn't need to worry about morale:

"A swordsman who could defeat Roman in three moves?"

Zoro's fighting spirit surged, and a beast-like smile appeared on his lips.

"I really want to see it right away."

"No matter who it is, I will not forgive anyone who dares to hurt my partner!"

Luffy, Luffy, stood up.

"Hmph, a true gentleman fights to protect ladies."

Seeing Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji showing no fear, Roman stood up and dusted himself off. —Dealing with a dangerous Great Pirates like Golden Lion was something their main fighting force was meant to handle.

Moreover, unlike before when they fought alone, now the whole team is ready! There's no reason to fear a demoralized, old and frail Golden Lion.

"It's getting late."

Roman looked up at the darkening sky. Even on the Sky Island, there is sunrise and sunset, waxing and waning.

"Come on, everyone, get ready."

One by one, black suits were 'spit out' from Roman's hands, each one exuding high-end sophistication and a perfect fit.

"We should go to the banquet now."

"That's right,"

Luffy picked up a black captain's coat. The black trench coat had double-breasted buttons representing the captain and the Straw Hat crew's shoulder insignia.

"Comrades, let's go get our navigator!!"

Ding dong dong dong~~

To the rhythmic beat of drums, three tall men swaggered in with an air of arrogance. On the left was a Masira in a pink coat and hat; on the right was a man with an afro, wearing a white lab coat but sporting clown makeup; and the man in the middle...

"Hehehehe~~ My lovely navigator, are you settling in well here?"

Nami: (;_)

Is this the legendary Great Pirates?

It has to be said that it's abnormal for the strong in this world not to have some quirks.

"Gagaga!!"

The duck that rushed out to protect Nami made Golden Lion raise an eyebrow. This duck, named 'Billy,' was Reinforced Beasts created by Golden Lion through experimentation: it possessed wings capable of flight, a peacock's tail, and most importantly:

Discharge capability!

For some reason, this dangerous Reinforced Beasts quickly became close to Nami after being abandoned by Golden Lion, and now even considers himself Nami's bodyguard.

"Hehehehe, keep an eye on your pet, or else—"

The Golden Lion glanced at the duck, which was also entirely golden, with disgust, but finally decided to get down to business:

"Put on your formal attire and witness the birth of our Golden Lion Grand Fleet! Hehehehe~~~"

Call,

Nami let out a long sigh and tightened her grip on the book.

If Nami hadn't known that Roman and the others were already on the island, preparing to rescue her, she would never have helped Golden Lion, because:

Cocoyasi Village, Sister Nojiko, Ken...

Roman, we entrust our homeland to you for protection.

So:

"Let's go, Billy."

Nami, dressed in a black ladylike outfit with a pink mink shawl draped over her shoulders, entered the hall with her new friend, Inazuma Duck.

"As you all know, the East China Sea is the weakest ocean."

In the hall, Golden Lion sat high on the main seat, flanked by fifty pirate captains. Among them was Captain Boozawa, who had brought Nami Golden Lion used himself as bait.

"... There are no great people whose deaths would be a pity. Therefore:"

After the Golden Lion finished his pre-battle speech, he stood up and raised his glass!

"Under my name, go ahead and kill and Milton to your heart's content."

"The Golden Lion Pirates have been formed!"

"Oh!!"

The pirate captains kneeling on either side shouted in unison! Drink the sake in your hands, and you'll officially join Golden Lion's ranks. For these pirates with bounties of less than a hundred million, the temptation was immense!

That's right, less than 100 million!

There are fifty pirate captains here, but not a single one is Great Pirates of over 100 million. They're all leaders of pirate crews with Beli of 70-80 million, neither big nor small.

Twenty years ago, they fought Roger and stormed the Marine Headquarters. The former main force of the Golden Lion Pirates are either feeding the fish at the bottom of the sea or eating in Impel Down. Now, Golden Lion's crew has hardly any decent men left.

The "True Striker" who switched sides from Kaido and was killed by Roman a few days ago was already considered one of the more capable officers under Golden Lion.

"Shiki! Something terrible has happened—"

Just then, a subordinate ran up and interrupted Golden Lion's interest.

"Intruders, nine people?"

Golden Lion glared at his tactless subordinate with displeasure and gave orders in a low voice.

"Get this done right now."

"But--"

Puff!!

A flurry of blades flashed, and the door directly opposite the main hall was reduced to wreckage scattered across the floor. Then:

Roman and Zoro, both dressed in black suits, strode in first! Following them were Usopp and Sanji, Chopper in his beast form, Robin in a black women's coat, Franky in trousers, and Franky standing on either side. Everyone was dressed in a black suit! And:

Guns and cannons provided by Franky!

At the very back, a figure wearing a captain's coat slowly approached. The wind blew in from the slashed gate, causing his black captain's coat to flutter in the wind, exuding Haki, and the Straw Hat on his head was exceptionally eye-catching.

"Golden Lion!"

He raised his head, his serious gaze from under the Straw Hat landing on the tall, golden-haired man in front of him.

"Nami is the navigator of our Straw Hat crew,"

"You want to take our companions away and attack the East China Sea?"

Did they ask the Straw Hat crew?!

"Hehehehe, where did this brat come from?"

Facing the Straw Hat crew's hostile arrival, Golden Lion laughed and Inazuma stretched out his hand to the side.

"Nami is mine—"

Cut!

?

A blinding white sword light met the Golden Lion's palm, causing him to abruptly withdraw and retreat in the face of danger! At the same time, Haki enveloped his palm, but still:

Puff,

With a soft thud, specks of crimson fell onto the floor.

"It's you!?"

Ignoring the blood dripping from his palm, Golden Lion turned slightly, his face grim, to look at Roman beside him. —Of course he remembered this Marine Major General. But...

Aren't these people pirates?

"You disgusted me by using Nami as a hostage once, so I'll ambush you back once. That's fair."

Without any interference from the opponent's Haki, Roman, who had been meticulously prepared, used a single move, 'Displacement,' to teleport himself in front of Nami. The only loss he suffered was a page of "The Art of the Thief."

"Let's do it!"

As Roman led the charge, the others simultaneously turned their weapons on the entire hall. Then:

Bullets whistled, shells roared!

Da da da da—

Boom boom boom boom boom—

A metallic storm, including Luffy and Zoro, erupted in all directions.

PS: Due to timeline issues, Golden Lion should have been after Moria and before Marineford. However... it's really... unbelievable that a legendary pirate died using Gear Third. That's why I pushed it to the present. The current Straw Hat crew has two members with advanced Haki, and the others all have some level of it.

The problem with Golden Lion Fruit power hasn't diminished, his spirit and body are no longer what they used to be. His wide-range destruction is still formidable, but close-quarters combat is no longer what it used to be; he even needed hostages to achieve a quick victory against Roman. Therefore, Roman believed the Straw Hat crew could defeat him.

If all else fails, there's a group of CP0 members outside who can take drugs (Rumble Ball), so Roman didn't suddenly act recklessly.