Golden Lion and Big Mom were figures of the same era, overlords of the seas who had contended with Roger and Whitebeard before the Four Emperors' balance of power had taken shape.
At the height of his prime, his prestige had even surpassed Big Mom's.
Such a major figure suddenly appearing beside the enemy made everyone present, including Big Mom, tense up.
"Golden Lion."
Big Mom's plump face, already somewhat pale from her severe injuries, turned even uglier.
"Why are you here?"
"Weren't you and Garen..."
According to rumors in the martial world, Golden Lion and Garen were supposed to be mortal enemies who could not coexist under the same sky.
Yet now, that man and ghost stood shoulder to shoulder, communicating with perfect understanding. No matter how one looked at them, they seemed like a pair of scoundrels in league with each other.
The dragon-slaying warrior Golden Lion and the model Shichibukai Garen were actually accomplices?
After realizing this secret, Big Mom's gaze grew even more solemn, while Perospero and the others had already gone pale with fright—
Since Garen and Golden Lion had openly allowed them to witness this great secret, that meant...
"Anyone who sees me has only one road ahead: death."
Golden Lion stated the answer expressionlessly.
"Stop wasting your effort thinking about it. Save your strength and prepare your last words!"
As he spoke, he took two slight steps forward. The spirit blade beneath his feet struck the hard stone floor with a crisp clang, like the tolling bell of death.
"..."
Big Mom fell silent.
By Big Mom's usual standards, anyone who dared say such things before her would have long been slapped into meat paste.
But the one saying it was Golden Lion, and Golden Lion had appeared together with Garen. Big Mom