What Head Was Blown Off? Golden Lion's Head!

"Enemy attack!!!"

Buggy shouted in a panic, looking at the pirate fleet descending from the sky. However, his voice quickly subsided.

A large hand covered his head; it was Captain Roger.

"Calm down, Buggy, prepare for battle!"

Looking up, Roger's ever-calm face met his gaze.

"Long time no see!!! Shiki!!"

"Roger!!"

Amidst over a dozen warships, on the flagship whose bow was carved with a golden lion's head, a man with flowing blonde hair stood there.

"This is what a true pirate is..."

Just looking from afar, Austin felt the pressure of a top-tier powerhouse.

Former cadre of the Rocks Pirates, one of the three overlords of the New World, Golden Lion Shiki!!!

"How many times have I said this, Roger!" Shiki exclaimed passionately, his robe fluttering as he smoked a cigar. "Although we had many grievances in our youth, let's forget them!"

"With the world-destroying weapon whose whereabouts you know, combined with my forces and plans, we will surely be able to rule the world and become my left..."

"Bang--"

Before he could finish speaking, Shiki's words were interrupted by a gunshot.

Who?

Who dares to interrupt the Governor-General's speech? They will surely be killed!

The low-ranking soldiers of the Flying Pirates broke out in a cold sweat and quickly looked towards the source of the gunshot.

"Alas... it still won't work, huh?" A sigh came from beside Roger.

The next moment, on Shiki's Armament Haki-infused face, A jet-black bullet continued to spin until its momentum ran out, then slowly fell into the sea.

Shiki's words got stuck in his throat, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes quickly locking onto the figure beside Roger.

It was a young man in a military uniform with messy hair, the muzzle of his long spear still emitting wisps of smoke.

"Bastard!!!"

"You're asking for death!!!"

Sounds of terror and rage erupted from the Flying Pirates' fleet, clearly this act had severely offended the Admiral's dignity.

However, some of those who were shouting could not escape Austin's sniping under his Observation Haki.

Red light flashed in his pupils, followed by one bloody muzzle after another.

Armament Haki bullets with Future Sight; unless one's Observation Haki was superior to Austin's, they could only rely on even stronger Armament Haki to resist.

Pirates who were not cadres were taken down one by one.

"Hahahahaha!!! This is my answer, Shiki!!"

Captain Roger laughed heartily upon seeing this.

It was clear that Shiki's face turned red upon hearing this: "Meaning, you want me to kill you here?"

"It means I'll defeat all of you!!"

The first shot of the war had been fired by Austin, followed by an extremely fierce battle.

Austin first fired a few Black Guns. When the enemy ships drew closer, he simply drew the long sword at his waist and used Geppo to disappear from his original position.

Many grunts didn't even notice him before suddenly feeling several wounds on their bodies.

However, cadres quickly found him.

A particularly burly man, who seemed to be a captain of the Flying Pirates or something, Austin's memory for unfamiliar faces was clearly not good.

"That kid dares to fight Captain Dark, he'll surely be brutally killed!"

The surrounding pirate grunts, although they didn't dare to approach Austin, didn't mind boasting about their own cadres.

After all, the difference in physique was obvious.

A 1.6-meter kid against a 4-meter-tall strongman, the disparity was evident just by looking.

But the Dark in front of Austin was clearly not having an easy time, because he felt a strong sense of danger from this kid!

"In your future, there is no word 'victory'."

Austin held his Black Blade with one hand. Although his Armament Haki mastery was not profound due to his age, simple infusion was achievable.

Pursuing excitement and combat was for better tempering of Haki, and also for making a name for himself on the seas.

The grand vision Captain Roger painted for the world, he intended to claim it all for himself.

Wealth, fame, power...

"Boom—"

The entire deck began to sink and roll, and countless pirate lackeys were sent flying. Dark, whose body was covered in black and shining Armament Haki, charged forward with all his might and threw a punch at Austin.

"Clang—"

As the thick smoke dispersed, contrary to the crushing scene the onlookers imagined, the seemingly thin figure in a military uniform remained steadily in place.

Austin, with only one hand covered in Armament Haki, had actually blocked that powerful punch!

"Your strength is decent, but your speed is as slow as a snail."

Austin's expression and words were full of disdain. This arrogant tone instantly broke Dark's composure, causing him to lose his reason and unleash a barrage of attacks!

He's surprisingly easy to deal with.

A smile curved Austin's lips. He seemed very satisfied with the opponent's performance.

Future Sight was most effective against enemies like this, who only attacked wildly in impotent rage.

However, Austin did admit that the opponent's mastery of Armament Haki was superior to his.

So, when Austin wanted to fight, he'd trade blows with the opponent. When he didn't want to fight, he'd dodge and play cat and mouse.

Austin's Armament Haki training was still improving.

Meanwhile, Dark was filled with frustration, his face turning so red he was almost learning Life Return.

He had originally thought that dealing with a mere kid who offended the Governor would be an easy task. He could earn merit with the Governor and avoid confronting those monsters from the Roger Pirates.

But he hadn't expected the kid to be so much more troublesome than anticipated, and on top of that, so good at taunting.

Damn it...

"Ugh...!!!"

He threw another punch, and Dark felt like he had hit something solid. A roaring sound even echoed. Just as he was about to rejoice, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

How is this possible... How could such monstrous strength appear in a mere kid!?

After Austin grabbed his fist, Dark tried to pull it out but found he couldn't move at all.

The opponent's strength was far superior to his!

Dark's eyes were filled with horror, but Austin's eyes were full of boredom.

"Your purity is still too low. Your progress with Armament Haki is slower than getting beaten by the Captain."

"Lung Fog Pirates."

Austin sneered and, with an incomprehensible burst of strength, swung Dark around, causing the surrounding lackeys to gasp in surprise.

Dark bared his teeth, trying to stabilize himself, but found it impossible. He was spun around in the air.

With a sudden release of his grip, Dark was flung onto another ship.

Then...

Ugh, He was chopped down by Gaban's axe.

After throwing the guy out, Austin simply let loose. Seeing that the nearby lackeys were almost cleared out, he used Geppo and Soru to return to the bow of the Oro Jackson.

Shanks and Buggy were also on the ship, standing back-to-back, confronting the surrounding pirates.

"One Sword Style · Black Light!"

A black blade light flashed as Austin, wielding his Black Blade, cut through the crowd and rejoined the two.

"Great, it's Austin! Austin, hurry over here."

The battle was too fierce. Even with the elite members of the Roger Pirates, they were struggling against the endless onslaught.

The combatants on the ship couldn't even keep track of the three kids.

Buggy, though appearing fierce, was actually panicking internally.

Austin, who had just fought his way over, seemed to be radiating light!