Golden Lion's Fall!

After training with Mihawk, Ian is only a little short of mastering the Conqueror's Haki Infusion.

It really was just a tiny bit off.

There's no need to be driven to the brink, no need to exert every ounce of strength, and no need for a sudden burst of brilliance.

All it takes is a clash with a powerful opponent who has also mastered Conqueror's Haki; under the impact of their killing intent and aura, that final barrier will naturally be breached.

"So, it's that simple!"

Ian laughed wildly as his Flame Sword clashed with the Golden Lion's twin swords.

Unprecedentedly violent Haki Inazuma flew everywhere, splitting the clouds in the sky and shattering the ground downwind.

Splitting the sky isn't that difficult.

Senior Golden Lion, I have sensed your domineering spirit and I understand your ambition!

Therefore, you can lose.

Golden Lion's expression suddenly changed.

This power!

Boom!!

The Air Quake!

Amidst the surging, Haki Inazuma, the Golden Lion burst forth, creating rings of sonic booms in the air.

"That's amazing!"

Shanks exclaimed sincerely, "He's only fifteen, isn't he?"

Even Bullet back then, at Ian's age, didn't have nearly as much strength as him.

Although it's said that besides Captain Roger, only Rayleigh could rival Bullet at that time, Red-Haired, as a member of Roger Pirates, knew better than anyone that it was just because Gaban was too lazy to subdue the often-raging Bullet.

In terms of ability, Bullet was only ranked fourth on the ship at that time.

Even when he was at his strongest on the ship, he was probably not as strong as he is now.

Without a doubt, Ian, who had mastered Conqueror's Haki Entanglement, had completely surpassed him.

Fifteen years old.

At fifteen years old, Ian had already crossed the threshold of becoming the strongest.

Red-Haired felt a little ashamed for a moment.

Captain Roger once said he was the most qualified person to become the new Joey Boy, but now he suddenly feels, what am I compared to that monster, Ian?

This is the real Joey Boy!

Or should I just tell him the secret the captain entrusted to me?

On the other side, the Hero Garp also looked solemn.

"Conqueror's Haki Infusion? Hiss--"

Aokiji gasped, but thankfully, as Devil Fruit User, his breath was also cold air, so there was no need to worry about the greenhouse effect.

"Mr. Garp, I think it's necessary to reassess the threat posed by the Beasts Pirates!"

The domineering Haki of Conqueror's Haki already exudes a kingly presence unmatched by a million.

Those who can master Conqueror's Haki Entanglement are truly extremely rare; at least within the Navy, only Sengoku Admiral possessed this technique.

The Conqueror's Haki entangling technique is already an incredible skill, but when it appears on a monster like Ian, it becomes even more terrifying!

His basic skills are so impressive that he can fully demonstrate the power of this move!

That was indeed what Ian was feeling at that moment.

He clenched his right fist, his five fingers Inazuma with Haki, and the air in his palm was distorted by the Haki, making a crisp crackling sound.

Ian's lips curled into a smile.

Unprecedented power!

Armament Haki for Internal Destruction, Observation Haki for Future Sight, Conqueror's Haki for entanglement, and even the Mythical Zoan the Winged Dragon of Ra form!

We're having such a blast!

I now definitely have the strength to fight Teacher Kai.

Whether we win or lose is hard to say, but at least we certainly won't be as humiliated as before!

However, in terms of techniques, the Three Types of Haki have basically reached their limit, with only one technique left, the Observation Kill, whose principle is unknown. It's unclear whether Red-Haired has mastered it.

It's unlikely that there will be any more instances of a qualitative leap in strength in a short period of time. The only option will be to slowly improve the quality of one's Haki and wait for the body to fully mature, allowing the physique to continue to grow stronger.

I just don't know when my abilities will Awakening.

Teacher Kai said that when both the body and mind catch up with one's abilities, those abilities will Awakening.

However, even before mastering the Conqueror's Coating, he was already quite strong, wasn't he? A true Admiral- level powerhouse, even compared to the Emperors, he was only half a level below them. It's hard to say whether Luffy had that level before his Awakening. Nika, who hadn't Awakening for eight hundred years, had Awakening, but he himself hadn't felt anything at all.

Even now, after mastering the Conqueror's Coating, he still shows no sign of Awakening.

Does this mean I also need to experience a life-or-death crisis before my abilities can Awakening?

"Hey kid! What are you daydreaming about?!"

A gust of wind rushed towards him, and a magnificent, violent slash swept towards Ian.

Ian couldn't help but recall the last time he fought the Golden Lion. Back then, he stood still and let the senior attack him until he was exhausted.

Now, of course, that won't work. Golden Lion's Haki has been fully restored, and his slashes, a mixture of Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, are not something that an ordinary beastman form can withstand.

So Ian raised his hand.

Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki mingled together, expanding in the next instant and transforming into a solid barrier.

The slashing storm crashed into the unmoving reef, instantly shattering it into pieces.

Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki can be used together, in which case Conqueror's Haki can also share the external release and Internal Destruction of Armament Haki.

"Lion's Might - Annihilation Slash!"

Senior Golden Lion had closed in again, his twin swords slashing down.

Ian swung his Inferno Demon Blade, which was clearly a sharp divine sword, but now, empowered by Conqueror's Haki, it was like a baseball bat, directly colliding with Golden Lion's twin swords.

After a brief stalemate, the Golden Lion was once again sent flying by Ian's sword.

It seems that even after several months of rehabilitation, the Golden Lion's imposing Haki hasn't returned to its peak.

Ian sighed.

Their strength was already far inferior to mine, and now even the gap in Haki has narrowed.

Honestly, we could practically pop champagne right now.

Forget it, there's no point in wasting time. Let's get serious.

"Senior Golden Lion,"

Ian flicked the Levantine in his hand, and the golden holy sword instantly turned crimson. "You can think about your last words now."

Simply wrapping Conqueror's Haki around the blade would prevent the Destruction Flame from being unleashed, as it would essentially turn into a baseball bat.

Therefore, it is necessary to directly inject the Two-Color Haki into the blade, causing the surface of the scarlet blade to develop jet-black patterns, with wisps of black Inazuma flickering up, like black mist emanating from the blade, adding even more evil aura to the already ominous Inferno Demon Blade due to its scarlet color.

"The Destruction Flame?"

The Golden Lion laughed loudly, "Then let me see! Can your flames destroy me?"

"Good."

Ian nodded slightly. "Senior Golden Lion, I'm coming to kill you now."

With his golden wings flapping and flames erupting from every joint of his body, Ian transformed into a shooting star and hurtled toward the Golden Lion.

Quick!

Extremely fast!

Golden Lion realized in an instant that he had no chance of escaping Ian's pursuit; the guy was much faster than he could fly.

But.

The lion's mouth is turned up high.

He never intended to run away!

Kid, who do you think I am?!

"Hehehehe! Come on, kid!"

The Golden Lion's twin swords, also wreathed in Two-Color Haki, hurtled forth fearlessly.

"Looks like this is the end."

The Red-Haired sighed.

Will Ian win?

Ace asked nervously.

"We will win."

"Ian has never lost," Luo said matter-of-factly.

Of course, the sparring session with Admiral Kaido doesn't count.

"Now,"

Hawk Eyes's expression was quite complex. "In front of Ian, the Golden Lion is the challenger."

"..."

Dragon silently surveyed everything.

It's almost over.

"Kuzan,"

Among the two Marine Vice Admiral on the ground below, who were also looking up at this final confrontation, the Hero Garp suddenly spoke up, "How long until Borsalino gets here?"

Even after the Golden Lion was defeated, the battle was far from over.

"Oh dear, I wouldn't know anything about that."

Aokiji scratched his head. "However, Mr. Garp, even if Borsalino comes, I still have a bad feeling."

The pirates are alright, but Hawk Eyes was severely injured by Golden Lion, and his fighting power has been greatly weakened.

But a Dragon is still floating in the sky.

Could Mr. Garp really use their father-son relationship to persuade the leader of the Revolutionary Army to help them fight the pirates?

Hiss--

Aokiji couldn't help but gasp again.

If that's the case, it doesn't seem so bad.

But then he shook his head, knowing that this was probably impossible.

After all, his teacher had often complained to him about his son's rebelliousness long ago.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the two figures in the sky finally collided.

"You brat! Lion's Might-- "

Senior Golden Lion spun around, his twin blades flashing like Mystical Space Typhoon.

A pitch-black Mystical Space Typhoon.

"Thousand Peaks Split!"

Ian's eyes flashed red; he already knew what would happen in the next few seconds.

He brandished his sword.

He used every ounce of his strength in that attack.

Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki, Devil Fruit abilities—all used without reservation, going all out!

Die, Golden Lion!

This form of the Sword of Destruction is named--

"The Branch of Ruin!"

The Ruin Demon Blade, radiating an ominous black aura, slashed out.

The next moment, it pierced straight through the dark Mystical Space Typhoon!

Time slowed down at that moment.

The wildly spinning black Mystical Space Typhoon gradually came to a standstill, and the Golden Lion's frantic double-hitting also slowed down.

From this perspective, it's clear that the Flame Sword wasn't swung in a straight line; it deftly bypassed the dark twin swords.

This is the Observation Haki, Future Sight.

We have already anticipated future attacks, so we can naturally deal with them using standard solutions.

However, if one can foresee the future, then one can change it.

Just as he was about to be struck by Ian's Sword of Destruction, Golden Lion realized the danger was approaching.

Instinctively, he sheathed his twin swords, attempting to block Ian's blade.

And then, in the next moment, the three swords finally clashed together.

The Golden Lion's expression changed drastically in an instant.

The Haki that clung to his sword was easily pierced!

The crimson greatsword slashed directly at his beloved twin swords.

Then.

The weight in his hand suddenly lightened, and the Golden Lion saw a scarlet shadow approaching.

His pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints for a moment, but then immediately dilated again.

Did we lose?

Roger, I'm going to lose to the second person besides you!

He's a remarkable kid.

Are these Lao Tzu's last words?

Since you're the man who defeated me, then it's only right that you stand at the top of the world!

In an instant, the two figures passed each other, leaving a long, narrow crimson trail in the air.

But in the blink of an eye, only Ian was floating in the sky.

Ian turned around with a hint of melancholy, only to find that there was no one behind him.

Senior Golden Lion has vanished without a trace.

Using his Observation Haki to foresee the Future Sight, he bypassed Golden Lion's attack.

Just as he was about to react and try to defend himself, the Haki easily pierced through his Haki, and then the Sword of Destruction severed his two swords in one strike.

That's the advantage of mastering Conqueror's Haki Infusion: you can use Haki to penetrate the opponent's Haki, maximizing the destructive power of the Destruction Flame.

The Golden Lion's body was cleaved in two at the waist by that sword strike.

The hastily summoned Haki was utterly ineffective in stopping the Sword of Destruction's slash.

Then, the spreading destructive power completely destroyed everything belonging to the Golden Lion, leaving not a trace.

Rest in peace, Golden Lion senior.

Personally, I would certainly like to let you off the hook and allow you to continue attracting the attention of the World Government.

But you really went too far.

Everyone there wanted to kill you, so I couldn't do anything about it.

"What happened?"

Ace simply couldn't understand, "How did that guy disappear?"

Where did the Golden Lion go?

"That's terrifying!"

Red-Haired couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Is this the legendary flame of destruction? It's truly astounding!"

Hawk Eyes's eyes twitched.

Fortunately, Ye blocked that sword for him last time; otherwise, if Ian had struck him directly, he would probably have ended up like the Golden Lion.

But this bastard's abilities are way too outrageous!

That was the Golden Lion that had just defeated him!

"Destructive flames?"

Ace was puzzled.

"The Crimson Fire belongs only to Ian, capable of destroying everything in the world!"

Luo's tone was excited.

Will it destroy everything in the world?

Ace was stunned.

That sounds a bit scary.

But we won!

Ian killed the Golden Lion!

"Hiss--"

Aokiji still gasped, "Although I knew long ago that Teacher Zephyr was defeated by this move, this is the first time I've directly witnessed its destructive power."

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration!"

That's Golden Lion!

Even though Golden Lion is much weaker than he was at his peak, and his strength is probably weaker than Ian's when he mastered Conqueror's Haki, he is still weaker.

But that's not the reason he was killed by Ian with a single sword strike, is it?

It should have been a close fight, but the actual result was like an adult beating a child.

"We absolutely cannot let that kid's crimson flames hit us!"

Hero Garp's tone was extremely solemn.

In the sky, Dragon's gaze was also solemn.

You should say it's fortunate, fortunate that this guy is also on the opposite side of the World Government.

Let's go.

Ian flapped his wings and descended, the Crimson Sword in his hand reverting to a small Fire Spirit that perched on his shoulder, feigning death.

"It's time to go back."

The music ended and the audience dispersed.

Is that right?

At that moment, light gathered in the sky, and a figure emerged from the light.

"Oh dear, am I too late, or too early?"

Ian looked up, and there was another troublesome guy.

There's going to be a rematch, it's never going to end.

I revised Ace's reaction in the previous chapter, and forgot about Sabo.