Was Golden Lion weak because he could barely use the Three Types of Haki?
Not at all. Or rather, his weakness was only relative.
At his peak, Golden Lion had still destroyed half of Marine Headquarters even while fighting Garp and Sengoku together before being captured.
"The man closest to becoming the Pirate King" was no empty claim.
Thus, after witnessing Golden Lion's might, most of the pirates who had come seeking his reputation abandoned their initial intentions.
Quite a few pirates even began entertaining the thought of following Golden Lion.
It was not because Golden Lion exuded overwhelming dominance, but because of the current state of the New World.
Pirates entering the New World generally had only two paths to choose from.
One was to join one of the three great overlords; the other was to struggle for survival in the cracks of the tripartite balance.
However, the three great overlords all had their own forces. Those who joined midway could at best exist as subordinate pirate crews.
As for surviving in the cracks, that was even harder.
Any territory in the New World with even a little value would fly the flag of one of the three great overlords. Naturally, they did not dare plunder such places, leaving them to compete with other pirates over barren lands.
To put it bluntly, most of them were worse off than they had been in Paradise, where the Marines held the upper hand.
Therefore, upon seeing Golden Lion, who was practically a lone commander yet had proven his own strength, many of them began considering investing in him.
"Lord Golden Lion is the strongest in the world!"
"Lord Golden Lion is the man who will become the Pirate King!"
"Lord Golden Lion, please let us follow you!"
Golden Lion nodded in