An "Acquaintance" from the Marines, Smoker and Hina

"Hey, blondie over there, what are you saying?" Golden Lion's words had barely landed when one of Zephyr's students stepped forward—a guy in a leather jacket with white hair, a cigar dangling from his mouth, looking more like a delinquent biker than a Marine.

"Kid, you've got some nerve, huh?" Golden Lion narrowed his eyes slightly, reaching out to grip the two Great Grade Swords, Withered Tree and Cherry Blossom Ten.

But before he could make a move, Zephyr had already stepped forward: "Smoker! I'll hold off Golden Lion—you all get out of here, now!"

"But—"

"That's an order! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir! Understood, Admiral Zephyr!"

"Escape?" Golden Lion threw his head back with a laugh, as if he'd just heard a joke. "This is my Floating Island—where do you think you can run?"

There's a saying: don't let your words get too big, or you'll end up with egg on your face. Golden Lion had barely finished speaking when the slap came.

The Marine named Smoker transformed his entire body into a massive cloud of smoke, instantly enveloping the ships along the shore and leaping straight down with them.

Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit—while it didn't grant true Flight Ability, it did allow for drifting. With Smoker's skill, carrying an entire Marine ship through the air was a stretch, but slowing its descent enough wasn't entirely impossible.

Though ships in the Pirate King world were made of wood, they were actually quite sturdy. Plus, these Marine Cadets had at least decently trained bodies—as long as they didn't hit the water too fast, falling into the sea wouldn't be a huge problem.

Seeing this, Golden Lion's nose nearly twisted in fury. He'd just boasted—did the universe have to slap him down this fast?

Without another word, Golden Lion raised a hand, and the entire island began to warp violently: "Lion's Roar, Earth Roll!"

"Don't even think about it." Zephyr roared, launching himself forward with Geppo, and drove a fist straight at Golden Lion's head.

Golden Lion was forced to halt his attack. His two swords, coated in Armament Haki, flashed like twin beams of gold, carving an X-shaped Sword Qi into the air.

"Lion Cross Slash!"

This was one of Golden Lion's old sword techniques. But ever since he'd placed Withered Tree and Cherry Blossom Ten on his legs, he'd been unable to execute such a precise move—until now, fully recovered, he could finally wield his peak techniques again.

With a thunderous crash, the crossed sword light collided head-on with Zephyr's iron fists wrapped in Armament Haki. After a violent tremor, Zephyr, lacking Flight Ability, was swallowed by the Sword Qi, small cuts appearing across his body.

Of course, to monsters of their caliber, such wounds meant nothing. But from that single exchange, Zephyr could already tell—the Lion had truly recovered, even surpassed his prime. He was no match for Golden Lion.

"Judge! Minos! Stop them!" Golden Lion barked, watching the Marine Cadets about to leave the Floating Island.

Judge's face was full of hesitation. He was still a king of a World Government Member Nation—if he attacked the Marines now, there'd be no turning back!

Meeting Zephyr's gaze, Judge wavered.

But Minos had no such qualms. In fact, he was eager to test his current strength.

He crouched slightly, one hand gripping his longsword, took a deep breath, and exhaled. The Breathing Technique made his breath shoot out like a blade, extending three feet.

"Thunderclap and Flash!"

A sword light blazed across the sky like a comet, like a thunderbolt. With a scream, the slowly moving Marine warship was split clean in two from bow to stern. The lightning-like sword light pierced through the ship and shot into the sky, nearly cleaving the clouds apart.

At the same time, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit user Smoker cried out in pain as he reverted to human form. A diagonal gash ran across his body, blood gushing out—the Sword Qi had cut through muscle and ribs, exposing his internal organs.

"Damn it! Smoker!" Zephyr roared in fury, throwing a punch, but Golden Lion raised a hand, and a wall carved with a lion's head rose up, blocking Zephyr's attack.

"You dare get distracted while fighting me? Don't take me so lightly, Zephyr!" Golden Lion sneered, his twin swords crackling with black lightning as he swung them down again.

Conqueror's Haki Infusion! Now Golden Lion was finally getting serious!

Golden Lion's attacks came like a relentless tide. The earth trembled, raising countless stone lions that blocked Zephyr's escape routes.

On the offensive front, Golden Lion's sword light was razor-sharp, his incredible mobility making his already fearsome swordsmanship soar like a Pegasus through the sky. Combining his ability and swordsmanship, he completely suppressed Zephyr.

Golden Lion even casually split the Floating Island into two separate battlefields, ensuring his fight with Zephyr wouldn't interfere with the other side.

On the other side, after one Thunderclap and Flash, Minos looked at the Marine Cadets: "Surrender. You're no match for me right now."

"Don't joke around! Hina is a Marine—there's no way I'd surrender to a pirate!"

The speaker was a pink-haired girl. She flicked her wrists, and two black iron rods shot toward Minos.

"You won't cry until you see the coffin, huh?" Minos smirked, casually deflecting the two iron bars.

Unfortunately, this girl's iron rods were just ordinary iron—not some Pain's Chakra rods. Their power was mediocre, barely worth more than a gun in Minos's eyes.

And because of this reckless move, she revealed herself as a Devil Fruit user. Minos immediately recognized her—Black Cage Hina, also translated as Hina, a contemporary of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit user Smoker.

Hina's ability wasn't particularly powerful, but it was quite tricky, easily catching newcomers off guard.

If Hina touched an opponent's body, that part would turn into iron chains to restrain them. For example, if she thrust her arm through an enemy's body, iron bars would remain to lock them in place. Those unfamiliar with her ability often got one-shot in close combat.

Of course, for those with sufficient strength, iron bars weren't that hard to break.

Overall, it was a decent Devil Fruit—good for bullying the weak early on, and useful for support in the later stages.

Minos wasn't yet strong enough to easily break free from iron, but he wasn't a pure Body Technique expert either. Against a tricky ability user like this, the best approach was to avoid close combat.

He swung his longsword, and a Flying Slash shot straight toward the cadets.