Golden Lion and Vic

"Boom!"

Their fists collided, but after only a few seconds, Patri Vic was sent flying, crashing into the liquor cabinet behind him.

"Smash!"

Countless bottles of wine shattered on the floor. Patri Vic ignored the mess and immediately got to his feet, his expression grave as he stared at the Golden Lion before him.

His clothes were soaked in alcohol, and the rich scent of liquor clung to him.

A man who loved his drink, he didn't relax at the smell—instead, his wariness deepened.

Though his strength had grown since acquiring the system, it was still nothing in the Golden Lion's eyes.

Seeing Patri Vic stand up so easily, the Golden Lion grinned. In a flash, he appeared before him and swung a fierce punch.

"Boom!"

The liquor cabinet was punched clean through.

But the attack missed as Patri Vic sidestepped and quickly created distance.

"Hey, don't you need a reason to attack me, Shiki?" Patri Vic frowned, demanding an answer.

The Golden Lion didn't waste words. His fist coated in Armament Haki, he struck again.

Patri Vic's pupils contracted sharply. The Golden Lion was too fast—there was no dodging, only a direct block.

"Boom!"

Their fists met. In that instant, Patri Vic felt a tearing pain in his arm.

He had obtained Hashirama Senju's ninja Body Technique, and his physical skills were decent, but without Armament Haki, his fists lacked the necessary hardness.

And the Golden Lion, a notorious pirate of Hachinosu Island, had mastered Armament Haki to an extraordinary degree.

"Boom!"

The floor beneath Patri Vic's feet caved in, sinking to his knees. The shockwave rippled outward like rings on water.

"Crack!"

Cracks spread across the floor and ground like a spiderweb, expanding in every direction.

"Jahahaha... Not bad at all." The Golden Lion laughed. Then, with a surge of arm strength, he sent Patri Vic flying again.

"Boom!"

A large hole appeared in the tavern wall.

Patri Vic's body hurtled backward.

But he didn't hit the ground. He quickly adjusted, his feet carving long furrows in the earth as he skidded to a stop.

"Don't hold back, Patri Vic, or you'll die." The Golden Lion grinned, drawing the two blades at his waist—Cherry Blossom Ten and Wood Wither.

Both were rare, precious swords.

"We're not even close—why are we crossing blades?" Patri Vic replied helplessly.

In the original story, he knew the Golden Lion well, but in this world, this was their first meeting.

As for how he recognized the man before him—it was because the Golden Lion looked exactly like the one in his memories.

The Golden Lion he remembered was old; this one was in his prime.

But the old Golden Lion had that same cocky look, and the young one had it too—so it was easy to tell.

The Golden Lion slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, ignoring the question. Instead, he swung his blades.

"Shing!"

A massive golden Sword Qi, shaped like a shark's fin, tore through the ground at high speed, rushing toward him.

Patri Vic broke out in a cold sweat and quickly dodged.

"Shing!"

Another slash flew at him, its sharp Sword Qi like a golden dragon, eager to devour him.

Without Armament Haki, he chose not to take it head-on and dodged again.

But by then, the Golden Lion had already closed in, both famous swords in hand.

"How will you dodge this?" The Golden Lion grinned, ready to swing both blades.

"Boom!"

In that instant, purple steam enveloped Patri Vic's body. A powerful surge of force radiated outward.

A heavy pressure weighed down on the Golden Lion. A small crater formed beneath his feet, sinking to his ankles.

"Crack!"

The ground shattered like broken glass, cracks spreading densely in all directions.

Seizing the moment of the Golden Lion's brief distraction, Patri Vic quickly retreated, appearing at a distance.

As he left, the faint gravity pressing on the Golden Lion dissipated.

"Not a bad ability." Golden Lion praised.

"..."

Patri Vic's expression was grim.

Just now, it wasn't his own power that suppressed Golden Lion and let him escape—it was Golden Lion's brief lapse in focus that gave him the opening.

Golden Lion probably hadn't expected him to suddenly use that kind of power.

"With strength like that, willingly working as a waiter—what's your goal in hiding your power, Patri Vic?" Golden Lion exhaled a puff of smoke and asked with keen interest.

Patri Vic's strength was roughly on par with pirates who had bounties in the tens of millions.

"To stay alive," Patri Vic answered honestly.

He wasn't weak, but he couldn't be called strong either. Countless people on Hachinosu Island alone could defeat him.

Even with Whitebeard's guarantee, there were still those on Hachinosu Island who would dare to kill him.

He'd only obtained the system recently, so even if he had some power, he chose not to flaunt it.

"Zehahaha... What a luxurious ambition." Golden Lion laughed loudly.

Everyone in the world wants to live. It's both a luxurious ambition and a cheap one.

If all you do is merely survive, then life is far too meaningless. His, Golden Lion's, ambition was to live—and to become the world's ruler!

"Lion's Might, Earth Roll!" Golden Lion stopped the idle chat, touched the ground, and used his Devil Fruit power.

"Rumble!"

The ground behind Patri Vic churned and rose, forming a massive lion's head that opened its gaping maw to devour him.

"Boom!"

The lion's head, made of packed earth, swallowed the spot where he'd stood in an instant.

But Patri Vic had already launched himself backward the moment the lion's head descended.

The danger wasn't over, though. He felt a cold gleam flash behind him, sending a chill down his spine.

Golden Lion had already reached his rear, swinging his blade as if to cleave his body in two.

"Is this how my journey across worlds ends?" Patri Vic couldn't help but think to himself.

He'd only gotten his golden finger a short time ago and hadn't even made his mark yet. If this was how his journey ended, it would be truly frustrating.

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