Golden Lion and Vic

"Bang!"

Their fists collided. After only a few seconds, Patri Vic was sent flying and crashed into the counter where the fine wine was stored.

"Crash!"

Countless bottles of wine fell to the floor. Ignoring everything else, Patri Vic immediately got to his feet and warily faced the Golden Lion.

His clothes were already soaked with wine, and its scent clung to him.

Though he loved drinking, the smell of wine did nothing to put him at ease. If anything, his expression grew even more solemn.

The system had boosted his strength considerably, but in the Golden Lion's eyes, it still amounted to nothing.

Seeing Patri Vic get back up with ease, the Golden Lion grinned. He appeared in front of Patri Vic in an instant and swung a punch at him.

"Bang!"

The Golden Lion's punch smashed through the counter where the wine was stored.

Patri Vic dodged the attack by turning aside, then quickly put some distance between them.

"Wait, you need a reason to attack me, don't you, Shiki???" Patri Vic demanded, furrowing his brow.

The Golden Lion didn't bother with an answer. Armament Haki coated his fist as he launched another attack.

Patri Vic's pupils contracted sharply. The Golden Lion was too fast; there was no way to dodge, so he could only take the blow head-on.

"Bang!"

Their fists collided. In that instant, Patri Vic felt a tearing sensation in his arm.

He'd gained Hashirama Senju's Nintaijutsu, and his Body Technique was decent, but he hadn't learned Armament Haki. That left his fists too soft.

As a notorious pirate on Hachinosu Island, the Golden Lion's mastery of Armament Haki was naturally extraordinary.

"Bang!"

The floor beneath Patri Vic's feet caved in to his knees. The powerful shock waves from their clash rippled out in every direction.

"Crack!"

The surrounding floorboards and ground were covered in countless cracks, spreading like a spiderweb.

"Gya ha ha ha... You're not half bad," the Golden Lion laughed. Then he swung his arm and sent Patri Vic flying again.

"Bang!"

A gaping hole appeared in the tavern wall.

Patri Vic's body flew through it.

But he didn't fall to the ground. He quickly regained his balance, dragging his feet across the floor and carving long furrows into it.

"Don't hold back, Patri Vic, or you'll die," the Golden Lion said with a grin. He drew the two blades at his waist: Cherry Blossom Ten and Wood Wither.

Both were rare Famous Swords, exceptionally precious.

"We're not even friends. Why do we have to fight with swords?" Patri Vic replied helplessly.

He knew the Golden Lion well from the original story, but in this world, the two of them were meeting for the first time.

As for how he knew the man before him was the Golden Lion, it was because he looked so much like the one Patri Vic remembered.

The Golden Lion in his memories had been old, while the one before him was in his prime.

But the Golden Lion had looked like a badass both when he was old and when he was young, so he was easy to recognize.

The Golden Lion slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. He didn't answer, instead swinging the blades in his hands.

"Whoosh!"

A massive golden Shark Cut, shaped like a shark's fin, tore across the ground at high speed and rushed toward him.

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Patri Vic's forehead. He hurriedly dodged.

"Whoosh!"

Another slash came flying at him. Its fierce Sword Qi was like a golden dragon, ready to devour him.

Without Armament Haki, Patri Vic chose not to take the blow head-on and dodged again.

But by then, the Golden Lion had already closed in, holding both Famous Swords.

"How will you dodge this?" the Golden Lion grinned, raising both blades to strike.

"Bang!"

At that instant, purple steam enveloped Patri Vic, and a powerful current of air surged through the surroundings.

An immense force of gravity pressed down on the Golden Lion. A small pit formed under his feet, reaching up to his ankles.

"Crack!"

The ground around them fractured like broken glass, its countless cracks continuing to spread outward.

Taking advantage of the Golden Lion's brief distraction, Patri Vic hurriedly fled and reappeared at a distance.

As Patri Vic moved away, the slight gravitational pressure on the Golden Lion dissipated.

"That's an impressive ability," the Golden Lion praised.

"..." Patri Vic's expression remained grave.

It hadn't been his power that subdued the Golden Lion and let him escape. He'd only gotten away because the Golden Lion had been distracted for a moment.

The Golden Lion probably hadn't expected him to suddenly use a power like that.

"With strength like yours, why willingly work as a waiter? What are you hiding your abilities for, Patri Vic?" The Golden Lion exhaled a cloud of smoke and asked with interest.

Patri Vic's strength was about on par with pirates worth tens of millions in bounty.

"Survival," Patri Vic answered honestly.

He wasn't weak, but he couldn't be called strong, either. There were countless people on Hachinosu Island alone who could beat him.

Even with Whitebeard vouching for him, there were still people on Hachinosu Island who'd dare to kill him.

He hadn't had the system for long, so despite having a little strength, he had no intention of attracting attention.

"Gya ha ha ha... What a luxurious ambition," the Golden Lion laughed.

Everyone in the world wanted to live. It was a luxurious ambition, but it was also a cheap one.

If all he wanted was to live, then life would be meaningless. The Golden Lion's ambition was to survive—and become the ruler of the world!

"Lion's Might: Earth Scroll!" The Golden Lion stopped chatting, touched the ground, and used the power of his Devil Fruit.

"Rumble!"

The ground behind Patri Vic rolled and rose, forming a gigantic lion's head. Its jaws gaped wide as it lunged to devour him.

"Boom!"

The lion's head, made of earth, swallowed the spot where Patri Vic had been standing.

But the instant it came crashing down, Patri Vic had already flown away from that spot.

The danger wasn't over. He felt a flash of cold light behind him, and a chill ran down his spine.

The Golden Lion had appeared behind him. He swung his blade as if to cut Patri Vic in two.

Was this how his journey through another world would end? Patri Vic couldn't help thinking.

He'd only gotten his cheat ability a short while ago and hadn't even had a chance to make a name for himself. To have his journey through another world end like this would be a miserable way to go.

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(Event period: April [illegible] to [illegible].)