Golden Lion!

The news of the Pirate King's capture instantly spread across the entire world.

For a time, the world churned with unrest, like a storm on the horizon!

Then the Navy released news that shook the world—Pirate King Roger would be publicly executed in his hometown of Loguetown in the East Blue!!

The future heroes and tyrants who would rule the seas all headed toward that fateful place.

"Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, Doflamingo, Moria—these future Shichibukai were merely inconspicuous figures among them.

Even "Crocodile" abandoned his planned challenge against Whitebeard and joined this execution that would reshape the era.

For a time, the eyes of everyone in the world were fixed upon the small East Blue town of Loguetown.

Yet aside from those young maritime heroes, the one who found the news hardest to accept was Golden Lion.

At the edge of an island somewhere, a fleet was docked.

On the most luxurious ship, the throne within the grand hall—the symbol of power—was currently empty, its king who looked down upon the world nowhere to be seen.

Below, what should have been a debauched pirate feast of indulgence and revelry had fallen silent. Everyone looked at Golden Lion standing in the center, their unease growing ever stronger.

"Roger was captured?" Golden Lion's doubtful tone matched his dark expression, as though he might erupt at any moment.

"It's reliable information," one of his underlings said, forced to brace himself.

"Cut the bullshit! How am I supposed to believe something like that?! You should know better than anyone what kind of man that guy is!"

But there was no way all his subordinates could have joined together to lie to him. Golden Lion's face was twisted with disbelieving fury.

Bang!!

The enraged Golden Lion fired a shot at random to vent his anger. Yet no one had time to deal with the unlucky man caught in his wrath, because Golden Lion was already heading for the stairs leading out of the hall.

"Boss, please calm down."

"Don't feed me that ridiculous nonsense!" Golden Lion took a fierce drag on his cigar and strode toward the door.

"Boss, where are you going?"

Golden Lion did not answer, and no one knew what he intended to do.

There's an intruder!!! The enemy is at the plaza on Marineford's shore! The enemy is "Golden Lion" Shiki, alone!!

Bang Bang Bang!!

Countless cannons fired from the fortress as the invasion alarm rang through Marine Headquarters.

The new recruits who heard the news were still bewildered, unable to believe that anyone in the world would be bold enough to attack Marine Headquarters.

At Marine Headquarters, Dawn had remained on guard ever since Roger was captured, constantly preparing for Golden Lion's arrival at the pirate training grounds.

After all, he was still too weak. The Float-Float Fruit was a Devil Fruit capable of massive area-wide destruction. If he got caught in the aftermath, or Golden Lion simply lowered the ground around the training field, wouldn't he be done for?

At that moment, Marine Headquarters was undergoing a bloody massacre.

At the center of the battlefield, Golden Lion wielded the famed blades Oto and Kogarashi, slaughtering every Marine officer who came to fight him.

Countless Headquarters elites who arrived to reinforce them could not escape death, becoming part of the mountain of corpses.

With Golden Lion's strength, these Headquarters elites could not even withstand a second move before becoming ruined corpses atop that mountain, left there forever.

Blood flowed across the white ground of Marineford's coastal plaza, revealing the brutality of the slaughter that had just taken place.

The weather was so overcast it felt suffocating. Dark clouds rolled across the sky from every direction, accompanied by torrential rain. Standing alone atop the mountain of corpses, Golden Lion's presence was like an army of thousands.

"How could Roger possibly have been captured by trash like you? He was a man I acknowledged!"

On the small mound of corpses, Golden Lion held a cigar that had long since been extinguished by the rain, his back facing Sengoku, who had come to confront him.

Sengoku, currently an Admiral, stepped forward twice and said solemnly, "Roger is the Pirate King. He already won his battle against you and withdrew."

"The Pirate King?!?!!" Golden Lion whirled around in rage upon hearing those words.

"So what? If he had been willing to lend me a hand, we would have ruled the entire world long ago!!"

"Though we never got along, we still lived through an era together. If he's there, bring him to me. If anyone is going to kill him, it will be me!"

Golden Lion grew more furious by the moment, and his presence became increasingly terrifying. Like a true lion whose dignity had been insulted, he became ever more savage.

Looking at the old rival he had once pursued, Sengoku slowly said, "The execution will take place in one week, in Roger's birthplace—Loguetown, the starting point of the East Blue."

"Roger's death will crush the courage of every pirate."

As Garp finally arrived and spoke, Golden Lion's presence became even more terrifying.

Sengoku knew that battle was about to erupt.

With Garp's arrival, the losses could certainly be kept to a minimum. Together, the two of them would surely capture Golden Lion and send him to Impel Down!

"The legend of Pirate King Roger is going to end in that weakest of seas, the East Blue? Don't make me laugh! That's the final humiliation of that bastard!"

As Garp removed his cloak, he said, "So what if it's the weakest? The East Blue is a symbol of peace."

But Golden Lion could no longer restrain himself. He instantly sprang from the mountain of corpses and unleashed two incomparably sharp slashes downward at Garp and Sengoku with all his strength.

Facing Golden Lion's slashes, Garp and Sengoku dispersed them with a single punch. The shockwave from their collision spread outward, directly blasting nearby Marine soldiers away.

This was a battlefield where the weak could not interfere.

But the battle intensified, and even Sengoku and Garp gradually became unable to pay attention to the surrounding damage. They could only hope the Marine casualties would be lower.

As for the buildings, Marine Headquarters would likely need to be rebuilt after this battle.

Lion's Pride Rain!!

In the midst of battle, Golden Lion began using the Float-Float Fruit's power for a large-scale attack, immense buoyancy lifting up the entire ground.

Marineford's coastal plaza, along with the buildings that had been devastated by the battle, now floated continuously through the air.

In an instant, the dense mass of rocks accelerated under Golden Lion's control and rained down upon Garp and Sengoku like a torrential downpour.

Boom boom boom boom!!

Amid dazzling golden light, a massive golden Buddha suddenly appeared, golden radiance flickering all over its body. It was Sengoku's Devil Fruit power!

Zoan—Mythical Zoan—Human-Human Fruit—Great Buddha Form!!

Sengoku's transformed right palm slammed forward, and an invisible shockwave howled out, shattering rocks of every size into pieces!

"Sengoku!! Garp!! You'll have to take this attack whether you want to or not!!"

Lion's Pride Earth Roll!!

Amid Golden Lion's furious roar, the moment Shiki's famed swords collided with Garp, the enormous foundation of Marine Headquarters began floating higher into the sky.

The savage Golden Lion was nothing like the weakened man he would become twenty years later. Earth Roll created a vast number of Stone Lions.

In an instant, countless lion-shaped masses of earth and stone covered more than half of Marine Headquarters, crushing forward without mercy!!

The great collision was imminent. Sengoku and Garp roared as they continuously shattered the incoming attacks, understanding Golden Lion's purpose in an instant!

An open scheme!!