Golden Lion's Assault

"Alright, the matter has more or less been settled. It's time for us to leave."

"I hope the three of you keep your word. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind letting you experience what Brother Giberson went through. Of course, if you really can't accept it, you can choose to retaliate against me or the Demon Emperor Pirates. I'll take it all."

"Lafitte, let's go."

Nangong Yan rose from his chair and glanced at the three of them. Golden wings sprang from his back. With a beat of his wings, he stirred up waves of scorching heat and shot into the sky.

Lafitte also gave the three a glance. His white wings beat as he flew into the sky after Nangong Yan.

After Nangong Yan and Lafitte had completely disappeared from view, Piedro and Du Feld looked at each other in silence for a long time.

"What do we do? Are we just going to admit defeat and hand over thirty percent of our income for nothing?" After a long while, Piedro spoke unwillingly. As a king of the underworld and a top figure in his field, he had never suffered such a loss before.

Du Feld did not answer him directly. Instead, he turned to Giberson, who was still sitting on the ground in a daze. "Giberson, what do you think?"

Giberson slowly turned his head. A trace of struggle flashed through his eyes before he finally sighed helplessly. "I don't know what you'll choose, but I'll do as he says. I never want to go through something like that again. It felt real."

After saying that, Giberson slowly climbed to his feet. Without bothering with the other two, he left directly with his trusted men.

Piedro and Du Feld stared at each other in disbelief. It was hard to imagine what Giberson had been defeated by... for him to become so cowardly, as though his spirit had been completely crushed.

"How about... we agree?" Du Feld spread his hands helplessly.

"That would be far too humiliating... I have an idea. If he can get through this trial, giving thirty percent of our income to the Demon Emperor Pirates won't be such a loss." A sharp glint flashed in Piedro's eyes beneath his mask as he spoke mysteriously.

"Tell me!" Du Feld's eyes lit up as he urged him on.

"Have you forgotten who protects Dark Island?" Piedro said with a hint of pride.

"You mean..."

"That's right. Let Golden Lion handle it. We don't pay him so much Beli every year for nothing. Besides, Golden Lion has been suffering setbacks at the hands of the Roger Pirates lately. He must be in a bad mood. Now that someone has provoked him, do you think he'll let him off?"

"No, definitely not. He can establish his authority and shore up his increasingly declining prestige while venting his anger at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone—why wouldn't he?"

"Exactly. If he can survive Golden Lion, what does it matter if we give him thirty percent of our income? Looking at his age, if he survives, his future will be limitless. Then we truly won't be losing out!"

"Good idea. We'll do it your way. Tsk, tsk... I never would have guessed. I thought your head was only good for fighting and dealing with people's corpses. Didn't expect it to be useful after all."

"Get lost... I just can't be bothered to use my brain normally. Why rack my brains over something that can be solved with violence... Isn't that what he said earlier..."

"What was it?"

"Getting your head caught in a door."

"Hahaha... Makes sense. Let's go. No time to waste—we need to notify Golden Lion immediately."

"Alright!"

At the Flying Pirates' headquarters, inside a massive palace, Golden Lion sat high upon his throne, biting down on a cigar. Two swords hung at his waist, and he radiated unmatched pressure and dominance. Only the ship's wheel on his head made him look somewhat ridiculous.

Below the throne, Piedro and Du Feld stood respectfully as they reported the situation to Golden Lion, adding a little embellishment here and there.

Golden Lion flew into a rage after hearing them out. A powerful blast of air erupted from him as he said coldly, "It seems I've suffered too many setbacks lately, making those playacting pirates forget how terrifying I am."

"Perfect. The Supreme Grade Blade Myriad Beasts is in that brat's hands. This time, I'll teach him a proper lesson and take Myriad Beasts back while I'm at it. A mere swordsman isn't worthy of such a famous blade!"

"You two may leave. I'll handle this matter."

"Yes." Piedro and Du Feld walked out of the palace and exchanged smiles.

Half an hour later, Golden Lion shot into the sky from the palace, tearing through the air as he flew toward Fragrant Rice Island. A white streak was left behind in the void.

Nangong Yan was resting in his loft, reading and drinking. He had already assigned Lafitte some tasks. Nangong Yan intended to rest for another two days before dealing with recruiting new crew members. Work and rest had to be balanced—he was no workaholic.

That day, Nangong Yan felt somewhat unsettled. For no reason at all, he could not focus on his book. Something felt wrong, so he simply stopped reading.

Nangong Yan trusted his instincts. Even if he was wrong, it did not matter. It was always better to be prepared.

Anyone capable of making Nangong Yan feel uneasy had to be an exceptionally powerful opponent. Since setting out to sea, Nangong Yan had offended quite a few forces. But only two truly had the ability to make him feel danger.

One was the World Government and its Marines. The other was Golden Lion of the Flying Pirates.

Recently, Nangong Yan had sensed many Marines and World Government agents secretly watching Fragrant Rice Island and the nearby waters. But they had merely been observing.

He had not caused trouble for the Marines or the World Government in quite some time. They had no reason to suddenly gather powerful fighters to hunt him down without warning. The answer was obvious—Golden Lion was coming to stand up for those under his protection.

When Nangong Yan said he would accept any retaliation against him, he had not been boasting. So what if it was Golden Lion?

Though he was certainly no match for him at present and had no chance of defeating him, protecting himself would not be a problem. Golden Lion killing him was even more of a fantasy!

Setting aside the Mangekyo Sharingan, just in terms of flight speed and agility, the Float-Float Fruit was far inferior to the Golden Crow Fruit in aerial combat. Golden Lion's immense strength might make up for some of the gap, but the difference still existed.

After thinking it through, Nangong Yan replaced Eastern Emperor with Evilbane. In swordsmanship, Nangong Yan was far inferior to Golden Lion, the current world's greatest swordsman.

Who knew what methods Golden Lion possessed or what realm his swordsmanship had reached? If Eastern Emperor were taken from him, he would suffer a huge loss.

Although Golden Lion's strength was no longer at its peak because of the ship's wheel in his head following Roger's attack, he still retained ninety-five percent of his peak strength. He was far stronger than the Golden Lion Luffy and the others had encountered—the one with severed legs, shattered conviction, an obsession with external things, and severely diminished swordsmanship!

The current Golden Lion could completely crush the Golden Lion Luffy and the others encountered. The gap between them was nearly twofold, enough for total domination.

Golden Lion was confident, domineering, arrogant, and overbearing. Nangong Yan was certain he would come alone. Nangong Yan had no intention of fighting in the waters near Fragrant Rice Island. Wouldn't that mean destroying his own home?

Thus, he flew into the air and headed at full speed toward Golden Lion's territory, determined to keep the flames of war outside his own domain. What happened afterward would no longer be Nangong Yan's concern.

Just as Nangong Yan was flying at full speed, having only flown a dozen miles beyond his territory, he sensed an enormous aura approaching. It was like a male lion ruling the plains—domineering, wild, and utterly peerless!

The two met in midair. The moment they came into each other's sight, they launched their attacks without a word.

Only the weak died. Only the strong had the right to speak!

Nangong Yan attacked first. Drawing Evilbane, he slashed out. A hundred-meter silver-white sword aura swept forward like a crescent moon, sharp and fierce!

His golden wings beat violently as the Solar True Flame surged. With a sweep of his wings, countless Solar True Flames condensed into a thick golden pillar of light and blasted forth with terrifying heat!

Clang! Clang! The sound of swords rang through the sky. Golden Lion bit down slightly on his cigar, his expression turning a little more serious.

The famous blades Oto and Kogarashi left their sheaths. Golden Lion merely waved both hands lightly, sending a majestic and massive transparent sword aura tearing through the sky to meet Nangong Yan's attacks.

Boom! A heaven-shaking explosion erupted, its sound carrying for over a hundred miles. Tangible shockwaves spread through the air in all directions, obliterating some of the lower clouds and leaving the sky even clearer and more transparent!

With a casual sword aura, he had effortlessly extinguished Nangong Yan's two attacks. Such strength was terrifying!

An unprecedented seriousness appeared in Nangong Yan's eyes. This was the strongest opponent he had ever faced! Only by confronting Golden Lion, who was practically at his peak, could one understand just how terrifying his strength was—and gain an even deeper understanding of Roger's unfathomable power!