Second Golden Lion Appears! An Invitation!

The Flying Fleet has arrived.

On the highest observation deck at the bow of the ship, a blond young man leaned on the railing with one hand, his figure upright, his gorgeous outfit billowing wildly in the sea breeze.

He lowered his eyes, looking down at the chaotic battle on the beach below, his eyes filled with the arrogance unique to the strong, as if the carnage beneath his feet was merely a farce for him to watch.

It was none other than the Second Golden Lion.

On the beach, Weevil, who had just been surrounded and suppressed, stood there in a daze.

Zoro's charged attack was abruptly interrupted, leaving him momentarily disoriented. His massive body stood frozen, his hand gripping the naginata still in a defensive stance, his face blank and dazed, completely bewildered as to why the battle had suddenly taken such a dramatic turn.

At the edge of the beach, Stussy's heart sank.

Her cloudy eyes were fixed on the warship floating in the sky, her fingertips unconsciously tightening their grip on her cane.

She couldn't possibly not recognize the power of the Float-Float Fruit and its symbol.

Her strength had already declined significantly, and she couldn't even intervene in the current beach battle. Facing a power user at the Admiral-Emperor Level, an uncontrollable unease instantly rose in her heart.

High in the sky, the blond youth's gaze first fell on Weevil.

That incomparably powerful physical aura could be clearly sensed even from this distance.

This was the target he had specifically sought out across the ocean.

But his gaze quickly swept over the beach again.

The light swept over Zoro, who was surrounded by the aura of the Three-Sword Style, over Luffy Gear Second and was brimming with power, and then over Sanji, Robin, and the others.

He had witnessed the power of Zoro's sword that cleaved through a hundred-meter-tall boulder, as well as the Straw Hat Pirates's seamless encirclement tactics.

The young man's smile deepened, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the railing.

"Not bad, not bad. Originally, I only intended to take this Whitebeard behemoth." He spoke loudly, his voice carried on the sea breeze to every corner of the beach, carrying a condescending tone of solicitation.

"But I never expected that such an interesting bunch of kids like you would be hiding in this vast ocean."

He leaned forward slightly, his golden hair dancing in the high-altitude gale.

"Weevil, and the Straw Hat Pirates. Submit to me, join my Flying Fleet, and I will give you all the power and status you crave."

The beach was silent.

Luffy frowned, looked up at the pirate ship in the sky, and his rubber arm tensed slightly.

After Zoro landed, his three swords remained unsheathed, the pressure from the swords on his body had not dissipated at all, and his arm, which had just taken the hit from the boulder, still felt numb from the shock. His cold gaze locked onto the blond figure high in the sky.

Sanji stepped forward, blocking Nami's path, the cigarette in his mouth flickering in the sea breeze.

Usopp drew back his Black Kabuto sniper bow, raised the crosshair, and aimed at the man on the high-altitude observation platform.

Weevil remained standing there, his head turning sluggishly. He would glance at the Straw Hat Pirates in front of him, then look up at the Second Golden Lion speaking in the sky. His huge naginata swayed slightly in his hand, unsure of where to point it.

Stussy huddled in the shadow of the reef behind him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

She originally intended to use Weevil to take down the Straw Hat Pirates, but she never expected such a powerful figure to appear out of nowhere.

If Weevil is recruited by them, all her scheming over the years will be in vain.

Given her current state, there's nothing she can do but watch helplessly.

High in the sky, Second Golden Lion awaited a reply. The power of the Float-Float Fruit surged slightly around him, and several rocks of varying sizes slowly levitated and rose into the air, circling the flying warship and exuding a faint sense of oppression—submission meant everything would be fine;

If they refuse, he wouldn't mind taking action directly.

The sea breeze high above swirled his Second Golden Lion as he looked down, quietly awaiting a response from below.

The silence on the beach didn't last long.

Luffy forward, the flush from Gear Second still lingering on his skin. He looked up and stared directly at the blond youth on the high-altitude observation platform. His voice was clear and open, without the slightest hesitation, and resounded throughout the entire deserted island.

"I don't want to."

With just three simple words, he immediately rejected the other party's offer.

"I don't want to be someone else's subordinate. I want to go to Laugh Tale, become the One Piece, and be the freest person on this sea!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the air on the entire beach seemed to freeze instantly.

The wind and sand were still blowing, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks was still ringing in everyone's ears, but everyone could clearly feel that the aura belonging to the Admiral-Emperor Level powerhouse high above had suddenly turned cold.

The mocking smile on the lips of the Second Golden Lion gradually faded, the warmth on his face rapidly diminished, and his previously arrogant expression slowly settled into a chilling coldness.

He didn't immediately fly into a rage and attack; instead, he raised one hand and gently pressed his fingertips downwards.

At the edge of the distant clouds, two massive floating warships slowly emerged from behind the clouds, drifting through the air using the power of the Float-Float Fruit, one on the left and one on the right, forming a pincer shape, and slowly circling towards the nameless deserted island.

The ship's dark cannons were all aimed at the beach and the Thousand Sunny moored in the shallows, completely enveloping the small island in a warship's encirclement.

The movement of the ship stirred up a howling wind, causing the clothes of the people on the beach to flutter loudly.

Weevil's massive body froze on the spot, his grip on the naginata tightening. His sluggish mind was still unable to process what was happening before him, his gaze shifting back and forth between the Straw Hat Pirates and the flying warship in the sky.

Stussy, standing in the shadow of the nearby reef, had cold sweat beading on her palms. Her cane was almost deformed from her grip, but she could only curl up in place, unable to do anything.

Zoro's three swords remained sheathed, his body radiating a restrained aura of sword energy, his muscles taut, ready to face any attack from the sky.

Sanji stood in front of Nami, flames burning quietly on his feet. Usopp's sniper bow remained aimed at the high-altitude observation post. Franky's shoulder cannon barrel glowed with intermittent blue light as it charged. Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit ability also remained ready for use.

The Second Golden Lion lowered his eyes, his cold gaze fixed on Luffy. He spoke again from dozens of meters in the air, his voice no longer carrying any hint of jest.

"You really don't want to submit to me and become my subordinate?"

This time, the questioning carried a heavy pressure. The two floating warships continued to slowly approach, and the invisible pressure made the sand on the beach sink.

Luffy remained unmoved, raising his chin slightly as he responded loudly once more, his tone crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"I said no! I can only be the One Piece!"