Golden Lion stared intently at the jungle not far away.
An unprecedented sense of tension rose within him.
"Who's there?!"
The moment Golden Lion finished speaking, his right leg whipped out like a lash.
Without mercy, he sent a slash flying toward the jungle.
In the blink of an eye, the slash howled toward the trees.
Using the Chicken Talisman's power, Roya floated straight up into the air and easily evaded Golden Lion's slash.
As it traveled, the slash continued growing larger, cleaving the jungle in two. Then the buildings behind it were also split in half by Golden Lion's attack!
"What if I said I was just passing by? Would you believe me?"
Roya tugged at his cloak and spoke calmly to Golden Lion.
Golden Lion looked at the person floating before him, surprise flashing through his eyes.
The corner of Golden Lion's mouth twitched as he said to Roya, "If you tell me what kind of Fruit power that is, I'll believe you."
Looking at the person hovering in midair, Golden Lion felt as though this person could pose an enormous threat to him.
He did not know whether it was Roya's strangeness or his faint intuition.
In any case, Golden Lion hated this feeling.
Because he was Golden Lion!
A great pirate who had once ruled the skies!
How could he feel uneasy because of some mysterious man before him?!
Roya's eyes beneath his cloak looked calmly at Golden Lion. Only then did he say, "My power is simple. I can just hover in the air and control objects to float and move."
As Roya's words fell, the anger in Golden Lion's heart was completely ignited.
"Jihahahaha! Are you messing with me? How could your power possibly be the same as mine?! I ate the Float-Float Fruit and became a Floating Man! There can never be two identical Fruits on these seas!"
"Lion's Majesty: Ground Roll!"
Golden Lion Shiki slammed both hands against the ground. Using the Float-Float Fruit's power, he tore up the entire ground, shaping the earth into several lion heads that crushed toward Roya.
"Didn't you say your power was the same as mine? Then let's see whether your power is stronger, or mine is!"
Five lion-headed masses of earth, carried by fierce winds, charged toward Roya.
Facing such a ferocious attack, Roya merely tugged lightly at his cloak. With his other hand, he copied Golden Lion and pressed it against the ground.
A blue ghostly gleam flashed as the Chicken Talisman's power activated.
The ground before Roya began to float, forming a dragon head in the blink of an eye.
The dragon head looked incredibly lifelike, surpassing Golden Lion's lion heads in every detail!
Golden Lion's pupils contracted sharply as he blurted out, "How is this possible?!"
"Boom!"
"Rumble!"
"Rumble, rumble!"
Roya's dragon head howled as it charged toward Golden Lion's lion heads.
It smashed apart the first four lion heads, then perished together with the last one!
As their attacks shattered, dust filled the sky.
Golden Lion absolutely could not accept such an outcome!
Faced with someone whose power was almost exactly like his own, how could Golden Lion possibly let him go so easily?
"You bastard, you've successfully angered me. In that case, taste this—"
Before Golden Lion could finish, the sound of cannon fire from afar reached their ears.
Looking toward the sound, they saw black cannonballs raining down on Vermeyo Island.
Each explosion blasted another crater into the ground.
When Golden Lion saw the ten warships in the distance, cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Damn Marines! They actually sent ten warships just to capture me!"
Golden Lion even spotted Sengoku and Garp, whom he knew very well!
Standing beside Golden Lion, Roya immediately said upon hearing that, "You're overthinking it. Those ten warships aren't here just because of you. I probably deserve half the credit."
"Half the credit? Did you do something big before I escaped from prison?"
"Just a few small things. I merely snatched something from the tiger's jaws, took what the Marines cared about most, and wiped out a Buster Call with one sword strike."
"Wiped out a Buster Call with one sword strike? Jihahahaha!" Golden Lion said again, "You sure talk big. Wiping out a Buster Call with one sword strike is something even I can't do!"
After a pause, Golden Lion continued, "But since you dare say such things, you must have some strength. Want to join my Flying Pirate Crew? I'll make you vice-captain! With the strength of the two of us, we can definitely escape these damned Marines with ease! Then, with the IQ Plants on this island, we'll rule the world and accomplish what even Gol D. Roger couldn't!"
Roya showed no interest upon hearing Golden Lion's words. "I refuse. I'm only passing by. Besides, you're too weak. Those who do not rely on their own strength but borrow the power of other things are weaklings in the end."
With that, Roya turned and left.
He had only come here to check in. He had no intention of getting involved in a battle.
But Roya's words were like sharp swords, stabbing heavily into Golden Lion's heart.
The Golden Lion who had just escaped from prison was instantly humiliated into fury.
After all, he was the great pirate Golden Lion Shiki, fleet admiral of the Flying Pirate Crew, the great pirate who ruled the skies!
Yet someone had called him a weakling!
He would never allow anyone to insult him!
"You bastard, you called me weak?! Then let me see just how strong you really are!"
"Chop Wave!"
Golden Lion kicked out a gigantic Sword Energy with Oto on his foot.
This Sword Energy was at least ten times larger than the one before!
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but Sword Energy.
Even the Marines speeding toward Vermeyo Island in the distance froze for a moment.
Sengoku, standing on the warship, said to Garp beside him, "Garp, what conflict did they have? Why are they fighting?"
Garp scratched his head, unable to make sense of it either.
He had originally feared that Roya and Golden Lion would join forces, but from the looks of it now, it seemed they had worried for nothing.
Seeing this, Sengoku said, "When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Everyone, prepare to attack! This time, we must capture both of them!"