Am I Really That Scary? / An Island Suddenly Falling from the Sky
He raised his glass and took a small sip. First he nodded, then he shook his head.
The old man noticed Kuta's reaction and asked curiously, "What's wrong, kid?"
"It's good wine, just not strong enough."
"Strong?"
"Yeah!"
"I don't like wine that's too weak. It barely tastes like anything."
"Oh! Is that so?"
Am I Really That Scary?
East Blue.
Above the clouds over Prothius Island floated more than a dozen islands.
The largest of them housed Golden Lion's palace.
The island had originally been called Vilmeyo. Golden Lion had discovered it after escaping from Impel Down.
He had found that many animals there had turned ferocious from eating plants containing IQ. Using his power, he had lifted the entire island into the sky and made it one of his floating islands.
He had renamed it Strong World.
For twenty years, he had kept his whereabouts hidden while studying IQ with his trusted deputy, Dr. Indigo. From his floating island, he plotted his comeback.
He planned to unleash the animals upon East Blue, where Roger had been born and which was known as the weakest of the seas. They would wreak havoc and show the World Government the power of his revenge.
At that moment, a banquet was underway in Golden Lion's palace on Strong World.
Golden Lion had long golden hair and a Ship's Rudder lodged in his head. Dressed in a traditional Japanese robe with orange and yellow stripes, he danced on the platform below his throne with his deputy, Dr. Indigo, and a gorilla.
Ever since the Ship's Rudder had lodged in his head, Golden Lion had become a little eccentric.
Sometimes he would suddenly stare into space or give an answer that had nothing to do with the question, among other ridiculous antics.
Apart from dancing, he had no particular hobbies.
Below the throne, two rows of strange-looking Pirate captains sat cross-legged.
They led the minor Pirate crews Golden Lion had casually brought under his command over the past twenty years.
They could not yet be called members of the Golden Lion Pirates, because he had not formed a new crew.
They lacked strength, but they had every other trait Pirates were known for.
Cruelty, coldness, ruthlessness, bloodlust—they would commit any atrocity and obey no law...
And that was exactly what Golden Lion liked about them: the air of true Pirates.
So he treated them as underlings, not comrades.
The Pirate captains watched Golden Lion dance, drank their wine, and laughed and shouted without restraint.
"Huh—!"
Golden Lion, who had been in the middle of a
dance, suddenly stopped.
He had sensed at once that the island under his control had been cut apart.
He had dropped that island in the first place to test Kuta.
A glint of amusement flashed in his eyes. Then he grinned and burst out laughing.
"Jahahahaha...! That silver-haired kid isn't bad!"
Still smiling, he pulled out a Cigar, lit it, and took a gentle puff. Then he turned to his deputy, Dr. Indigo. "I'm going to take a look at that silver-haired kid. You all carry on with the banquet."
"Clack! Clack!"
Dr. Indigo laughed and swayed, conveying "Go on, go on!" to Golden Lion through pantomime.
"Hm...?"
Golden Lion stared at him in confusion.
Seeing that Golden Lion did not understand, Indigo grew so anxious that he stamped his feet, making a long string of "pfft, pfft" sounds like farts.
"Pfft."
"Pfft, pfft..."
Just as Golden Lion was about to curse him out, Indigo suddenly spoke.
"I understand. Go on!"
"So you can talk!"
Golden Lion stared at Indigo in astonishment.
"Jahahahaha...!"
Then he laughed, flicked his cape, and flew swiftly out of the palace.
A Wanted Poster for Kuta drifted slowly to the floor behind him.
The Pirates paid Kuta's Wanted Poster little attention and went on eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
He was just a small-time Pirate with a bounty of 70 million Beli.
To Golden Lion, he was nothing.
Golden Lion was a legendary Pirate who had stood alongside Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, and Edward Newgate, Whitebeard. His strength was enough to shake heaven and earth!
He was also the first Pirate in Impel Down's history to escape.
On the ground.
Bearded Man, who had only just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly stared skyward, eyes bulging and face stricken with terror.
As the smoke and dust thinned, a golden figure came into view, floating opposite Kuta.
That figure held all of Bearded Man's attention.
He stared at it as though he had seen something unspeakably terrifying.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"How could an old monster like you be in East Blue?"
How could he possibly
forget the legendary Pirate who had inflicted such terrible casualties on Marine Headquarters twenty years ago?
He had been training at headquarters back then and had witnessed Golden Lion's attack on Marine Headquarters firsthand.
If he had not been too weak to take part, he did not know whether he would have survived that battle.
He could still clearly remember the headquarters left nearly half destroyed and the mountains of corpses amid seas of blood.
The Marines nearby watched Bearded Man shout like a madman.
They were utterly bewildered.
"Has the colonel lost his mind?"
They did not recognize Golden Lion. Even if they had, they could not have made him out from that distance.
One Marine hurried over to Bearded Man, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him.
"Colonel!"
"Colonel..."
"What's wrong, Colonel?"
The Marine's calls snapped Bearded Man out of it. He froze for a moment as thoughts raced through his mind.
There's no time to waste here.
He was the only one there who knew how terrifying the golden figure in the sky was.
He glanced up at Golden Lion and forced down his fear.
Then he sprang to his feet and shouted urgently at the surrounding Marines.
"Stop resting! We can't waste another second."
"Move, move, move!"
"Gather the villagers at the docks. We need to get out of here!"
If Golden Lion was here, there might be other islands above this stretch of sea.
If those two in the sky really fought, even stray Slashes could inflict terrible casualties.
They were both Great Swordsmen!
And if Golden Lion dropped another island, none of them would escape.
"Why, Colonel?"
The Marines had no idea what was going on.
"There's no time to explain! Go get the villagers. Tell them anyone who stays will die! Hurry!"
Seeing the urgency and terror on Bearded Man's face, the Marines finally took him seriously.
They scattered at once to gather the villagers.
They did not know why Colonel Bearded Man looked as though the sky were falling, but they knew something terrible must be about to happen.
Otherwise, he would never have ordered the evacuation of the entire Island.
An Island Suddenly Fell from the Sky
Bearded Man watched the Marines scatter, then straightened the clothes that had become disheveled when he fell.
Only then did he turn and walk toward Kuina and the others, his expression grave.
He had no choice but to ask these Pirates for help.
The town's boats could not carry everyone on the Island. Even with the Marine Warship, there still would not be enough room.
Only by adding Kuta's ship could they just manage to carry everyone.
Once they left the waters around Prothius Island, they would be safe even without food.
Loguetown was only a day's voyage from Prothius Island.
The Ahua Trio saw Bearded Man approaching and grew wary.
With Kuta away, they felt a little less secure.
"Hey, Marine! What do you want with us?"
Bearded Man ignored them. He looked at Kuina solemnly, paused, and then his gaze grew firm.
"I know this is a lot to ask," he said to Kuina, his voice stiff, "but you're the only ones who can help the villagers now."
He paused. Then, with a thud, he dropped to his knees.
"Hey! You don't have to go that far!"
"Just tell us what you need!"
The Ahua Trio stared at Bearded Man in surprise.
They could not understand what had frightened this Marine so badly.
Nor could they understand what had driven him to kneel before Pirates like them.
Bearded Man raised his head and pleaded with Kuina.
"Please, will you take the villagers out of these waters on your ship?"