"Timely Rain" Kizaru

A golden slash, wreathed in dark, domineering Haki, shot out from the body with the power to cleave islands and split seas!

Being able to imbue a slash with Armament Haki is no easy feat. First, the degree of control and the quality of the Haki must be exceptionally high. Second, one's Swordsmanship must reach a level that is difficult for ordinary people to attain. Therefore, only a great Swordsman can achieve this.

Currently, Shiki's Golden Lion is limited by the ship's rudder above his head, Haki he can only use this advanced Armament Haki technique a few times. Therefore, his current mood is one of eagerness to defeat the Marine in front of him.

But if your mindset falters during battle, it can lead to... defeat!

"One Sword Style: Starfall!"

Relying on his powerful physique and terrifying Haki covering his entire body, Atlas charged forward while the aftershocks of the two slashes were still lingering. The Futsu-no-Mitama in his hand suddenly became heavy, and he slashed at the Golden Lion like a Thunderbolt or a falling star.

"Shishiwei· Imperial Scroll!"

With his ability to manipulate clouds and rain, the entire world seemed to be under the control of Golden Lion. Putting aside his Swordsmanship as a great Swordsman, Golden Lion had developed the Float-Float Fruit to its fullest extent. Everything that was touched was under his control!

Golden Lion understood that if he wanted to leave, with his Float-Float Fruit powers, no one in the world could stop him, not even the Marine in front of him!

But... he's Golden Lion!!!

After eight years of hiding, he now faces the Navy again and has to flee in a sorry state. This is something the Golden Lion's pride will not allow! Moreover, he has finally found hope for revenge against the world— Vilmeyo —how could he give up so easily!

So... risk your life!!

A ferocious glint appeared in the Golden Lion's eyes as it viciously lunged at Atlas!

"Ah!! Why isn't the uncle finished playing yet...?"

On the deck of the warship, Luffy, looking rather uninterested, rubbed his shrunken belly and muttered a complaint.

Glug~

Ace looked at Luffy speechlessly, "Didn't you just finish eating? How come you're hungry again so soon...?"

"I'm just hungry~"

Luffy weakly protested his innocence.

"Alright, alright, Luffy, go check the kitchen. There should be plenty of leftover food on the ship."

Sabo, standing to the side, smiled gently and said to Luffy with affection.

"Tch~ You just keep spoiling him!"

"Speaking of which, those damn marines have been fighting for quite a while now. Seven days have passed, and we still haven't seen a trace of them."

"An enemy that can keep Mr. Atlas occupied for so long must be very powerful; after all, it's a legendary Pirates."

After Smoker's explanations over the past few days, they finally have a clear understanding of the Golden Lion's power.

A great Pirates on par with Roger and Whitebeard!

The man who almost wiped out the Roger Pirates!

The first man to Impel Down and shatter the myth of Impel Down!

"The battle should be almost over, I wonder who will win..."

Smoker, having overheard the three brothers' murmurs, spoke with some uncertainty.

For the past seven days, huge rocks from the edges of the island have been falling from the sky. As time went on, the battle became increasingly intense, and more and more fragments of the island fell. He figured the battle should be over by now.

And... the navy's support should be on its way, right?

He had already contacted Sengoku through Den Den Mushi a few days ago, but he didn't know which one had been sent.

And on the floating Sky Island.

The Golden Lion looked disheveled. His long, golden hair, which used to reach the ground, was now incomplete, and a small part of the ship's wheel on his head had been cut off. His body was covered with wounds of all sizes, and congealed scabs covered his entire body. His hands, which held 'Sakura Ten' and 'Kogarashi', trembled slightly, and his arrogant face was full of disbelief.

Is this guy a monster?

Seven days, a full seven days and nights!

Even though he cherished his stamina and Haki, they were almost depleted. Even the aura of his slashes was not as sharp as it had been at the beginning, and his hands holding the sword even trembled slightly during the collision.

But...

Looking at the person in front of him, whose aura hadn't diminished much and whose strength was as formidable as ever, and who had even maintained a full seven days of fighting while covered in Armament Haki, he could still unleash such fierce Haki!

And it also has that incredible self-healing ability!

Golden Lion had struck Atlas before; the worst time was when his internal organs were almost visible. That was also his last Conqueror's Haki Infusion attack, but the guy was completely unharmed in an instant!!!

"What's wrong, Golden Lion? Are you not up to it?"

Atlas grinned, raised the Futsu-no-Mitama in his hand again, and his domineering Haki surged upwards as his muscles suddenly exerted force!

Cut!

Pure brute force, the blade, over two meters long, slashed at the Golden Lion!

When!

He parried with his twin swords, but in an instant, an overwhelming force was unleashed upon the Golden Lion. Even with the advantage of his position above him thanks to the Float-Float Fruit, he couldn't withstand it and was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

Chance!

Atlas's eyes flashed red, and he charged forward with his sword, creating a series of air explosions as his Observation Haki locked onto the Golden Lion's location.

The Golden Lion's face contorted in a ferocious expression, veins bulging on his neck, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the blade.

I... am the Golden Lion!!!

Suddenly, his hair flew wildly, and an even stronger aura than before burst forth, even causing thunder to rumble in the sky. His eyes were bloodshot, and the ship's rudder on his head shattered on the spot because it could not withstand the aura!

Conqueror's Haki!!!

Entangled!!

The Golden Lion roared inwardly, and the black and red Inazuma became incredibly active. The power emanating from his twin blades was stronger than ever before, almost transforming into a tangible sense of oppression that swept over him!

"Lion's Might - Thousand-Cut Valley!!!"

Atlas, who was charging straight at him, had no way to dodge and could only raise his sword to parry, but this attack was more ferocious than any of the previous ones!

This is... the Golden Lion's last, life-or-death strike!

P. S. I suddenly remembered it's the author's birthday today, so here's a chapter to celebrate! *^____^*

Chapter 151 'Shigure' Kizaru

The sky was vast and filled with dark clouds.

The Golden Lion, holding the 'Sakura Ten' and 'Kogarashi' swords, hovered calmly in the air, expressionless, just like a proud lion.

Below was Atlas's somewhat disheveled figure. Two intersecting gashes were slowly writhing, with countless buds of flesh growing intertwined. The wounds that had almost cut Atlas into four pieces were healing at a visible speed, with only the remaining bloodstains proving how serious the injuries had been.

I almost died!

Faced with the Golden Lion's life-or-death attack, he knew very well that if it weren't for the help of the Horse Talisman, he might have become the lion's sacrificial offering right here today.

"What an unreasonable physique..."

The Golden Lion in mid-air had a clear view of Atlas's situation. A forced, ugly smile stretched across its stiff face, and its voice was bitter as it said, "Another... defeat..."

That attack just now could be considered his peak strike. The powerful Conqueror's Haki Infusion not only cut a person into four pieces, but the Conqueror's Haki's Haki will attached to the wound would not have been able to heal so easily, even for that brat Kaido. This is enough to demonstrate the terrifying nature of the Marine before him!

"Hehehehe! Kid, state your name."

"Kanos Atlas!"

Atlas said in a deep voice.

"No 'D'? Hahahaha, what an unprecedented monster! The world will surely tremble because of your appearance!"

The Golden Lion roared with laughter, blood gushing from his body, yet he gripped his two swords tightly. His eyes grew vacant as he stared at the dissipating smoke in the sky, muttering to himself, "Indeed, remnants of the Old Era like me shouldn't have stood in the way of the new era..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his once upright figure gradually hunched over, the sword in his hand seemed to weigh a ton, and his face suddenly erupted in rage, "Since that's how it is, then take my head and make a name for yourself across the seas!!!"

"Hehehehe!"

After a brief burst of laughter, the Golden Lion suddenly crashed down in front of Atlas, unable to hold onto 'Sakura Ten' and 'Kogarashi' any longer, and fell to Atlas's left and right sides first.

"Um?"

Suddenly, a small black shadow flashed out from the Golden Lion's corpse. Just as Atlas was about to examine it closely, the shadow abruptly touched the sunlight shining through the clouds and vanished from Atlas's sight in an instant, like a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water.

However, Atlas didn't notice was that the pattern on the Chicken Talisman in his mind seemed... to have become a little more profound?

Rumble!

At the very moment the Golden Lion fell.

The island beneath his feet slowly shifted, and the cracks around it continued to widen. Atlas knew that without the sustaining power of the Golden Lion Devil Fruit Ability, the island, which was already cracking during their battle, could no longer hold on.

Moreover, not only the island beneath our feet, but the other floating islands that the Golden Lion moved into the air will also fall into the sea below.

"Hey! Vice Admiral Kizaru, haven't you had enough of the show?"

Atlas glanced leisurely and unhurriedly in one direction.

"Oh dear! What terrifying Observation Haki! It actually detected me..."

A yellow flash appeared, and countless light particles slowly coalesced into a tall and... lewd man.

He was still wearing a yellow and white Suit with a yellow- Justice cloak, brown sunglasses, and a black fisherman's hat on his head. He pouted and slowly complimented her in an annoying tone.

"I'm not blind."

Atlas rolled his eyes. He didn't know if Golden Lion had discovered Kizaru's whereabouts, but his Observation Haki had already detected Kizaru watching from the sidelines.

"How terrifying! To actually kill Pirates like Golden Lion, it seems I really am getting old..."

After receiving Sengoku's order, Kizaru rushed over without stopping. He had no choice; Sakazuki and Kuzan were both busy in the New World, leaving him to oversee the Marine Headquarters. Moreover, Kizaru was the fastest to send reinforcements to the Marine Headquarters, so even though he was reluctant, he had to come.

When he arrived at the scene, he found that Atlas was actually fighting the Golden Lion to a standstill, so he simply hid to the side and did nothing.

However, he was also very glad he made that decision; the way Golden Lion delivered that final blow before he died was terrifying to even think about...

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's clean up the mess that Golden Lion left behind, Vice Admiral Kizaru!"

Atlas was helpless. At least Kizaru's arrival could help him clean up the mess; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for him to deal with these islands by himself. He had just finished fighting a legendary Pirates and had been badly slashed by that old guy, so he was still weak.

"No problem, Atlas!"

Kizaru knew he was in the wrong; he had come to provide support but ended up watching from the sidelines, so he unusually agreed readily.

Rumble!!!

A huge explosion rang out in the air, and even Smoker and the others on the sea could hear it clearly.

"That is..."

The people on the warship looked up and saw a shirtless figure slowly walking towards them. His tall body seemed to blot out the sky, and behind him, a series of explosions rang out!

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral Atlas!!!"

As the figure drew closer, Atlas's resolute face gradually became clear, and everyone became excited. Atlas appearing here unharmed meant... the Golden Lion had been defeated!

The navy personnel immediately erupted in excitement.

"That's the Golden Lion! Impel Down considers him a disgrace! I never imagined he'd be defeated by Atlas!"

"Vice Admiral Atlas's strength should be comparable to that of an Admiral, right?"

"As expected, the Navy's Justice will prevail!"

"I suppose Vice Admiral, you will soon be Candidate Admiral!"

"Wow, it's so lively! You're really popular, Atlas!"

Suddenly, countless particles of light appeared beside Smoker, which then slowly coalesced into Kizaru's lewd face.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru...!"

The sudden sound almost made Smoker's heart skip a beat, and he instinctively turned his head but nearly bumped into Kizaru.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru, please stop making fun of me. You're much more popular than me at Marine Headquarters!"

"Yeah?"