"Everyone loses sooner or later! Hardship and wandering are inevitable! You've been too lucky so far, kid. You inherited Rocks' legacy and took over his domain. You're the luckiest man of this era!"
"So what if you admit defeat once and swallow your pride for once?"
"Shane! Every man faces defeat. Kneel before me, and you can still go on living!"
Golden Lion laughed, and even the thunder roared with him.
As he laughed, the Flying Pirate Crew behind him roared with laughter too.
All these pirate crews were at full strength, with plenty of great pirates who had made their names long ago.
By contrast, on Hachinosu, after the Marines withdrew...
They were already spent forces. Everyone had fought several battles and was badly wounded.
The coming battle would be a harvest for the Flying Pirate Crew.
Naturally, Golden Lion had every reason to be confident!
"Kneel before you?"
Shane laughed without a care, as though the figure before him wasn't Golden Lion, but some buffoon playing the clown.
"It's not as if I've never lost or fled. From God Valley to Ohara, then the fog in the Florian Triangle and the Sabaody Archipelago-even at Fish-Man Island and the Pirate Expo, I was running!"
"How many times have I, Shane, ever won? From the moment I killed a Celestial Dragon, they started hounding me relentlessly."
"I've experienced everything you mentioned. But kneel? Why should I kneel?"
The young man with clenched fists faced off against the great pirate wielding two swords.
"What right do you have to make me kneel?"
"Anyone has the right to roar and weep in despair!"
"But I just don't want to. Why should I admit defeat? Just because you're so despicable, Golden Lion?"
"Rocks made you kneel once, so now you want me to