As time went on, the battle between Xia Chen and the Golden Lion became increasingly fierce, and the ground on the half of Jaya Island where Mock Town was located had been turned upside down again and again.
This was even with Xia Chen and the Golden Lion mostly fighting in the air; otherwise, who knows what would have become of this half of the island.
At this moment, a large group of people gathered dozens of kilometers away from where the two were fighting.
The moment the battle began, everyone in Mock Town evacuated, except for a few unlucky souls who were slow to run; everyone else remained here.
They were watching the two fighting in the distance, even though they could no longer see them.
However, one could feel the shockwaves coming from time to time and see the ground churning from time to time.
"What... what level of powerhouse is this!"
One of the pirates asked tremblingly.
But after he said those words, no one answered him; they were all immersed in that world-destroying power.
"So there really are such powerful individuals?" A yellow-haired pirate with an ugly smiley face pattern on his arm murmured as he watched this scene.
At this moment, a pirate nearby said, "I was there when the battle first broke out. One of the fighters was Demon King Xia Chen with a bounty of 800 million, and I don't know who the other one was."
Eight hundred million?
Upon hearing this number, the surrounding pirates couldn't help but gasp again, and then their gazes all turned to the blond man who had been muttering earlier.
Because the other person was Bellamy, who had the highest bounty among this group, but even with the highest bounty, it was only 55 million Beli, which was not even in the same league as 800 million.
Just then, a group of people walked up behind them, also staring blankly at the battle in the distance.
The arrival of this group attracted everyone's attention. Seeing them constantly pushing their way to the front, several pirates couldn't help but jump out and yell:
"Hey kid! What are you pushing for? Looking for trouble?"
But these people ignored him and continued to push forward. The pirate who saw this couldn't hold back any longer.
Where did this brat come from, daring to ignore him!
Just as he was about to teach the other person a lesson, a companion grabbed him tightly.
"Hey, what are you doing?" He turned his head in annoyance, but what he saw was his companion's terrified expression.
"They... they're the Straw Hat Pirates! The Demon King Xia Chen's crew!!"
"What!!!"
Upon hearing this, everyone stared at them in shock.
That's right, it was Luffy and his Luffy. When they saw Xia Chen running over from a distance, they knew something was wrong.
Out of concern for Xia Chen, they couldn't help but follow him even though Xia Chen told them to wait for him.
However, they have stopped advancing. Judging from the current state of the battle, it is no longer something they can intervene in.
Luffy looked up, feeling the waves of shockwaves, and murmured softly.
" Xia Chen..."
--
" Shiki! You've really gotten old; you're no longer the lion you once were!"
Xia Chen looked at the Golden Lion opposite him and laughed, but this laugh aggravated a knife wound in his chest. A wave of pain surged through him, causing him to grimace.
Xia Chen had a long, narrow knife wound on his chest that stretched almost across his entire upper body, with blood splattering everywhere. He had been accidentally slashed by Shiki during their fight.
Fortunately, he possessed Indestructible Vajra Body. Although the knife wound looked terrifying, it only cut through the outer layer of flesh and blood, and it almost reached the bone.
With a thought, Xia Chen's injuries healed at a visible speed, and in no time he returned to his original fair complexion.
Upon witnessing this scene, Shiki's lips twitched involuntarily.
"Kid, what kind of fruit is that? Isn't that a bit cheating? And how come your injuries heal so quickly?"
"Guess!" Xia Chen said with a faint smile.
Upon hearing this Shiki glared at Xia Chen and cursed:
"Me, an old man nearing the end of my life, guessing?"
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it, I just don't want to tell you!" Xia Chen shrugged, looking like he was asking for a beating.
"Good lad, hahaha..."
"I find you quite to my liking. How about becoming my subordinate?"
Shiki first addressed Xia Chen, then looked at his own tattered clothes and some wounds.
The admiration in her eyes as she looked at Xia Chen deepened.
Even though his strength has declined significantly, he is still confident in himself. The fact that the young man opposite him could force him into this state is something that not everyone can do.
He originally just wanted to get some exercise from this kid who seemed pretty good, but he didn't expect to have such a good outcome.
"Sorry, I'm not interested!" Xia Chen said calmly.
"Besides... you just ruined my plans, it wouldn't be right not to kill you!"
Upon hearing this, the Golden Lion's eyes turned cold.
"Kid, I only lowered myself to try and recruit you because I see your potential to become a strong person. Don't push your luck!"
"So what if you don't appreciate my kindness? Do you even know that my hometown village is called Mang Village?"
"And do I need your approval to become a strong person? Even now, I believe my strength is enough to secure me a place in the world!"
To everyone's surprise, the Golden Lion burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Hahaha... Kid, you call yourself a strongman? Do you even know how vast the ocean is? A greenhorn like you wouldn't stand a chance against me in my prime!"
Xia Chen scoffed at these words.
"A hero doesn't dwell on past glories. At least now you're like a stray dog, unable to even defeat an opponent like me who's no match for you!"
The Golden Lion's expression darkened visibly after hearing Xia Chen's words.
Then, without saying a word, they launched an attack.
"Lion - Thousand-Cut Valley!"
The Golden Lion's legs moved rapidly, kicking out countless sword energies similar to Flying Slash techniques, but with even greater Flying Slash.
Seeing the approaching sword energy, Xia Chen's expression also turned serious. He had to be extremely vigilant in the face of this move, otherwise he might be seriously injured at any moment.
With a thought, Xia Chen's Clone appeared to his left.
The Golden Lion's attack has such a wide range that no matter how he dodges, there's a high chance he'll get hit.
Since that's the case, let's just go head-to-head and use the Hakai to clash with this move.
As the Golden Lion's sword energy reached Xia Chen, his preparations were complete.
The Hakai blast instantly obliterated all the sword energy along its path, while the other sword energies that struck the sea directly sliced countless cracks into the surface.
Furthermore, after annihilating these sword energies, Hakai did not disappear, but continued to bombard the Golden Lion...