Chapter 176

Bite.

That's the sound of a sharp sword tip striking a smooth deck.

"Hahahaha!"

The newcomer, a cigar dangling from his lips, spoke in a wild and unrestrained voice, "When I'm not on this ocean, haven't you ever felt bored at times, Newgate!"

"It's... the Golden Lion!!"

Marco, sitting on the gunwale, was almost speechless.

"Is this guy still alive?"

The burly man sitting on the deck next to him, Diamond Jozu, had a similarly astonished expression on his usually cold and hard face.

They couldn't help but be surprised.

This is a man who, during the Rocks Pirates era, was ranked alongside the Pops as one of the highest-ranking officers of the Rocks Pirates.

Before Roger became the Pirate King, this man was known as one of the three World's Strongest, along with Pops and Roger!

A true legend, the flying pirate, Golden Lion Shiki!

This guy disappeared for over a decade; everyone thought he was long dead. Turns out he's still alive and well!

Marco remembered clearly that the last time he saw this guy was more than a decade ago, shortly after he escaped from Impel Down.

At that time, he came to his Pops saying that he had some inexplicable plan and therefore needed to leave the sea temporarily.

So, has the plan succeeded?

With a creature like the Golden Lion returning to the sea, the already chaotic New World is likely to become even more unpredictable!

"Shiki?"

Whitebeard put down his bottle of liquor, glanced briefly at Golden Lion, and said, "I thought your bones had rotted away somewhere in the ocean."

"Hahahaha! You're not dead yet, how could I possibly be the one to go first!"

The Golden Lion laughed heartily, "You, Newgate, have been quite the big shot these past few years. Everyone calls you the strongest man in the world."

Whitebeard said impatiently, "If you're here to spout this nonsense, then get lost before I lose my temper, Shiki!"

"Is it really appropriate to be so cold to an old friend you haven't seen for years?"

The Golden Lion didn't seem to care much, still smiling meaningfully, "I've come all this way to catch up with you."

"Tsk."

Whitebeard clicked his tongue in annoyance, "So, your shitty plan succeeded, huh? Giving you time to annoy me."

"Hahaha! You still remember, Newgate!"

Golden Lion laughed heartily, "Back then, he kept saying he'd throw me into the sea if I said another word, and he still remembers it perfectly! It's truly touching!"

"You idiot, you said you wanted to show this half-baked era the true terror of pirates!"

The Whitebeard slightly raised the corners of his mouth, his tone laced with sarcasm, "But I don't see anything terrifying about it."

"Hahaha! Forget about that!"

The Golden Lion floated to the ship's railing and sat down. The man said nonchalantly, "I've already abandoned the original plan. Tsk, what a waste of over ten years of my time."

Give up?

Marco, who had been listening quietly, stroked his chin in surprise.

"Um?"

Whitebeard was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but sit up a little straighter. "Kurarararararar! So, Shiki, if you admit you came all this way just to make me laugh, I might as well treat you to dinner."

"I have two things to do today. First, I want to say hello to you."

The Golden Lion looked at the Whitebeard and raised his chin slightly. "I'm back, Newgate. You can get ready."

"Oh?"

Whitebeard's mockery faded slightly, replaced by a different kind of smile. "So you've come to issue a challenge? Kurarararara! Then bring it on, Shiki!"

The Whitebeard Pirates members on the deck tensed instantly, waiting for their Pops's command.

"Now is not the time to start a war."

Golden Lion took another drag of his cigarette, his expression turning slightly serious. "Let me finish with the second thing, Newgate. Back in God Valley, didn't you guys fight a really strange guy? Wasn't Rocks killed because of him?"

God Valley? Rocks?

Whitebeard's expression instantly turned serious.

The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates on deck began to breathe more easily.

Among these people, there was a fat, dark-skinned man with an extremely serious expression.

Why bring this up all of a sudden?

Whitebeard picked up the bottle and took a sip. "That was so long ago, how could I possibly remember?"

"Stop pretending, Newgate! It's true, isn't it? That guy really wasn't lying to me!"

The Golden Lion sneered, "Damn it, did I really miss the meeting with the King of the World back then?"

"King of the World?"

Whitebeard pronounced the name slowly and deliberately, "Shiki, what do you mean by that?"

The literal meaning.

Golden Lion exhaled a smoke ring, "A mysterious person who made me abandon my original plan told me that the guy who killed Rocks was the master of the World Government, the world's King of the World secretly controls this world."

"What did you say?"

Whitebeard leaned forward, his eyes wide open. Even a man like him was stunned by Golden Lion's words.

"How is that possible!"

Marco couldn't help but exclaim, "The World Government doesn't have a dictatorial king!"

"You believed them just because they said that?"

Golden Lion glanced at him sideways, "That guy is not only the King of the World, but also an ancient monster who has lived from eight hundred years ago to the present! Roger probably chose to start the Great Pirate Era because he was helpless against him, entrusting everything to those who came after him!"

Is that true?

Whitebeard frowned. Roger had come to see him once after becoming the Pirate King, but he had never said anything like this.

Roger did consider telling him the location of the One Piece, but he refused.

"I can't believe such a thing exists..."

Marco exclaimed in amazement.

In the crowd, the fat, dark-skinned man clenched his fists.

"So, Shiki,"

Whitebeard looked at Golden Lion, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"That guy invited me to join him in defeating that King of the World!"

The Golden Lion grinned, "I'm a little unsure whether the so-called King of the World actually exists, and whether he possesses the invincible power that guy claims."

"But judging from your reaction, it seems to be true. Even that guy Rocks was powerless to resist, and even Roger was helpless!"

"Hahahaha!! There's actually a guy like this in the world! How interesting, isn't it, Newgate! So I've decided to go chop off his head!"

Whitebeard didn't speak, he just looked at Golden Lion.

"Hey, Newgate,"

Golden Lion flicked his cigarette ash. "Want to come along later?"

Don't talk nonsense.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Whitebeard scoffed, "I'm not interested in that kind of thing."

"Yeah, you've always been like that."

The Golden Lion wasn't particularly surprised; instead, he burst into laughter again, "Hahahaha! Well, there's no other way then. I'll just have to go and see the world's most magnificent scenery myself!"

"Whatever you want."

Whitebeard took another sip of wine.

Although he was also curious about the so-called King of the World, he couldn't afford to take his beloved children on such an adventure.

"But Shiki,"

Whitebeard was also curious about something else, "I'm really curious, who exactly is this mysterious person you mentioned?"

If the guy who appeared in God Valley back then was truly the so-called King of the World, how did this mysterious person Shiki mentioned know that?

Golden Lion chuckled mockingly, "That guy? Though he's shrouded in mystery, he's definitely someone of extraordinary strength."

The Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.

Even Shiki admits his strength is extraordinary?

Moreover, Shiki also said he was a mysterious man, so he wasn't one of those named guys on the high seas.

This ocean is truly a place where hidden talents abound.

"But that guy is most likely with—"

Just as Shiki was about to say something more, he was suddenly interrupted by another voice.

"Pops! Someone's coming again!"

Someone on deck shouted.

"Um?"

The Golden Lion turns its head.

Then they saw a figure rushing towards them, treading on the seawater.

He swallowed back what he was about to say, Golden Lion said with a smile, "Oh? Looks like we have guests, Newgate. Well then, I won't bother you any longer."

Forget it, there's no point in telling Newgate that the guy who calls himself the Night King is connected to World's gang.

"Hahaha! Next time we meet, I won't hold back!"

After uttering this harsh remark, the Golden Lion soared into the sky.

Although it has been a short time, after this period of rehabilitation, my strength has recovered to a large extent.

We can get started!

Now, it's time to officially announce our return to the vast ocean.

Of course, there is no better target than the navy.

Hahahaha!

Watching the Golden Lion disappear into the distance, the Whitebeard remained silent.