During the time period, about two or three decades before Roger became the Pirate King, Golden Lion had clashed with the Marine fleet led by "Black Arm" Zephyr several times, with victories on both sides.
As for Zephyr's powerful Military Wrist strike, he was no stranger to it.
Just as Zephyr had said, during his peak, the technique he used, Military Wrist·Deep Gate, was a formidable move that even the "Iron Fist" Garp, known as the "Marine Hero," wouldn't dare to face head-on!
By gathering his full-body strength through Life Return, integrating Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) to puncture defenses, the power of a single punch could move mountains and part the seas!
Golden Lion hadn't expected Rowen to be Zephyr's successor, and he paid a heavy price for his oversight.
"In Sensei's entire life, he only had one regret, which was not killing you when you were defeated by Garp and Sengoku, allowing you to escape and leaving him with eternal remorse."
Swoosh!
Rowen blinked before he arrived in the sky ahead of Golden Lion. As he looked at the rapidly approaching golden figure, Rowen's eyes were filled with a murderous aura.
"His regret will be avenged by me!"
With a clasped fist, a massive ape-like figure, resembling Rowen more and more as his power increased, materialized out of thin air. It could no longer be considered just an ape; with Rowen's growing strength, it was more akin to a giant spirit deity.
Military Wrist, Short Strike!
Bang!!
The enormous fist imprinted ruthlessly onto Golden Lion's body. The air froze for a second, then a cannonball sound shot out, accompanied by a sound explosion.
Zap Zap!
Standing in mid-air, Rowen didn't stop there. For an average person, after one attack, they'd need to pause and catch their breath. But for a Thunder-Lightning Human, as long as their physical stamina kept up, they could unleash continuous full-force attacks.
This was the explosive power of lightning!
200 million Volt·Origin of All!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With a raised palm, an unending expanse of white light filled the sky.
Thousands… tens of thousands of pure white lightning needles shot out from the palm, resembling an ocean of thunder, relentlessly pursuing the departing "cannonball" Golden Lion, completely enveloping him in thunder.
Thanks to the Thunder God imprint, Rowen's control over this attack was amplified enough to achieve such an incredible feat.
Because each of those lightning needles was, astonishingly, a miniaturized version of Meteor Spear!
Bang!!
Boom Rumble Rumble!
The sky exploded into a white ball of light, with lightning coils over a thousand meters long winding around the electric sphere, bringing forth boundless destruction.
The clouds in the sky dissipated in an instant, leaving a clean, blue expanse. Closer to Angel Island, trees and houses were all shattered by the surging lightning, disappearing without a trace.
But this didn't mean Rowen had won.
If a wild barrage like this could kill Golden Lion, then the Marines would have been invincible long ago, and the strong on the seas would have only been legends.
As expected!
Lion Majesty · Govern Place Earth Coiling!
In the vast sky, a furious roar echoed between heaven and earth. The surrounding air swiftly surged, entwining as if coming to life.
Roar!!
Almost simultaneously, four semi-transparent lion heads appeared around Rowen. The faces were distinct, vivid, and lifelike. The lions opened their blood-filled mouths and fiercely lunged at Rowen.
Golden Lion's Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit) didn't render air that came into contact with him uncontrollable. Instead, the air needed to be condensed to a certain degree to become lethal. Otherwise, a simple airflow would at most create a fierce wind, which was meaningless in battle.
However, Golden Lion found another way to use it. He accelerated the controlled air to collide, generating ultrasonic and infrasonic waves that were inaudible to the human ear. These waves were then directed into the opponent's body, eroding them from the inside.
"Ugh!"
Before the transparent lion could get close, Rowen felt a dull pain in his chest, and a mouthful of dark blood sprayed out. Then, the four lions took the opportunity to roar, engulfing Rowen in the tremors.
Hiss! Hiss!
Two streaks of sword light broke through the Thunderball and attacked. Golden Lion took this chance to burst out of the Thunderball's enclosure. A splatter of blood landed on his coarse golden beard, quite conspicuous.
"That's strong! Come at me again!"
Bang!!
At this moment, the Thunderlight in the distant sky exploded. Rowen, bleeding from seven orifices, emerged from the attack as well. He looked even more bedraggled than Golden Lion, but his eager fighting spirit sent a shiver down Golden Lion's spine.
"This is interesting! Indeed, it seems like I'm fighting someone undying?"
…
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Today, the weather at Headquarters was far from pleasant, with heavy rain pouring down and dark clouds looming low, it was as if they might descend at any moment.
In his office, Fleet Admiral Sengoku finished sorting through the day's affairs, as was his routine and handed over some important documents to the goat at his side to consume. For some reason, he felt unusually uneasy today.
"No wars in the New World for the time being, and the Shichibukai are under control without causing any trouble… Could something bad be about to happen?" Staring at the dim sea outside, Sengoku fell into deep thought for a moment.
Suddenly, urgent footsteps disrupted Sengoku's contemplation. The newcomer burst into the room with almost rude force, his face filled with panic.
"Fleet Admiral, it's urgent!"
"Don't be so flustered! Stay calm!"
Sengoku's stern gaze swept over the messenger, reassuring him. The soldiers at Headquarters were all carefully selected elites. Though they were undoubtedly shaken by the news, they quickly regained their composure.
As Sengoku looked at the documents in the messenger's hand, his heart skipped a beat, recalling his earlier premonition. He furrowed his brow and asked,
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Yes!"
The messenger saluted first, then placed the documents in front of Sengoku, his forehead glistening with sweat.
"Fleet Admiral, an urgent report from the G-10 Branch!"
"Pirate Golden Lion has appeared in Angel Island, and Vice Admiral Soryu is currently engaging him in battle!"
The voice echoed in the quiet office causing Sengoku's eyes widened and his mouth to remain agape.
"What did you say?!!"
Hastily opening the envelope, he found photos taken from Port Fair. The sky was a vivid blue, filled with Pirate Ships, resembling a dark cloud. Among them, on the flagship enveloped by numerous vessels, the familiar yet unfamiliar flag of the Flying Pirate Crew flew high!
Golden Lion Shiki!
Sengoku instantly confirmed the authenticity of the information. There was no need to verify further. Aside from Shiki, no one else could command a fleet to float in the air like this.
"Shiki!"
The quiet office seemed to tremble with Sengoku's exclamation.
"Inform everyone to gather in my office for an emergency meeting! At the same time, order Kizaru to set off immediately and support Rowen!"
"Yes!"
The messenger's face turned pale, and he saluted loudly, his lips pressed together. He could tell that the sea, which had been calm for over a month, was about to become turbulent again.
That legendary pirate was the nightmare of almost everyone at Marine Headquarters! A survivor from the era of Pirate King Roger.
He had disappeared completely for eighteen years.
The only legend that had managed to escape from Impel Down, humiliating Marine, and causing over half of Marine Headquarters to be damaged with countless casualties, was Golden Lion Shiki!
And that guy was back!
—
Angel Island, South Port Fair.
The residents of the northern part had been evacuated, bringing their families to the southern Port Fair, where they boarded ships to take refuge in Upper Yard.
Port Fair had been entirely opened for the evacuation of the sky island residents, in coordination with the God's Officers team to expedite the process.
After notifying Headquarters, Henry blended in with the crowd to evacuate. Suddenly, a gust of wind struck from behind, causing the crowd to stagger and cry out in panic.
"Stay calm! These are just the remnants of the battle!"
"Don't stop, get on the ship! Head to Upper Yard for shelter!"
After comforting the ordinary citizens, Henry rubbed his slightly aching knee and looked back in horror toward the northern sky.
"Golden Lion!"
The Thunderlight and sword light almost obscured the sky. With Henry's vision, he couldn't make out the details of the battle. However, the scene of Thunderlight being repeatedly shattered by sword light couldn't have been faked. The two sides were evenly matched, locked in a fierce battle.
"What a monstrous fight!"
Letting out a long sigh, Henry was helped up by a soldier, limping towards the ships.
Even Port Fair, which was thousands of meters away, was shrouded in the aftermath of the clash between the two. It wasn't safe here at all.
—
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