"Luffy, don't bully them—"
Boom!!In the forest, Luffy was "playing" with a group of animals: a giant octopus skilled in martial arts, a huge praying mantis good with swords, and a long-armed bear good at bare-handed combat... These creatures were strong enough, though not as strong as those from the island where Luffy "leveled up," but at least they could keep up with Luffy for a few rounds.
Not to mention their massive size and certain intelligence. They were truly the perfect...
Destroyers!
"These are the 'IQ-enhanced beast squad' that Gold Lion created. Fierce and combative, incredibly strong, but there's one problem—they're hard to transport."
"Although these Sky Islands can move freely with Gold Lion's power, extreme weather could cause a lot of damage. That's why Gold Lion suddenly appeared and kidnapped Nami."
On a giant tree trunk nearby, Roman explained everything to the others. Zoro glanced at Luffy and the others, who were having a great time.
"Is it fine to let them make all that noise?"
"It's fine," Roman waved his hand, "I've already set up a defensive line around here with paper birds. Gold Lion has been injecting special drugs into these creatures to keep them aggressive, so their fighting won't attract attention. Besides—"
He turned and pointed at the largest island in the distance, covered in snow and wind.
"They will gather a large number of pirate crews tonight, drink the 'brotherhood wine' and officially form the Gold Lion Fleet. Then, these enhanced beasts will serve as vanguard while the pirates focus on pillaging, destroying the weakest East Blue!"
!?
"Roman, did you just say he plans to destroy East Blue?"
With a loud "wham," Luffy leaped up suddenly, and even Robin, who was studying the island's ruins, stood up.
"Yes, in fact, some towns have already been attacked."
Roman flipped his wrist, and several newspapers appeared, which he handed to everyone.
"Town mysteriously destroyed? Pirate or monster attack?"
The picture above showed several huge beasts being wiped out by Marine forces, looking exactly like...
"Are these the creatures we encountered on those islands?"
"East Blue!"
Luffy's face grew serious.
Foosha Village, Dadan, Makino...
"Speaking of which, many of us here were born in East Blue."
"Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji..."
"Ah, although I was born in the North Blue, East Blue is my hometown."
With that, the Straw Hat crew could no longer sit by idly!
"That's right, this is Gold Lion's plan: destroy the weakest East Blue first to send a warning to the World Government! Although, in my opinion—"
Gold Lion has fallen.
What's this about destroying East Blue to warn the World Government? It's clear he doesn't have the strength to confront them head-on!
If he had the guts, he should go challenge the Marine Headquarters or the Holy Land, Mariejois. What good does attacking East Blue do? Is he trying to make the Admirals and Vice Admirals angry? But:
Forget about the Red Line—Marine Headquarters could have Gold Lion begging for mercy. If not for the Flying Devil Fruit's shameless mobility, Gold Lion would've been captured and sent to Impel Down long ago. And now:
The Marine Admirals have Kizaru, the fastest one, and Fujitora, who is soon to conduct a major draft. These two are not afraid of Gold Lion's mobility. If a real fight broke out, who knows how long Gold Lion could last.
Gold Lion no longer has the same drive he once had when he stormed the Marine Headquarters!
Once someone loses that drive, their strength starts to drop drastically! You can't see it in his Devil Fruit ability, but his Haki has definitely weakened!
The fact that Roman was able to exchange a few blows with Gold Lion already shows the problem.
"As the saying goes: underestimate your enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically."
"Golden Lion was indeed once a rival to Roger and Whitebeard, a powerhouse beyond words. If it was during his prime, we'd be finished with just one strike, but—"
Roman looked around at the Straw Hat crew, who were carefully listening to him. Over the course of their journey, Roman's ability to gather information had become well-known, and it was hard for him to make mistakes now.
"Golden Lion is old now."
"Not just physically—he has dementia from a ship's rudder sticking into his head during his battle with Roger, and his legs were left behind in Impel Down. He's also mentally 'old'—"
"The older you get in this world, the smaller your courage becomes."
"If Golden Lion still had any real ability, why didn't he show up during the war at the top? The Holy Land Mariejois, the home of the Celestial Dragons, is right there, but he didn't dare to cause trouble. Instead, he chose to attack the weakest place, East Blue...?"
Roman glanced at the crew with an expression that seemed to ask, "Why are you staring at me?"
Robin smiled slightly and answered for the group.
"Roman, your identity..."
A Celestial Dragon.
"Tch," Roman rolled his eyes. "What kind of nonsense is that? You guys know what happened at Sabaody Archipelago. Don't mix me up with those idiots. But—"
The Five Elders and Im..."In short, Gold Lion's strength isn't as exaggerated as the legends say."
After thinking for a moment, Roman decided to use a more direct comparison to explain Gold Lion's strength.
"I fought that guy Golden Lion for three moves before I lost."
—Silence.
Then:
"Mom~~!"
"Doctor~~!"
"Oh no~~~!"
With Nami missing, the new timid trio of the Straw Hat crew huddled together, trembling, ready to shout "We want to go home!"
"What's with that look?" Roman asked.
"Roman, even you were defeated in three moves. Does that mean we'll be killed in one hit?" Usopp asked.
Roman thought about it seriously.
"Yeah..."
"Just say we'll be killed in one move!"
Everyone in the Straw Hat crew knew Roman's strength—he was fully powerful with no weaknesses. Recently, he'd even learned advanced Haki and gained a sharp new ability, helping Luffy take down a pirate with a bounty of 500 million.
Even someone as strong as Roman was defeated in just three moves by Gold Lion?"I..." Roman didn't want to use the excuse that Gold Lion used Nami to disrupt the fight. But there was no need to worry about morale.
"A swordsman who can defeat Roman in three moves?"
Zoro's battle spirit flared up, and a ferocious grin appeared on his face.
"I can't wait to see it!"
Luffy stood up, cracking his knuckles.
"Humph, fighting to protect a lady is what it means to be a true gentleman."
Looking at the fearless expressions of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, Roman stood up and dusted off his pants. Dealing with a dangerous pirate like Gold Lion had always been their job as the main combat force.
And this time, unlike the solo fight before, the whole crew was together! There was no reason to fear a faded, weakened Gold Lion.
"It's getting late," Roman said, glancing up at the darkening sky. Even the Sky Island had sunrises, sunsets, and changing weather.
"Alright, everyone, get ready."
A series of black suits appeared from Roman's hands, perfectly tailored and stylish.
"We should head to the banquet now."
"Exactly," Luffy said, grabbing a black captain's coat. The coat, with its double-breasted design and the Straw Hat crew's shoulder insignia, marked him as the captain.
"Let's go, crew! Time to bring back our navigator!!"
——————————Ding dong dong dong dong~~The rhythmic sound of drums echoed through the air. Three tall men swayed their shoulders and arms, walking to the beat with a bold, carefree stride. On the left was a gorilla wearing a pink coat and a hat, and on the right was a man in a white lab coat with a clown makeup and a wild afro. As for the man in the middle:
"Zehahahaha~~ My lovely navigator, are you getting used to living here?"
Nami:
Is this really the legendary great pirate?
I have to say, it's not normal for powerful people in this world to not have some eccentricities.
"Gagaga!!"
A duck suddenly leaped out next to Nami, shielding her, causing the Golden Lion to raise an eyebrow. This duck, named Billy, was a modified beast created by the Golden Lion himself. It had wings that could fly, a peacock's tail, and most importantly:
The ability to generate electricity!
For some unknown reason, this dangerous modified beast quickly bonded with Nami after being abandoned by the Golden Lion, and now, it acted as Nami's bodyguard.
"Zehahahaha, take care of your pet, or else—"
The Golden Lion cast a disgusted look at the duck, which was also covered in golden feathers like himself, before deciding to get to the point.
"Put on your formal wear and come witness the birth of the Golden Lion Pirate Fleet, kekekeh~~"
With a long sigh, Nami tightened her grip on the book she was holding.
If she didn't know that Roman and the others were already on the island, preparing to rescue her, she would never help this guy, the Golden Lion, head to East Blue because:
Cocoyasi Village, Sister Nojiko, Uncle Genzo...
Roman, our hometown is in your hands now.
"Let's go, Billy."
Nami, now dressed in a black lady's dress with a pink mink fur draped over her shoulders, walked into the hall with her new companion, Inazuma the duck.
"As you all know, East Blue is the weakest sea."
In the hall, the Golden Lion sat on the main seat, with fifty pirate captains on either side. The captain who had brought Nami's message, and who was used as bait, Red from the Fei Ze pirate crew, was among them.
"…There are no great heroes there worth regretting dying for. So—"
With the Golden Lion finishing his pre-battle speech, he stood up and raised his cup.
"Under my name, go and kill, loot as you please."
"The Golden Lion Pirate Fleet is officially established!"
"Oh!!"
The pirate captains kneeling on both sides cheered in unison. They drank from their cups, officially joining the Golden Lion's fleet. For these pirates with bounties less than one hundred million, the temptation was huge!
That's right, less than one hundred million!!
None of these fifty pirate captains had a bounty over one hundred million. They were all leaders of pirate crews worth around seventy to eighty million Berries.
Twenty years ago, after fighting Roger and attacking Marine Headquarters, the main forces of the Golden Lion Pirates were either feeding fish in the sea or eating prison food in Impel Down. Now, the Golden Lion had hardly anyone decent under his command:
The "True Fighter" who recently switched from Kaido's crew and was chopped down by Roman just a few days ago was already one of the best officers the Golden Lion had.
"Shiki-sama! Not good—"
At that moment, a subordinate rushed over, interrupting the Golden Lion's mood.
"Invaders, nine of them?"
The Golden Lion looked at this clueless subordinate with displeasure, lowering his voice to issue orders.
"Go take care of it."
"But—"
Whoosh!!
A flash of blades appeared, and the door at the front of the hall shattered into debris. Then:
Roman, wearing a black suit, entered confidently at the front, followed by Zoro. Behind them were Usopp, Sanji, Chopper in his beast form, Robin in a black trench coat, and Franky in trousers. Everyone was dressed in black suits! And Franky had provided them with guns and cannons!
At the very back, a figure in a captain's coat slowly walked in, with the wind blowing in from the broken door, making the black coat billow. The Haki aura was visible, and the straw hat on top stood out.
"Golden Lion!"
Looking up, the serious eyes under the straw hat locked onto the tall golden man sitting at the main seat.
"Nami is our Straw Hat Pirates' navigator."
"You want to take our crewmate and attack East Blue?"
Did you ask us, the Straw Hat Pirates, about that?!
"Zehahahaha, where did this little brat come from?"
Facing the Straw Hat crew, who seemed ready for a fight, Gold Lion let out a hearty laugh and extended his hand to the side, like Inazuma.
"Nami is mine—"
Slash!
?
A blinding white sword light met Gold Lion's palm, forcing him to pull his hand back suddenly in the face of danger! At the same time, he covered his palm with Haki, but still:
Puff,A light sound echoed as drops of crimson fell to the floor.
"It's you!?"
Ignoring the blood dripping from his palm, Gold Lion turned to look at Roman with a grim expression. He certainly remembered this Marine Rear Admiral. But...
Aren't these people pirates?
"You used Nami as a hostage to disgust me once, so I'm returning the favor with a sneak attack. Fair enough."
With no interference from the opponent's Haki, Roman had already prepared and used his 'Swap' ability to teleport in front of Nami. The only cost was a page from the book *Thieves' Ultimate Skill*.
"Attack!"
With Roman leading the charge, the rest of the crew aimed their weapons at the entire area. Then:
Bullets whizzed, cannons boomed!!
Da-da-da-da-da—Boom-boom-boom-boom—Including Luffy and Zoro, a metal storm erupted in all directions.
——————
P.S.: As for the timeline, Gold Lion should be after Moria, but before the Marineford War. However... it's hard to believe a legendary pirate could die from the third gear, so I moved it to this point. Right now, the Straw Hat crew has two advanced Haki users, and the rest have at least a little skill.
Gold Lion's strength has not declined in his Devil Fruit ability, but his drive and body have. His large-scale destruction remains sharp, but up close, he can't compare to his former self. To defeat Roman, he had to use a hostage for a quick win. So, Roman believes the Straw Hat crew can defeat him.If it really comes to it, there's still a group of CP0 outside who can take medicine to power up, so Roman didn't rush in blindly. ————— ----You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu