Lion's Might: Earth Coil!"
Without hesitation, the Golden Lion summoned a lion-shaped construct from the earth, using it to delay the force of Kai's Hakai attack. He then activated his Float-Float Fruit powers to swiftly dodge out of Hakai's range.
As Kai's Hakai tore through the earthen lion, scattering the soil like a raging torrent, the Golden Lion couldn't help but marvel. Such a powerful attack—this was something he could only manage at his peak strength.
The Golden Lion wondered how someone like Kai, whose overall power wasn't yet fully developed, could launch such an attack.
As he considered the two versions of Kai he'd encountered, an idea began to form. "A combination technique?" he muttered to himself.
But what puzzled him more was how the clone seemed to possess equal strength.
"What kind of ridiculous Devil Fruit ability is this?" he cursed under his breath.
Just then, the two versions of Kai appeared in front of him.
"Thunder Bagua"
The Golden Lion's pupils contracted in shock as he quickly crossed his arms to defend.
Whoosh!
The Golden Lion was sent flying backward like an arrow from a bow, blood spurting from his mouth. After being hurled a considerable distance, he used his Float-Float Fruit to stabilize himself mid-air, but before he could recover, Kai was already above him.
"Thunder Strike: Impact of Heaven!"
Another fierce blow connected, sending the Golden Lion plummeting toward the ground.
Boom!
A massive impact crater formed as the Golden Lion crashed into the earth, leaving a pit several meters deep, with the ground around it violently upheaved.
Kai wasted no time, darting toward the Golden Lion to capitalize on the moment. His philosophy was clear: strike while the enemy is weak.
Though it appeared he was dominating the Golden Lion, Kai knew his stamina was beginning to wane. He was leveraging the fact that the Golden Lion didn't fully understand his abilities, creating an advantage. But using the same strategy wouldn't guarantee similar success moving forward.
Moreover, Kai's repeated healing was steadily draining his energy. If the fight dragged on, he couldn't be sure he'd outlast the older, more experienced Golden Lion.
But right now, Kai had the upper hand. He knew the Golden Lion had been seriously injured by the last few strikes. This was his chance to end it.
However, as Kai closed in, a fierce black and red sword energy erupted from the ground, hurtling straight toward him.
Kai's instincts screamed danger, and he swung his staff hard against the incoming attack.
The force pushed him back thousands of meters before he managed to dissipate the sword energy. Looking down, his expression turned serious—he sensed a shift in the atmosphere.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, an overwhelming aura burst forth from the Golden Lion's location. Black and red lightning crackled around him.
"Is that... Conqueror's Haki?" Kai muttered, surprised. The Golden Lion hadn't used it at all during the earlier exchanges.
And this was no ordinary Conqueror's Haki. It was stronger than Kai's by far.
The Golden Lion emerged from the smoke, flying swiftly toward Kai before stopping several meters in front of him.
But this time, the Golden Lion was different. The rudder that had been embedded in his head for years was suddenly gone.
For a long moment, the two faced each other in silence before Kai finally spoke.
"You're going to die if you keep this up!"
The rudder had been stuck in the Golden Lion's skull for so long that his flesh had grown around it. Now that it was removed, death was inevitable.
"So what?" The Golden Lion's voice, now free of the rudder, sounded full of vitality—almost like a completely different person. "You think I'll run away in fear? I'm the Golden Lion!"
His voice carried a renewed strength. "Ever since that rudder got stuck in my head, I lost my nerve. The lion I used to be disappeared."
"But I figured living was the right choice."
The Golden Lion's tone shifted as he continued, "So what if Rocks was powerful back then? He still died, and now the World Government has erased all traces of him. The same goes for Roger! Even if he became the Pirate King, he still died before me. He's the real loser!"
The Golden Lion's high-pitched voice suddenly fell silent. Kai said nothing, watching him quietly as the Golden Lion went on.
"Those were my thoughts—until today. When I fought you, I saw the same fire in your eyes that I had when I was young."
"I realized I had become the kind of man I once despised. And I was content with it."
"In the end... I'm not as good as Roger after all," he sighed, glancing at the sky as if lost in thought.
But in the next moment, the Golden Lion's gaze sharpened. His Conqueror's Haki flared with explosive force, surging toward Kai.
Kai wasn't one to back down, and even though his Conqueror's Haki wasn't as powerful, he unleashed his own in response.
Black and red lightning crackled in the air between them as their wills clashed, their clothes billowing from the force of the confrontation.
After a tense standoff, the two broke apart. Kai's expression was serious, while the Golden Lion remained calm.
With an imposing tone, the Golden Lion said, "Kid, I may not be at my peak anymore, but I can still reach 90% of my former strength if I throw everything into it."
"Today, I'll show you what it means to be one of the strongest warriors on the sea!"
With that, the Golden Lion swung his leg, sending another black-red slash of sword energy straight at Kai.
"That sword energy again!" Kai's eyes narrowed. He gripped his staff with both hands and braced for impact.
Once again, he was pushed back thousands of meters before managing to halt the attack. But before he could catch his breath, another slash came crashing down from above.
The blow sent Kai crashing into the ground, the impact shaking the island.
Boom!
Kai stood up slowly, coughing up blood, a grin spreading across his face as he looked at the deep sword wounds on his body. The cuts were so severe his bones were visible.
"Is this what it means to be one of the top warriors on the seas?"
To be honest, the strength the Golden Lion was showing now was greater than anything Kai had seen from Aokiji.
And this was only 90% of his prime strength. Just how terrifying had he been at his peak?
Kai now understood why it had taken both Garp and Sengoku to defeat him.
As the Golden Lion floated slowly toward him, Kai asked, "Did you infuse your sword slashes with Conqueror's Haki just now?"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.