The next day.
Noah was in the training yard, testing out the Six Powers, when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
Lilith walked over with a basket in hand. "Brother Noah, here's today's newspaper."
"Thanks. Just leave it there."
"Oh, and Uncle Joseph said he won't be back for lunch. He's at the hardware store organizing shelves."
"Got it."
Uncle Joseph's hardware store was another reason Noah had gone to Loguetown. He didn't like the idea of his uncle going out to sea and fishing alone. But there wasn't much to do for him around the manor either, so Noah had purchased a large supply of hardware, a small machine tool, and a big load of iron and copper from Loguetown. With those, Uncle Joseph set up a hardware shop near the docks in town.
Whether the store made money wasn't important. The main thing was to keep his uncle busy.
Of course, the hardware store also served another purpose: covering up the manor's workshop. This way, buying iron and copper in bulk would seem a lot more reasonable.
Though the World Government appeared to let pirates run wild, in reality, they kept tight control over the global economy. It was likely the CP organizations had entire departments monitoring the flow of sensitive materials.
And what counted as "sensitive materials"?
Iron and copper were certainly on that list.
Over the past year, Noah had sold sea beasts and purchased over fifty tons of steel. Most of it went into building the submarine, ship parts, and secretly forging weapons. But if he kept buying at this rate, the CP would notice sooner or later.
So, he needed a good cover for importing steel. Running a hardware shop that doubled as a ship repair business was the perfect excuse.
At the same time, Noah had reminded everyone at the manor to stay on guard and stick to the same story. If anyone asked too many questions, they were to say that the steel was being used to make farm tools, hardware, kitchenware, and ship parts.
To avoid trouble, he had also sealed some of the more sensitive equipment and finished products inside cards. If they needed them, they could unseal them later.
Right now, he and his group were still in the process of building their strength. This wasn't the time to draw unnecessary attention from other forces.
After more than an hour of training, Noah decided to take a break.
He casually picked up the newspaper from the table.
The front page of the World Economic News blared a bold headline: "Shocking! The Beast Army of the Pirate Admiral…"
It seemed Morgans had confirmed the Golden Lion's location over the past few days and had even snuck onto Vermeil Island to investigate.
Gotta hand it to Morgans—the guy's got guts, Noah thought, amused. He's even willing to risk pissing off the Golden Lion for a story.
But all of this had little to do with Noah.
Even if the Golden Lion somehow figured out that someone in Loguetown had leaked his information, there was no way to trace it back to Noah. After all, Loguetown was a busy trade hub, full of merchants, pirates, and all kinds of travelers. It wasn't some isolated island.
That's exactly why Noah hadn't met Morgans on Starfish Island. It was too closed off, and if someone were watching, they'd quickly spot Noah's involvement.
________________________________________
Meanwhile.
Grand Line – Paradise.
Marine Headquarters – Marineford.
In the Grand Strategist's office, Vice Admiral Tsuru had just returned from the North Blue and hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath when Lieutenant Colonel Kongming from the Intelligence Department knocked on the door and entered.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, we've got an urgent report."
Tsuru took the folder from him and flipped it open. Her eyes immediately narrowed. "The Golden Lion… I didn't expect him to be hiding in the Calm Belt. Kongming, do we have any Eternal Poses for Vermeil Island?"
"Yes, I just checked with Logistics. We've got three Eternal Poses for Vermeil Island in stock, ready to go."
"Good. Fetch one for me right away. I'll brief Fleet Admiral Kong."
"Understood."
A few minutes later, Tsuru rushed into Fleet Admiral Kong's office. She knocked once and then pushed the door open.
Kong looked up from his desk. "Tsuru, what's the matter?"
"It's about the Golden Lion. Morgans has just reported some key intel on his movements. We need to take action immediately. I'm expecting a call any moment…"
As if on cue, the black Den Den Mushi on Kong's desk rang. This one was a direct line to the Five Elders.
Kong picked it up immediately. "Blu-blu-blu… Five Elders, this is Kong."
"The Golden Lion—you've heard?"
"Yes, I've just been briefed."
"Send Borsalino. Have him destroy Vermeil Island and assess the Golden Lion's condition."
"I understand."
The line went dead.
Kong turned to Tsuru, who had already predicted the Five Elders' reaction. "It's in your hands now."
"No problem." Tsuru nodded.
Soon after, a golden beam of light shot out from Marineford's port, heading straight for the East Blue.
Armed with the Eternal Pose, Borsalino arrived above the Calm Belt within half an hour.
Hovering in midair with Moonwalk, his expression was serious.
There was only one island left floating in the sky, and it looked like it had been ravaged—craters and gouges marked the surface, as though it had been bitten by a giant beast.
"Moved the rest already? What a hassle…"
Suddenly, Borsalino's expression shifted. His body turned into light, darting left in an instant.
A massive wall of seawater came crashing down from above.
As he sped away, Borsalino spread his hands. "Yasakani no Magatama!"
A storm of light bullets rained down, colliding with a dozen flying slashes that had appeared out of nowhere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Pretty quick on your feet, huh, little monkey?" The Golden Lion, chomping on a cigar, descended from the sky, his cold gaze locked onto Borsalino.
"Kawaii ne… Such a pain," Borsalino sighed.
Before his words had even fully settled, he teleported again. Meanwhile, the Golden Lion summoned seawater, shaping it into a dozen fierce water lions.
The two clashed fiercely.
Blades that tore through the heavens met explosions of light.
Half an hour later, realizing Borsalino was only stalling for time, the Golden Lion casually hurled the wrecked remains of Vermeil Island at him and retreated in the opposite direction.
Faced with the incoming island, Borsalino could only dodge repeatedly.
By the time he managed to avoid it, the Golden Lion had disappeared without a trace.
Although he hadn't managed to destroy the Golden Lion's biological experiment base completely, Borsalino had gotten a good read on the Golden Lion's current condition during their fight.
His Haki had clearly deteriorated.
If this had been the Golden Lion at his peak, there was no way Borsalino would've dared face him alone for even half an hour.
Not long after, the island crashed into the Calm Belt's waters, and dozens of enormous Sea Kings surfaced.
Borsalino sighed, brushing the dust off his clothes, and pulled out his wrist-mounted Den Den Mushi to report to Tsuru.
Tsuru, having expected this outcome, simply ordered Borsalino to return to headquarters.
This mission was never about fully engaging the Golden Lion—it was more of a test and a warning.
She knew the Golden Lion wasn't someone they could easily deal with. If he decided to escape, it would take at least three admiral-level forces to pin him down. Without that, capturing him was nearly impossible.