I reached the top of Pirates

Chapter 235, Section 234: The Golden Lion in His Prime?
Nevertheless, Moses still led them up to the highest floating island.

However, Shanks, Mihawk, and Crocodile caught up on their own.

Shanks bluntly stated that he was afraid Moses would lock him up in a dark room.

Mihawk believed him.

This island is a winter island, surrounded by lush vegetation and teeming with wild beasts, but in the center, within a radius of one kilometer, there is a large ring of vibrant green.

Let's cordon off this area as a safe zone.

A palace-like building was constructed here, surrounded by a large, flat plaza paved with marble.

"I never expected this place to be like this. What a beautiful palace."

midair.

Taking out a camera Den Den Mushi from the "Little World," Mercer flew through the air and snapped away! A series of flashes went off.

"Seeing you like this gives me the same feeling as seeing those paparazzi. Why are you taking pictures now?"

Crocodile transformed into a sandstorm and floated beside Mercer, while the two who had moved on their own were still running towards them from behind.

Looking at the pirate flag atop the palace in the distance, Crocodile's gaze fell into confusion, a strange sense of familiarity creeping in:
"I feel like I've seen this kind of pirate flag somewhere before, with a ship's wheel as the background, golden hair and beard on a skull, and a mocking smile."

Looking around, I observed the various layouts on the island.

Mercer said calmly, "Can't you remember? Then which legendary pirate in this world can manipulate objects to levitate?"

It could be said that he stated it clearly and plainly. Crocodile's eye twitched, and some old scenes surfaced in his mind.

"Flying Admiral Shiki the Golden Lion".

I was startled, never expecting it to be such a legend, "a legendary figure who is on par with Roger and Whitebeard."

"By the way, if it's him."

Needless to say, a person's reputation precedes them.

Crocodile's lips twitched, and he involuntarily became wary. At that moment, Moses looked at him and smiled:
"What, are you scared?"

Crocodile's lips twitched, and he scoffed, "You think I'm afraid of him? A crippled old man with a ship's wheel stuck in his head."

Mercer clapped his hands and said with a smile:

"Now that we've encountered him today, how about we hunt down the legendary, our hero, Mr. Crocodile?"

Crocodile's face flushed slightly, a mixture of excitement and a strange sense of shame.

"A hunting legend? Or a monster man who's on par with that white-bearded man?"

Moses looked at him and chuckled:

"Our Cross Guild's official leader, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, naturally needs to have an outstanding achievement. What do you think of Crocodile's hunting down of Shiki?
In a few days, your fame will surely make you the most dazzling person in the world.

how about it? "

Crocodile's expression was somewhat uncertain; to be honest, he really didn't want to stand in front of people.

But it's his fault for giving so much.

He couldn't help but look suspicious. "What exactly do you want to do? And are you sure you can take him down? That man is Golden Lion."

Moses said calmly, "He's just an old and crippled lion. In this world, some old guys always have to give way to the young."

After all, generally speaking, time waits for no one.

No one is invincible, and no one is undefeated. Besides, he has already failed twice; he probably wouldn't mind failing a third time.

"twice?"

"In the Battle of Etwal, he lost to Roger. After that, he attacked the Marine Headquarters and lost to Sengoku and Garp."

So, he'll lose to us again this time.

He reached out and patted the shoulder of Old Sha, whose upper body had materialized beside him.

"Since you've decided to become famous, then you'll be the one to fire the first shot."

Crocodile's lips twitched. "I haven't decided yet whether I want to become famous."

Moses glanced at Shanks and Mihawk, who were almost running over from not far away, and said, "If you don't make a move soon, you won't even get a sip of the soup. Do you think you'll still have the face to keep this reputation then?"

Crocodile's expression was uncertain, but when he thought of how powerful these three guys were, and then of the man who was on par with Whitebeard, he thought of the man who was on par with Whitebeard.

A small sandstorm swirled up from his right hand. The miniature sandstorm, after being thrown out, suddenly expanded from the ground, growing to hundreds of meters high in the blink of an eye, sweeping up everything around it and devouring all the buildings it passed.

The sandstorm tornado swept towards the nearby palace with unstoppable momentum.

Moses was amazed. This was the terrifying power of nature. Natural-type abilities were indeed capable of easily affecting a wide area.

The wind and sand swept everything away.

After being engulfed by all obstacles, it merges into itself and expands again.

It gives people a sense of terror that stretches to the heavens and the earth.

Mercer fell toward the ground.

As soon as they landed, a gray fog spread out, and Hancock and the others appeared in the outside world.

The next moment, a slashing beam hundreds of meters long flew out from the palace, and with a whoosh, it sliced ​​the terrifying sandstorm in two and shattered.

"Hehehe. So that's why a little mouse sneaked in."

An old man wearing a golden striped robe, with two long swords strapped to his legs and a ship's wheel stuck in his bald head, stood in the sky.

Golden Lion Shiki.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent; he was clearly up to no good.

The next second, Crocodile transformed into a sandstorm and charged forward.

One after another, enormous sand blades imbued with a dry, withered quality were unleashed.

At the same time, the air lion, hundreds of meters tall, suddenly solidified, opened its huge mouth and let out a terrifying roar, smashing the sand blade with a bang, and then crashing into the oncoming Crocodile.

Unfortunately it's of no use.

Crocodile once again unleashed a sandstorm at him, but it was shattered by a single strike. Crocodile then commanded the sand to transform into a terrifying sand lion that lunged at him.

The two fought back and forth, their wide-ranging moves creating a spectacular sight.

Hancock exclaimed in surprise, "That guy is Shiki? I've heard my grandmother mention him, and I've seen his bounty poster."

"Mercer, is this his territory?"

"Yes, it's his territory. He controls all the floating islands here."

"Golden Lion? It's such a terrifying creature."

Hanafza's eye twitched.

Then he looked at Crocodile, who was fighting the Golden Lion to a standstill, and his lips twitched even more. How could Crocodile be so strong? He looked incredulous.

At this moment, Shanks and Mihawk arrived and witnessed the battle that had already begun.

"Golden Lion?" Shanks blinked in surprise. "Yes, I should have known it was him. Only he has the ability to float more than a dozen islands."

"As expected of that legendary man, Crocodile can't beat him; at most, he can only maintain his own survival for a short time."

Mihawk had a sharp eye and immediately saw Crocodile's shortcomings.

His eyes were full of fighting spirit, yet also somewhat regretful that such a powerful swordsman was actually disabled.

"Kid, you're too arrogant. Do you think you can fight me with just a Logia-type?"

Golden Lion kicked out continuously, and a dense, net-like barrage of slashing light rapidly severed every move Crocodile unleashed.

He then used the power of the Float-Float Fruit to transform into a giant sand lion and launch a counterattack.

He remained calm and composed, even having the time to mock him.

Crocodile's expression turned cold. He felt completely suppressed by Crocodile, unable to unleash the full power of his Devil Fruit ability, and his physical strength and Haki were at a disadvantage.

The only way to fight him is through elemental transformation, where we can fight to a standstill and not lose.

"Hehehe, kid, are you giving me gua sha?"

The golden lion kicked casually, sending out a slashing beam hundreds of meters long that instantly severed everything in front of it, grinning wildly.

The ground beneath him undulated like water, transforming into towering, dozens-of-meters-long rock lions, charging at Crocodile from the ground or from the sky like a hundred beasts galloping.

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, he swung his sand-blade sword, slicing through the attacking lion, which then turned to sand and fought for control of the land.

While playing with him, Shiki was also observing the group of Moses not far away, and he saw Moses, Shanks, Mihawk, Hancock, and Hanafza.

He was laughing wildly, but his eyes became extremely serious. Although he was in the sky, he didn't miss any of the news from the sea.

Four of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

There was also that apprentice kid on Roger's ship.

There was also an unknown little devil.

Shichibukai?
Does this mean the government has found itself and is coming to attack it?
No, no, no, there were no marines, which means... coincidence?

The corners of his mouth twitched.

Why am I so unlucky?

Is this fate again?

No, I never accept my fate.

I am the Golden Lion.

The Flying Admiral Who Roars Across the Seas.

His eyes suddenly became incredibly sharp and arrogant, filled with terrifying killing intent.

With a whoosh, his body suddenly transformed into a streak of light, breaking through the sea of ​​sand and rushing to Crocodile's front. His right leg, crackling with black and red electric arcs, slashed out fiercely.

"Lion. Wave Slash".

Crocodile's pupils suddenly contracted as he felt a sharp pain in his own body. The next moment, Armament Haki coiled around his body, and he used his right arm to block the attack from behind.

Boom!

After a terrifying thud, Crocodile was sent flying backward with a shockwave, spitting out blood.

A series of shockwaves erupted behind him as he flew backward, his body cracking and collapsing into a handful of sand in mid-air before crashing heavily into the ground not far in front of Moses and the others.

A few seconds later, after the pain throughout his body subsided, Crocodile used his deformed golden hook to support himself as he stood up, wiped the bloodstains from his lips, and looked gloomy.

"damn it."

However, a slight smile appeared on his lips as he thought about the effect of Armament Haki earlier.

"Hehehehe."

Runti glanced at Crocodile, whose laughter was peculiar, not far away, rubbed her arms which were covered in goosebumps, and muttered:
"Was the crocodile beaten so badly that he could still laugh?"
"Hey, he charged forward again. Does he want to get beaten up again?"

Hearing Runti's words, Messer smiled and said:
"It's not shameful to be unwilling to admit defeat and to challenge the strong. As long as he survives this battle and refuses to admit defeat, he will undergo a transformation in both mind and body."

After all, the man he challenged was... the Golden Lion.

The clash of Haki against Haki, the combination of Devil Fruit abilities and Haki, and the constant trials and tribulations have led to Crocodile's significant progress.

Time keeps passing.

A hint of a smile flashed in Mihawk's eyes. "I've never seen Crocodile like this before. He seems to have become even more energetic."

"Those who only resort to scheming and trickery will not become strong; those who are both wise and brave are the true strong."

"Shouldn't we join in? If we let him keep fighting, I'll lose all desire to continue."

“He’s already disabled. If he also becomes tired, wouldn’t that make me seem like I’m bullying him?”

Mihawk said that.

Mercer said, "It's alright. We'll give him enough time to rest and eat later. I don't want to take advantage of him like this. It would be a bit shameful to use a series of attacks to bring him down."

"Fine, I'd like to fight him too, but I don't want to bully a man who's on par with Captain Roger."

Click, click, click!

The camera Den Den Mushi's flash went off, capturing a fleeting moment of the epic battle between Crocodile and Shiki.

"What are you doing?"

Shanks blinked and asked.

Moses simply stated his thoughts.

"You really did... use him completely. Are you a devil?" Shanks said, his lips twitching.
"It doesn't matter. I don't care about reputation. All I want is a comfortable and satisfying battle."

Mihawk said calmly.

"Which of you two goes first? But each of you only has half a day. I don't want to end up bullying an old man who can barely breathe when he speaks."

Mihawk nodded: "Sure, we can spar with him."

The fight between the two was very intense.

The next day, at the crack of dawn.

Golden Lion once again slashed Crocodile away with his sword; he had slashed him away countless times that night.

Old Sha could never get up again.

The Golden Lion, looking disheveled, stood at a distance watching Moses and his group, laughing wildly:

"Who's next?"

You can sense the fighting spirit emanating from this group.

At most, it would just be a series of battles, and he wouldn't be afraid of that.

Mercer stepped forward, stood before Crocodile, and placed a water spirit into his mouth, observing his miserable state.

The gold hook on his left hand has broken off.

The front of his body was covered with cuts that were seeping blood.

Looking at Mercer now, feeling the powerful water essence nourishing his body, he chuckled heavily, panting:

"It really annoys me that you saw me in such a disheveled state."

Mercer bent down, grabbed the back of his collar, and tossed him behind him. A few seconds later, Mihawk kicked him in the back, causing him to cough up blood again.

She glared at him and said, "Can't you be a little gentler? You damn bastard."

Mihawk glanced at him indifferently without saying a word, but Crocodile's lips twitched violently.

Looking at the golden lion not far in front of him, Moses said calmly:

"I'll give you half a day to rest. You can eat or rest as you please. I don't think you want to die a miserable death from our relentless onslaught, do you?"

The Golden Lion's face was gloomy as he gritted his teeth and said, "Kid, are you looking down on me? I am the Golden Lion."

As he spoke, he kicked out with his sword, and in the blink of an eye, a slashing beam flew towards him.

Mercer casually swung his fist, and with a crisp bang, the slashing light shattered.

She looked at him calmly and said, "You wouldn't want to die such a miserable death in your final battle, would you?"

"None of the three of us—me, Shanks, and Mihawk—can beat you right now."

Choose: either go back and rest before coming back to fight us one-on-one, or get ganged up on and killed by the three of us right now.

Choose: to be a wild beast hunted by the hunter, or to die a hero in battle?

As he spoke, terrifying black and red arcs of electricity crackled around Moses's body, and he looked at him calmly.

The Golden Lion's expression was uncertain, but he was also decisive, letting out a sneer:
"Hehehe, you will pay the price for your arrogance."

After saying that, he turned and flew back to the palace behind him.

With a fighting spirit in his eyes, Moses decided to use him as the best whetstone.

The strong are forged through battle.

He didn't come to fight Shanks and Mihawk with murderous intent.

and.

"Identification"

Strength rating: A-
His swordsmanship and domineering presence are still at a high level.

Moses gradually formed an idea in his mind, an idea that could allow one of his attributes to undergo a powerful transformation.

I'm determined to have this piece of meat, the Golden Lion.

Back with the group, Hancock came over from a distance, leading a giant dinosaur that was over ten meters long.

Finished breakfast.

noon.

Mihawk unleashed his fighting spirit.

Golden Lion, wielding the twin swords Sakura and Drywood, his legs having been altered, flew out with an arrogant and maniacal laugh.

The battle intensified instantly.

First came a barrage of wide-range slashes, showcasing their domineering aura and swordsmanship in the battle.

The ground of the entire island kept exploding and shattering.

Finally, half a day later, Mihawk withdrew from the battle with a look of satisfaction mixed with some regret.

The golden lion, looking somewhat dejected, flew back to the palace complex.

At midnight.

Shanks unleashed his Conqueror's Haki to challenge Shiki, who charged out once more.

Looking at the domineering little brat in front of him with delight:
"That's right, you're that kid from Roger's ship. What's your name?"

Stinkhorn?

Shanks' lips twitched, and with a grim expression, he raised his sword and swung it:

"I am Shanks, God of War."

The black and red slashing light flew out with a whoosh.

The golden lion laughed wildly and swung his sword with no less impressive force.

Slash! Haki! Devil Fruit power!

He used every means at his disposal to fight Shanks.

until evening.

The two remained evenly matched, but the Golden Lion's face turned slightly pale, and the veins on his forehead bulged like small snakes.

Blood kept seeping from the ship's rudder stuck above his head.

In the midst of a high-speed battle, he suddenly froze, and Shanks slashed him from his left shoulder to his right hip.

The terrifying, overwhelming impact sent him flying, crashing heavily into a pile of rubble and knocking him unconscious.

Shanks' lips twitched violently as he swung his sword. He was already past the time limit, but he didn't expect this to happen again.

He couldn't help but swallow hard, glancing at Moses walking towards him from a distance.

Moses glanced at Shanks's smirk, then said calmly:
"Did you feel good?"

Shanks blinked: "Yeah. Sorry, I didn't dare hold back when fighting him."

What do you think of him?

"Hmm, compared to before, his domineering aura and swordsmanship have returned to their proper level. Very strong, very strong."

At this point, looking at the half-dead Golden Lion, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Moses looked at the pitiful Golden Lion, who, even lying in the ruins, still gripped his twin swords tightly.

Shanks stepped forward and stomped on his chest. Shanks' lips twitched, he opened his mouth, but then closed it again, knowing he was in the wrong.

But after thinking about it, he still weakly said, "He's someone important, after all. If you're going to kill him, give him a quick death. Moses, don't insult him."

I didn't pay attention to what he said.

Mercer bent down, grabbed the ship's rudder on his head, and pulled it out with a splatter! A handful of dark red blood, tinged with yellow and carrying a foul stench, spurted out.

The golden lion's eyes widened suddenly, and he released his grip on the sword, covering his head with it, his eyes rolling upwards uncontrollably.

Mercer's gaze flickered slightly, and the gray mist engulfed his body, instantly merging with it in a state of near-fusion.

His breathing synchronized with his body, and his domineering aura flowed through him. In his confused state, he had no will to resist.

Interactive concept of ultra-fast regeneration.

Under Moses's control, the Golden Lion's energy was rapidly depleted, and once the energy was exhausted, it continued to consume his lifespan.

Mercer's eyes flickered slightly, and a drop of water essence appeared and merged into his body to replace his energy expenditure, preventing him from dying here.

Simultaneously,

His head and missing legs were regenerating at a visible speed, with bones growing, flesh buds weaving, and his aura constantly rising and falling.

A few minutes later.

Moses threw him out.

Shanks stared in disbelief as his body was completely healed, and even his bald head of blond hair had grown back thickly.

However, his face looked even older.

He looked as if he had aged ten years.

"This, this, this?"

Moses looked at him.

"Identification"

Strength rating: A
Is this him at his peak?

Mercer watched as the guy got up somewhat bewildered, then stared blankly at his own bare, white feet.

He appeared in front of him in an instant and kicked him in the face.

A clang rang out, the sound of metal clashing.

He flew backwards dozens of meters away, and the domineering aura that had instinctively appeared on his face dissipated.

The Golden Lion looked at Moses with a mixture of excitement and confusion: "Kid, why?"

Mercer picked up the cherry blossoms and the withered wood from the ground and threw them over with a whoosh.

"Let's fight! Let me see what the Flying Pirates are like in their prime!"

"By the way, do you still have enough energy? Do you need me to give you time to eat?"

"Hehehehe~"

The golden lion laughed wildly, his twin swords hovering around him, falling into his hands like swimming fish, while terrifying arcs of black and red electricity burst forth from his body.

He stared at Moses with fervent eyes:

"Kid, who do you think you are? You'll regret saving me. I'll crush you with my overwhelming power."

He laughed wildly and unrestrainedly.

The next second, Mercer appeared silently in front of him and punched him in the cheek.

With a loud bang, a shockwave exploded, sending the golden lion flying backward.

Moses stood in his spot, pursing his lips:
"An idiot, even if the rudder is removed, he's still a big idiot."

Using the power of the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki floated in mid-air in the distance.

His expression became unpredictable, shifting between light and dark.

This kid is very strange.

I couldn't sense his presence at all.

How can it be?

Suspicion filled his eyes, and his body was not covered in Conqueror's Haki, unlike Roger and the red-haired brat's ability to kill with sight and sound.

"What ability did you just have?"

The golden lion asked in confusion.

Moses scoffed:

"After you die, I will write it down on paper and burn it for you."

(End of this chapter)