Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

boom! !

A dull, loud bang.

Ugh!

Jin Shizi felt an indescribable force suddenly pour into his body, as if his internal organs had shifted instantly. The intense pain made his vision go black, and his mouth opened uncontrollably, spraying out a mixture of cigar smoke and saliva.

His body, which was floating in the air, transformed into a golden streak of light and flew backward at an astonishing speed, tearing through the sky and finally crashing heavily into the floating island that belonged to his territory not far away.

His body crashed through more than a dozen giant trees that would require several people to encircle before finally stopping amidst a mess of broken branches and debris, kicking up clouds of dust.

Rumble!

At the edge of the island, smoke and dust billowed into the sky, trees were broken, and rocks crumbled.

Luffy clenched his fist, his eyes narrowing as he looked in the direction where Shiki had fallen.

He didn't believe he could defeat the Golden Lion with just one punch.

However, after that punch, he at least realized that the Golden Lion wasn't that outstanding in terms of physique.

At least compared to him.

Luffy's physique has been honed by Garp since childhood, and with the added boost of Nika's Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit power, he can only find opponents like Garp or some exceptionally talented individuals in terms of physical strength.

and,

A fist has the advantage when it is young and strong.

The golden lion doesn't look as well-maintained as his grandfather.

However, as an opponent, he's just right for Luffy right now.

"We can finally have a proper fight."

On the Thousand Sunny, everyone watched this scene. Although they had confidence in Luffy's strength, his opponent was, after all, the legendary Golden Lion.

"Hey, Green Algae Head, Cook,"

Franky moved his modified robotic arm, making a clicking sound. "We can't just stand by and watch, can we?"

Zoro, his three swords already drawn, said, "Of course, who knows if he still has any men left on those islands."

Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes sharp: "Protect the ladies and the ship, and while you're at it, take care of the smaller fry."

......

"Cough, cough..."

Amidst the dust and smoke, the Golden Lion stood up somewhat disheveled, brushing the dust off his kimono. A sharp pain in his abdomen made him grimace.

"Ouch, that hurts, you brat!"

"Uncle, are you really someone who has fought the Pirate King? It doesn't seem as difficult as I imagined."

Golden Lion rubbed his belly, a look of disbelief flashing across his face at first, but it was quickly replaced by intense anger and embarrassment. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood. How could this brat's words hit him so hard?!

Veins bulged on his forehead, and he laughed angrily: "Hahahaha, good, very good! Garp's grandson is just as infuriating as him. Even Roger, that bastard, wasn't as infuriating as you back then!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Back then, he invited Roger to join forces but was rejected and was banished to Impel Down by Garp. Now, he invited Roger's grandson but was rejected again. Were these two, grandfather and grandson, specifically there to bring him bad luck?!

Right.

how many years.

Apart from those two old guys, Garp and Sengoku, no one has ever made him look so pathetic!

He's none other than Shiki the Golden Lion!

A legendary pirate on par with Whitebeard and Roger, he once single-handedly stormed the Marine Headquarters, fought against Garp and Sengoku at their peak, and destroyed nearly half of Marineford!

Even though he severed his own legs to escape Impel Down, which damaged his strength, and the damned ship's wheel on his head caused him to go crazy and become lucid at times, making his condition fluctuate, he believed that his baseline strength was still at the level of a Marine Admiral!

This is the foundation and pride of a legendary powerhouse.

As a result, he was hit squarely in the abdomen by a rookie pirate who had only been at sea for a short time and hadn't even grown his hair yet, and was then verbally humiliated.

What a shame!

This is an utter disgrace!

However, after the intense humiliation subsided, a long-lost, almost thrilling sense of pleasure welled up from the depths of the Golden Lion's heart.

He hadn't encountered an opponent who could cause him pain or defeat him in a long time.

On this vast ocean, the number of enemies he could truly face was dwindling. Rocks was dead, Roger was dead, and Whitebeard was like a toothless tiger. The powerful figures who once dominated the seas had all grown old.

Even though he was mostly immersed in his IQ plan and his ambition to dominate, he almost forgot about this exhilarating feeling.

This is what pirates are all about!

"Hehehehehe."

Golden Lion wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at Luffy who had fallen from the sky and landed steadily on the ground not far away, and suddenly burst into laughter, "Straw Hat Kid, I acknowledge your strength!"

"Join me! Join forces with me, Shiki the Golden Lion, and this sea will be ours for the taking. What are the Four Emperors and the Marines? They will all be trampled under our feet! At that time, the title of Pirate King may not be out of reach."

He was genuinely drawn to Luffy's talent, or rather, he saw the terrifying potential within him.

To reach this level at such a young age, the only one I can recall is that guy Rocks... Back then, Rocks, who was in his twenties, killed a general.

But Luffy is even younger.

The crew members on his ship with compatible flight capabilities are also very important. With such a powerful force joining the team, the plan will be implemented many times more smoothly.

Luffy looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, who was sometimes furious and sometimes laughing, and who was still trying to recruit him. His lips twitched involuntarily.

He adjusted his straw hat. "I've already said, my goal is to become the Pirate King. Would the Pirate King submit to anyone?"

One Piece?

Upon hearing those three words, the Golden Lion's eyes darted around for a moment, then he became even more agitated and impatient.

"You really look alike, kid. That bastard Roger rejected me in the same way back then!"

As if some extremely unpleasant memory had been stirred up, he roared at Luffy, spitting everywhere:

"Roger, that idiot, that stubborn fool!"

Back then, I kindly suggested we join forces. If he had agreed, this ocean would have been ours long ago. There would be no need for this bullshit fight for the Pirate King title.

He insisted on sailing alone, searching for some final island, and what happened? He was captured and executed by the navy! Idiot! Complete idiot!!

He looked a bit exasperated.

But why do I feel like their relationship is pretty good?

The more Golden Lion spoke, the angrier he became. The famous swords Kuki and Sakura, which replaced his prosthetic legs, began to hum, visibly crackling with crimson arcs of Haki, coiling around him as if they were tangible, radiating a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

"You brat!"

Golden Lion stared intently at Luffy. "I'm very tolerant of the strong. If you change your mind now and join my ranks, I can overlook everything that happened before. I would be very happy to welcome you!"

Luffy stood on a clearing that had been cleared by the shockwave, staring at the golden Shiki whose aura was rising steadily in the distance, and shook his head.

"I refuse!"

Chapter 244 Luffy vs. Golden Lion, a clash of Devil Fruit abilities

"Not interested? Why don't you join us?"

"what?"

"You're quite interesting, but there's something you need to change. There's definitely a reason why you didn't become the Pirate King. Treating your crewmates as things to be traded—how can someone like that become the Pirate King?"

Luffy said something that made Shiki's blood pressure spike instantly.

Luffy's style of doing things and his values ​​are largely derived from the teachings and example of Shanks.

In his mind, the Pirate King should be like Shanks, like Roger whom Shanks had told him about, someone who cherishes his crew, sails freely, and carries the dreams of countless people, not like Shiki, who sees recruitment and alliances as pure exchanges of interests, and can even use his crew as bargaining chips.

Golden Lion does look quite interesting, with the bold and heroic spirit of the older generation, but Luffy cannot agree with this.

If you want to join the Straw Hat crew, you must correct this mistake.

"You really dare to say that!"

Golden Lion's lips twitched violently, and veins bulged on his forehead: "And you're saying I'm not as good as that bastard Roger?!"

But Luffy's words were like a needle, unexpectedly piercing a corner of his heart that he had deliberately forgotten.

Why did Roger reject him back then?

Is it really just because of differing ideologies?

What a joke! He didn't ask Roger to become his subordinate. Roger only proposed an alliance, just like when he joined the Rocks Pirates. He didn't mean to be subordinate to anyone!

Why do Roger and this kid both scoff at this?

The more I think about it, the more annoyed and angry I get!

"If you're so capable, then do it, kid. Even Rocks couldn't do it back then,"

The golden lion abruptly interrupted his thoughts in a rage, all his pent-up frustration and anger transforming into a ferocious attack: "Lion Thousand Cut Valley!!"

He stopped talking nonsense and started swinging his legs.

In an instant.

Hundreds of condensed, crisscrossing, enormous golden sword energies enveloped Luffy like a storm!

The sword energy covered all the space Luffy could possibly dodge, each strike containing the terrifying power to cut through steel and tear apart the earth.

He displayed the great swordsman's swordsmanship to its fullest extent!

Even though Shiki lost his legs and used two famous swords to replace them, the essence of a great swordsman is a profound understanding of swordsmanship at the level of profound mystery.

Even when used in this peculiar way, its power is enough to terrify any opponent.

Faced with a storm of sword energy powerful enough to flatten a small mountain, Luffy neither dodged nor avoided it.

"call,"