In the face of mortal danger, Golden Lion's adrenaline surged.

Everything in his eyes seemed to slow down.

Looking at the two who were practically attacking him point-blank—

He unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.

He moved both arms, swinging his swords left and right in a cross-slash.

Faster! Faster!! Faster!!!

At this moment, Golden Lion hated nothing more than how slow he was.

Crack! Crack!!!

Two distinct sounds of bone breaking rang out in quick succession.

Sengoku and Garp's fists, from the left and right, slammed heavily into Golden Lion's chest.

Crack—

A massive force exploded outward, followed by a series of bone-breaking sounds.

Starting from the point of impact, his ribs shattered outward like a web of fractures.

His entire chest was crushed.

"Ugh!!!"

Golden Lion's face twisted in pain as he coughed up blood.

But in the very next instant, he clenched his jaw tight and didn't move.

With adrenaline flooding his system, his mind became exceptionally clear.

He forcefully suppressed his body's instinct—if he spit out all the blood, his body would completely collapse, and death would be certain.

He immediately activated his Devil Fruit powers.

He forcefully fixed the broken bones surging toward his heart, protecting it.

Though it seemed like a long process,

All of this actually happened in the instant his chest was crushed.

Then, with a ferocious expression,

Golden Lion imbued both of his famous swords with Conqueror's Haki and slashed at Sengoku and Garp's chests.

But the two had already prepared—one transformed into a golden body, and the other used Armament Haki to defend.

Zzzz—

The clash of Haki sparked crackling black-purple lightning.

Violent shockwaves sent the cloaks of all three billowing.

Golden Lion roared and surged his Haki:

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

He slashed down with both swords!

Two golden sword slashes, hundreds of meters long, burst forth.

Thanks to the Float-Float Fruit, he could leverage the air for support, but Sengoku and Garp had no such foothold.

Even though they were stronger than Golden Lion in terms of raw power, without leverage—

They were still forced backward by the sword energy, sent flying.

"Cough! Cough!!"

Golden Lion stood in place, violently coughing up several mouthfuls of blood.

His aura weakened rapidly:

"Hah! Hah!! Hah!!"

He gasped for breath, drenched in cold sweat.

The backlash from his adrenaline surge struck—his body was now unbelievably weak.

He didn't dare stay.

He flew straight upward.

In the distance, the two being pushed back by the sword energy had already shattered it with their fists.

They launched into the air using Geppo to give chase.

With one stomp, the air exploded in a radius of dozens of meters.

Their explosive speed was even faster than Golden Lion's Devil Fruit flight.

They were gaining on him.

Golden Lion didn't even look back as he flew upward.

His Observation Haki clearly sensed the two closing in.

A flash of menace appeared in Golden Lion's eyes.

He activated his ability.

The floating sky island base above his head shattered and reformed in an instant.

Countless massive lions, along with pirate ships around the area, plummeted downward.

(T/N: Wiki: Shiki can telekinetically manipulate any weapons, structures, and debris that he has previously made contact with, allowing him to attack his opponents with multiple flying weapons and large heavy objects, as well as form a shield to defend himself from attacks. Additionally, his ability to fly grants him a very high level of mobility.

He can also use his power to freely manipulate his non-living surroundings, such as mineral, snow, and bodies of water. In addition to simply floating them, he can levitate them into intricate shapes, such as gigantic lion heads, which he can use to attack his opponents.)

Countless pirates were caught up in the rubble and slammed toward the two pursuers.

Many even fell straight down into the sea from the sky.

The fleet he had painstakingly assembled was now in ruins—it pained him deeply.

But as long as it could buy a moment's time, that was enough!

Only by surviving could he have anything at all!!!

Below, Sengoku watched Golden Lion's technique,

His brow furrowed.

"Roar!!!"

Several massive lion heads roared as they charged forth,

Wrapped in violent shockwaves,

Trying to press the two pursuers down.

Seeing this, Sengoku immediately transformed into a hundred-meter-tall golden Buddha.

Buzz—

A massive golden palm was covered in a semi-transparent shockwave.

He swung upward!

The shockwave, like a pillar of light, tore through the sky.

It pierced through a line of massive lion heads.

Then came a series of explosive sounds.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM...

The blasting wind temporarily delayed Sengoku.

Meanwhile, Garp took a much simpler and more brutal approach.

He pulled his right fist back to charge up,

Placed his left elbow forward for balance,

And stomped the air beneath him—Geppo exploded.

His entire body, coated in full Armament Haki, charged forward like a missile.

Bang bang bang bang...

Every massive lion head in his path was shattered on contact.

And Garp's speed didn't decrease at all.

A ferocious grin crept across his face as he closed in on the fleeing Golden Lion:

"Shiki!!!!!"

Ahead, Golden Lion felt a lethal threat descending upon him.

He couldn't dodge it...

He spun and ripped off his fluttering cloak, flinging it at Garp.

At this moment, Garp was only two or three body lengths away.

He instantly closed the gap.

Golden Lion's flung cloak covered Garp's vision,

Wrapping around him.

But at such a short distance, and with Observation Haki,

It didn't make a difference.

His black Armament Haki was so dense it was nearly tangible.

It flowed across his right fist like a stream of liquid:

"Die!!!"

He swung a punch toward Golden Lion's head.

Golden Lion's sense of danger intensified.

He was locked on!

Garp's iron fist grew larger in Golden Lion's pupils,

Closer and closer.

The punch wind had already touched his eyebrows.

Suddenly!

Golden Lion withdrew all of his Devil Fruit powers for self-use.

Under massive buoyant force, his body shifted upward as if by teleportation.

Garp's iron fist struck his left shoulder.

BOOM!

A spray of blood burst out. His entire shoulder exploded.

His left arm, along with Oto and Kogarashi, fell toward the ground.

Golden Lion ignored his severed arm, using the impact to accelerate backward.

At the same time, he slammed his right hand down.

The cloak covering Garp suddenly exploded with tremendous force.

Like a meteor, it sent Garp plummeting toward the ground.

By the time Garp tore the cloak off—

Golden Lion had already vanished.

And all of this happened in just a few seconds.

There was no time to react.

The pirates of Golden Lion's fleet didn't even know what was going on—

The ships and island debris that had lost his power began falling.

"Help!!!"

"Damn it!"

"What's going on?!"

"Where's Boss Shiki?!"

"What happened?!"

Freefalling from several kilometers in the sky—no one wanted that experience.

Except for a few powerful pirates who used techniques to step on air,

Or relied on their Fruit abilities to escape—

The rest were certainly doomed.

The sky briefly cleared, with only a handful of survivors.

But none of them could feel happy...

Because what awaited them was the hundred-meter-tall golden Buddha,

And the "Hero" Garp who once chased Roger around the world...

Cold sweat poured from their foreheads.

Someone gulped and suddenly shouted:

"RUN!!!!!!"

Everyone scattered in panic.

Sengoku's giant Buddha face was expressionless.

And in both his hands, semi-transparent shockwaves had formed without anyone noticing...

Buzz—

...

Meanwhile, on Garp's side, his arms glowed with flowing Armament Haki. Looking at the pirates, he grinned viciously.

BOOM!

The air under his feet exploded, and he surged forward like teleportation, rushing straight at the pirates.

...

On the sea surface, the fleet lined up tightly.

Sakazuki stood at the bow of the central warship,

Watching the falling islands and pirates from the sky.

A faint smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He clasped his hands together and slammed them.

Clap!

His entire body turned into magma, rapidly expanding in all directions.

Then it surged toward the surrounding warships, forming a massive seated magma giant atop five ships.

The magma giant had the face of a demon, yet its eyes were closed in mercy.

From its back, a thousand arms extended in fists, pointed forward.

Sakazuki stood on top of the magma giant's head with arms crossed.

Lava burned and exploded violently.

Each arm separated from the body and then regenerated repeatedly.

Endless black smoke and heat waves propelled the magma fists like rocket missiles.

They blanketed the sky.

A storm of firepower rained down upon the falling pirates and ships...

...

[At the end of the Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1491]

[Golden Lion launched an assault on Marine G3 Base]

[Five warships were dispatched, led by Vice Admiral Sakazuki, to battle in the Lana Sea]

[Golden Lion's fleet was annihilated; Golden Lion escaped with a severed arm]

[Marine Headquarters suffered zero casualties]

[The world was stunned]

[The name Sakazuki resounded across the seas]

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