Chapter 309 - 167

Chapter 167He moved, flying tens of meters into the air, above the thousand sunny."The gap in strength cannot be bridged with a few words, kid. Do you know that the current Four Emperors, those two guys named Kaido and Big Mom, used to call me Admiral!"He was a senior to two Four Emperors!"So, you're old now!"Luffy chuckled, looking at Golden Lion Shiki. "This era belongs to us. Old-era pirates should quietly fade with the times."The power of time is the fairest. Even Luffy could feel his grandpa's punches getting weaker year by year.Golden Lion Shiki was still his grandpa's defeated foe.And he still wanted to recruit him?Golden Lion Shiki was stunned by Luffy's words, then sneered coldly, "Straw Hat, you really dare to speak! Then let me see!"He suddenly raised his prosthetic right leg, which held the famous sword, Deadwood, and swung it like a real longsword towards the thousand sunnydirectly below."Are you all talk and no action?!"A massive, solid-looking golden arc of sword energy instantly left the blade, carrying a terrifying might that tore through the sky, slicing horizontally towards the deck of the thousand sunny.Where the sword energy passed, the air let out a shrill shriek, and the clouds below were silently cut open, forming a huge chasm.This sword energy was very strong; in Luffy's impression, only Hawkeye was stronger than him.Without a doubt.Golden Lion Shiki was also a Great Swordsmanstanding at the pinnacle of swordsmen!Luffy had fought Hawkeye in his dreams and had taken many sword strikes.The notion that swordsmen counter the Gum-Gum Fruit no longer existed.The purpose of this sword strike was not to annihilate Luffy and his crew, but rather to intimidate and display power. Its goal was to destroy the ship, leaving Luffy and his crew without a foothold, thereby making them realize the insurmountable gap between them and Golden Lion Shiki, forcing them to submit.However, both the ship and his crewmates were treasures Luffy would protect with his life.Golden Lion Shiki's actions instantly touched two of Luffy's sore spots!Luffy's anger flared to its peak in an instant.A legendary pirate?Just an old geezer from the previous era!Still his grandpa's defeated foe!And he dares to touch my crew and ship?!Luffy neither dodged nor flinched."Gear Second Plus!"Black and red stripes swirled. He covered his fist with Armament Haki and punched out, "Triple Release!"The shockwave collided with the sword wind, and a circle of air current exploded from the center.Luffy stood on the deck, retracting his fist, his eyes coldly fixed on Golden Lion Shiki in the distance.The previous attack had already proven that there was a reason why legendary pirates were called legendary.Not only had he developed his Devil Fruit ability to this extent, but even his casual slashes surpassed ninety-nine percent of swordsmen.This guy's attack power was terrifying.If they fought here, the thousand sunny would be destroyed.Luffy understood this, so he said, "Let's fight somewhere else."Golden Lion Shiki's pupils slightly contracted as he watched his sword energy shattered by a single punch.Although he had anticipated Luffy blocking the attack, he hadn't expected it to be in such a brute-force manner. This kid's strength and Haki seemed even stronger than he had estimated."Hmph, arrogant!"Golden Lion Shiki snorted coldly, "You say change, and we change? Let's see if you have the ability to change the battlefield."Before he could finish speaking, Luffy's figure in his sight suddenly blurred.What?The speed was so fast that Golden Lion Shiki's Observation Haki didn't even react. Luffy's figure, covered in black and red tattoos, appeared before Golden Lion Shiki as if by instantaneous movement.It was still that fist covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, and before Golden Lion Shikicould react, it solidly imprinted itself on his abdomen.Chapter 243 Comparable to Rocks!Bang!!A dull thud.Ugh!Golden Lion Shiki felt an indescribable immense force suddenly surge into his body. His internal organs seemed to shift instantly, and the sharp pain made his vision go black. His mouth involuntarily opened, and his cigar, mixed with saliva, sprayed out.His body, floating in the air, turned into a golden streak of light, flying backward at an astonishing speed, cutting through the sky, and finally crashing heavily onto a nearby floating island that belonged to his territory.His body successively broke through more than a dozen giant trees that required several people to encircle before stopping amidst a mess of broken wood and branches, stirring up a sky full of dust.Rumble!At the edge of the island, dust soared into the sky, trees were shattered, and Rocks crumbled.Luffy shook his fist, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked in the direction Golden Lion Shiki had fallen.He didn't think a single punch would defeat Golden Lion Shiki.However, with that punch just now, he at least discerned that Golden Lion Shiki was not that outstanding in terms of physique.At least, compared to him.Luffy's physique had been tempered by Garp since childhood until now, coupled with the blessing of Nika, a Zoan Mythical Zoan, so to find an opponent in terms of physique, it would likely only be someone like Garp, or some exceptionally gifted individuals.Moreover,Youth triumphs over age.Golden Lion Shiki clearly wasn't as well-preserved as his grandpa.However, as an opponent, he was just right for the current Luffy."Now we can have a good fight."On the thousand sunny, everyone watched the scene. Although they had confidence in Luffy's strength, their opponent was, after all, the legendary Golden Lion Shiki."Hey, Marimo, Cook,"Franky moved his modified mechanical arm, making clanking sounds. "We can't just watch, can we?"Zoro, with his three swords already drawn, said, "Of course. Who knows if he still has subordinates on those islands."Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes sharp: "Protect the ladies and the ship, and clear out the small fries along the way."..."Cough, cough cough..."From the dust, Golden Lion Shiki stood up somewhat disheveled, patting the dust off his kimono. The sharp pain from his abdomen made him grimace."That really hurt, you brat!""Old man, are you really someone who fought the Pirate King? You don't seem as tough as I imagined."Golden Lion Shiki rubbed his abdomen, a flicker of disbelief first crossing his face, which was then replaced by intense indignation and anger. He almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. Why did every word from this brat stab him in the heart?!Veins bulged on his forehead, and he laughed in extreme fury: "Gyahahahahaha, good, very good! Garp's grandson is indeed as infuriating as him. That bastard Roger wasn't as annoying as you back then!"The more he thought, the angrier he got. Back then, he invited Roger to team up and was rejected, then Garp punched him into Impel Down. Now, he invited his grandson and was rejected again. Were these grandfather and grandson specifically sent to counter him?!That's right.It had been so many years.Aside from Garp and Sengoku, those two old geezers, no one had ever made him so disheveled!He was Golden Lion Shiki!A legendary great pirate on par with Whitebeardand Roger, who once single-handedly stormed Marineford, 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, suffering a loss in strength, and coupled with that cursed ship's rudder on his head that made him sometimes insane and sometimes lucid, causing his condition to fluctuate, he still believed his baseline strength was absolutely maintained at the level of a Marine Admiral!This was the foundation and pride of a legendary-class powerhouse.Yet, he was solidly hit in the abdomen by a rookie pirate who had only been at sea for a short time and hadn't even fully matured, and then verbally humiliated.What a disgrace!It was an absolute disgrace!However, after this intense feeling of humiliation, a long-lost, almost trembling sense of pleasure surged from the bottom of Golden Lion Shiki's heart.It had been a long time since he encountered an opponent who could make him feel pain, who could repel him. In this vast sea, the enemies he could truly face were becoming fewer and fewer. Rockswas dead, Roger was dead, Whitebeard was like a toothless tiger, and the powerhouses who dominated the sea had all grown old.Even he, for most of the time, had been immersed in his IQ Plan and ambition to dominate, almost forgetting this feeling of blood boiling.This is what a pirate should be!"Gyahahahahaha."Golden Lion Shiki wiped a trace of blood foam from the corner of his mouth, looking at Luffy who descended from the sky and landed steadily on the ground not far away. He suddenly burst into laughter, "Straw Hat, I acknowledge your strength!""Join me! Team up with me, Golden Lion Shiki, and this sea will be ours for the taking. What Four Emperors, what Marines, they will all be trampled underfoot! At that time, the position of Pirate Kingmight even be negotiable."He was truly moved by talent, or rather, he saw the terrifying potential in Luffy.To reach this level at such a young age, in his memory, only Rocks was like that... Rocks, in his twenties, had killed an Admiral.But Luffy was even younger.His crewmate with a compatible flying ability was also very important. With such a powerful combatant joining, the plan's implementation would be countless times smoother.Luffy looked at the old man in front of him, who was alternately furious and laughing, and still stubbornly trying to recruit him. The corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.He pressed his Straw Hat, "I already said, my goal is to become the Pirate King. Would the Pirate King submit to anyone else?"Pirate King?When Golden Lion Shiki heard these three words, his eyes became momentarily dazed, then grew even more irritable and impatient."You're really similar, kid. That bastard Roger also rejected me like that back then!"He seemed to have recalled some extremely unpleasant memory, and he roared at Luffy, spittle flying:"That idiot Roger, that stubborn fool!Back then, I kindly suggested we team up. If he had agreed, this sea would have been ours long ago. There would have been no need for any damned Pirate King struggle.He insisted on sailing alone to find some final island, and what was the result? He was captured and executed by the Marines! Idiot! Big idiot!!"He looked quite exasperated.But why did it feel like their relationship was actually quite good?Golden Lion Shiki grew angrier with every word. The famous swords Deadwood and sakura ten, which served as his prosthetic legs, began to hum. Visibly scarlet-red electrical arcs of Haki, like solid matter, coiled around them, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure."Brat!"Golden Lion Shiki stared intently at Luffy, "I am very tolerant of strong individuals. If you change your mind now and join my crew, I can overlook everything that happened before. I will welcome you warmly!"Luffy stood in an open space cleared by the previous shockwave, looking directly at Golden Lion Shiki, whose aura was continuously rising not far away, and shook his head."I refuse!"Chapter 244 Luffy vs. Golden Lion Shiki, Clash of Devil Fruit Abilities"Not interested. How about you join us?""Huh?""You're quite interesting, but you need to change some of your ideas. There's a reason you haven't become the Pirate King. How can someone who treats their crewmates as tradable commodities become the Pirate King?"Luffy uttered words that instantly sent Golden Lion Shiki's blood pressure soaring.Luffy's conduct and values were largely derived from the teachings and example of Red-Haired Shanks.