"Arrogant?"
Shano chuckled, shook the wine glass, and stared at the wine inside:
"Hey, hey, I just went back to my hometown, and you can't be arranged like this? It's really a headache. Forget it, whatever you say... What, do you have any objections?"
When he said the last few words.
He turned his head slightly and glanced at Aokiji.
Buzz!
The terrifying domineering aura burst out in an instant, like a mighty torrent, rushing towards Aokiji without leaking a single bit.
Crack!
The cup in Aokiji's hand and his sunglasses shattered at the same time.
"..."
Aokiji sat there motionless, still looking decadent and lazy, but the coldness emanating from his body suddenly stagnated, and a trace of cold sweat slowly seeped out of his forehead.
"Oh, that's too exaggerated."
He scratched his messy curly hair and said distressedly:
"The quality of the Conqueror's Haki, can it be said to be at this level? Even if we call old man Garp, I'm afraid he can't compare with you, little brother."
"Don't compare that old man with me, who do you think I am?"
Shano grinned, revealing his white teeth:
"If you want to fight, just do it. I slept for several days on the plane, and I just want to stretch my muscles. My hands are itching..."
On a plane?
Aokiji was stunned. How did this come from the East China Sea?
"I can't fight."
He shook his head directly in a very single manner. "To be honest, I'm not very confident against you alone. Of course, more importantly, the people above don't want our navy to go to war with you at the moment."
"Then you just..."
"It's just a joke, don't take it to heart."
Aokiji shrugged and poured them another glass of wine. "After all, it's rare to meet in the East China Sea. We have to pretend, otherwise it will be so embarrassing if the news gets out."
Really.
No one expected this guy's growth to be so frightening.
In just one year, he no longer even had the nerve to act pretentiously in front of him.
Tsk, if I had known...
I should have put on a little more pretense when we first met in the Food City.
"Alright, let's get down to business,"
Shano said, not wanting to argue with him any further. He downed his drink in one gulp. "What are you, a Navy admiral, doing on this remote island?"
The East China Sea, considered the "weakest sea," hadn't seen an admiral-level figure set foot on it in recent years.
"Ah, shouldn't I ask you first about this?"
Aokiji took off his sunglasses, looked at it with heartache, and carefully put it in his arms, "But it seems there is no need to ask. The dignified emperor of the sea has returned from the New World after traveling thousands of miles. His goal is obviously the same as mine..."
"It's Golden Lion."
He looked at Shano, "You have a good temper. Although I don't know what exactly happened on Cake Island, but to be able to chase you to the East China Sea... Tsk, that old man really offended someone he shouldn't have offended this time."
Shano did not comment, "When did the Navy's intelligence network become so efficient?"
"It's just a coincidence."
Aokiji shook his head, "Golden Lion's flying fleet was still on the Grand Line a while ago. Ten days ago, it was witnessed by a merchant ship from Upside Down Mountain. It passed through the top of the Red Earth Continent and entered the East China Sea."
"And before that, thanks to you sea emperors, this old man who was almost forgotten by the world has suddenly become the focus again. When the royal families of the member states of the East China Sea heard the news, they panicked and jointly wrote to the World Government, so the higher-ups sent me here to investigate."
"Then you are quite efficient."
Shano glanced at the night sky outside the window. "The East China Sea is so big, you can find it."
"What do you mean?"
Aokiji frowned, feeling puzzled. "Hey, hey, hey, don't make fun of me. I've been in the East China Sea for a whole week and haven't found any clues. Otherwise, why would I be drinking alone here... huh?"
He suddenly reacted and pointed to the sky in astonishment:
"What do you mean?"
"Yes, the Golden Lion is above this sea area."
Shano snapped his fingers, motioning the bartender to come over to settle the bill, and laughed:
"Then I guess there's no need to keep drinking. You're quite lucky to have run into me. Otherwise, your trip to the East Sea would have been in vain."
He pulled out his wallet, paid the bill, then pushed open the shutters and strode out of the tavern.
Aokiji hurriedly followed.
"How about joining forces?" Aokiji said, choosing his words carefully. "That old man is a serious threat, and his fruit ability is also very troublesome. I'm not worried you can't defeat him; that's impossible. But if he tries to escape..."
"Escape?"
Shano grinned. "That old man? No, don't worry!"
Previously, on Cake Island, Golden Lion had simply sought to regain his fame and had no intention of fighting to the end.
But now the situation was different.
This was Golden Lion's home base!
The Flying Fleet commanded a full fifty pirate groups, tens of thousands of troops. With so many followers drawn to his reputation, he barged in, and Golden Lion fled?
He shouldn't have claimed to be the overlord of the old times, a hero on par with Roger and Whitebeard!
Go sit at the same table with Moria Baki!
"This is a grudge between me and Golden Lion, don't interfere, otherwise I will beat you up too."
Shano's aura was overwhelming, he opened his right hand and clenched it tightly, "Remember this, Kuzan! But you are not idle!"
The world of the strong is a very distant memory, and many details have become blurred.
For example, who are the small cadres under Golden Lion, what is the name of the tree used to repel the ferocious beasts...
He can't remember anything.
But there is one thing he knows very well, in addition to pirates and ferocious beasts, there are also a large number of villagers living in the base camp of Golden Lion!
They used to live well in Qinghai, but their hometown was favored by Golden Lion and became the latter's base camp. From then on, they and the island rose into the sky and suffered from suffering and oppression.
So...
"Kuzan, your mission is to take good care of those civilians for me. Even if the subordinates of the Golden Lion come to interfere, with your ability, you should be able to handle it easily!"
After leaving this sentence.
Shano laughed loudly, stomped his right foot suddenly, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked. His figure instantly shot out like a rocket, stepping on the moon step, and headed straight for the top of the sky.
"..."
Aokiji looked up, watching the figure gradually disappear in the sky, was silent for a moment, and shrugged.
Protecting civilians first?
This guy... really. He
is obviously a pirate, at least in the eyes of the world, he is still a pirate. Why does he have such a sense of responsibility, making it difficult for him, as a navy, to refuse?
Whatever.
He wasn't a hard worker to begin with, so since someone else had already taken on the most strenuous work, there was no point in arguing.
This trip, he'd just treat it as a pure vacation to unwind...
...
Swish!
As the altitude climbed, the temperature plummeted.
Shano continued to push through dense clouds, and finally, after breaking through the final barrier, the scene before him suddenly opened up.
Moonlight, like water, illuminated the vast islands suspended ten thousand meters above the sky.
The central main island towered majestically, surrounded by a dozen smaller floating islands, like a moon surrounded by stars. In the center of the main island, a vast expanse of brightly lit buildings could be seen.
Its ancient charm reminiscent of a royal palace.
"Found it."
Shano briefly extended his observation Haki, sensing the powerful aura of unruly debauchery. He spread his arms wide and laughed heartily.
"Shiki, get out here!"
His voice was loud and majestic, like thunder, resonating throughout the night sky.
Hundreds of dark, cloaked figures suddenly emerged from all directions. Judging by their attire, they were all members of the Golden Lion's pirate group, each armed and fierce-looking.
"How dare you! Who are you!"
"How dare you trespass into Lord Shiki's territory? Are you prepared to pay with your life?"
"I am Captain Xianon of Hook, with a bounty of 70,000,000 berries. Identify your names!"
Leading the group was a three-meter-tall, burly man with a mohawk, holding two swords on his shoulders. He raised his head with a ferocious expression.
"Hmm? A young brat, coming here just to..."
His voice trailed off.
"You, you..."
The burly man's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the dark-haired boy in the moonlight. His swords trembled unconsciously, unable to even maintain their position on his shoulders.
"I can't be mistaken. You, you are the world's greatest swordsman, the emperor of the sea with a bounty of over 3.2 billion berries, Shano!!!"
Shano?
Hearing the name, then gazing at the truly familiar face, the other pirates paled and gasped.
A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow.
Ordinary people might not pay much attention to this, but as fellow seafarers, how could they not have heard of this most dazzling and resounding name of the past year, a name that no one else could match!
Clang!
Some dropped their weapons, some knelt on the ground, their legs weakened, and some turned and tried to flee...
But one thing they all had in common.
No matter how much they admired the Golden Lion, facing this supreme powerhouse standing at the summit of the ocean, no one could muster even the slightest desire to resist!
"You're kidding!"
The Mohawk-haired burly man managed to stand his ground, his face flushed as he roared in fury. But the beads of sweat on his forehead and the trembling in his voice betrayed him already.
"A big shot like you...a big shot like you! Shouldn't you be in the New World? Why are you here?"
"You're so noisy."
Shano frowned slightly and glanced at him. "I'm looking for the Golden Lion. I don't want to waste my time with you scum."
Boom!
Without a movement, his domineering aura suddenly erupted, sweeping through like a tsunami.
In an instant, hundreds of pirates fell to the ground. The Mohawk-haired burly man in the lead barely held on for a second or two before finally fainting.
Shano landed gracefully, walked through the crowd of pirates, and strode towards the palace.
In a blink of an eye, the palace gate was within reach, but Shano suddenly stopped, raised his head, and gazed at the palace's highest terrace.
There, a tall figure with long golden hair stared down at him, a cigar flickering in the night.
"Hahahaha... there you go, Kaido!"
Shiki the Golden Lion spread his arms, his arrogant laughter echoing through the night sky.
"I knew you wouldn't accept this. After all, our feud back then isn't completely settled yet! But you, alone, dared to chase me all the way from the New World to here? You're really not taking me seriously!"
"What Kaido!"
Indigo Fang, his deputy and chief scientist, roared beside him, punching the Golden Lion in the head. "Are you blind? Look carefully, it's Shano, the world's greatest swordsman!"
Is that so?
The Golden Lion scratched his head in confusion, poked his head over the railing, and took a closer look.
"So it was you, little brat!"
He blew out a puff of smoke and grinned. "If it were Kaido and Lingling chasing after me, I'd be a little apprehensive. But you?"
"Don't let the outside world's flattery make you think you're on my level! You green-haired brat! When I was terrorizing the sea, you were still playing in the mud! Why, you didn't even get a beating on Cake Island, so you came all the way to the East China Sea to get yourself killed?"
"I can't help it. The East China Sea is my homeland. I can't just sit there and watch it ruined in your hands."
Shano shook his head slightly and said leisurely, "Those abandoned by the times really only speak nonsense based on their age. But there's one thing you're right about."
"What?" The golden lion's grin widened.
"We're indeed not on the same level."
Swish! As soon as the words fell, Shano's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, leaving only a trace of afterimage in the air.
What a speed!
A flash of crimson light flashed across the Golden Lion's eyes, but before he could react, an incredibly powerful force barreled towards him!
"Galaxy... Impact!"
Shano's fist, swirled with black and red lightning, launched a powerful punch!
A terrifying and violent circular wave of air swept out, instantly sweeping the entire ground surrounding the palace back up and tearing it into countless fragments!
What was this move?
The Golden Lion's pupils constricted, and his wrinkled face trembled violently. Even though he immediately tried to block with his prosthetic swords, he was still a step too late.
BANG!!!
The force of the fist passed through the gap between the swords and pierced the Golden Lion's chest. The aftermath surged, unabated, and directly shattered the palace behind him!
BANG!
At that moment, the entire giant floating island trembled violently.
Under the violent impact, the palace complex was unable to hold on and collapsed instantly. Bricks and rubble flew everywhere, and smoke and dust rose into the sky, covering the sky and the sun!
"Cough!"
The Golden Lion spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his body flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, smashing into the ruins, crashing through dozens of broken walls along the way, and finally embedding into the ground, smashing a bottomless pit!
"I thought it would be a tough fight."
Shano slowly retracted his fist, stood in mid-air, and looked down at the ruins below, saying with some disappointment:
"So you... really are that weak?"
(End of this chapter)