"Indeed, if we engage in combat with the Golden Lion, I cannot guarantee your protection."
The airborne Oboro halted his flight abruptly, turning to regard the six men suspended in the sky beside him through his mastery of atmospheric currents.
Holding the brim of his hat against the wind with one hand, he smiled with grim amusement. "To be honest, facing this old monster... even I feel somewhat 'nervous.'"
"If any of you die here... the survivors will carry your dreams forward... so don't concern yourselves with that outcome."
He spoke with casual lightness, but to the others, his words carried the weight of a death sentence.
Dolan, in particular, felt his confidence waver. He wanted to ask why they were pursuing such a dangerous confrontation. If the Golden Lion posed such an overwhelming threat, wouldn't it be wiser to avoid him for now? The Hell Pirates had only recently formed and hadn't yet shed their "newcomer" status... why rush toward such perilous waters?
Despite these thoughts, he naturally didn't dare voice his concerns.
"As expected."
Rob Lucci showed no surprise at this revelation. Looking back at the Hell Pirates' rise to prominence, including the Battle of Twin Capes, while Oboro's strength was undeniable, their successes largely stemmed from ingenious planning and tactical superiority. Against an opponent like the Golden Lion, however, cunning strategies would prove useless. As the saying goes, overwhelming power defeats technique. Furthermore, they were the ones initiating this confrontation, which meant certain tactical disadvantages were unavoidable. With Shiki's abilities, Oboro's usual methods wouldn't provide any meaningful advantage.
"So... Captain, hunting Celestial Dragons to enhance the Hell Pirates' reputation was actually preparation for meeting the Golden Lion?" Lucci suddenly asked, realizing the deeper implications. "If we were ordinary pirates, Shiki wouldn't even acknowledge our existence. But with your current fame and status, Captain... even the Golden Lion, no matter how arrogant, would have to take notice."
"Exactly."
Oboro nodded approvingly.
"..."
Lucci felt a chill penetrate his heart.
The longer he interacted with Oboro, the more his understanding of the man required constant redefinition.
Killing Celestial Dragons... when had that decision been made?
Could it be that back in the Sabaody Archipelago, at the very beginning of everything, the God Slayer had already been planning for this moment?
Such far-reaching vision was both impressive and terrifying.
"How thrilling... I've just become a crew member, and already I might die..." Kaka laughed carelessly, though his jovial expression carried an undercurrent of cold calculation. "I don't plan to be killed so easily, even by a formerly famous pirate." His teasing tone was edged with deadly intent.
"Old men are still old men, and they should step aside for the new generation," Yingge added with characteristic arrogance.
"Ultimately, it comes down to a simple question of strength, his versus ours," Dom stated with calm pragmatism.
None of them showed signs of backing down.
"Excellent... Do your best and survive."
"But don't be overly anxious. Whether he'll actually fight us remains to be seen."
Oboro delivered these words before leading them forward once again.
Oboro's search for Shiki the Golden Lion did include the possibility of recruitment, though the chances of success remained slim. Beyond the old Rocks Pirates, it was unlikely any other force could compel these legendary sea lords to willingly submit and unite. The generational gap between himself and the Golden Lion was vast, and while Shiki had aged, Oboro understood he would be at a disadvantage should combat commence. Victory would depend entirely on creating the right circumstances.
The Golden Lion undoubtedly ranked among the Four Emperors in terms of raw power, that much was beyond dispute.
Perhaps not equal to the current Four Emperors in their prime, but certainly comparable.
As for his defeat by Luffy in the original timeline, honestly, aside from plot convenience, it reflected the Golden Lion's deteriorated mental state. He had superficially orchestrated everything in the East Blue, crafting elaborate plans for world domination, but deep within, he had lost his drive and fighting spirit, a reality he refused to acknowledge. Luffy's appearance had provided him with a legitimate and compelling reason to bid farewell to the seas... a fitting conclusion to his legendary career.
Otherwise, had he fought with genuine desperation and bloodlust, even with Luffy's protagonist aura and advantageous weather conditions, defeating such a man would have been impossible.
The only logical explanation was that the fundamental problem lay within Shiki himself.
The Golden Lion had accumulated substantial manpower and financial resources over the years, including the establishment of a specialized scientific research team to study SIQ enhancement compounds... Moreover, what Oboro truly coveted was the Golden Lion's reputation and influence. The previous battles in the East Blue, combined with the recent confrontation at Twin Cape, had shown the Four Emperors that the Hell Pirates were manipulating them... No matter how proud Kaido and Big Mom might be, they weren't complete fools. In other words, future opportunities to exploit the Four Emperors' conflicts had become virtually impossible.
Furthermore, given Kaido and Charlotte Linlin's temperaments, they likely already harbored resentment toward him.
After all, in their eyes, he remained merely an upstart junior... No matter how notorious he had become, his audacity in playing games with them constituted intolerable provocation. Considering all these circumstances, the Hell Pirates desperately needed an established member who could intimidate the Four Emperors' forces, and Shiki the Golden Lion represented the perfect candidate. Aside from Oboro himself, the rest of the current crew, while considerably stronger than before, remained too inexperienced.
Even if the Golden Lion refused to join them, Oboro intended to leverage his power and reputation. His name alone would prove invaluable for rallying large numbers of remnants from the old era.
Additionally, there was the scientific research team assembled by the Golden Lion... After all, the power of science in the pirate world should never be underestimated.
"If we do end up fighting... what are my actual chances of victory? Without protagonist immunity, can I influence his psychological state? Or... has his mentality already 'declined' to that point? If the latter proves true, then excellent... Even if I can't recruit him, killing him and converting his abilities into skill cards would still represent a massive victory."
"Hehehe... I haven't felt this nervous in ages... How interesting."
"The possibility of death... This sensation is so distant... When was the last time I faced such a dangerous enemy?"
As he navigated through the sea of clouds, Oboro's thoughts raced while he muttered to himself with dark amusement.
Oboro didn't know the exact location of the Golden Lion's aerial territory above the East Blue, but he could use his system's analytical capabilities to extrapolate from the original story's plot details and narrow the search area considerably.
Thus, two days later, they found their target.
A position high above the East Blue.
Beyond the misty cloud layer, numerous floating islands of varying sizes and elevations stretched across the sky, each one massive in scale and defying natural law.
The most striking sight was an island shaped like a ship's hull. The entire landmass had been transformed into a vessel, with two rows of enormous wooden oars protruding from the soil foundations.
The spectacle of an island functioning as a ship left everyone except Oboro genuinely awestruck.
"He accomplished all this... using his Devil Fruit powers?"
Dolan swallowed hard, his voice betraying his amazement.
Previously, they had only discussed the Golden Lion in theoretical terms, lacking clear understanding of his capabilities... But witnessing Shiki's use of the Float-Float Fruit to suspend multiple massive islands in the clear sky was genuinely impressive.
This Devil Fruit's power was truly terrifying! The ability to levitate entire islands... and more than one at that.
With such overwhelming abilities, why would he even bother researching enhancement potions?
Dom and the others instinctively turned their gazes toward Oboro.
Oboro understood their unspoken questions and chuckled softly. "My abilities operate on fundamentally different principles than his. I manipulate atmospheric currents, while he acts directly on objects themselves... From the perspective of 'object manipulation' alone, his powers are more advanced than mine, though they're limited in scope and not as versatile. However, with my current capabilities, I cannot reach his level. Forget islands of this magnitude, I can barely lift small land masses from the sea, and they wouldn't remain stable for long."
"Captain, you make it sound easy, but to us, it's incredible... You're both nothing short of monsters," Kaka observed with his characteristic grin.
"Let's go meet this legendary figure who once... shared the spotlight with the greatest names in pirate history."
With those words, the seven figures flew toward the shadow of the colossal floating fortress overhead.