"That's right! That's how it should be!"
Looking at Golden Lion's "mane" that truly resembled a lion as it floated under his Haki, Naruto's face finally showed excitement.
At the same time, Conqueror's Haki, no weaker than Golden Lion's, also surged forth from Naruto's body.
The two streams of Haki pressed frantically against each other, causing Dr. Indigo and Scarlett, who were caught within them, to grimace in extreme pain.
The two couldn't hold on for long and fell unconscious together.
The true battle between Naruto and Golden Lion was just about to unfold.
"Brat!"
"Golden Lion!"
Both their voices rang out simultaneously, and their fists met in midair.
Between the Conqueror's Haki-wrapped fists was distorted space, with both sides staring intently at each other in mutual incompatibility.
Different from before, at this moment both Golden Lion and Naruto wore fanatical smiles.
BOOM!
A giant lion suddenly condensed from the side, attacking Naruto according to Golden Lion's will.
"Jahahaha! Dare to be distracted during battle? Brat, is this how Roger taught you?"
The lion's head knocked Naruto to one side.
Bang!
Naruto directly smashed the huge lion head with one elbow, then stepped on air to reach Golden Lion's side.
Before the other could react, he kicked him downward.
"You're the one! Old man!"
"Has staying cooped up in this place for so many years made your brain rusty!"
Naruto let out a hearty laugh.
Without giving Golden Lion time to react, he raised his fist high, gathering power for a "Hakoku" strike downward.
The massive shockwave was about to destroy everything on the ground when Golden Lion's voice also rang out.
"Lion's Menace: Imperial Earth Coiling!"
This time what was condensed together was dust in the air, debris, even the air itself.
But this attack was also imbued with Golden Lion's powerful Haki, making this lion head even more solid than those previously constructed from earth and stone.
The supergiant lion head charged straight toward Naruto's Hakoku punch.
The two forces deadlocked in mid-air for a moment, then Naruto's Hakoku crumbled first.
There was no helping it. Hakoku wasn't a fruit ability. The moment it was launched determined the power of this strike.
It was impossible to continuously supplement power like Golden Lion's attacks.
The giant lion head formed by Imperial Earth Coiling also struck Naruto's body, sending him flying high into the sky.
"Hahahaha! Good! More!"
After being solidly hit by this strike, crimson traces appeared on Naruto's body, but his expression became even more excited.
This time, Naruto simply imitated a certain palm technique that descended from heaven, executing a mighty man's heavenly descent.
This move mimicked a certain unnamed naval hero's "Undersea Drop," except the method of attack was his own body.
Naruto became a meteor, crashing straight down toward Golden Lion below.
"Slashing Wave!"
This slash far exceeded the previous ones, shooting forth with incredibly intense Haki and power.
Fist and slash intersected, and ultimately the slash was smashed to pieces.
A shallow blood mark also appeared on Naruto's fist.
Bang!
This punch struck Golden Lion again.
However, with Armament Haki hardening, Golden Lion actually managed to block Naruto's fist with his head.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Don't misunderstand. It wasn't Naruto's blood.
The wound on his hand already showed signs of healing within just a few breaths.
"Hey! Senior! Can you still hold on?"
Naruto and Golden Lion were locked in mid-air struggle as he laughed and asked his opponent.
Ever since forcibly pulling out the ship's wheel earlier, Golden Lion's head had been continuously bleeding.
At this moment, his face also wore a savage smile that could easily frighten children.
"You're the one, brat! This little wound doesn't hurt at all!"
Grabbing Naruto's wrist and directly flinging him aside, Golden Lion reached out to remove the two famous swords bound to his severed legs.
Golden Lion, once again wielding famous swords in his hands, was now truly the "Flying Pirate Admiral!"
"Lion: Thousand Cut Gorge!"
Clang!
Naruto looked very satisfied with this slash.
He drew Musōkō from his waist again, then wrapped it in Haki.
"Divine Departure!"
Black-red lightning wrapped around a massive slash, tracing a long trajectory through the air.
Golden slashes continuously swarmed toward the black-red slash.
But Golden Lion's Thousand Cut Valley was like moths to a flame before this Divine Departure strike, unable to obstruct it for even a moment.
Facing the slash that grew larger and larger in his vision, Golden Lion felt momentarily dazed.
The Naruto in midair also overlapped with that detestable guy from his memories.
"Roger?"
Although weakened somewhat by Lion: Thousand Cut Gorge, this Divine Departure strike still solidly struck Golden Lion.
Giving him the same type of wound as Zoro would receive.
Divine Departure didn't mean "even gods must avoid it," but rather "the fall of gods."
This technique, like its name, possessed the power to slay gods.
"Cough cough cough..."
Golden Lion couldn't help but cough up blood. The slash that had nearly penetrated his entire upper body had made his life like a candle in the wind.
"It should end now, senior."
Naruto's figure landed again, but this time his face held no smile.
He looked at Golden Lion across from him with regretful eyes.
Ever since Golden Lion had pulled out the ship's wheel that had restricted him for over twenty years, he seemed to have also removed something that had been limiting him all along.
Afterward, in his battle with Naruto, he never again considered those so-called great plans to "conquer the seas."
His heart and eyes were filled entirely with the opponent before him.
It was only after that point that Naruto's way of addressing Golden Lion had returned to "senior."
This time it wasn't mockery.
"It's still far too early."
Golden Lion grinned again, then roared loudly.
"Lion's Menace: Netherworld Earth Coiling!"
With his roar, the main island of this floating archipelago, also the largest island, began to move.
This main island slowly cracked apart under the horrified gazes of those still conscious below.
The mountain ranges that Golden Lion had transported to mid-air seemed to hide several rivers of lava, which now also floated into the sky.
Lava and earth and stone intertwined together, forming a lion head larger than mountain ranges floating in mid-air.
Red-hot magma slowly gathered in the lion's mouth, letting out a silent roar.
Even Naruto showed brief amazement after seeing this scene.
What followed was an intensely burning fighting spirit.
"Come on!"
Naruto also roared, then every muscle in his body began continuously pulsing and expanding.
Even his hair seemed to gain self-awareness, beginning to dance.
Life Return: Full Physical Release.
At this moment, the terrifying power hidden within Naruto's body was completely unleashed.
His shirt was almost instantly torn apart by his expanding muscles, revealing a perfectly sculpted physique like that of a god.
After many years, Naruto finally showed his true appearance before others.
This shocking scene left even Kurama, who was secretly watching from within Naruto's body, somewhat stunned.