In the center of the valley, a man was floating cross-legged in mid-air in an extremely arrogant posture. He had long, wild golden hair, like a lion's mane. He had a cigar in his mouth, was wearing a magnificent kimono, and under his feet, he was actually standing on two famous swords—Oto and Kogarashi.
What was even more shocking was that dozens of huge rocks, each weighing several tons, were also floating in the air around him, defying the laws of physics. They slowly rotated with his breathing, as if they had become a part of his body. The man seemed to have sensed their arrival. He slowly opened his eyes, and two sharp, blade-like gazes swept over them, filled with a world-scorning arrogance. "Oh? Do we have guests?" his voice was hoarse and magnetic, full of a ruler's authority.
Silver's body instantly tensed. His fingers tightened around his spear, and a sharp aura rose from him. He could feel a terrifying presence from this golden-haired man, in no way inferior to any of the monsters on their ship.
Ren's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw the man. The golden lion's head, the two swords... although his legs were still intact at this moment, this image, this ability, Ren would never mistake it.
Golden Lion, Shiki! The future legendary great pirate, a man who stood on par with Roger and Whitebeard. Ren's heart skipped a beat. How could it be him? He clearly remembered that in the original story, Shiki the Golden Lion should have joined the Rocks Pirates very early on, becoming one of its powerful commanders. But perhaps because of his own appearance, this world's timeline had subtly deviated. The Shiki before him had clearly not joined any faction yet. He was like a lone lion, roaming the seas on his own strength, and had already made quite a name for himself.
Just as Ren's thoughts were racing, a commotion came from the other side of the valley. "Hey! You golden-maned lion up ahead! Have you seen a wild boar as big as a house?!" It was Gatz's voice. He emerged from the forest, carrying a giant, unconscious wild boar, with Rocks and Newgate following behind him. When they saw Shiki floating in mid-air, they were also stunned.
Rocks's gaze swept over Shiki, the casualness on his face disappearing, replaced by the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent. Newgate grinned, letting out his signature laugh. "Gurararara, looks like this island has more than just wild boars. There's a much more interesting lion, too."
Shiki's gaze moved from Ren and Silver to the newly arrived Rocks and Newgate. When he sensed their two equally domineering auras, he showed no fear. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed. "Wahahaha! Interesting! So interesting! To think I'd meet two decent opponents on such a godforsaken island!"
He slowly descended from mid-air, his feet touching the ground, the two famous swords still floating by his sides. "From the looks of you, you're pirates too, right?" Shiki blew a smoke ring, his arrogant gaze sweeping over every member of the Rocks Pirates. "State your names. The nameless are not worthy of dying by my swords."
"And who are you?" Rocks asked in return, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable pressure.
"Me?" Shiki laughed. "The 'Flying Pirate,' Shiki the Golden Lion! This sea will be mine sooner or later!"
"Golden Lion?" Rocks repeated the name, the smile on his face growing more playful. "Never heard of you."
The sentence was like a needle, instantly popping Shiki's balloon of arrogance. His face instantly darkened. "What did you say?!"
"I said, I've never heard of a little cat like you," Rocks's tone was full of provocation. "But, since you're so eager to die, I'll grant you your wish."
"You're courting death!" Shiki was completely enraged. Oto and Kogarashi under his feet hummed and instantly flew up, becoming two deadly streaks of cold light aimed straight at Rocks's throat. At the same time, he waved his hands, and the dozens of floating rocks around him descended like a dense meteor shower, aiming to crush the Rocks Pirates and the entire valley along with them!
"Lion's Threat: Earth Scroll!"
Faced with this world-destroying attack, the members of the Rocks Pirates all looked as if they were watching a good show. Newgate even crossed his arms and said to Linlin with great interest, "Looks like we don't need to make a move."
Rocks just snorted at the two flying famous swords and the rain of giant rocks. He didn't even move. An invisible, distorting gravitational field erupted from him! "Heavenly Authority!"
The two famous swords, which were as fast as lightning, seemed to have run into an invisible swamp as they approached within three meters of Rocks. Their speed dropped drastically, and they were finally pinned in mid-air by an irresistible force, unable to move. And the rain of giant rocks was even more pathetic. They paused in mid-air and then shot back at their master at an even faster speed!
"What?!" For the first time, a look of horror appeared in Shiki's eyes. His proud Float-Float Fruit ability had been so easily broken by this man, and even used against him! He hurriedly controlled Oto and Kogarashi to defend himself, while quickly retreating, narrowly avoiding the returning giant rocks. BOOM! Dust and smoke filled the valley, and the earth groaned.
When the dust settled, Shiki's figure reappeared. Although he was not injured, the arrogance on his face was gone, replaced by an unprecedented gravity. He stared at Rocks and asked, word for word, "Who... are you?"
Rocks grinned, a cruel smile on his face. "Rocks D. Xebec."
The name "Rocks" was like a clap of thunder, exploding in Shiki's mind. Although he had just said he had never heard of him, how could he not know about the Rocks Pirates, who had been causing such a stir on the seas lately? They had conquered the G-2 Branch, stolen the super-warship Azure Dragon, and their core members had shockingly high bounties. Every single incident showed the lawlessness and terrifying strength of this new pirate crew. Shiki just hadn't expected to meet them here, in this way. And he certainly hadn't expected this man named Rocks to be even more terrifying than the rumors said.
"Rocks..." Shiki's gaze became incredibly sharp. He cast aside all his contempt, but his will to fight erupted like a volcano. "Good! Very good! Only by defeating a man like you can I be worthy of becoming the hegemon of the seas!" He no longer relied on those flashy long-range attacks. Instead, he wrapped his legs in Haki and, like a real lion, pounced at Rocks.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (148 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (150 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (130 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (50 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (80 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (90 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (50 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.