"Little devil, be my right-hand man! Help me dominate this world!"
"How?"
Golden Lion extended the invitation to Rhett Vane, though the term 'little devil' made Vane's expression darken. No matter who the speaker was, Vane wouldn't tolerate being addressed like that. Even if the Golden Lion was older and once far stronger, Vane considered himself his equal, if not his superior.
"Your words… piss me off."
Vane raised his right hand, clenching it as a pale, shimmering barrier of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power enveloped his fist.
"That power…"
Golden Lion's pupils contracted. That translucent aura was unmistakable to him.
"I heard you've got a Devil Fruit like Newgate's," Golden Lion muttered in disbelief. But before he could react, Vane lunged forward and hurled a punch.
"How disrespectful! Kid, you should treat the legends of the old era with awe!"
Golden Lion laughed, raising a boulder with the power of his Float Float Fruit. The massive rock shot toward Vane like a cannonball while Golden Lion retreated, giving himself space.
But Vane smirked.
"Do you think a rock like that can stop me?"
He drove his fist into the boulder. The surrounding air cracked with the force of his punch, halting the rock mid-flight as spiderweb-like fractures spread through the atmosphere itself. A shockwave rippled out, making Golden Lion's expression change.
Airquake! Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power!
Golden Lion had known Whitebeard for decades — rival, comrade, and occasional enemy. If anyone alive could recognize that force, it was him. The devastating quake spread through the floating island beneath Vane's feet, fractures splitting the earth as dust billowed upward. The stone projectile from earlier was obliterated, caught in the wake of the shockwave.
This power… so familiar. The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
"Kid, what kind of power is that?!" Golden Lion demanded, hovering in the air, burning with curiosity.
But Vane wasn't about to answer.
"I'll tell you… if you can beat me, old man."
With a grin, Vane flew toward him. Though the island beneath him had crumbled, the power of the Float-Float Fruit kept much of it suspended. The central island was the largest and still intact — for now.
"Defeat you? Kid, you're getting cocky."
Golden Lion's temper flared. Vane's words dripped with mockery.
"You haven't fought in twenty years. Do you think you're still at your peak? Golden Lion Shiki, it's time to retire. The East Blue would suit an old relic like you. Maybe you'll run into Garp there."
Vane sneered and launched another quake-empowered punch. Golden Lion countered by raising a massive lion-shaped structure from the earth itself. Formed entirely of stone, the colossal beast roared and lunged at Vane.
Lion's Might: Earth Scroll!
It was an impressive display of the Float-Float Fruit's power, but limited by the island's size. On solid ground, this attack would have been monstrous. The lion, larger than Vane's entire ship, roared thunderously as it closed in.
Vane grinned.
Airquake!
His fist struck, unleashing another shockwave that halted the lion in its tracks. Cracks webbed across the earthen beast. Before Golden Lion could react, Vane followed up with a quake-infused kick, shattering the lion into a collapsing mass of rubble.
Golden Lion's eyes widened.
"Kid, your strength… it's remarkable."
"But I'm not just any pirate either."
Golden Lion raised his prosthetic right leg — a famous sword — and swung it, unleashing a gleaming white slash.
Sword Strike!
The blade beam was comparable to Big Mom's Ikoku Sovereignty, capable of cleaving through the sea itself. This kind of swordsmanship was nothing new for a pirate of Golden Lion's caliber. The sword wave tore through the air toward Vane like a streak of lightning.
Vane dodged at the last moment, and the slash split a nearby island cleanly in half. The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air.
"I'm no ordinary man either. And there's no place for relics like you in this era."
In a flash, Vane appeared before Golden Lion, his fist already cocked back.
Another quake-infused punch hammered into Golden Lion's chest. Though the old pirate's physique was sturdy, age had taken its toll. He managed to resist most of the blow, but some of the shockwave passed through, rattling his bones.
A sickening crunch echoed in the air.
For all his legendary might, Golden Lion Shiki was still a man — an aging one at that.
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