https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-442-Golden-Lion-Five-Seconds-Away-from-the-Battlefield/12559699/
Chapter 441: It's Been a While, Kuzan
Chapter 441: It's Been a While, Kuzan
In the world of One Piece, strength is intricately linked to combat.
If one abstains from fighting for an extended period, their prowess diminishes rapidly, and their Armament and Observation Haki will also deteriorate quickly if not honed.
The Golden Lion, Shiki, and Moonlight Moriah are prime examples of this phenomenon.
During his prime, Moriah dominated the Grand Line, ventured into the New World, intruded upon Wano Country, and clashed head-on with the Beast Pirates. However, he was ultimately defeated by Kaido of the Beasts, an event that reverberated throughout Wano for a long time.
Undoubtedly, Moriah was extraordinarily powerful during that period, even if he fell short of the level of the Four Emperors, he was still close to their caliber.
However, after his defeat at Kaido's hands, he lost his fighting spirit.
He was pushed back to the first half of the Grand Line, took refuge in the treacherous waters of the Triangle, and lapsed into a cycle of sleeping and eating. Two decades passed in the blink of an eye, and he had deteriorated to the point where he couldn't even defeat the inexperienced Straw Hat Pirates, becoming arguably the weakest of the Seven Warlords.
His physical strength, Haki, and abilities had all regressed to a feeble state.
The Golden Lion suffered a similar fate.
After his escape, he hid on his island for twenty years, abstaining from any form of training or combat. As a result, his Haki and swordsmanship declined, causing him to eventually fall to Luffy, who had not yet mastered Haki himself, marking one of the three great embarrassments for the legends.
However, the Golden Lion of the present is different. After his escape, he didn't remain in hiding for long and soon resurfaced, engaging in numerous battles in the Grand Line and the East Blue.
Moreover,
during this period, he even encountered Garp and managed to escape after a fight.
The current Golden Lion, despite losing his legs and suffering a significant drop in strength—now far inferior to Whitebeard and Pirate King Roger in their prime—still possesses combat prowess akin to that of a Marine Admiral.
Kuzan, not yet promoted to the rank of Admiral, was still somewhat inexperienced in his strength. While he could hold his own against the Golden Lion, victory was not within his grasp.
"..."
Blasted off the island, Kuzan hovered in the sky, using Moonwalk.
He glared at the Golden Lion from a distance but chose not to pursue the attack, opting instead to retreat. He swiftly descended toward the ground below.
Winning had been a challenge from the start, and now that he had been forced off the island, engaging in aerial combat with the Golden Lion, who could fly freely with the powers of the Wafu Wafu no Mi, would be sheer folly, offering no chance of success.
"Hmph!"
The Golden Lion didn't give chase, merely watching Kuzan depart with a soft snort before flying back toward the island, his surrounding Haki gradually dissipating.
Kuzan's original plan had been to infiltrate the Golden Lion's island, secretly report the situation to Marine Headquarters, and then gather a force from the headquarters to deal with the Golden Lion. However, his infiltration attempt had been thwarted, and he had been discovered.
Yet, it wasn't a complete failure.
He had left a 'Den Den Mushi Signal' on the Golden Lion's island, which would continuously transmit location signals to the 'Receiver Den Den Mushi'.
With this Den Den Mushi, the Marines could pinpoint the location of the Golden Lion's island and formulate a plan to capture him.
The crew the Golden Lion had recruited in the East Blue was merely a motley crew, and a batch of elite Marines from headquarters would easily deal with them. The key challenge was that the Golden Lion's fleet and island were always flying at an altitude of several thousand meters.
Without locking down their position, pursuit would be futile.
Among Whitebeard, Roger, and the Golden Lion, the latter had been the most elusive and difficult to capture.
Aokiji, who had fallen from a height of ten thousand meters, crashed into the sea, instantly freezing a large portion of the ocean surface.
Aokiji stood up on the ice, glanced at the endless sea stretching in all directions, and ran his hand through his hair as he muttered, "Now, which way should I go..."
Due to his battle with the Golden Lion, all the Den Den Mushi on his body had been destroyed, leaving him without a means of communication with the Marines. He was temporarily unable to contact them.
"Oh well."
"Might as well head that way for now."
Aokiji looked around for a moment, realizing that it would be impossible for him to determine his exact location in the East Blue based on observation alone. With a shake of his head, he arbitrarily picked a direction and started moving swiftly.
After a short while, an island came into view in the two o'clock direction to his right front.
Aokiji's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately changed course toward the island. He continued running across the ocean surface, each step freezing the water beneath his feet and propelling him forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
After rushing forward for a moment, he finally reached the island and landed on the shore.
He glanced at the coastline before heading inland, intending to first pinpoint the island's location and then identify the nearest Marine branch from there.
He needed to contact the headquarters as soon as possible.
Soon enough...
Aokiji arrived at a village not far from the coast, but his expression turned slightly grim as he found the place deserted, with barely a soul in sight.
"Not a single person here..."
Aokiji tugged at his hair, his face creasing with frustration. He was utterly unfamiliar with the East Blue, and without asking for directions, he had no way of knowing his current location.
Without lingering, Aokiji quickly left the empty village and continued deeper into the island.
The island was not small.
There should have been at least three or five villages, and it was unlikely that all of them would be completely deserted.
After crossing a wasteland, another town came into view ahead of him. This time, without needing to approach, he could see a campfire burning in a grassy area beside the town, with figures gathered around it.
Without hesitation, Aokiji quickened his pace.
However, just about two seconds later, Aokiji's body came to a halt about a hundred meters away from the campfire. His gaze turned fixed, and he stood there, frozen in place.
By the campfire were two figures he knew very well. One had silver short hair and was sitting on the ground.
Next to him was a girl with smooth, black shoulder-length hair. She had multiple hands, each holding skewers of meat and vegetables that she was roasting over the fire.
After arranging the skewers, Robin turned her head and looked at Aokiji. A meaningful glint flashed in her eyes, and she greeted him politely and calmly. "Long time no see, Vice Admiral Aokiji."
"..."
Aokiji's expression was somewhat stiff.
Feng Ye sat there, watching the scene unfold, a slight curve forming at the corners of his mouth.
After so many years, Aokiji was still the same, but Robin had changed.
The composed one was now Robin.
And the tense one was Aokiji.
The only thing that hadn't changed much was that the scene before him still seemed harmonious.
(End of Chapter)
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