As the news continued to spread throughout the world, many people refused to believe it, yet Aeridar's fame grew day by day.
Regardless of whether the news was true or false, many factions were re-evaluating Golden Ring Aeridar's combat power and threat level. They knew that Golden Lion had indeed appeared and that Golden Ring Aeridar was the one who had fought him. The outcome might not be clear, but Aeridar's unharmed return and Golden Lion's disappearance was proof enough. At the very least, it showed that Golden Ring Aeridar possessed a truly formidable strength, one that could rival Golden Lion Shiki's!
"Did you hear? The legendary Golden Lion has appeared!"
"Golden Lion? You mean the flying pirate?"
"Yeah, I heard he showed up on Aznat Island."
"You're all out of date. Golden Lion Shiki died at the hands of Golden Ring Aeridar!"
"Hey, hey, hey, no way! How is that even possible?"
"It's true! I heard that Golden Ring Aeridar even brought Golden Lion's body back to the Clifford Kingdom for a proper burial."
"My God, to be able to kill a legendary pirate of that caliber... Is he a monster?!"
"Since he's the master of the world's neutral zone, will he become a Yonko?"
"Who knows? He's still so young, and he has so much time. With his strength and influence, it's probably only a matter of time before he becomes a Yonko!"
In every street, tavern, and on every ship, countless people were talking about Aeridar.
....
In the New World, near Palm Island, three whale-headed ships—one large, two small—were anchored in the sea.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
"So Golden Lion is dead, huh… Died at the hands of that Golden Ring brat! He once said, 'I'll show this gentle era the true terror of a pirate.' What a joke!" Whitebeard put down his jug of sake and looked at the newspaper in his hand, his expression unreadable.
"Pops, it's insane that Golden Lion is dead," Marco said, his brows furrowed. As a veteran of the Whitebeard Pirates, he had seen Shiki before and knew the power that name represented.
"One generation replaces the next. But remember, I am Whitebeard!" Whitebeard casually set the newspaper aside, picked up his sake jug, and took a long swig.
"Pops!" Marco said with a worried expression.
Suddenly, Whitebeard put down his jug. "I heard a rookie with a logia Devil Fruit wants my head, right? His name is 'Fire Fist' Ace, isn't it?!"
"Ah!" Marco was stunned for a moment, then quickly replied. "Yes, he's a logia user who ate the Flame-Flame Fruit. He's a brat with too much luck, but Jinbe is intercepting him. They're fighting right now."
"That's good to hear," Whitebeard said, nodding. "But I'm curious... Jinbe hasn't finished him off yet?"
Jinbe's strength was at least in the top five of the entire Whitebeard Pirates. The fact that he hadn't dealt with a rookie yet was surprising.
"No, that rookie seems pretty strong. According to our intel, they've been fighting for a day and a night with no clear victor," Marco said, shaking his head.
"Gurararara! It seems like the rookies these days are getting better!" Whitebeard suddenly stood up. "Boys, let's go see that young punk!"
....
On an uninhabited desert island, a man with a straw hat and red hair looked at the newspaper, his eyes practically bugging out of his head. "What?! Golden Lion is dead!"
"To die at the hands of that man... that's incredible," Ben Beckman said, his cigar dangling from his lips as his face filled with shock.
"That's just too crazy!" Shanks said, shaking his head with an expression of disbelief. As an apprentice on the Pirate King's ship, Shanks had participated in the Battle of Edd War against Golden Lion. He knew that if it hadn't been for that sudden storm, the entire Roger Pirates would have been wiped out by Golden Lion, and there would be no Yonko Shanks today.
Having witnessed Golden Lion in his prime, Shanks couldn't imagine a man like that, who had the power to rule the seas and conquer the world, dying at the hands of a twenty-something Warlord. He wouldn't even dare claim that he could defeat Golden Lion today, let alone kill him.
As Shanks's first mate, Ben Beckman naturally knew the Red-Haired Pirate's history and why he was so skeptical. He shook the newspaper in his hand. "It must be true. When the World Economy News comes out, it's usually reliable. Morgans wouldn't just publish something this earth-shattering without proof."
Shanks was silent for a moment before he asked, "I heard Golden Lion's body was buried in the Clifford Kingdom?"
Ben Beckman nodded. "That's right."
Shanks looked up, a resolute expression on his face. "Let's go to the Clifford Kingdom. I want to meet the man who could kill Golden Lion!"
....
In the Totto Land Sea, on Whole Cake Island.
"Mamamamamama! Golden Lion! That old bastard is finally dead!" Charlotte Linlin sat on her throne, flailing her arms excitedly like a happy child, though this "child" was a huge, ugly, and extremely ill-tempered woman.
"The Golden Lion is dead!"
"The Golden Lion is dead!"
The cakes, teapots, teacups, and flowers in the hall jumped and cheered.
"The Golden Lion is dead, Mama!"
A small sun with a smiling face and a white cloud floated up and down.
"I can't believe that man is dead," Katakuri said in surprise. If Golden Lion hadn't been imprisoned and his fleet disbanded before it had fully recovered, the Big Mom Pirates would still have been overshadowed by the Golden Lion, and Totto Land might never have been established.
"Mamamama! This Aeridar kid, he did a great job! A great job!" Charlotte Linlin grabbed a small, still-bouncing cake from a nearby table and devoured it. "Tell everyone to prepare for a feast! I want to celebrate! I want to eat caramel cream puffs!"
....
In the Calm Belt.
The colossal body of a Sea King was floating on the surface of the sea. Its blood had stained the surrounding water a deep red, and although the scent was strong, no other Sea Kings approached.
A News Coo flew by and dropped a newspaper.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
"Huh?"
Kaido, who was in the middle of drinking, grabbed the newspaper as it floated down and squinted at it.
"The legendary Flying Pirate, Pirate Admiral Golden Lion Shiki, dies at the hands of Warlord Golden Ring Aeridar!"
Seeing the headline, Kaido froze and put down his massive sake jug.
"Oh... it's that kid. Looks like he's gotten a lot stronger! But to be killed by a brat like that, huh? Hmph!" Kaido casually tossed the newspaper aside and went back to drinking heavily.
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