Damn it! Golden Lion's face changed dramatically at the sight of Rosinante's strike.
He tried to dodge, but his body was weak and unsteady, caught between the instinct to evade and the inability to move properly.
It seemed as if he were about to be cleaved in two. But suddenly, Rosinante tilted the blade slightly.
The strike that had been aimed at Golden Lion's head instead sliced through his last remaining arm.
The blade was incredibly sharp—his arm was severed instantly.
"Just as I thought," Borsalino murmured thoughtfully.
Golden Lion's mouth opened in a scream, but no sound came out. Blood gushed violently.
Yet Rosinante wasn't done. The massive sword energy swept horizontally, severing one of Golden Lion's legs along with both of his famed swords beneath his feet.
With both legs and an arm gone, the intense pain finally caused Golden Lion to collapse into unconsciousness.
"Hmph!" Rosinante let out a cold sound, then reached forward and grabbed Golden Lion. A wave of silent power surged into him.
This extreme force inscribed a peculiar sigil on Golden Lion's body.
Almost immediately, the pirate's wounds began healing before anyone's eyes.
This was Rosinante's Healing Seal—though it could restore injuries rapidly, it couldn't regenerate lost limbs.
"Golden Lion, it looks like you tried to gain the upper hand, but ended up worse off than before!" Rosinante commented.
Seeing the speed at which Golden Lion's wounds healed, it was clear the pirate still had some strength left; otherwise, such a rapid recovery wouldn't have been possible.
Golden Lion weakly opened his eyes, glancing at Rosinante before closing them again. He had no strength left.
He had guessed that Rosinante didn't intend to kill him immediately. Pretending to be exhausted, he had hoped to trick Rosinante and find a chance to escape through the Heaven-and-Earth Fading domain and the wormhole corridor.
But he hadn't anticipated Rosinante's decisiveness—his arm and leg severed without hesitation.
Even so, Golden Lion endured, offering no resistance, waiting for a single chance to exploit Rosinante's possible carelessness and flee. As long as he lived, there was always hope.
Yet Rosinante also possessed the Healing Seal, which restored Golden Lion's wounds but left him completely drained, just as Rosinante had said—he tried to "steal the chicken but ended up losing the grain."
"Healing Seal? So Rosinante doesn't want Golden Lion to die immediately. What's his plan?" Borsalino watched in puzzlement.
Not only did he spare Golden Lion's life, but he also applied a Healing Seal—clearly, he didn't want him dead yet.
As Borsalino pondered this, he noticed Rosinante lift his gaze toward him.
Under Rosinante's stare, Borsalino's scalp tingled. Instantly, his body shone with a brilliant light. In the next instant, he transformed into light and shot toward the Azure Sea.
"Hehehe… what a mess!" Enel laughed, thoroughly amused at Borsalino's flustered retreat.
Seeing Borsalino leave, Rosinante quietly exhaled.
Though the Heaven-and-Earth Fading domain was highly suppressive even against Borsalino, his strength was nearly spent—and now wasn't the time to confront the Navy.
Rosinante then retracted the Heaven-and-Earth Fading, making the skies even more magnificent.
"Let's go!" Rosinante grabbed Golden Lion and, with a swift step, dashed toward Stronghold.
"Hehe!" Enel transformed into lightning and followed after him.