Chapter 310 - 168

Chapter 168In his heart, the Pirate King should be like Shanks, or like Roger as Shanks described him: someone who cherishes his comrades, sails freely, and carries the dreams of countless people. He should never be like Golden Lion, who views recruitment and alliances as purely transactional, even using comrades as bargaining chips.Golden Lion certainly seemed interesting, possessing the heroic spirit of the older generation, but Luffy couldn't agree with this point.If he wanted to join the Straw Hat, he had to correct this."You really dare to speak your mind,"Golden Lion's mouth twitched violently, and veins popped out on his forehead. "And, are you saying that I'm not as good as that bastard Roger?!"But Luffy's words were like a needle, unexpectedly piercing a corner of his innermost being that he had deliberately tried to forget.Why did Roger refuse him back then?Was it really just because their philosophies clashed?What a joke! He hadn't asked Roger to become his subordinate; he had only proposed an alliance, just like when he joined the Rocks Pirates. He wasn't submitting to anyone!Why did both Roger and this kid scorn him for it?The more he thought about it, the more annoyed and angry he became!"If you have the guts, do it, kid! It's something even Rocks couldn't achieve back then!"Golden Lion furiously interrupted his own thoughts, all the frustration and anger transforming into a berserk intent to attack. "Lions Thousand-Cut Valley!!"He stopped talking nonsense and swung his feet violently.In an instant.Hundreds of condensed, crisscrossing golden sword slashes, like a torrential storm, engulfed Luffy!The sword slashes covered all possible escape routes for Luffy, each one containing the terrifying power to cut steel and tear the earth.His swordsmanship as a Great Swordsman was displayed to its fullest!Even though Golden Lion had lost his legs and used two famous swords in their place, the essence of a Great Swordsman lies in a deep understanding of swordsmanship, reaching the level of profound secrets.Even when executed in such a peculiar manner, its power was enough to make any opponent tremble with fear.Facing this storm of sword slashes, capable of leveling a small mountain, Luffy neither dodged nor retreated."Hmph,"Gas puffed out from Luffy's nose. He clenched his right fist, and extreme Armament Haki fiercely gathered, the deep black even faintly emitting a distorting black flash."Rubber,"Luffy roared, his fist like a cannonball, blasting out against the sky full of sword slashes."Super Pistol!"A rapid punch was thrown, and the extremely condensed Haki impact clashed head-on with countless slashes.The blasting Haki impact spread out in a fan shape, colliding fiercely with the dozens of sword slashes in front.Buzz!From the center of the collision, a visible white shockwave exploded, rapidly spreading like a ring, scraping the ground three feet deep.The remaining sword slashes collided with this Haki shockwave, twisting and shattering.The impact of the shockwave ruffled Luffy's black hair at his forehead, and also Golden Lion's long golden hair, which resembled a lion's mane.Golden Lion's mouth twitched again, his expression growing even uglier.He had already seen through the previous attack; this Straw Hat boy was indeed Garp's grandson, not just a reckless youth relying solely on his Devil Fruit ability.Although he was a Devil Fruit User, his physique was incredibly powerful, and his Haki was profound. He was an absolute little monster, almost as if Garp himself had personally trained him.Especially the quality and quantity of his Armament Haki, which was completely unlike what a rookie should possess.How old was he?"Did this brat start training Haki in his mother's womb?!"Then his parents must be quite something.Golden Lion cursed inwardly, simultaneously resolving that he absolutely could not take another direct hit from that kid's fist, which was infused with top-tier Armament Haki.He certainly didn't want to taste that punch again.Whoosh!Whoosh!Just as Golden Lion's thoughts raced, Luffy moved.With Observation Haki fully activated, Golden Lion's sparse, remaining sword-slash network was perfectly clear in his eyes.His figure flickered like a ghost several times, deftly slipping through the gaps in the sword-slash net, once again closing the distance with Golden Lion."Plus Gatling!"Luffy's fists, covered in Armament Haki, rained down like an incessant downpour, striking towards Golden Lion!"Hmph, I won't foolishly stand here waiting for you to hit me!"Golden Lion's eyes flashed. Facing Luffy's rapid approach, he advanced instead of retreating, and at the same time, lightly stomped the ground with one foot!"Lions Might: Earth Scroll!"Rumble!The ground beneath Luffy's feet suddenly bulged and deformed.Huge clumps of soil and rock instantly condensed into several ferocious, gigantic lion heads, letting out silent roars. One of them violently slammed into Luffy from below, while the others lunged from all directions to surround him.Bang.Luffy was caught off guard and was solidly sent flying into the air by the lion head directly beneath him. Immediately after, the surrounding lion heads, with an aura of crushing everything, fiercely clamped down on Luffy, who had no leverage in the air!"Is this the power of the Float-Float Fruit?"Luffy, in mid-air, suddenly exerted force in his waist and abdomen, forcibly twisting his body, and his legs spun out like a windmill."Rubber Plus Whip!"His legs, infused with Armament Haki, were like steel whips, instantly shattering the two mud lion heads that lunged at him.Dust filled the air.However, before the dust could settle, a giant foot, covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, burst through the dust like a mountain, slamming down towards Golden Lion.Before the fist even arrived, the terrifying wind pressure had already caused the ground beneath Golden Lion's feet to crack inch by inch."A giant's foot?!"Golden Lion's pupils constricted. Seeing this familiar yet unfamiliar technique, he burst into laughter, though his laughter carried a hint of solemnity."Straw Hat boy, you've really developed your Devil Fruit ability well!"Despite saying that, his movements were not slow in the slightest.Kare and sakura ten crossed, covered in dense Armament Haki, and forcibly blocked this giant foot!Clang!The fist and the twin swords collided, emitting an earth-shattering roar like a massive bell, and sparks flew everywhere from the point of impact like fireworks!Thump!A terrifying force, far exceeding Golden Lion's estimation, came from the sword blades. This foot was even heavier than the strength of the giants he had seen in Elbaf.One might think Luffy was some kind of mini-giant.Under the influence of this incredibly brutal force, Golden Lion's expression changed slightly, and he involuntarily spun and flew backward, his feet plowing two deep furrows in the rocky ground.As the giant foot landed on the ground, the entire Sky Island shook violently, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread hundreds of meters from the point of impact!The stirred-up dust spread outwards like a tsunami.Cough, cough.Golden Lion steadied himself in the distance, his face somewhat grim.This power is even more terrifying than that of a true Giant Race member!To what extent has this kid developed his Devil Fruit ability?"Uncle, your ability is fun, but it's useless if you can't hit anyone."From the dust, Luffy's giant figure slowly shrank back to its original size."Tsk!"Golden Lion cursed, calling him arrogant. Just as he had steadied his feet and was about to launch a counterattack, a black storm suddenly erupted from the still unsettled dust and rubble.It was a phenomenon created by extreme speed tearing through the air!Luffy's figure, like a black lightning bolt, attacked again with the ultimate speed of Gear Second Plus!The red dots captured by Golden Lion's Observation Haki in his pupils flickered rapidly. Almost at the moment Luffy's figure appeared, he swept his leg horizontally."Slash Wave!"A condensed, crescent-shaped sword slash tore through the air, precisely cutting towards Luffy's charging trajectory.However, Luffy didn't dodge. On his charging fist, Armament Haki surged like boiling water, faintly possessing a flowing quality."Five Times Release!"Bang!!!This time, the fist and the sword slash didn't even make direct contact.When there was still a little distance between them, the two highly condensed forces collided with a boom.They were at a stalemate.The berserk Haki and the sharp sword energy eroded each other, lasting only an instant before erupting into an even more violent impact than before.Luffy used the recoil to stomp hard on the air with his foot. Briefly floating in the air was not difficult for him.Things like the Six Powers' Moonwalk are, in the end, just a way of using power.In the eyes of the strong, many powers lead to the same destination.Luffy was already hyped up. In mid-air, his retracted fist expanded again.The flowing, seemingly alive black Haki coiled around his fist, emitting a terrifying, heart-stopping fluctuation!"Take this move too,"Luffy assumed a punching stance, and the Rubberability compressed it."Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun!"Boom!The air let out a muffled, compressed roar. A black beam of light, seemingly capable of devouring all light, burst forth from Luffy's giant fist like a spear of divine punishment, plummeting towards Golden Lion below.Wherever the light beam passed, space seemed to distort, and the sky itself seemed to be consumed by this pure Haki, as the surrounding light instantly dimmed!"You even know Elbaf's Hegemony?!"Golden Lion's pupils suddenly constricted, and he cried out in alarm!He was too familiar with this move!The Rocks Pirates had been to Elbaf and had even fought the Giant Kingdom's king at the time.Moreover, back in the Rocks Pirates, that crazy woman Charlotte Linlin often used this move. It was a terrifying technique that even he, in his prime, didn't want to take head-on!Of course, with Luffy's current strength and physique, the Hegemony he unleashed would certainly have a gap in scale and absolute power compared to Big Mom's.But he, Golden Lion, was also no longer the Flying Pirate of his prime.Even so.Retreating was not an option!He had his pride as a legendary pirate.Chapter 245 Conquerors Haki Infusion!"Gyahahaha, bring it on!"Facing this ultimate attack, Golden Lion's inherent ferocity was completely ignited. He let out a wild laugh, holding nothing back, and the twin swords Kare and sakura ten beneath his feet erupted with brilliant golden light.