"Onii-chan, what's wrong?" Vivi asked worriedly as she approached.
Her heart had always been set on Hikaru, so she immediately noticed the subtle change in his expression.
Hikaru smiled gently and pulled her into his embrace. "We've found an interesting place. Maybe we'll meet an extraordinary person."
"Really~" Vivi didn't resist and simply stayed by his side, waiting patiently until Nami's emotions settled.
"Sorry..." Nami's voice was still choked with emotion. "I was just so happy that I lost control for a moment."
Hikaru understood that what she needed most right now was rest. He turned to Mikita and instructed, "Mikita, help Nami to the cabin so she can get some sleep."
"Got it~"
With Kalifa leading the way, Hikaru and the others boarded the Little Proverbs, bringing along the treasures taken from Savage.
He then turned his gaze southeast, adjusting the ship's direction as it slowly took flight.
Fifty thousand meters above the ground, Hikaru hovered in mid-air, scanning the floating islands below with his Observation Haki.
"This is definitely the Golden Lion's base!"
He was genuinely surprised. This place was northwest of the East Blue, close to the Red Line, which meant there was a risk of being discovered by CP0.
When he first arrived in the East Blue, he thought the Golden Lion would be raiding small nations in the northeast, but he never expected to find him here.
Hikaru was certain because he had detected a large number of strange creatures roaming the islands—creatures altered by the drug IQ.
Now that he had encountered the Golden Lion, he wasn't going to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away.
He pondered for a moment, recalling the Golden Lion's strength.
The infamous pirate commanded fifty captains and a crew of two thousand. That might sound intimidating, but in reality, they were just small fry.
Against his power, numbers meant nothing.
A single lightning strike—how many of them could possibly survive?
This was his plan. Before facing the Golden Lion directly, he would first create the perfect battlefield.
As he thought, dark clouds began to gather around him, forming a storm of destruction by his own hand.
In the monitoring room at the center of the floating archipelago, a group of pirates in work uniforms stared at the surveillance feed in confusion.
[Their surveillance system consisted of self-propelled Video Transponder Snails.]
"Everything was fine a moment ago, so why is it suddenly covered in dark clouds? The weather forecast said it would be clear today!"
"What are you scared of? We're part of the Flying Pirates! We've seen thunderstorms a million times."
"It's a shame the captain can't use his Haki anymore. If he could, he'd clear the sky with a single burst of Conqueror's Haki."
"..."
[God's Judgment!]
BOOM!!!
A massive lightning bolt shot straight toward the Golden Lion's stronghold, illuminating the darkened sky with a blinding flash.
"This isn't normal!" Some of the smarter pirates immediately turned to flee, searching for a safe place to hide.
"What the hell is that?"
At that moment, Golden Lion was with Indigo in his laboratory, observing one of his latest creations—a blue rabbit that could breathe fire.
"Kahahaha! A true masterpiece!" Golden Lion laughed. "But its lifespan is too short. It'll only live for three days before dying."
Puff, puff~
Puff, puff~
No, that wasn't an explosion—it was just Indigo's ridiculous way of walking.
He suddenly shouted, "Mika! Breathe fire!"
BOOM!!!
But before the rabbit could act, a deafening roar erupted outside.
"That's not right… It wasn't supposed to explode yet!" Even with the rudder stuck in his head, Golden Lion still had enough sense to know something was off.
"Captain! Behind you!" Indigo shrieked before turning and running for his life.
Golden Lion turned around, and his eyes widened in shock.
The fortress he had painstakingly built using the Float-Float Fruit—strong enough to withstand even a direct lightning strike—now had a gaping hole in its roof. Through it, he could see the apocalyptic sight of dark clouds rolling overhead.
Dodging falling debris, he leaped through the hole and into the open sky.
As he looked up at the storm above, a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. Without hesitation, he shot into the air, heading straight for the storm.
"Shishi: Senkiriya!"
Golden Lion spun in mid-air, using the cherry blossoms and dead trees that replaced his feet to unleash a fierce assault on the dark clouds.
He moved with astonishing speed, kicking and slashing dozens of times in the blink of an eye. Over a dozen massive flying slashes shot upward, cutting through the sky and racing toward the storm above.
But just as they were about to pierce the thunderclouds—
[Raijin's Ten Thousand Thunders!]
Hikaru had been building up energy for a long time. At this moment, he unleashed all of the stored lightning, sending a devastating surge of electricity crashing into Golden Lion's sword slashes.
BOOM!
The collision produced a deafening explosion, sending shockwaves rippling through the sky. The force of the blast spread across the floating islands, toppling buildings and reducing structures to rubble.
Golden Lion narrowed his eyes. There was no way this was a coincidence. Someone was deliberately interfering, preventing him from dispersing the thunderclouds.
Once Ten Thousand Thunders was released, the storm wouldn't simply produce random lightning strikes. Under Hikaru's control, the bolts would automatically seek out charged targets.
And thanks to Golden Lion's wooden prosthetic legs and the altitude he was flying at—he had become the storm's prime target.
Golden Lion quickly realized he was being locked onto, but with no understanding of physics, he assumed the unseen enemy was directly controlling the lightning to track him.
He had no choice but to continue fighting back, slicing through the incoming bolts while cursing furiously:
"Dammit! Who's sneaking around and messing with me?! If you've got the guts, come out and face me! How can you call yourself a warrior if you only attack from the shadows?!"
Hikaru didn't respond. Instead, he watched with amusement as Golden Lion flailed around, barely dodging the relentless lightning strikes.
This was just the appetizer. He wanted to wear Golden Lion down, frustrate him, and push him into making mistakes. The real battle hadn't even begun.
Hikaru knew better than to underestimate Golden Lion. If not for the rudder embedded in his head, Hikaru would have stayed far away from him.
But in his current weakened state, Golden Lion was a shadow of his former self. He couldn't even use basic Armament or Observation Haki, let alone unleash his Conqueror's Haki.
Even so, a man with the Float-Float Fruit could never be taken lightly.
"Hahahahaha!!" Golden Lion's laughter was filled with fury. "You've pissed me off now! If you've got the guts, keep hiding! The moment you show yourself, I'll slice you into pieces!"
Spreading his arms wide, he activated his Devil Fruit ability.
In the distance, a massive floating island rumbled as it began to rise under his power, tilting and accelerating toward the thunderclouds.
The ground trembled, and a deafening roar echoed across the sky.
Hikaru's expression darkened. Golden Lion… What a move.
This was an unavoidable attack. No matter how fast lightning was, thunderclouds couldn't dodge. If the island crashed into them, both would be destroyed.
It was a strategy of mutual destruction.
"NO! CAPTAIN!!"
On the island, the Flying Pirates realized what was happening. As the storm clouds loomed larger and larger before them, terror filled their eyes.
They knew exactly what their captain was planning.
And for them, it was a life-or-death sentence.
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