As the light faded, the terrifying explosion finally echoed in everyone's ears.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The blazing sword energy Roya had unleashed grew clearer and larger in Golden Lion's vision.
At this moment, he had nowhere to hide.
"CRACK!!!"
Another deafening explosion rang out.
This was the sound of the sword slash landing on Golden Lion.
The countless Marine soldiers witnessing this scene were utterly shaken!
In their minds, Golden Lion, a man of immense power, had actually been defeated by this mysterious figure with a single slash!
And it had been so clean and decisive.
"How is this possible?!"
"That's Golden Lion we're talking about!"
"That legendary flying pirate was defeated by this mysterious man in one strike!"
...
They could vaguely make out Golden Lion's silhouette, distorted and flickering amidst the raging flames.
There were no screams—only the relentless crackling of the flames.
None of them dared to imagine the sheer agony Golden Lion must have been enduring within those scorching flames.
If it had been them, they would have long been screaming in pain, their bodies reduced to ashes.
When the flames finally dissipated, a charred, blackened figure that was once Golden Lion came into view.
His once-golden mane was completely gone, his entire body pitch-black, reeking of burnt flesh.
Yet, even in such a wretched state, Golden Lion, relying on his extraordinary willpower, slowly raised his hand.
Everyone who saw this couldn't help but shudder.
"No way... Golden Lion still has the strength to fight back?!""Even in this state, does he still have other powers?"
"What incredible willpower!"
...
Seeing this scene, Roya knew that Golden Lion was at his limit, but he couldn't deny that Golden Lion possessed the heart of a true warrior.
So Roya spoke softly, in a voice only Golden Lion could hear: "I take back what I said earlier. I acknowledge you as a true warrior."
After these words, Roya turned and activated the Rooster Talisman.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from everyone's sight, leaving with effortless grace.
Golden Lion gritted his teeth. Despite his severe injuries, Roya's words suddenly reminded him of what he'd once said to Gol D. Roger.
"You bastard... I swear I'll defeat you someday!"
With this final declaration, Golden Lion could hold on no longer. His eyes closed as he plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground and sending up a cloud of dust.
Only then did Sengoku and the others snap out of their shock.
Sengoku stared deeply in the direction Roya had departed, his massive Buddha-form hands clenching in frustration.
"That bastard got away again!" Sengoku growled angrily, reverting from his Buddha form as he barked orders to those around him. "Cuff Golden Lion with seastone immediately and return him to Level 6 of Impel Down's Infinite Hell!"
After issuing these commands, Sengoku turned to the carefree Garp beside him. "We only completed half our mission, yet you're still smiling? Explain what you're thinking."
"Never expected this mysterious man to not only possess unparalleled flames and swordsmanship, but also abilities similar to Golden Lion's. And the Op-Op Fruit must be in his possession too. I'm truly curious how he managed all this."
As he finished speaking, Garp slowly wiped the smile from his face. "But from what we've seen, the seas are about to become turbulent!"
Sengoku couldn't help but sigh in agreement. "Indeed, the seas will be in chaos. This mysterious man keeps thwarting our operations again and again. Damn him!"
This time, with just one sword strike, he'd defeated Golden Lion who had just escaped from prison.
Though Golden Lion had been in poor condition after his escape - missing both legs and no longer at his peak swordsman level - his Devil Fruit powers had grown significantly stronger. Yet Roya had defeated him with a single sword strike, leaving him charred like charcoal.
This once again redefined Roya's strength in Sengoku's estimation.
—
Meanwhile, Roya was flying swiftly toward Mariejois, as the system had already issued his next check-in mission.
[Ding! Check-in mission issued: Mariejois. Reward: Random top-tier Devil Fruit with no side effects. Time limit: 3 days.]
Using the Rooster Talisman's power, Roya floated rapidly through the air.
But moving like this was too cumbersome.
He decided to borrow Golden Lion's method.
After flying for most of the day, Roya finally spotted an island in the sea.
Without hesitation, he descended onto the island.
The Rooster Talisman activated at full power, its eerie blue light instantly enveloping the entire island.Under Roya's control, the island slowly began to float upwards.
Countless waves clashed and surged as the island lifted away, creating towering swells in the sea.
After turning the island into a floating landmass, Roya flew toward the sacred land of Mary Geoise.
Mary Geoise, located between the first and second halves of the Grand Line, stood at the summit of the Red Line.
It was the dwelling place of the Celestial Dragons, guarded by numerous elite fighters and intelligence agencies. Signing in here was an extremely dangerous endeavor!
But Roya already had a plan in mind.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and on the final day of the time limit...
Roya arrived unhurriedly high above Mary Geoise.
It was night, with dark clouds blotting out the stars and moon.
This was exactly Roya's intention—he had deliberately chosen the cover of night.
The floating island beneath his feet blended seamlessly into the pitch-black sky, rendering it invisible and unnoticed.
Standing at the outermost edge of the floating island, Roya looked down upon the sacred land below.
Mary Geoise was ablaze with firelight.
Roya could faintly discern the chaos unfolding beneath him.
He raised a hand to press down on his hat's brim. If his memory served him right, Mary Geoise had once experienced an uprising—when Fisher Tiger, a former slave, scaled the sacred land barehanded and freed thousands of enslaved people.
This current turmoil would allow Roya to slip unnoticed into Mary Geoise amidst the confusion.
Leaning forward, Roya leaped straight off the floating island.
The cold night wind whipped at his cloak as he descended rapidly toward Mary Geoise.
The chaos below grew clearer in his vision as he fell.
During his descent, he even spotted Marineford in the distance, dispatching warships toward the sacred land.
"What a beautiful sight," Roya murmured to himself before concealing his presence and landing atop Mary Geoise...