Norton Sage immediately noticed the Golden Throne upon arrival; it was a great find. With his Observation Haki, he felt the throne's historical significance—it wasn't hastily crafted, and it possessed great collectible value.
Moreover, it is a throne.
Sage loves thrones the most!
He still sits in an ordinary boss chair in his captain's quarters, and now he has the perfect chance to switch it up.
Plus, all the candelabras and the shield insignias on the walls in the castle are made of gold!
Just these alone filled Sage's heart with joy.
The anger he had while punching through walls of stone earlier dissipated considerably at this moment.
Upon noticing that his crew mysteriously entered the castle without bringing him along, he stormed his way through.
"'Catastrophe' Norton Sage, I know you. You're quite famous; they say you've plundered several nations. You're a lowly commoner with no regard for nobility..."
Granny looked at the white-haired man with a sinister grin, twitching at the corners of his eyes, with blood vessels more pronounced in them, "But who permitted you to point at me, the king?"
The ground rolled like a giant wave, intertwining into several solid stone bundles, like tentacles, with pointed ends rising, aiming towards Sage.
"Nice hardness... indeed an Ability User."
Sage glanced up, showing disdain, opened his five fingers and simply swung them forward.
Bang!
In an instant, the stone tentacles shattered into pieces and fell to the ground like a rain of pebbles.
No matter how hard, it's still stone.
Facing the outward manifestation and internal destruction of Haki, shattering it was all too easy.
Granny was stunned, looking at Sage's outstretched hand, uncertainly stating, "Haki?"
Though he couldn't see it, he sensed it unmistakably.
To shatter his stone waves with a mere swing, it must be Haki—nothing else.
Granny, often interacting with stationed Navy, knew of Haki; he recognized it as a higher form of use.
"Is this your reliance?" Granny sneered, "You're just a mere pirate. How long can you last? I am the king..."
Zoom!
His words weren't finished before Sage's figure flickered and in an instant, he appeared in front of Granny, his legs forming an afterimage, like a whip, brushing past.
Bang!
In just one kick, Granny's body flew from the throne, crashing into the stone wall beside.
Sage stepped on the Golden Throne, snarling, "I've already told you to get off this throne—it's mine!"
Granny's body flew towards the wall, yet instead of getting dented, his body seemed to melt, causing ripples on the wall, like entering water, his whole being diving into it, continuously melting away.
"Commoner!!"
The furious voice of Granny echoed within the hall.
Above, the ceiling melted into waves like raging tides, pouring down towards Sage.
Sage's brow furrowed, he looked upwards, his fists igniting with black flames, swinging straight up.
"Tenha Kassatsu: Meteor Shower!"
Boom boom boom!!
Black flaming Haki bullets, under Sage's relentless strikes, blasted upwards, shattering the descending giant stone waves into fragments, the power of the Haki bullets even pierced the ceiling, creating a hole in the vast castle, revealing the bright moon and stars.
Only when he stopped did he turn his head in a direction, laughing, "Blocked, not bad abilities."
On the ground, Granny's sullen face emerged halfway from the ground, the part of his face that was kicked by Sage now shimmering, as if covered in diamonds.
This thing shielded his foot; otherwise, that single kick would have exploded his head.
Sage's attack power couldn't be calculated by normal metrics.
The North Star Divine Fist, practiced to his level, delivers internal destruction-like damage with each strike, paired with the internal destruction technique of Haki, the two overlapping damages bring forth more... ultimately resulting in 'True Damage.'
Blocking a single kick shows this guy isn't weak in strength.
"Commoner!"
Granny gritted his teeth, "Kicking the king's face like this is humiliation—I will bury you beneath the throne forever under my seat!"
"Bragging is a pirate's specialty, not yours, Tenha Kassatsu!"
Sage raised his hand to unleash a strike, Haki coiling around his palm, directly firing it.
Boom!
The pitch-black Haki bullet hit the ground, smashing a large pit in the castle's hall, while Granny had tunneled below.
"Hmm?"
Sage's pupils flashed red dots, releasing Observation Haki, sensing the enemy's position, yet this release left him momentarily puzzled.
The presence remains, not centered on any specific location, still occupying the entire castle.
This guy has merged with the castle.
This ability is truly...
"Too foolish!"
Sage stomped hard, hitting the ground to create a concave mark, causing the castle to tremble slightly, possibly feeling some pain.
"A sitting target—tear down this wreck; let's see if you perish!" Sage laughed.
The ground once again revealed Granny's figure, like swimming, his body emerged from the ground, clutching his abdomen, his face grave.
"Afraid to show yourself now." Sage said.
"After so many years..."
Granny gritted his teeth, "You're the first to make me, the king, perceive as troublesome!"