bookbashuk Chapter 164 Fateful Destiny, the Master of the Golden Lion
Chapter 164 Fateful Destiny, the Master of the Golden Lion
Chapter 164 Fateful Destiny, the Master of the Golden Lion
Somewhere along the vast and deep Grand Line, a pirate ship with a ferocious appearance is cutting through the waves.
The prow resembled a giant red skull with exaggerated fangs. It was Eustass Kid's pirate ship.
On the deck, Kidd was impatiently chugging his drink, listening to his men report sporadic news about the Straw Hat Boy's whereabouts.
"Pfft, that rubber idiot, he's pretty fast! Don't think he can get away from me like that!" Kidd spat.
"I absolutely must obtain the power of heroic spirits; that's the ticket to becoming a strongman in this new era—"
Ever since witnessing just a glimpse of the War of Heroes in Alabasta, Kidd's inner desire for power has been completely ignited.
He was no longer satisfied with just Devil Fruits and Haki; he set his sights on the Straw Hat Pirates.
More precisely, it was aimed at the most legendary Heroic Spirit attached to the Straw Hat Boy, Gol D. Roger!
This idea was crazy and audacious, but it perfectly matched Kidd's rebellious and fearless personality.
Just then, a shout came from the lookout tower: "Captain Kidd! There looks like someone floating on the port side!"
"Hmm?" Kidd frowned and walked to the side of the ship to look out.
On the azure sea, a golden figure was seen drifting with the waves.
The man seemed to have lost consciousness, but strangely, the seawater around him seemed to be slightly pushed aside by an invisible force, preventing him from sinking.
"Get it out!" Kidd ordered.
Several crew members hurriedly used hooks to lift the man out and lay him flat on the deck.
When they saw the man's face clearly, all the crew members gasped and backed away in fright!
"This guy looks like Shiki the Golden Lion?!"
"Isn't he already—dead?! Even if he's not dead, he should have vanished without a trace—"
"Never mind that, why does this guy look so young?!"
The man before me had dazzling long golden hair and a youthful yet sharp face. Although he was unconscious, the innate arrogance and domineering aura between his brows remained undiminished!
Kidd was also shocked. He crouched down and examined it closely.
It is indeed a golden lion, but it feels very different.
It lacks the warmth of a physical life form, but instead radiates a strange energy fluctuation, just like the heroic spirits of Alabasta!
Just as he reached out to touch it.
The golden lion, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes!
Those were sharp eyes, like a sleeping lion awakening, instantly locking onto Kidd, who was right next to him!
With lightning speed, the Golden Lion grabbed Kidd's wrist!
The force was so great that even Kidd's well-trained body felt a sharp pain!
"Little devil" Golden Lion's voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable majesty and a domineering air.
"I can feel it—the burning ambition and indomitable spirit within you—it's just like me—"
"You and I must be quite compatible, otherwise fate wouldn't have brought us together here."
Kidd was startled by this sudden turn of events and tried to break free, only to find that the other person's hand was as firm as an iron clamp.
"Listen, kid, do you want power?" Golden Lion stared into Kid's eyes, as if trying to see through his soul.
"The true power that allows you to stand at the top of this vast ocean, transcending all eras!"
"Do you want to become the true king of the seas?!"
Kidd's heart began to pound.
Faced with this legendary pirate and this soul-searching question, his pride and ambition were completely ignited!
He stopped struggling, instead met the golden lion's gaze, nodded heavily, and squeezed out a sentence from his throat.
"Of course I want to! But what can you, a wolf-fox, possibly do?"
"Hahahaha!!!" The Golden Lion let out a hearty laugh.
"Great! You don't need to worry about anything else, just know that I can do it!"
"Sign a pact! Lend me your power to aid my revenge! And I—will tear apart every obstacle in my path!"
Before he could finish speaking, and without any visible movement from the Golden Lion, Kidd suddenly felt a burning sensation on the back of his hand!
A Command Seal consisting of three complex blood-red lines appeared out of thin air!
At the same time, the golden lion's figure became more solid, and a vast amount of magical power gathered around him like a whirlwind. His spirit foundation, which had been damaged by falling into the sea, was recovering at an astonishing speed.
He and Kidd forged an unbreakable bond!
The contract is established!
Eustace Kid – Saber the Golden Lion
A flash of red light disappeared in an instant. Kidd felt the immense power connecting him to the golden lion, and the Command Seal on the back of his hand that symbolized dominance. A crazy and excited smile appeared on his face.
"This is really something! Straw Hat Kid, just you wait!"
The next day.
The news of Blackbeard Teach killing the legendary pirate Shiki the Golden Lion spread like wildfire throughout the Grand Line via the News Bird, causing a new wave of shock.
Blackbeard did not announce that he had summoned a Heroic Spirit, but even so, countless people were still in an uproar.
Blackbeard's fearsome reputation has reached new heights once again.
On the Going Merry, Roger held a newspaper, looking at the report about the death of the Golden Lion.
He was silent for a moment, then let out a complex sigh.
"Was that how Shiki's fate ended? What a pity."
There was little sadness in his eyes, but rather a sense of nostalgia for his old rival and a sigh for the changing times.
The hero who once rode alongside him in the same era has ultimately become a footnote to the past.
"Hmph, that blackbeard guy, he's quick." Crocodile snorted coldly, glancing warily at Tescatlipoca, who was leisurely smoking beside him.
Robin remained quietly engrossed in her book, as if all the turmoil outside had nothing to do with her.
On the advice, or rather, to some extent guided, of Tescatlipoca.
Instead of heading directly to Skypiea along their original route, the Straw Hat crew first turned towards Devil's Town.
Tescatlipoca chuckled softly: "Blackbeard is right there. Once you find your navigator, you won't need to listen to my side of the story anymore."
After a period of sailing, the outline of Devil Town finally appeared below the clouds.
However, the closer they got, the more the powerful figures on the ship frowned.
"It's too quiet—" Roger said in a deep voice.
His Observation Haki sensed a deathly stillness and ominous atmosphere permeating the town, as if a massacre had just taken place.
Zoro placed his hand on the hilt of his sword: "The smell of blood is strong, but—there's not much of a living presence left."
Tescatlipoca took a drag of his cigarette and said leisurely, "Looks like someone beat us to it and cleaned this place up very well."
The Merry slowly docked.
As the group set foot on the land of Devil Town, they found the streets in complete disarray.
The buildings were severely damaged, with traces of battle and dried, blackened bloodstains everywhere, yet there was hardly a living person to be seen, making it resemble a ghost town.
They found the only tavern in town that was still open, but had very few customers, and went inside.
The atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive. The few remaining patrons shrank back in fear when they saw this large group of men with imposing presence enter.
"Boss, I want meat!!!" Luffy shouted nonchalantly, seemingly oblivious to the unusual atmosphere.
The tavern owner served the food with trepidation, his movements extremely cautious.
Just as the Straw Hat crew picked up their utensils, preparing to eat something to replenish their energy...
From the darkest corner of the tavern, a boastful yet familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Hey, hey—I've been waiting for ages, Straw Hat Boy."
Click! Splash!
That was the sound of metal scraping and a wine glass hitting the table.
The Straw Hat crew suddenly turned their heads to look!
In that corner sat Eustass Kid and the rest of the Kid Pirates' executives!
Kidd wore a twisted, excited smile, and his robotic arm emitted a soft hydraulic hum.
What made Roger's pupils shrink was that next to Kidd, a young and arrogant man wearing a retro pirate coat with dazzling blond hair was slowly standing up!
"Shiki?!!" Roger gripped his sword tightly. The aura he sensed last night was indeed that of Shiki, the Servant!
The golden lion before them was not only young and strong, but more importantly, he exuded magical energy that was of the same origin as the heroic spirits!
Golden Lion's gaze instantly locked onto Roger, a wild, battle-ready grin spreading across his face.
"Hehehehe!! Roger! It really is you! You look much better alive than in the newspaper! It's been a long time!"
Boom!
Two powerful auras, representing the pinnacle of this era, collided violently without warning!
A shockwave, as real as a physical object, instantly engulfed the entire tavern! Tables, chairs, benches, cups, plates, and bowls were all shattered!
The poor owner and several customers didn't even utter a sound before they foamed at the mouth and passed out!
Dark lightning crackled in the air between the two, and the space itself seemed to twist and tremble!
"Hey! Red-haired guy!!!" Luffy recognized the red-haired spiky guy, but he didn't seem to understand the situation yet.
"What are you doing here? Where's that Travis guy? Oh, right, have you seen my crew?"
Kidd grinned as he stood up, his body surging with magnetic force, and countless metal fragments began to float and swirl around him.
"Them? Who knows? Maybe they're guests on Blackbeard's ship? But before that—Straw Hat Boy, hand over your head and your heroic spirit to me!"
Just as Kid was about to launch his attack, Luffy suddenly dodged!
"Don't even think about messing with Uncle Roger!" Luffy roared, his rubber arm instantly extending!
Meanwhile, the Golden Lion and Roger need no further explanation!
"Shiki! Looks like you've found a pretty good new ship!"
Roger laughed loudly, and Ace's sword was already half an inch out of its sheath, the blade wrapped in black and red Conqueror's Haki lightning!
"Heh heh heh! Enough talk, Roger! This time, there will be no storm, no damned fate!"
"Right here in this tiny tavern, I'll show you just how much of a Servant you really are!"
Golden Lion drew his twin swords, and the withered tree and cherry blossoms jingled. The power of the Float-Float Fruit made his golden hair and coat move without wind!
Clang!
Before their swords even clashed, the sheer force of their presence had already blown the roof off the tavern!
Straw Hat Boy and Eustass Kid!
Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, and Shiki, the Flying Pirate!
The clash of fates between two generations is about to erupt once again in the Devil's Town tavern, which has just been ravaged by bloodshed!
Tescat Ripper found a relatively intact chair and sat down, with Crocodile and Robin standing not far behind him.
The god of smoke glasses lit a new cigarette and watched the impending chaos with great interest, as if he were enjoying a wonderful drama.
"Seriously, do we have to pretend we're about to fight?"
He chuckled softly, his eyes deep and unfathomable amidst the swirling smoke.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Golden Lion was the first to sheathe his sword.
"Hahahaha! You've been thinking about defeating your old man for far too long, even though we're both already dead—"
Roger's eyes flickered slightly: "Oh? That doesn't sound like something an old man like you would say."
Golden Lion stepped forward and grabbed Roger's hand.
"Right now, I have an enemy I want to kill! Are you going to help me or not?!"
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