Chapter 163: The Golden Lion Appears!
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"Pah... pah..."
Ryuunosuke stood up and casually brushed the sand off his pants.
"Old man, I’m heading out."
He paused, turning back with a grin.
"Oh, and one more thing—just to be clear. If you keep working with Blackbeard... then I’ll be back."
"I won’t turn down an invitation from Uncle Whitebeard."
With that, Ryuunosuke turned and vanished into the distance, his figure disappearing along the shoreline.
By the ti Garp ca back to his senses, the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ ship was already a fading shadow on the horizon.
"That little brat..."
Garp smirked and cracked his knuckles.
"Should’ve smacked him around while I had the chance... Hahahaha!"
Watching the ship sail away, Garp let out a hearty laugh, full of both pride and frustration. The navy personnel nearby glanced at each other in confusion, unsure what had just happened.
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"Vice Admiral Gion, are you awake?"
"Are you injured?"
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates... they didn’t harm you, did they?"
Several navy captains rushed over, their voices full of concern. They were around Gion’s age and had once trained alongside her, but their careers hadn’t soared like hers. While she rose to Vice Admiral, they remained captains—limited by talent and resources.
"I’m fine," Gion replied, shaking her head. But her eyes held a trace of puzzlent.
Why hadn’t the Dragon Hunter Pirates attacked her?
Could it be... soone on their crew liked her?
Gion, used to admirers flocking to her, quickly jumped to the most logical conclusion in her mind.
If Ryuunosuke ever heard that, he’d probably burst out laughing.
With companions like Aka and Kuina—both top-tier beauties—romance was the last thing on his mind. He didn’t attack Gion because he didn’t need to. Letting her go was part of a bigger plan—to draw out Tsuru.
If Tsuru took action, there was no doubt that both Garp and Sengoku—the so-called "flower protectors"—would rush in as well. That would complicate things for Ryuunosuke, and he wasn’t looking for a brawl just yet.
anwhile, sowhere on the Grand Line, a large ship sped away from the direction of Marineford.
"Damn it," grumbled Cristo, captain of the Cristo Pirates. "The sea’s been getting crazier lately."
"Let’s get outta here before we run into anyone we really don’t want to run into."
His crew nodded quickly.
They were small-ti pirates, sticking to robbing rchant ships in the area. No senseless killings, no attacks on noble ships—just enough to get by.
Even the navy didn’t bother with them most of the ti.
"Captain," one crew mber said cautiously, "I think the navy might be screwed this ti."
"With the Whitebeard Pirates... and now the Dragon Hunter Pirates?"
"Neither of them is soone you’d want to cross."
"And if more groups join in..."
They all knew the World Governnt had serious firepower—three admirals, Garp, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku. But even then, the Dragon Hunter Pirates had escaped a full-on siege involving all of them.
And now Whitebeard—the strongest man on the seas—was joining in?
The odds didn’t look good.
Cristo waved a hand. "Not our problem. Let’s just sit back and watch the fireworks."
"Who knows? If they all wipe each other out, maybe the navy won’t chase us anymore. Hahahaha!"
Just as laughter erupted on the ship, a massive shadow suddenly lood overhead.
"Storm incoming?!"
"The hell is our navigator doing!?"
"Lookout! Where’s the storm coming from?!"
Panic erupted on deck. A shadow that massive could only an bad news at sea. But when the lookout finally spoke, his voice was shaking.
"C-Captain... It’s not a storm... It’s... the sky... look at the sky!"
Cristo’s eyes narrowed. "The hell are you babbling about now—?"
And then he saw it.
A colossal cloud—no, not a cloud—sothing massive was floating in the sky above them.
An island... no, a ship?
"Captain! It’s falling!!"
"Hard to starboard!"
"Everyone, full speed ahead!!"
They scrambled into action. If that thing hit them, they’d be wiped out instantly.
BOOM!
Just in ti, they managed to escape the impact zone as the enormous object slamd into the sea.
A figure stepped forward at the bow of the floating ship, laughing maniacally.
"Hahahaha!"
"You little pirates! Co on up here!"
A blond man with a wild grin stood tall at the front, radiating pure dominance.
The air around him was thick with presence.
He didn’t need to introduce himself—but everyone recognized him.
"The Golden Lion...?!"
"Wait... that’s Shiki?!"
"Wasn’t he one of the legends? A rival of the Pirate King?!"
"How the hell is he here now...!?"
Cristo and his crew were frozen with disbelief.
Still shaking, Cristo stepped forward carefully.
"H-Hello, sir... I’m the captain of this crew. If there’s anything you need from us... we’re happy to help."
Shiki’s eyes narrowed.
"You talking about the Dragon Hunter Pirates? And Whitebeard?"
"What the hell are they planning?"
His tone was direct, impatient.
Originally, Shiki had intended to ambush Marineford and execute his plan to wipe out the East Blue. But with Ryuunosuke’s recent activity, the entire sea had shifted. Even the Straw Hat Pirates changed their course, and their paths never crossed.
In the movie, he got beaten by Luffy’s Gear Third—maybe due to old age, or just bad writing.
But here?
The Golden Lion standing before them was no pushover. The current Straw Hats wouldn’t stand a chance.
"Yes, sir," Cristo said, bowing slightly. "The Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates... they’re preparing to attack Marineford."
"That’s why we’re getting the hell out of this area."
Shiki squinted, absorbing the information. He’d been off the radar for a while—focused on his own sches. But hearing this?
Things had clearly changed.
"You got info on these Dragon Hunter guys?"
"Give it to . Then get lost."
Cristo’s crew didn’t need to be told twice. They hurried to provide all the information they had—bounty posters, intel, sightings. Everything.
Once Shiki had it, they bolted.
BOOM!
Another island fell from the sky, smashing into the sea where Cristo’s ship had just been.
Cristo’s pirate group was gone—just like that.
Why?
Because Shiki felt like it.
He didn’t need a reason.
"Bounty... 800 million?"
"Even the crew’s janitor has a bounty?"
Shiki flipped through the papers, amused.
But then sothing caught his eye.
"The East Blue...?"
He chuckled.
"So... they ca from there, huh?"
That backwater sea might be more interesting than he thought.
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