chapter 63

"Golden Lion!?" Sengoku's voice suddenly rose in pitch. Looking at Mu Feng, he nervously asked, "Do you know where Shiki is now?"

"I don't know," Mu Feng shrugged. "But I think I can find him."

Sengoku was speechless for a moment upon hearing Mu Feng's response.

"Are you kidding me?" Sengoku exclaimed. "The search for Golden Lion has been ongoing for over ten years, and yet there has been no breakthrough. Apart from occasional discoveries of the Flying Pirate Group's wreckage, we've made no progress."

Smiling, Mu Feng replied, "Marine has always had a misconception when it comes to searching for Golden Lion. They believe that pirates can only be found at sea."

Sengoku's eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing Mu Feng's words. He couldn't help but say, "Are you suggesting that Golden Lion is hiding in a certain country on the Red Earth Continent? That would explain how he's managed to evade Marine's surveillance. I will immediately notify the World Government and request a thorough investigation of the countries on the Red Earth Continent."

For Sengoku, Golden Lion Shiki was the pirate he wanted to capture the most. Just as Garp's greatest adversary was Roger, Sengoku's greatest foe was Shiki.

"Um... I didn't say that, so don't blame me if you can't find him," Mu Feng said with an expression that suggested it had nothing to do with him.

"Huh!?" Sengoku felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

Mu Feng had no intention of explaining himself to Sengoku. Golden Lion was his prey, and he wouldn't hand him over to anyone else. Instead, he smiled at Sengoku and said, "Marshal, don't worry. I am absolutely confident that I can find and capture Golden Lion within a week. And if I fail, I'll come back to deal with these boring pirates."

Sengoku couldn't help but feel exasperated by Mu Feng's remark about the "boring pirates."

But now was not the time to correct Mu Feng's perspective on Marine.

"Mu Feng, Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Roger... these are all legendary pirates. They are incredibly powerful, and Golden Lion, in particular, possesses the Lion Fruit ability, making him extremely difficult to capture. Therefore, capturing Shiki will require a long-term strategy," Sengoku tried to convince Mu Feng with both emotions and reason.

However, Mu Feng seemed to completely ignore Sengoku's words. They went in one ear and out the other.

What did Sengoku just say? Mu Feng claimed he didn't know.

Observing Mu Feng's expression, Sengoku realized that he couldn't persuade him. He sighed and said, "Alright, within seven days. You will be solely responsible for capturing Golden Lion within that time frame. But if there are no results within seven days, I'll arrange for Polusa Lino, Daubman, and others to assist you in capturing Golden Lion."

"Yes, that's not a problem," Mu Feng readily replied.

Sengoku looked at Mu Feng helplessly and said, "Alright, kid. Now it's time for you to tell me where Golden Lion is."

"I just mentioned that Golden Lion is not at sea, but rather... on the sea. Marshal, the capture mission is quite urgent, so I'll take my leave now," Mu Feng said, bowing slightly and leaving the Marshal's office.

Sengoku was taken aback by Mu Feng's words.

His eyes suddenly narrowed.

Could it be true that Golden Lion had moved his Flying Pirate Group to the sky? No wonder Marine had been unable to find him. He truly was a lunatic.

...............

In the East China Sea, the area where the wreckage of the Flying Pirate ship was discovered.

"The side mission has been activated. It won't be completed unless I kill Golden Lion right away," Mu Feng muttered as he stood on the surface of the sea, gazing at the blue sky.

Side mission: The Fall of the Legend. [Mission Introduction: Golden Lion Shiki, once one of the three legendary pirates, has become a menace to this sea. As the Admiral of Headquarters, your task is to eliminate Golden Lion Shiki within seven days. Mission reward: access to the God-level mall; mission failure: permanent closure of the God-level mall.]

Mu Feng wasn't sure what the God-level mall was, but he knew that the system's products were always excellent. And the thought of permanently losing access to this God-level mall due to mission failure was something he couldn't accept.

In Mu Feng's mind, Golden Lion Shiki was already a dead man.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of air explosions accompanied Mu Feng's Moonwalk technique.

With each step, Mu Feng's figure rose tens of meters. After hundreds of steps, he had already reached above the clouds. Sometimes he stepped on the clouds, using Paper Arts-Infinite Body to fly with the power of the wind, conserving his physical energy.

His eyes, now with the Sharingan of the three-gou jade, allowed him to see scenes several kilometers away, although it wasn't true clairvoyance.

Soon, Mu Feng spotted a floating island, capable of holding numerous other islands in the air. It was evident that Golden Lion Shiki had mastered his Lion Fruit ability to an extraordinary level, surpassing the so-called "awakening" level.

Mu Feng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly made his way towards the island using Moonwalk.

...............

Golden Lion was patrolling his territory, with all the captured beasts placed on separate islands. He had arranged for his subordinates to feed them a special plant called IQ, which they had discovered over a decade ago, in order to facilitate their evolution.

As he was about to return to his lair, he suddenly froze.

He turned around and looked behind him.

In the next moment, his pupils contracted.

Because standing behind him was a figure he hadn't noticed before.

Short black hair, a white "justice" cloak, a pure white suit... and dazzling golden epaulets. All of these elements were too familiar. They indicated that this young man was none other than a Marine Admiral.