Chapter 268: Super Electromagnetic Sword—Floating Mountain ShiftThe Golden Lion, now

furious after being wounded by a deep slash across his waist, was enraged.

He wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat or feared injury. But being pushed to such a desperate state by a group of youngsters, and being injured in the middle of the battle, was unforgivable!

"Be careful, BOSS is entering phase two."

?

Although the guy with the sword was babbling nonsense, the enraged Golden Lion was done playing around. Fine, let them experience the power of a legendary pirate!

"Lion's Might—Thousand Cut Valley!"

With a powerful kick, countless gigantic slashes shot out from his weapons, 'Sakura Ten' and 'Dry Wood'! Some slashed straight down with icy sharpness, some formed crosses, others curved like crescent moons—there were endless, countless strikes! 

A blade that can cut through iron deserves to be called a master swordsman.

The ability to deliver a full-force flying slash is a sign of a skilled swordsman.

Now, under the feet of the Golden Lion, how many flying slashes are there? Not just one or two, but dozens, even hundreds, in an instant! And unlike the usual flying slashes that are only a few meters wide, each of the Golden Lion's slashes is as long as several dozen meters!

He truly lives up to his past reputation as a great swordsman.

For a moment, countless flying sword energies rained down like a storm, causing a chain reaction of explosions. Thunderous roars rang out non-stop as the ground cracked and shattered. Brilliant sword lights flashed, lighting up the island like daylight!

Amid the deafening noise, the entire massive island trembled, groaning with a series of vibrations, and countless rocks and dirt crashed down! It felt as though the island might collapse at any moment under the endless sword energies of the Golden Lion.

....."That's powerful!"

On the other side, Jabra, who had already taken care of thousands of pirate soldiers, was sweating as he watched the dense slashes falling down. With his current strength, even with the enhanced 'Blue Wave Balls,' he could only manage to cut a flying Rankyaku of about thirty meters at best.

"We can't just stand here, we need to help the boss!"

Just as Jabra reached for another Blue Wave Ball, a hand beside him stopped his movement.

Repeated use of Blue Wave Balls could lead to a dangerous 'awakening' or, in other words, a last resort. Roman had warned all of his CP0 members about this, telling them to be cautious.

But Roman never imagined that someone would be ready to risk it so soon for him.

"Stay calm," said Lucci, his voice steady. "You should have more faith in the boss. The men who defeated us in the past were no pushovers either."

Even so, if Roman and the others really started to struggle, Lucci would have no hesitation in using the two Blue Wave Balls in his palm.

Justice is built on a foundation of blood and corpses. Both the enemy's and our own...."Spit!"

As the roaring sounds began to fade, the battlefield was left in ruins. The ground was filled with huge cracks and sword marks! A voice called out from the smoke: "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine—"

"Not dead yet!"

"....."

Although Roman didn't respond, Luffy wasn't worried. After all, if Roman really wanted to hide, Luffy believed that no one in the world could catch him.

*Pant, pant, pant~~*

After the explosion, the Golden Lion, gasping for air, used his Observation Haki to sweep over the battlefield covered in smoke, his face darkening!

"Wind—"

A strong gust blew the smoke away, revealing Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, all covered in blood and wounds but full of fighting spirit— and Roman, completely unscathed.

"You guys take a break," 

Roman said, tossing a few greenish paper slips toward the three of them. At the same time, he shot up into the air, heading straight for the Golden Lion.

"I'll hold him off."

 "Arrogant!"

As Roman charged at him with incredible speed, the Golden Lion shouted fiercely, but quickly leaped backward to avoid the attack. Clearly, he wasn't foolish enough to fight Roman head-on before he recovered his breath.

"Lion's Might: Earthly Swallowing Roar!"

But being a legendary pirate, the Golden Lion couldn't allow himself to be chased around by a younger opponent without retaliating. He reached out, and immediately, a violent snowstorm engulfed the area, transforming into massive, roaring lions as tall as 100 meters. With the force of mountains, they charged at Roman!

Despite such a magnificent attack, Roman remained calm. He casually drew a long metal sword from his waist, taking a stance as though preparing to unsheathe it. His fingers slowly tightened around the sword's hilt.

Electric sparks began to flicker on the sword sheath! With every turn, Roman's body sank slightly, and waves of air rippled out from beneath his feet as if he were standing on water.

Using the 'Munch Munch Fruit' to create weapons, the 'Thunder Thunder Fruit' as a power source, the 'Door Door Fruit' as a base, and the 'More More Fruit' to amplify..."You're seeking death!"

A massive snowstorm lion mixed with Golden Lion's Haki charged toward Roman, who was preparing his next move, looking like it would overwhelm him."Firestorm!"

"Ultimate Attack - Giant Firebird Star!"

"Firebomb!"

However, huge magma fists, soaring firebirds, and high-tech explosives all collided with the lion made of snow and wind, pushing back Golden Lion's attack with a roar and explosion.

"Nami, Usopp, Franky!"

Luffy looked at his wounded companions, still rushing to help, and smiled.

The battle in the main hall was over.

"Alright, now I can go all out!"

No longer needing to worry about the "paper puppet army" in the hall, Roman focused all his energy on the sword strike he was about to make. As the completed puppets turned into crumpled paper scattered on the ground, he was fully immersed in preparing for the upcoming attack.

Using his body as a launcher,"Take this, my sword infused with Haki, fruit power, and technology!"

!?

Danger!!!

Golden Lion's Observation Haki rang in his mind, alerting him to the impending attack. But in this critical moment, the blood rushing to his brain met with a sharp pain from the ship's helm lodged in his head. This brief moment of pain—

A sword light soared thousands of miles, a shining streak across the sky!

The sword light cut through the air like a rainbow, piercing the sky and vanishing at the horizon. The air in its path twisted and deformed, leaving a lingering mark. You could even see lightning flashing and crackling in the air, with a sizzling sound.

"More More - 20x Super Electromagnetic Sword!"

Roman stood poised to strike, his sword cutting through space. Anything in its path would be pierced!

*Cough, cough, cough!*

A large, round wound tore through Golden Lion's shoulder, and even through the charred flesh, you could see the snowstorm behind him!

"Young one, quite impressive..."

Despite having one arm disabled, Golden Lion gritted his teeth and admired the skill.

"Nice swordplay!"

No, it's science.

Although Roman wanted to say that, the physical strain from manually charging the "electromagnetic cannon" was still too much for him. He could only keep his sword-draw pose, his coat fluttering wildly in the wind, trying to maintain the appearance of a skilled fighter.

"What a display of expertise!"

"Uh-oh! Roman's body—"

The members of the Straw Hat crew, who knew Roman best, realized he wasn't the type to show off his fighting stance for no reason. The only possibility left was—

"Second Gear - Jump Acceleration!"

In an instant, Luffy launched himself into the air to attack Golden Lion, drawing his attention. Sanji, in a hurry, didn't even use the Wind Shell and simply leaped up to grab Roman and carry him away.

!?

"Kid, you dare fool me!"

Golden Lion belatedly realized that was his best chance to finish off Roman. But his caution caused him to miss the opportunity to turn the tide of battle.

"Lion Slash!"

"Gomu Gomu no Fire Fist!"

While Luffy kept Golden Lion occupied in the air, Nami and the others rushed to where Sanji had placed Roman down.

"Let me handle this—"

Chopper quickly examined Roman and, after stabilizing his body with the "Hormone Gloves," nodded at Nami.

"Fire Pineapple!"

Blue flames entered Roman's body, especially his arms, allowing him to finally catch his breath after unleashing the "Earth-shattering Sword."

"What a pity,"

Roman sighed as he watched Golden Lion, still able to fight despite having one disabled arm, facing off against Luffy.

Observation Haki...

It made many so-called trump cards less deadly.

"Sanji, I'm fine, go help Luffy!"

"Alright."

Sanji immediately joined the battle, and although Roman had temporarily lost his combat ability due to the strain of his sword, he...

*Whoosh*

"Go, Flying Zoro Beast!" 

"What kind of ridiculous name is that?" 

Although he grumbled, Zoro, who had finally shaken off his earlier helpless position on the ground thanks to Roman adding wings to him, immediately joined the battle: 

"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Six Paths of the Crossroads!" 

The sword light, shaped like '卌,' viciously slashed towards the Golden Lion! At the same time, Roman focused his mind on the wings behind Zoro. This hadn't been done earlier in the battle because the wings had to be controlled by Roman himself to fly smoothly; otherwise, flying would only make Zoro an easy target. 

"Finishing Touch!" 

With the main trio of the Straw Hats joining the fray, they surrounded the Golden Lion, throwing punches, kicks, and slashing with their swords! The others used ranged attacks from the ground to tie up the enemy, causing the great legendary pirate to be overwhelmed, struggling to defend himself. ——————"Ha, what a perfect teamwork." 

Jabra, who was nervously watching the battle, let out a sigh of relief, looking like he thought: 

"We can win!" 

"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly." 

However, Lucci, who was nearby, poured cold water on him. 

"Even though he's old, injured, and losing his mind, he's still a legendary pirate. He shouldn't be this weak." 

As the two CP0 members began doubting the battle, 

On the battlefield, Roman had already stood up and was stretching his arms. 

"Ugh, I guess I still need more training..." 

Making an electromagnetic cannon with just his bare hands, it was easy for others, like the Railgun girl, but for Roman, it was a challenge. Though Roman's multi-powered abilities clearly exceeded the power range of an electromagnetic cannon, 

The people here were not as fragile as those in Academy City. (Toaru Reference)

"Another sword, try to—?" 

"Get out of the way!!" 

Seeing Roman, who had somehow stood up and was ready to fight again, the Golden Lion, who was becoming exhausted, suddenly erupted with a burst of Conqueror's Haki, knocking Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji away! Then, with a swift movement, he shot backward, creating some distance and immediately followed with: 

"Mountain's Coming!" 

With anger in his eyes, the Golden Lion reached out and summoned a slightly smaller island that floated toward him, causing Roman's expression to change drastically. 

It was clear that the Golden Lion no longer cared about his base and was now going all-out. 

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