Chapter 44: Flying Ship

"Have you heard of the Golden Lion?" Luo Ning asked.

"Golden Lion? I haven't heard of him. Who is it?" Nami asked curiously. Unlike the manga, there are definitely some small discrepancies, but this is reality now. Nami knows about the Shichibukai and the Four Emperors.

After all, there's often news about these people at sea, but Nami has never heard of Golden Lion.

In fact, it's understandable. Golden Lion escaped from Impel Down too early.

And this guy didn't cause trouble after he escaped; he just went into hiding and researched his own drug, so there wasn't any news about Golden Lion in the later stages, and Nami didn't even know such a legendary figure as Golden Lion existed.

"A person from the same era as Roger, a member of the previous Rocks Pirates before Roger," Luo Ning explained the situation regarding Golden Lion. "After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Golden Lion created his own flying pirate group."

"He was just as famous as Roger and the others back then, and he's also the only legendary pirate who's escaped from Impel Down so far."

Nami grew terrified upon hearing Luo Ning's explanation. "You don't mean the Golden Lion is in East Blue, do you? We're going to find him now?!"

Nami asked a question that even seemed absurd to her.

"Congratulations, you got the answer right, but it's a pity there's no reward. Golden Lion is a Flight Fruit user, able to fly through the sky. Its position is constantly changing, so he keeps altering direction"

Seeing Nami's bewildered expression, Luo Ning couldn't help but laugh. Naturally, there wouldn't be any danger in following him, but there were bound to be some surprises.

"Is it too late for me to back out now?" Nami pleaded with a hint of despair. Finding such a legendary pirate felt incredibly daunting.

"Too late," Luo Ning chuckled. "Once you're on this ship, it's too late to leave! Hahahaha!"

Looking at Nami's face, Luo Ning couldn't contain his laughter. Indeed, with Nami's knowledge, seeking out such a powerful pirate now felt like a suicide mission. They were stuck with this, for better or worse.

"Don't worry," Luo Ning reassured her. "Golden Lion may be a legendary pirate, but he's not as strong as he used to be."

Golden Lion's rudder implanted on his head was a significant weakness in itself. As one aged, such injuries became more critical. After so many years, Golden Lion's strength must have significantly declined.

He also lacked feet. While the Devil Fruit ability was formidable, it was nothing in front of Luo Ning.

More importantly, Luo Ning couldn't fathom Golden Lion's logic. Why strap his two swords to his legs? Couldn't they be replaced with something else?

As a great swordsman, the double swords are his signature weapons, but he uses his legs to unleash his attacks.

You asked Hawkeye to test the difference between using his legs and hands to launch attacks. This is because you're frustrated with not weakening fast enough, right?

Honestly, if Hawkeye knew about Golden Lion's technique, he'd probably chase Golden Lion down and slash him all over the sea. This brainless fighting style from a legendary swordsman is an embarrassment to all swordsmen.

Currently, Golden Lion is estimated to be stronger than a Vice Admiral, which is already impressive. Of course, that's just in a one-on-one fight. In terms of destruction, the three Admirals wouldn't stand a chance against the current Golden Lion.

"Even if he's not that strong anymore, he's not someone we can mess with!"

Nami was freaking out. What on earth was going on with this guy that he wanted to provoke such a powerful being?

"Do you think I'm suicidal?" Luo Ning looked at Nami, speechless. There was no way. Nami was completely clueless. She didn't understand the sea or Luo Ning's strength. He was a ruthless force who single-handedly overwhelmed the entire Marine Headquarters.

Ultimately, Nami remained silent, but her expression still conveyed hopelessness.

After several days at sea, Luo Ning finally reached the bottom of Golden Lion's floating Sky Island. The islands were so far from the sea, they were barely visible to the naked eye.

Luo Ning infused the ship with his fantasy power, and it rapidly transformed, taking flight and soaring into the sky.

"A-are we flying?!"

Nami and the guards were taken aback.

"Don't worry, I'm in control. Look up!"

After Luo Ning's reminder, everyone snapped back to attention and gazed towards the sky. Soon, they spotted Golden Lion's islands.

Dozens of islands, varying in size, floated in mid-air.

"This is Golden Lion's power? It's terrifying!"

Nami had learned about Golden Lion's abilities recently, but she never imagined he could control more than a dozen islands suspended in the sky. It wasn't an exaggeration.

"Exactly, terrifying. He doesn't even need to fight himself – he could just drop those islands on us. Too bad the guy's not the brightest bulb!"

In Luo Ning's opinion, Golden Lion's destructive power far surpassed Whitebeard's. Whitebeard excelled at creating vibrations, but what about Golden Lion? He could just hurl these dozens of islands down, obliterating everything beneath them. Now that's scary!

And Golden Lion could keep using this ability. After all, he could maintain multiple islands floating in mid-air. As long as there were enough islands, this guy was a true embodiment of natural disasters. In short, his destructive power was significantly stronger than Whitebeard's.