Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 375 Seems like a god
A swordsman is only truly himself when he holds his sword with both hands.

When the Golden Lion abandoned his swordsmanship and tied his sword to his leg, he was no longer the peerless swordsman who slaughtered the entire world, but just an old man who was afraid of death.

But when he picked up the sword again, Li Xia felt that the golden lion in front of him had completely regained its heart of a strongman.

The overwhelming killing intent and domineering aura rushed towards me, as if it were a huge golden lion, lowering its head and staring at me menacingly.

His heart pounded, rapid as a drumbeat, and a faint white flame rose from Li Xia's body.

The vital energy surged, like a giant wave rushing through the body.

He nimbly twirled the spear in his hand, pointing it diagonally at the ground, his sharp gaze seemingly capable of cleaving through any obstacle in his path.

"Whoosh!"

The two figures charged straight at each other at the same time, without any fancy slashes, as those things would have no effect on the other.

"Ding!"

First came a soft clattering sound, like a switch being turned on, followed by a burst of clattering sounds that exploded in the air like popping beans.

Sparks from the clash of weapons were carried outwards by the resulting shockwaves, becoming even more dazzling than fireworks.

Li Xia's body moved nimbly in mid-air like a fish, and with each shake of the spear in his hand, silver flowers bloomed.

They attacked the Golden Lion's vitals from all sorts of unbelievable angles.

However, each time, Shiki was able to react in time under the influence of his Observation Haki, using his twin swords to either stab or parry the spear.

Even so, the Golden Lion became increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. His swordsmanship was by no means weak; in fact, there were few in the entire world who could rival him in swordsmanship alone.

But the strange long weapon in the young man's hand had a special charm that the Golden Lion had never seen before.

The spear seemed to have a life of its own, as if it had transcended the realm he could comprehend. The mere clash of weapons gave him feedback that was both real and illusory.

Sometimes what appears to be an opening can suddenly turn into a dangerous situation when he strikes.

Without his exceptional Observation Haki, Shiki even suspected that he would be pierced through by a spear in no time!
Li Xia had no idea what the Golden Lion was thinking, nor did he have time to think about it. At this moment, all he could see was the enemy before him.

The spear in his hand became increasingly graceful and agile, and Li Xia roared as he got into the heat of battle.

With a flick of his right hand, which was gripping the end of the spear, Ye Ji abruptly withdrew, then drew a semi-circle around himself.

Raising his spear with both hands, he smashed it down on the golden lion's head. The golden lion's anger, which had been suppressed and beaten, had reached its peak.

A flash of red light appeared in his eyes, which were covered by blood on his forehead, and black Armament Haki flowed across his arms, turning his twin swords jet black.

He unleashed his Devil Fruit power at full force, fiercely slashing back with his twin swords.

"Ding!"

Amidst the deafening crash, the golden lion's body involuntarily paused for a moment, while Li Xia's spear bounced backward due to the impact.

It seemed like another simple collision, but the golden lion's eyes suddenly widened.

As the spear rebounded, Li Xia suddenly bent his lower leg backward, and his heel struck the spear.

The spear immediately returned at an even faster speed, and during this process, Li Xia turned around and used the force of his body rotation to retrieve the spear once again.

It then rapidly magnified before his eyes, fiercely thrusting straight towards the golden lion's face.

"what!!"

Death has never been so close.

"Pfft-"

Blood splattered everywhere. The golden lion trembled as it closed its now-blackened hand, grasped the Night Silence spearhead that had pierced its palm, and moved it to its side.

The discarded 'Sakura Ten' spun in the air before finally embedding itself in a boulder.

"Huh-ha-"

Golden Lion panted heavily, his eyes extremely fierce. He endured the excruciating pain in his left hand, gripping the gun blade tightly. The grating sound of Armament Haki rubbing against the blade was enough to make anyone's teeth ache.

Then he laughed again, revealing his blood-stained teeth, like a hungry lion roaring.

The long sword in his right hand swiftly slashed back towards Li Xia's side.

"Ding!"

Li Xia drew his Murakumo Sword with lightning speed with his left hand, parrying the blow, and then, to the astonishment of the Golden Lion, he...

Suddenly, a sliver of lightning shot up from the silent spear, and then the entire spear instantly transformed into a blinding bolt of lightning.

It suddenly broke free from the golden lion's grasp and then solidified in an instant; this change was extremely fast.

At such close range, the Golden Lion tried his best to dodge or block the attack.

But it was too late. The tip of the spear was also stained with the darkness of the night, so the entire spear turned as black as ink.

"Lion·Senkiriya!"

The Golden Lion's wounded roar echoed through the night sky, and a barrage of slashes erupted in front of him.

Li Xia's pupils contracted, and Armament Haki instantly covered his body. He then pushed off the ground with both feet.

"Oh!"

The immense recoil from Moonwalk, combined with the speed of the Flying Dance Technique, caused him to instantly dodge to the side.

"Ding ding ding ding ding"

These slashes weren't particularly powerful, but they were extremely fast. When they hit Li Xia's body, they scattered into tiny sparks of light in mid-air.

Li Xia lowered his arms and spear, and his body returned to normal. This domineering way of using the spear requires a very good grasp of timing.

But it can save a lot of energy. The golden lion had already taken this opportunity to fly far away, and stopped in mid-air, panting heavily, trying to recover its strength.

The young man in front of him was more troublesome than he had imagined, especially his unbelievable marksmanship, coupled with his unpredictable spear.

It almost gave the Golden Lion an irresistible feeling.

I can't get any closer. If this continues, I'm afraid I'll die very soon!
The golden lion looked down at his empty left hand and the hideous wound on his palm from which blood was flowing incessantly.
A surge of intense resentment and anger welled up within him; he hated himself.

What have we been doing for the past twenty years?

Why hide like a shadowy rat, secretly plotting those underhanded schemes?

If I had worked hard to recover and exercise over the past twenty years, I definitely wouldn't be in such a sorry state now.

He looked at the young Li Xia and it was as if he saw Garp standing there, mocking him mercilessly.

They should be ridiculed.
The golden lion's gaze fell on the lone 'Sakura Jū' stuck in the stone.

Shouldn't a swordsman who has lost his sword be ridiculed?!

"Hey, kid!!"

The golden lion suddenly took a deep breath, reached out and grabbed his collar, ripped it off forcefully and threw it away.

His muscular upper body, covered in scars, was exposed.

Holding the 'dead wood' horizontally in front of him, looking at Li Xia, he seemed to see his younger self who was fearless of everything.

Perhaps that version of myself had already truly died when I heard that pulling out the rudder might mean death.

What's left is just a rat clinging to life.

The golden lion raised his long sword to the sky, his expression hardening once more, and laughed loudly:

"I only have one last move left. If you can withstand it, please give it a try!"

The distant clouds rolled in, and the terrifying power of the Float-Float Fruit was fully unleashed under the encouragement of the Golden Lion.

Blinding lightning flashed back and forth in the clouds, illuminating the entire sky in a bluish-purple hue.

Awoo, Kuroko, and the Straw Hat crew stood in the mansion at the foot of the mountain, gazing at the sky in awe.

Suddenly, several huge funnel-shaped whirlwinds appeared in the sky and peeked out downwards.

The clouds were compressed under the control of the golden lion, eventually reaching a height of thousands of meters. The lion's head, formed from the compressed clouds, opened its mouth in mid-air, and with a huge roar, everything began to shake.

The windows in the mansion shattered and splintered, and the snow on the ground throbbed.

"Hey, hey, this power level must be a joke!"

Sanji lit a cigarette and said, his voice trembling.

"We're doomed, we're doomed, are we going to die?"

Usopp covered his head and knelt on the ground.

Zoro gripped his sword hilt tightly, watching silently as Luffy stood beside him, his gaze equally serious.

"Boss, there's no problem."

Awoo poked its head out of the eggshell, and Black Charcoal nodded in agreement:

"Meow!"

The golden lion floats within the lion's open jaws, its arms outstretched:
"Hahahaha! If you can withstand this move, you can take my life!"

I approve of you!

"Great Lion's Might - Supreme Ruler!!"

The enormous lion roared to the sky and charged straight toward Li Xia's position with a destructive force.

Under the gaze of the golden lion, Li Xia suddenly released his grip, letting the silence of the night transform into a bolt of lightning that surrounded him.

He then soared into the sky and quickly disappeared into the clouds.

"Trying to hide? Not so easy!"

The golden lion grinned, veins bulging on its forehead, and raised its hands high. The huge lion also nimbly stepped in mid-air and pounced towards the sky.

Li Xia was in the clouds, drawn by the stillness of the night, and the surrounding lightning converged on him like swallows returning to their nests.

In an instant, the light here became so dazzling that it even illuminated the entire cloud layer.

Li Xia took a deep breath, his true qi surged, and his entire body suddenly swelled up.

He then clenched his fist, and black and red lightning converged towards his right fist, while at the same time, blinding natural lightning also converged towards his fist.

He raised his fist and stretched out his body like a drawn bow.

"Fist Bone Ten Thousand Thunders!"

Endless light illuminated the entire night sky.

Below, the Straw Hat crew stared blankly at the sky, where the silhouette of a colossal giant, towering above the heavens, was reflected in the clouds and swung his fist at the lion in front of him.

He seemed like a god.

--------------------------

1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Two more chapters, I'm out of ideas.
(End of this chapter)