The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

This man did not come to kill him, nor to humiliate this aging lion.

That one cut was an acknowledgment, a tribute, and a farewell to an era.

"Heh." So, the Golden Lion merely let out a cold chuckle, suppressing his complex emotions.

He turned his gaze back to Gern, his tone still carrying the arrogance of a great pirate.

"Hmph! You little navy brat, what exactly do you want after going to all this trouble to find me?"

Seeing that the Golden Lion showed a willingness to talk, Gern smiled broadly.

Instead of answering directly, he plopped down on the deck, completely disregarding decorum, and took out a wine jar from a storage box beside him, followed by two large, rough, and sturdy bowls.

Breaking the clay seal, the clear and fragrant wine gushed into the bowl, its aroma instantly spreading in the sea breeze.

Upon seeing this, the Golden Lion was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh: "Hehehe!! Interesting!"

"I've roamed the seas for decades, I've drunk with pirates, I've drunk with kings, but I've never drunk with the navy! Hahahaha!"

Amidst laughter, he maneuvered his body, slowly descending, and casually sat down on the deck opposite Gern.

This is the tacit understanding between the strong, and it is also the weight that Gern now possesses that makes anyone take him seriously.

Once you become powerful enough, even opponents who were once defeated and humiliated by you can be defeated.

At certain moments, we can set aside past grievances, sit down quietly, drink with each other, and talk only about the present.

Gern first pushed one of the bowls of wine in front of the Golden Lion before picking up the other bowl for himself.

"For what?" Gern raised his wine bowl, looking at the golden lion.

"In order to... commemorate that flying pirate who made me feel death."

Also, to see... what the Golden Lion has become.

The Golden Lion looked at the full bowl of wine in front of him, then at Gern, and said nothing, simply picking up the bowl.

The two large bowls gently touched in mid-air.

"Ding."

.........

After several rounds of drinks, the sun, gradually setting in the west, shone in the sky, and the sea breeze, carrying a slightly intoxicating warmth, caressed the two people sitting opposite each other.

Shiki the Golden Lion slammed his wine bowl heavily on the deck, making a dull thud.

Then, he raised his eyes, those once domineering gaze now unusually clear and serious, fixing firmly on Gern.

"We've drunk our fill of wine and reminisced about the past."

"Speak! What is your real purpose in coming to see this old man?" With that, the Golden Lion curled his lip in displeasure.

"Although I hate to admit it, considering the so-called 'natural disasters' under your command, and you..."

Now, it truly is your time!

"What value do I, a washed-up old pirate, have to you?"

Faced with the Golden Lion's pointed question, Gern slowly raised his eyes, showing no signs of intoxication, only clarity, and calmly uttered five words.

"The white beard is old."

"!!!"

The golden lion's pupils suddenly contracted, and his entire body tensed up instinctively for a moment. Almost instantly, he reacted and growled.

"Newgate? I won't lay a hand on him! Nor will I cooperate with you to kill him!"

"Even pirates have a code of honor! You bastard!"

The golden lion looked at Gern, his eyes filled with wariness and anger at being offended.

They were once comrades aboard Rocks, rivals who fought each other yet also respected each other.

The complex bonds of friendship and morality among the top experts of the old era are not to be easily trampled upon.

Seeing the Golden Lion suddenly tense up, Gern remained expressionless.

He knew, of course, that Shiki would refuse, and he never considered joining forces with Shiki to assassinate Whitebeard.

Putting aside the issue of morality, if Gern really wanted to take action against Whitebeard, with the power he currently wields, he wouldn't need to rely on Shiki at all.

Whitebeard's destined fate is inextricably linked to Blackbeard Teach's conspiracy, and he has no intention of forcibly interfering with this trajectory.

Instead, they tend to go with the flow and achieve their own goals from it.

But he couldn't just tell Shiki directly, "I've read the script, Whitebeard is dying."

The golden lion is old, not stupid.

Moreover, there is indeed a bond and sense of morality among the four members of the Rocks remnant group that is difficult for outsiders to understand.

"Don't worry! It's not what you think," Gern replied calmly.

"And don't overestimate yourself."

"If I really wanted to do something to Whitebeard in his current state, I wouldn't need your help."

Upon hearing this, the Golden Lion's tense muscles relaxed slightly, but the doubt in his eyes deepened: "Then who exactly are you...?"

Gern didn't let him continue guessing. Instead, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, forming an arc, and he stood up from the deck.

The tall figure cast a long shadow in the setting sun, enveloping the golden lion.

He extended his right hand toward the golden lion sitting there, palm open, his voice clear and powerful, echoing across the vast sea.

"I need your power... your ability to make everything float in the air, an ability that belongs to 'natural disaster'!"

With a serious and focused expression, Gern stared intently into the shocked eyes of the Golden Lion, and uttered his final words, word by word.

"So, become my right-hand man!"

"Golden Lion - Shiki!!!"

Chapter 419 I am not Rocks, I will not die

Upon hearing Gern's offer of recruitment, Shiki the Golden Lion was initially taken aback.

Then, a burst of hysterical laughter erupted!

"Hehehehe...hahahahahaha!!!"

For a moment, the laughter was filled with mockery, unruliness, and a hint of angered arrogance.

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears streaming down his face. He finally managed to stop, then stared intently at Gern with teary eyes.

"Now... I finally understand why that bastard Roger refused my invitation back then!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Golden Lion's eyes sharpened, and with the dignity and arrogance of a legendary pirate, he met Gern's gaze without flinching.

"Because of who you are now... Gern!"

"I refuse too!!"

"So, what kind of outrageous joke are you making, you little navy brat?!"

The golden lion roared, and its immense aura began to rise uncontrollably.

"Who do you think you are?! You think you can control me just because you have power?!"

"I...I am Shiki the Golden Lion!!"

"Boom!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden Conqueror's Haki erupted, centered on the golden lion, and crashed into the invisible pressure that still lingered around Gern!

The two supreme auras did not directly collide and annihilate each other, but instead clashed and overwhelmed each other in the air!

At the same time, the golden lion's long, golden mane, reaching to the ground, danced wildly without wind. He stood up, his straight spine and disdainful gaze revealing his prosthetic legs.

One can still vaguely see the unparalleled charisma of that flying admiral from back then.

Immediately afterwards, he extended a finger, almost poking Gern's nose, his voice resolute.

"That's right! You're very strong! So strong that I have to admit, this era bears your name!"

"But!!" He changed his tone, his momentum rising to its peak, his voice like thunder.

"Even if you possessed that level of power, and even wielded that black knife..."

"You're not Rocks after all!!!"

This statement is the final declaration.

This shows that even in his decline and old age, Shiki the Golden Lion would never be content to be subservient to anyone!

His pride and ambition are legacies of that chaotic era, and he will never bow to the rulers of the new era!

Faced with the Golden Lion's resolute rejection and outburst of arrogance, Gern's face did not show the expected anger or embarrassment.

Instead, it evoked a cold, mocking laugh.

Then, he slowly held the Black Blade Eight Desolations horizontally in his hand. The blade was pitch black like an abyss, and its surface was covered with dark red cracks, emanating a chilling aura.

“I am indeed not Lox…” Gern’s voice was not loud.

"Because I never thought of 'becoming' him, let alone 'imitating' him."

Gern raised his eyes and looked directly into the dust of history.

"In my opinion, he lost."

"What a loser leaves for future generations are only experiences and lessons to learn from, not a template to be copied."

As he spoke, Gern's voice suddenly rose, booming in the Golden Lion's ears.

"And me!!!"

"Gern Reginald Sigmar, I only walk my own path!"

The moment the words fell, Gern's Conqueror's Haki, which had been flowing naturally, suddenly transformed into a tangible tsunami, carrying the will to crush everything.

With an absolutely dominant posture, it forcefully suppressed and forced back the golden lion's dark golden aura!

Despite this overwhelming and domineering presence, Gern's voice continued to ring out.

"Those people on Rocks' ship back then... Kaido, who thought he bore the 'so-called' destiny."

Reality has repeatedly slapped him in the face, and now he hides on his own ghost island, numbing himself with alcohol and a death wish, having long since lost his way.

"Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, all he ever wanted was a 'family' that could accommodate him."

For him, wealth and power were far less important than family.

Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom... She has witnessed too much betrayal and cruelty, and deep down she yearns for the 'gentleness' that was missing in her childhood.

Therefore, in the name of 'family,' and bound by blood ties, the kingdom of Totto Land was built, attempting to create a fairytale where all races could coexist peacefully.

After saying that, Gern changed the subject and stared at the Golden Lion, whose expression was changing and who was retreating slightly.

"All three of them found their own paths and ideals from the ruins of Rocks, and stepped out of Rocks' shadow."

“But…” Gern’s voice suddenly rose.

"The one who truly inherited, deep down, Rocks's insane will to 'overthrow the world and stir up the winds of change,' and regarded it as his sole creed..."

He stared intently into the golden lion's shocked eyes, and declared, word by word...

"It's you! Shiki the Golden Lion!!"

"It's you, the guy who always says 'Rocks is dead, the fleet should be disbanded'!!"

"You've never truly let go! You've been hiding for twenty years, researching so-called 'IQ' plants, was it really for those ridiculous beasts?"

No! What you yearn for deep down is still to challenge the world once again with absolute power, just like Rocks!

This proves that the will to peer into the 'world' itself has never been extinguished!

Gern's words were like a knife to the bone, causing the Golden Lion to tremble violently, his arrogant expression turning into unbelievable horror.

His deepest, most secret ambitions, which he himself was unwilling to fully admit, were ruthlessly torn open by Guern and exposed to the light of day!

Seeing the drastic change in his expression, Gern knew that his words had hit the nail on the head.

He then grasped the eight directions horizontally, took a step forward, and his Conqueror's Haki flashed with lightning around him.