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

Looking at this lineup, Golden Lion quickly weighed his options.

He himself flew here alone ahead of them; the pirate fleet was still far away.

Given the current situation, and the fact that those two brats have regained some of their strength, if this drags on any longer...

It will definitely be detrimental to me, and that guy Garp is probably already on his way.

At the same time, the Golden Lion's sudden thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout.

"Shiki!!" Zephyr roared like thunder, his arm muscles bulging, his Armament Haki covering his entire body like black steel, and the ground beneath his feet cracked open!

"You're distracted!!"

"Not good!" The Golden Lion snapped back to reality, only to see Zephyr already charging towards him like a cannonball.

His right fist was poised to strike, and a dark, domineering aura coiled into a spiral of air, distorting even the air itself!

"What?!" The Golden Lion hastily raised his sword to block, but Zephyr's fist struck his chest first!

"Bang!!" A terrifying impact erupted instantly, and the golden lion's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through several dilapidated buildings before finally slamming into the distant mountain wall, sending debris and dust billowing into the sky!

"Cough!" A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of the Golden Lion's mouth, and an expression of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Zefa's fist actually has this kind of power?!

He struggled to his feet from the rubble, a sharp pain shooting through his chest, clearly indicating that the blow had damaged his internal organs.

“Heh…” Zefa slowly withdrew his fist, his breathing slightly rapid, but his eyes remained sharp as knives.

"Looks like you're not much better than you were back then, Shiki."

The golden lion wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth and grinned maliciously, "Interesting...very interesting!"

......

PS: Admiral Zephyr's current strength is comparable to that of the three strongest modern-day warriors after the Rocks era: Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki.

Zephyr is indeed outmatched (unable to win head-on), but aside from these three top-tier contemporary figures, he can easily defeat any other character, even Rayleigh in his current state... Zephyr wouldn't be afraid of them.

Chapter 48: Kings Never Meet!

"I didn't expect you, Zephyr, to be such a formidable fighter!" The Golden Lion's laughter abruptly ceased amidst the smoke of battle.

He brandished his two famous swords, then suddenly withdrew his murderous aura and sheathed them with a clang.

"Alright, let's call it a day." The Golden Lion casually dusted off his cloak, as if the fierce battle just now was nothing more than a game.

“Shiki.” Zephyr’s fists were still clenched, but his tense shoulder line relaxed slightly.

He knew better than anyone else that even he wasn't absolutely certain of winning against the Golden Lion in a head-on confrontation.

“Teacher Zefa…” Gern wanted to step forward, but was stopped by a look from Zefa.

The golden lion keenly noticed this subtle movement, and his golden eyebrows shot up as he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hehehe!" The golden lion rose into the air, its long golden hair burning like flames in the setting sun.

He floated into the air, looking down at Gern, his eyes gleaming with a cat-and-mouse malice: "Kid, where did your courage go?"

The sea breeze, carrying the stench of blood, filled his nostrils, and every word the Golden Lion spoke next slithered into Gern's ears like venomous snakes.

“Gern? Heh, I thought you were an interesting fellow.” The Golden Lion’s voice was filled with undisguised contempt.

"I'm not here for that piece of trash who got arrested, but because I heard you fought with Newgate. That's what really interests me."

But now it seems that, apart from that unexpected punch, you don't even have the right to make me take you seriously.

No, no, no!! A brat who doesn't even have Conqueror's Haki dares to fight Whitebeard? What a joke!

It must have been Newgate's kind heart that spared your life! Just like me right now, hahaha!!

The laughter, filled with humiliation and mockery, made Gern clench his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Every word the Golden Lion uttered pierced his heart like a knife.

The humiliating words kept echoing in my mind...

Sakazuki's magma fist suddenly burst into flames, but Zephyr blocked it with his arm.

Zephyr's sunglasses reflected a cold light as he subtly shook his head.

Then, Zephyr glanced at Gern, his brows furrowed.

After three years of working together, he knew his disciple all too well...

Gern appears calm and composed, but in reality, he is unruly and competitive.

Whether it was his confrontation with Whitebeard three years ago or his duel with himself on the training field, he never gave an inch.

Now, facing the humiliation of the Golden Lion...

"What, you're not convinced?" Seeing Gern's silence, the Golden Lion laughed even more arrogantly and swooped down to within ten meters of Gern.

Then, he extended a finger and waved it dismissively: "Remember, next time you see my flag..."

Before he could finish speaking, a pebble grazed Gern's cheek.

"You must crawl away like a dog!!!"

These words struck like a heavy hammer blow to Gern's dignity.

"Zefa, teach your apprentice a lesson. The weak should act like the weak!"

The Golden Lion watched this scene with satisfaction, then turned and leaped into the air, his maniacal laughter accompanied by the aftershocks of his Conqueror's Haki.

It is suppression, it is intimidation! It is also a provocation by the strong against the weak.

......

The sea breeze seemed to freeze in Gern's ears, while the golden lion's maniacal laughter and the lingering power of its domineering aura clung to Gern like rust.

The bloodstains on his face from the pebbles burned fiercely, but this was nothing compared to the humiliating pain churning in his chest.

The moment those words exploded in my mind, countless fragments of memory flooded my brain like shards of glass.

Wandering through the slums of the Western Sea, huddled in a stinking alleyway, swallowing moldy bread.

The system, which thought it would awaken, eventually resigned itself to its fate and joined the navy as a menial laborer in order to gain a chance to survive.

On the recruit training field of the West Sea branch, I was like a lowly henchman, fawning over the training officer... I was frantically saving money, trying to change my fate...

Ultimately, all the images freeze on the golden lion's mocking golden eyes as it looks down.

[If only he could be as quiet as when he was a recruit in the West Sea.] Gern's knuckles cracked under the strain, his nails already digging into his palms.

When he first joined the Navy, that's what he did—bowed his head, remained silent, and survived.

Like a rat in a sewer, barely clinging to life with scraps in its beak.

I don't have a system... I only have one life...

But if even my own spine in the present moment can be broken so easily...?

The golden lion's cloak fluttered in the setting sun, the golden hue of the sky stinging his eyes.

What about all my meticulous planning and scheming over the years?!

What did it matter if he gambled his life against Whitebeard?! What did it matter if he endured relentless training day and night?!

My blood began to boil, and my eardrums throbbed with an unfamiliar roar.

Something was tearing out from the depths of his marrow, like a trapped beast gnawing at its cage.

The golden lion had risen into the air, its silhouette filled with disdain.

But suddenly, Gern, who was holding the black sword Bahuang, smiled.

He slowly raised his head, a ferocious smile twisting his blood-stained lips.

Sakazuki's lava, Zephyr's arms, Gorn's own trembling knees...

All the world's voices faded away at that moment, leaving only the thunderous sound of hearts pounding in chests.

【I deny it—】The air suddenly froze.

"Huh?!" The golden lion's laughter, which was about to leave, came to an abrupt halt.

He then turned around abruptly and saw the young man he called an "ant" standing straight, a scarlet light emanating from the depths of his dark pupils.

In my heart, you're just a two-dimensional character. Before I time-traveled, I could easily flip through your entire life story.

What makes you think you deserve this?

"I reject your rules!"

"Now that I'm here, I'm the protagonist of this world, and I should be the one to set all the rules!!!"

The moment Gern shouted, the air seemed to freeze for a second.

Then, centered on Gern, a raging wave of Conqueror's Haki swept out like a tsunami!

The earth cracked inch by inch, rubble floated into the air, and the dark clouds in the sky were forcibly torn open with a crack!

Zephyr and Sakazuki both took a step back, their eyes flashing with shock.

The golden lion's cape was torn to shreds by the shockwave, while Zephyr's sunglasses cracked with a "snap," revealing spiderweb-like patterns.

Overlord color and domineering!

It is not a gift of bloodline, nor a favor of talent, but a raging fire that rises from the ashes of the soul after dignity has been crushed into dust.

"A king does not meet a king?" Gern took a step, and the ground beneath his feet crumbled and shattered inch by inch.

He stared at the golden lion's suddenly contracting pupils, letting the torrent of Conqueror's Haki collide violently with its opponent.

“Then let’s give it a try…” Gern’s pupils contracted sharply, and his black hair danced wildly under the impact of his domineering aura.

"Who should kneel down?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, pale vibrating particles and black-red overlord-colored lightning enveloped Gern.

At the same time, the Black Blade Eight Desolations suddenly trembled violently, and the dark red patterns that appeared on the black blade were particularly eye-catching, as if it had been awakened by some kind of power!

"Whoosh!" Black and red lightning crackled around the jet-black blade, resonating with Gern's Conqueror's Haki!

Gern gripped the hilt of the Eight Desolations Blade, and the blade instantly erupted with a dazzling black and red light.

The vibrational particles and Conqueror's Haki merged perfectly, creating unprecedented power!

Gern looked up at the sky, his eyes sharp as knives.

——Boom!

A bolt of lightning struck, illuminating his cold, stern face.

The Overlord Awakens, the Black Blade Resonates!

The ignorant monster that Lox spoke of has awakened at this moment!

Chapter 49 Under the Fall of Gods, All Beings Are Equal (Long Chapter)

Seeing this, the golden lion's pupils suddenly contracted, his golden eyebrows rose high, and his maniacal laughter froze for the first time.

He hovered in the air, his long golden hair fluttering like a tattered flag, and his expression...

First came shock, then disbelief, and finally a twisted rage.

"What a joke?!" The Golden Lion's voice was no longer lazy or playful, but carried a hint of wavering that even he himself did not realize.

The clash of the dominant colors unleashed visible black lightning in the air, tearing apart the clouds, churning the sea, and causing the entire island to tremble.

"Just a moment ago he was a brat who didn't even have Conqueror's Haki..."

“Now it’s actually…” The Golden Lion stared intently at Gern, those eyes that had once looked down upon countless powerful figures.

What is reflected now is an ant that should have been trampled under his feet.

A newly awakened king who dares to stand against him!

"Hehehe!" Suddenly the golden lion also burst into laughter, but the previous composure was gone from his laughter; instead, it was filled with a furious anger at being offended.

"Interesting! Very interesting! Zephyr, your apprentice... has been hiding his true abilities well!"

Zefa did not answer. Behind the shattered sunglasses, a fleeting mix of emotions—shock, relief, worry, and complex feelings—passed through his eyes.