At this moment, a sudden sense of weightlessness washed over him. The small island beneath Kong Tai's feet rapidly plummeted towards the sea.
He knew then that the Golden Lion had truly died.
"So powerful, to actually shatter his domain."
If he hadn't sensed the danger and increased the layers of his spatial domain, his spatial realm might have actually been breached by the Golden Lion's final blow.
Even if it were breached, it wouldn't matter, but since he had boasted so much, he had to maintain his reputation for invincibility, didn't he?
Looking at the Golden Lion, who still stood even in death, a complex and admiring glint flashed in Kong Tai's eyes.
This fellow's spirit, even as an enemy, commanded respect.
Even though this guy was a complete villain, he was a villain of the heroic caliber, one that an opponent couldn't help but admire.
He paid no mind to the sinking giant island.
He drew his Zankou and slashed a deep pit into the ground beside the Golden Lion.
His spatial domain expanded, enveloping the Golden Lion. He used his ability to move the Golden Lion into the pit, along with his two swords.
The soil around the pit gradually closed in.
He didn't fill it completely, intending for the Marines to discover it.
Otherwise, if the Marines couldn't find the Golden Lion, they might dig three feet into the ground and eventually find him anyway.
He would leave a clue for the Marines to discover. That way, the Marines wouldn't dig up the grave of a dead old man, would they?
Then he hovered in mid-air, letting the island fall.
As for the original villagers on the other island, he wasn't too worried. The island was large enough, and surrounded by seawater, so it wouldn't sink.
And the ferocious beasts and pirates on it, he didn't bother to clear them out. That was the Marines' job.
He took down his wine gourd, took a drink, and gazed into the distance at the rising sun.
He had gained so much from this battle. If he had to find strong opponents to fight and end his experience on his own.
He might have spent many years to comprehend these advanced combat techniques through flashes of inspiration.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.
He turned his gaze to the distant sea horizon.
It had been two days already. He figured the strong fighters from Marine Headquarters should be arriving soon.
"Should I stay and have a fight?"
He stroked his chin and pondered.
Perhaps not. The fastest among the Marine Headquarters' strong fighters to arrive here would likely be one of the three Admirals, the yellow-skinned monkey, "Kizaru."
That fellow mostly relied on his Devil Fruit abilities in combat.
Moreover, fighting the Marines wouldn't lead to a fight for survival.
It wouldn't force this secretive fellow to reveal his Haki for a true clash.
Staying to fight him would bring him no benefit and would be tiring.
Fighting him would be less enjoyable than lying in the sun.
"Hm! Before the Marines arrive, I should go check the Golden Lion's palace for any treasures or Devil Fruits!"
After all, this old guy had roamed the world for 20 years. He must have collected quite a lot, and there might even be Devil Fruits.
After all, he and the Golden Lion had a master-disciple relationship in practice.
A disciple inheriting his master's treasures.
It wasn't excessive, was it!
"Indeed... not excessive."
...
Watching the waves of white giants rushing rapidly towards the horizon, Kong Tai's eyes held a hint of astonishment.
He marveled at the vastness of the sea, and at such a man-made spectacle. Perhaps only in a world like this, where the 'Pirate King' gathered all powers, could such a scene be witnessed.
Kong Tai drank his wine, laughed heartily, and looked down at the island, which was gradually calming down. He rapidly flew towards the Golden Lion's main island.
The early morning sun shone on him, making him appear like a god.
Graceful, elegant, and rather arrogant.
He paid no mind to the panicked pirates on the island, only sinking all the ships in the harbor as he passed by.
Of course.
If any foolhardy pirate happened to encounter him, they could only consider themselves unlucky.
A red light flashed in his eyes, and he directly found Indigo, the Golden Lion's second-in-command, within the palace.
This guy was currently the strongest among these pirates, so he was the easiest to find.
In the corridor leading from the palace to the main exit.
Amidst a series of "puchi puchi" sounds, akin to flatulence.
Indigo, along with a group of captains from the "extra" pirate crews, were rushing outwards.
Due to the speed of their escape, his entire body was shaking, his hands flailing left and right, making him appear comically awkward.
Don't be fooled by his funny appearance, comical movements, and even his awkward gait. This guy not only had a cold and ruthless side but was also a mad chemist.
His specialty was creating various chemical agents and fighting using various chemical elements.
He called this fighting style "Chemical Magic."
In essence, it was a juggling act of explosions using chemical elements, also known as "Acrobatic Magic."
When the Golden Lion unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, Indigo knew something had happened.
He was not only the Golden Lion's second-in-command but also his personal physician.
Naturally, he knew how terrible the Golden Lion's mental state was after having a ship's rudder implanted.
If not for the influence of the ship's rudder and his old age, with the Golden Lion's pride, would he have bothered researching things like "IQ" with him?
It was only because his strength had declined significantly after escaping from Impel Down, and he felt his strength didn't match his ambition, that he was forced to make such a choice.
And based on his understanding of the Golden Lion, when facing the younger generation like Silver Hair, even if the Golden Lion couldn't win, he would never retreat.
If he could use Conqueror's Haki, it meant he must have ripped off the ship's rudder from his head.
With the ship's rudder gone, it meant the Golden Lion was at the end of his rope, on the verge of death.
He never imagined that the little brat with silver hair could achieve this.
To render the plan, which he and the Golden Lion had schemed for nearly twenty years, null and void.
He had initially been waiting for the Golden Lion to return in the infirmary.
In his opinion, since the Golden Lion had ripped off the ship's rudder, no one could defeat him.
He believed the Golden Lion would quickly deal with that silver-haired brat.
However, as he waited in the infirmary for a long time and the Golden Lion still didn't return.
His heart began to panic.
And this feeling of panic intensified with the passage of time.
Especially when the island started to fall, he knew that the Golden Lion had not only lost but had died completely.
At this point, he wasn't just panicking; he was terrified.
He quickly found the "extra" captains in the palace, gathered them together, and rushed out of the palace.
If that silver-haired guy found them at this moment, they were finished.
He could only pray.
"Please don't come, please don't come, please don't come..."
But fate always enjoyed playing tricks. The more you hoped things would go as you imagined, the more reality would unfold in the exact opposite way.
And so it was.
As he was thinking, he had actually summoned the very person he was dreading.