Chapter 157: A Golden Lion Descends From the Sky!
"They're here!"
Deep in the forest, Roy sensed Gion and the Marines she was leading. He scooped Galette up and carried her, weaving through the trees at full speed.
"Hmph. That woman is so annoying!" Galette snapped. "Chasing us first thing in the morning…"
She did not even get a chance to talk to Roy properly, let alone build any kind of relationship with him.
Roy did not answer. He only ran faster, his steps steady and silent through the brush.
Truthfully, he did not dislike women.
And female Marines?
He did not hate them either. He just found the Navy, as an organization, endlessly troublesome.
"You can't shake her," Galette said, watching him closely. After being hauled through the forest for so long, she finally understood one thing. "Your Observation Haki…"
She hesitated, then said it anyway.
"Your range seems smaller than hers."
Because of that, Roy could not truly lose Gion. No matter how far he ran, she always stayed on him.
Galette glanced at Roy again, surprise flickering in her eyes.
So this was the gap.
Roy's Observation Haki was not weak, but compared to Gion, it was clearly lacking. He had awakened it later than she did, so it made sense.
Galette also guessed why Roy might have awakened late. The more she thought about it, the more curious she became.
Logically speaking, Roy could not possibly be Linlin's brother. Not in age, not in ability.
Unless…
Mom is lying.
Yes. That had to be it.
Galette would rather believe Linlin was lying than keep swallowing these ridiculous theories.
And if Roy really was a genuine sixteen year old boy…
Then when it came to getting close to him, she had an even bigger advantage than her mother.
Young people had more to talk about.
Are you tired?
"…" "Why don't you just leave me behind and run alone?"
"…" Galette spoke in a teasing tone, then shifted slightly in his arms.
Roy ignored her completely.
"Wah…"
Galette gasped softly.
She had brushed against the small tent again, and she finally understood.
That was why Roy was pretending not to hear her.
Running for your life while carrying a girl with a killer figure was basically torture.
"Idiot. Are you an idiot?"
Or was it just that fangirling made people stupid?
You are Linlin's adopted daughter, part of her family. How could I possibly abandon you and leave you behind?
Roy did not hold back at all. He scolded Galette several times in a row, and the girl finally shut up.
Galette calmed down. Quietly, she let herself be carried deeper into the distance.
Behind them, Gion led several squads of Marines. She pushed her Observation Haki outward and sprinted through the forest, relentless, cutting through every obstacle in her path.
"Does this guy really hate the Navy that much?" she hissed through clenched teeth.
She was genuinely furious.
They finally had a lead on Roy, and the moment he saw Marines, he ran like a ghost.
What did Tsuru ever do to offend him? Why did he dislike her so much?
"Still running. I've got you!" Gion's hand tightened around the hilt of her named blade, K9npira. With one swift slash, she cut down the giant snake blocking her path and did not slow for even a second.
Gion made her decision.
When she caught Roy, she was going to fight him.
No more games.
She would see who was better, and she would vent her frustration for herself and for Tsuru too.
This man who kept dodging the Navy was someone she had finally managed to corner.
Momousagi was furious.
…
The Marines spread out wider, tightening their net, and Roy and Galette were forced toward the edge of the encirclement.
Roy reached the far side of Mount Colubo, where the land dropped toward the sea.
Gion finally caught up.
"Huff… you… you keep running. Let's see where you can go now…" she panted, hands on her hips, eyes locked on Roy.
Then, in the very next moment, Roy did something that made her blood boil.
This guy had somehow stolen Moonwalk from somewhere.
He stepped onto thin air, held the female pirate in his arms, and launched himself right off the cliff, heading toward the open sea.
"!!!"
Gion's face twisted. She was about to curse him out, but then something else happened, something that made her whole body go cold.
Something fell from the sky.
High above, a massive ship was descending at terrifying speed. And above that ship, a floating island drifted in the clouds, looming like a nightmare hanging over the world.
From the big ship, a yellow skinned figure dropped down like a meteor. Golden hair streamed wildly, spreading across his body in the wind. Where his legs should have been, two long swords gleamed with a cruel, cold light.
"Jihahahahha…. what luck! We just arrived in the East Blue, and we've already caught our first redhead!"
That voice.
Gion's stomach sank.
Years ago, when she was just a junior officer, a terrifying pirate had descended on Marineford and turned it into hell. That day became a nightmare for her, and for countless new recruits.
Golden Lion Shiki.
It was him.
He had fought Sengoku and Garp at Marineford for a long time. Marines died until the bodies piled up like a small hill, and half of Marineford was destroyed.
Gion, Tokikake, and the others had nearly been killed by Shiki back then.
"It's… him." Gion's entire body tensed. Her grip tightened on Konpira until her knuckles went white.
What now?
Should she rush up with Moonwalk?
How could she possibly fight Shiki, the man Garp had captured back in the past?
Before Gion and Roy could exchange even a single word, Roy was already dragged into combat with Shiki.
Gion almost wanted to scream at Roy for being an idiot.
She had been chasing him because he kept dodging the Marines. She was angry, yes, but it was not a real kill order.
At most, she would arrest Galette. As for Roy, she could not really do anything to him.
This was her and Roy messing around with each other, in their own ridiculous way.
But Golden Lion was different.
Is Roy trying to escape?
Of course he wanted to leave.
The instant Shiki dropped out of the sky, Roy had already thought about turning back.
Galette had been captured by Gion, but with enough effort, he could have found another chance to get her out.
But Shiki?
If he got caught by Shiki, the consequences would be unbearable.
Unfortunately, Shiki did not give him the option.
The Golden Lion attacked.
"Hahaha! Kid, stop resisting! Tell me your name!" Shiki shouted, voice booming with excitement. The Float Float Fruit's power surged outward, and the floating island above responded like it was part of his body.
A mountain on that island tore free from the ground.
It lifted into the air, twisted, kneaded, and reshaped.
In the blink of an eye, it became a second lion, a massive stone beast, and it pounced.
Roy held Galette with one arm and drew his sword with the other. At the same time, he kicked off the air with Moonwalk, retreating as fast as he could.
The mountain sized lion roared.
Roy cursed Shiki in his heart while swinging his blade straight at the giant stone lion.
Boom!
His sword slammed into the lion. There was nowhere to dodge, no room to maneuver.
In that instant, Roy made a choice.
He threw Galette up onto the island.
Then he turned his back to the island and took the full brunt of the mountain lion's strike.
"Jihahahahaha…. if you didn't die from that, you're not some cripple either," Shiki laughed, standing atop the lion's head and looking down at Roy as he fell rapidly toward the sea. "So tell me, what's your name!"
"It didn't even break my defenses…" Roy thought, eyes narrowing.
Still, he forced his body to go limp, pretending he had been seriously injured as he continued to plummet.
Shiki was clearly searching for someone.
It would be the worst kind of bad luck to get dragged into this and captured for no reason.
So Roy decided to act.
If he played dead, maybe he could slip out of this disaster.
"My name is Judge!" Roy shouted up, playing the part while falling. "Old man, I've got a terminal illness. Hiring me is pointless! I, Judge, won't live many more years!"
He kept falling, keeping his breathing uneven, his posture sloppy, selling the lie with everything he had.
Hopefully…
Just hopefully…
He could escape this calamity.
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