Just as the lightning-charged clouds were about to engulf her, Kaguya raised her head, floating in the air, and sneered, "Golden Lion, is this all the strength you have?"
"What?!" Golden Lion's eyes narrowed.
Kaguya waved her hand, and the lion-shaped clouds instantly dissipated like snow under sunlight. In their place formed thicker, ink-black clouds. Streaks of lightning burst from them, writhing like silver serpents, crackling deafeningly.
"With such power, you think you can conquer the world?" Kaguya said coldly. "Let me show you how lightning is really used."
With a thunderous crash, a kirin-shaped lightning beast formed from countless lightning bolts crashed downward.
Kirin!
Crackle crackle!
Thunder popped like frying beans as lightning struck Golden Lion like a torrential downpour. His eyes bulged, veins protruding, his body spasming violently, smoke billowing off him.
BOOM! Golden Lion shot into the air, then crashed down hard onto the island, smashing a large crater in the ground.
Kaguya floated down gracefully, stepping beside the charred Golden Lion. She looked down at him with contempt. "Golden Lion, you're too old."
Cough cough.
Golden Lion coughed violently, looked up through gritted teeth and growled, "Damn it... why are you doing this? What do you gain from it?"
"What do I gain?" Kaguya scoffed. "Someone like you should step off the stage. You're old and frail, still dreaming of world domination. It's laughable."
"Damn brat! What could a little girl like you know about my grand vision?" Golden Lion snarled, eyes bloodshot.
"Grand vision?" Kaguya said coldly. "You're just a pitiful fool blinded by power."
"You bastard! How dare you insult me! I'll kill you!"
Golden Lion roared, his body erupting with power. The island quaked violently—rocks shattered, ground collapsed, trees broke, waters surged, and rare beasts scattered in fear. It was like the end of the world.
"Shi Shi no Waju Sodemaki!"
The ground convulsed as massive lion heads formed from soil and stone, jaws open wide to bite Kaguya.
But before he could finish his attack, Kaguya stomped on his chest.
Thud! Golden Lion's eyes bulged as he spat blood, choking back his words.
"Just an old man trying to act like a world-conquering youngster—don't you think that's childish?" Kaguya mocked.
Golden Lion bled from his mouth and nose, glaring in rage. He tried to get up, but her foot pinned him down.
"Old man, do yourself a favor and retire. Your era is over," Kaguya said coldly.
With those words, an invisible force burst from her palm, lifting Golden Lion into the air. She reached out and, with lightning speed, pierced his chest.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed.
Golden Lion's eyes widened as he vomited blood.
Under the invisible force, the essence of his Devil Fruit power was forcibly extracted, flowing like a stream into Kaguya's body.
Kaguya swung her arm, and Golden Lion, like a broken ragdoll, was flung far away.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Golden Lion slammed heavily onto the ground, his throat twitching as he coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Kaguya said coldly, "That kind of power is useless to you now. Leaving it with you would only be a waste, so I'll take it."
Golden Lion's pupils shrank suddenly as his expression changed drastically.
Because he realized that the power of the Float-Float Fruit within him had mysteriously disappeared.
But how could that be possible?
Could it be… her?
Golden Lion looked at Kaguya, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"You're no longer worthy of having such a Devil Fruit," Kaguya said coldly. "But don't worry, I haven't let you suffer a loss. Try feeling your body now."
Feeling his body?
Golden Lion was taken aback. He looked down and revealed an incredulous expression.
The serious injuries he had suffered during their fierce battle just now were all healed.
Then he noticed something even more astonishing — the helm embedded in his head had disappeared. Not just the outer part, but even the part stuck in his brain was gone.
He had never felt so clear-headed.
Even more shocking, his previously amputated legs had grown back.
He touched them. That feeling of connected flesh and blood couldn't be fake.
It was simply unbelievable.
Golden Lion even wondered if he was dreaming.
"Why would you do this?" Golden Lion asked in a tone of confusion and doubt.
"No particular reason," Kaguya replied coldly. "You should just start thinking about how to live your life from now on."
With those words, Kaguya stepped forward, her body transforming into a streak of light that shot through the sky, vanishing into the vast horizon.
If he ever found out that Kaguya had only healed him because her obsessive-compulsive disorder couldn't stand seeing someone walking around with a helm stuck in their head, who knows what expression he'd make.
Killing Golden Lion would have been easy for Kaguya, but she had no intention of doing so.
Though his strength wasn't impressive, as a well-known figure from the Pirate King's era, he had considerable influence. Killing him would have been a waste.
In the future, Kaguya could use him to carry out some undisclosed plans.
That was the real reason she spared Golden Lion.
But at that moment, a deafening boom suddenly erupted. Kaguya turned back and saw the sea roiling with towering waves, resembling a massive splash from a distance.
Kaguya's expression turned a bit awkward.
It seemed she had forgotten one thing — without the Float-Float Fruit's power, the island that had no buoyancy… was going to fall.
After absorbing the Devil Fruit from the Golden Lion, Kaguya finally heard the long-lost system voice.
"Ding! Congratulations on reaching 70% mission progress. Reward: one Transformation Card. Please make good use of it."
Transformation Card?
Kaguya was momentarily stunned. What the heck was a Transformation Card?
Could it be a card that lets her turn into someone else?
But that was useless to her.
After all, she had the Transformation Jutsu. If she wanted to disguise herself, she could just use that. There was no need for this kind of thing at all.
Still, since it was a system reward, it shouldn't be some low-grade item.
But after Kaguya finished reading the description… Well, it was a low-grade item.
It just let her turn into someone else. How was that any different from the Transformation Jutsu?
What a ripoff.
But when Kaguya looked a little deeper, she found a hidden detail: the transformation using this card was permanent. Unlike the Transformation Jutsu, which required a constant expenditure of chakra. Moreover, after transforming into someone else, she could also possess their abilities and powers.
That was something Transformation Jutsu couldn't achieve.
Still, this didn't seem very useful. It was just changing appearances, and besides, there didn't seem to be anyone worth transforming into.
Even so, it was better than nothing. Kaguya casually stuffed the card into her pocket.
Her next destination was Sky Island 470.
Sky Island was located in the first half of the Grand Line, floating above the sky, composed of Island Clouds. The scenery and culture were completely different from the surface, almost like something out of a fairytale.
Kaguya couldn't help but want to complain about how Island Clouds could hold up such a massive landmass.
But anime worlds were inherently unscientific—taking them seriously was a losing game.
After flying through the sky for several days, she finally saw, far on the horizon, thick, ink-black clouds. Unlike ordinary clouds, these were unusually dense, almost completely blocking out the sky.
If Kaguya guessed correctly, this should be the legendary Island Cloud.
She immediately accelerated, her figure like a shooting star, crashing into the cloud.
When she emerged, she was greeted by warm sunlight. Perhaps because she was now closer and there were no clouds above to block it, the sunlight felt blindingly intense. The air was also thin, giving a sense of suffocation.
In the distance appeared a blurry silhouette—seemingly a small island.
But just as Kaguya stepped onto the island, a dark shadow suddenly burst from the forest, darting toward her like lightning.
Kaguya's elegant brows furrowed, and she said coldly, "Reckless."
As soon as the words fell, she raised her hand and struck.
"Vacuum Fist."
An invisible force burst out from her palm.
To her surprise, the attacker raised his arm to block and, with a soft bang, managed to take the blow unscathed.
At the same time, the attacker's appearance was revealed.
He had a burly build, his upper body bare, bronze-toned skin, and wore a mask on his head—resembling a Native American. In his hand was something that looked like a rocket launcher, and at his feet was something like a hoverboard.
Kaguya now understood who they were. If she wasn't mistaken, he must be a Shandian from Sky Island.
Only Shandians dressed like that.
The Shandian was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had already closed in on Kaguya.
Kaguya raised an eyebrow and struck again with another palm, unleashing another wave of invisible force—once again, the Vacuum Fist.
The Shandian, just like before, raised his arms to block in front of his chest.
Bang! With a light thud, he once again withstood Kaguya's Air Fist without injury.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed. With her sharp senses, she noticed the trick: tied to his palm was a shell.
Although Air Fist wasn't an advanced taijutsu technique, with Kaguya's immense power, it still carried significant destructive force—far from something an ordinary person could easily withstand.
For someone to take an Air Fist head-on, they'd need at least the strength of a vice admiral. This guy clearly didn't reach that level.
So the key must be that shell. If Kaguya guessed right, it was a special shell unique to Sky Island: a Reject Dial.
Reject Dials can absorb and store impact. During an attack, they can release it back with tremendous force, sometimes even rivaling the strength of giants.
However, if he thought a single shell could block her attacks, he was being far too naive.
Kaguya let out a cold laugh and raised her white arm, aiming at the approaching Shandian.
"You like to absorb, huh? Then I'll let you absorb all you want."
"Shinra Tensei."
A massive, overwhelming force erupted from her palm like a tsunami.
The Shandian tried to block again using the Reject Dial. But the moment he made contact with the sheer power, his eyes widened in horror. Something was wrong.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the Shandian was sent flying like he had been hit by a train. His mask shattered into countless fragments as he crashed heavily to the ground.
He tumbled a few times before coming to a stop, trying to get up, but pfft—a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
Then, a faint cracking sound suddenly echoed.
The Shandian froze and quickly checked the Reject Dial strapped to his hand. After undoing the bindings, his pupils shrank in disbelief.
The Reject Dial had shattered into pieces.
How was this possible?
This was a Reject Dial—ten times stronger and more durable than a regular Impact Dial. With its reinforced shell, it was nearly indestructible.
And yet, it had just been broken apart so easily.
How much power would it take to do that?
Even with the protection of the Reject Dial, he had still suffered serious injuries. If he hadn't had it, he might've died on the spot.
The Shandian lifted his head abruptly, his gaze filled with shock as he looked at the silver-haired girl in the distance.
Who on earth was she?
"You dare ambush me? I admire your courage," Kaguya said coldly.
Anyone would be furious after being attacked for no reason.
The Shandian shouted fiercely, though his voice was somewhat shaky, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Who am I?" Kaguya glanced at him coolly, then mocked, "Someone like you isn't worthy of knowing my name."
A trace of anger appeared on the Shandian's face. He suddenly rolled to his feet, leaped back, grabbed a rocket launcher from the ground, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! A scorching incendiary shell shot out, trailing a long tail of fire as it blasted toward Kaguya like lightning.
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