The Golden Lion's expression twisted into something between amusement and discomfort.
He couldn't quite tell what was happening inside the villa—his Observation Haki had its limits—but he was still a man. And a man didn't need haki to guess what Daemon was likely up to.
"…Wasn't that woman pregnant?"
His gaze drifted toward the villa's second floor. The image of Rouge, Roger's wife, flickered in his mind. For the first time in a long while, he felt something almost foreign: pity.
"Roger… isn't this hat a bit too ridiculous, even for you?" he muttered, lips curling in a dry smirk. "Not just a cuckold... but by a Celestial Dragon, no less? Life's got jokes."
He considered stepping in. Not out of kindness, of course. That had rotted out of him ages ago. But maybe—just maybe—he could play the hero for a moment, win some goodwill, and flip Roger to his side.
Still, it was a delicate game. The more miserable Rouge looked, the more convincing his 'rescue' would be.
So he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
After two hours, even his legendary patience began to fray.
"How long does it take that brat to finish?! He's a Celestial Dragon, not a stallion!" he snapped, pacing in irritation.
He sighed deeply, dragging a hand down his face… and then slowly, suspiciously, it kept traveling lower and lower… until it hovered dangerously near his waist.
A tense silence followed.
His fingers crept further south.
Past the belt.
Past the waistband.
Until they reached—
—his two swords.
He paused, dramatically.
"…What? You thought I was gonna stroke that? I'm frustrated, not desperate," he scoffed, gripping the hilts with exaggerated dignity.
Grinning wildly, he drew his twin sabers, Sakuraten and Deadwood.
"Hahaha! Celestial Dragon brat, here comes your death! Don't go crying after you see me!"
With a maniacal laugh, the Golden Lion leapt down from 10,000 meters above the sea!
The fierce winds whipped past him as he fell.
"This is freedom! This is power!"
"This is my world — the sky belongs to me!"
"Silvers Rayleigh? That horny Kaido with his half-baked Zoan fruit? Compared to me, they're nothing!"
"Only I — Golden Lion Shiki — can be Roger's true partner!"
Imagining the future, where Roger would be forced to bend over before him in gratitude, the Golden Lion couldn't help but laugh even harder.
As a Flutter-Flutter Fruit user, the sky was his domain.
Those relying on the Navy's Geppo or Zoan abilities to fly couldn't compare. Even Roger's famed crew had once nearly lost to his airborne tactics.
Golden Lion was already envisioning the triumphant scene of Rouge's rescue when—
Suddenly.
A cold, calm voice brushed against his ears:
"So here you are, old lion. No wonder I couldn't find you before."
"Who's there?!"
Golden Lion's instincts exploded with alarm.
Hearing a voice — at 10,000 meters altitude — was no joke.
Without hesitation, he summoned his Conqueror's Haki, wrapping it around his sabers.
"Die!!"
With a roar, he twisted midair, slashing viciously toward the source of the voice.
But he was still too slow.
Before his attack could even connect, a flash of light tore through the sky — a slash faster than the eye could follow.
Whoosh—!
A beautiful, deadly stream of light ripped through the air.
It wasn't just fast — it was true lightspeed, a terrifying velocity even beyond the fastest techniques of the Soul Society's flash masters.
Even Daemon, whose physique had been enhanced beyond normal limits, needed Herculean artifacts and the Eight Gates released to keep up with such speed.
"Crack—!"
Under the Golden Lion's stunned gaze, his two famed sabers — reinforced by his Conqueror's Haki — were cleaved apart like rotten wood.
But that wasn't the most horrifying part.
What made his heart freeze was that...
With that terrifying power, if the slash had been aimed at him, he would've been split cleanly in two before he could even react.
Yet — the attacker had deliberately missed.
They're treating me like an insect... not even worth killing.
Silent, muscles taut, the Golden Lion turned his gaze.
Hovering nearby was a beautiful girl, face cold as frost.
Dressed simply — a black undershirt and a white haori — her stunning appearance was impossible to hide.
But more striking than her beauty was the overwhelming killing intent radiating from her.
A heroic spirit — the kind that could enthrall both men and women alike.
Unlike him, who relied on his Devil Fruit to soar, she simply stood on air itself, as if walking on solid ground.
It was unnatural... and chilling.
Golden Lion didn't care about appearances, though.
Beauty meant nothing to him.
Only one thing mattered now — strength.
And in front of him stood a monster far beyond anything he had anticipated.
The rats, hiding their heads and tails, had clearly chosen a coward's sneak attack.
The golden-haired man, furious, his mane-like hair thrashing like a wild lion's, roared at the girl before him
"If you're so capable, why not just kill me already, you little bastard?! Are you mocking me on purpose!?"
Across from him, Yamamoto Mei stood calmly, the cold curve of her lips twisting into an arrogant smile.
"My apologies, old man," she said, her voice light but mocking, "but I had no intention of humiliating you."
She flipped the bloodied blade in her hand with casual ease.
"It was only after I struck that I remembered—your life still had some use. I had no choice but to change the direction of my slash at the last second."
——
In the chat group, Uchiha Miyuki reacted with a sudden jolt of realization.
"Ah—! Right!"
"The golden lion is His Highness Daemon's target! He wants to take the new treasure from him personally!"
Luo Hao chimed in thoughtfully: "Hmm. Whisper did get the [Straight Death] ability from the group before... but it's different from the Moon World's 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.' Hers is more like the Teigu 'Murasama' from the Esdeath World—
If she even slightly wounds someone, they'll die. Instantly."
She continued: "That's why she can't actually hurt the golden lion. One scratch, and Daemon would lose his treasure before he even got it."
Sakura Tosaka added playfully: "Brother Daemon should be thanking Sister Mei for holding back~"
Jibril snickered: "Honestly, that golden lion seems a bit pathetic..."
Luo Hao mused: "Well, isn't it more that Mei is just too terrifyingly strong?"
Miyuki Uchiha agreed immediately: "Exactly! That's speed of light movement! Not like kizaru who plays around—
Mei's sword actually attacks at the speed of light."
She added, half in awe: "Honestly, if it weren't for a monster like His Highness Daemon, Mei might have been the absolute strongest member of our entire group."
Their analysis made it clear to everyone just how terrifying Yamamoto Mei truly was—despite how easily Daemon had defeated her.
And they finally understood why she had shown mercy to the golden lion's side.
Otherwise, with speed of light slashes plus [Straight Death]...
The golden lion would have been dead before he even realized what happened.
But the golden lion himself couldn't accept it.
In his eyes, being spared was the greatest humiliation imaginable.
"You dare treat me like some worthless weakling you could kill at any time?!"
His veins bulged with rage, his roar shaking the very air.
"Arrogant brat! You'll pay for underestimating me!"
Gripping the hilts of his two shattered famous swords, the golden lion threw himself toward Yamamoto Mei in a frenzy.
"Lion God's Lance!!"
—Zheng!!—
The shriek of metal slicing through air echoed as his blades, wrapped in a crackling black aura of Conqueror's Haki, hurtled forward.
Violent black lightning arced from the weapons like falling stars.
This was no ordinary strike.
It was a slash combining the apex of his swordsmanship with the overwhelming force of supreme Haki—
—a technique on par with legends like Roger himself.
It could split mountains. It could cut seas.
To the golden lion, defeating the little girl before him was no problem at all.
As for the shameful embarrassment earlier? That was just a fluke—a sneak attack while he was off guard!
Yes, that must be it!
After all—
He was the Golden Lion! The Flying Pirate who once conquered the skies!
"—Clang!!—"
The sudden, crisp sound of metal meeting something immovable shattered his delusions.
The force of the recoil numbed his hands instantly.
He stared in disbelief.
Two pale, slender fingers.
They had stopped his double-bladed, full-force strike effortlessly.
The golden lion's wide lion-like eyes trembled. His mouth hung open, twitching slightly.
Was he dreaming...?
How could anyone—let alone a girl not even using Haki—catch his slash with just two fingers?!
Was he caught in some illusion? Was she a Devil Fruit user specialized in illusions?!
"Awaken from your dream of strength, Golden Lion."
Yamamoto Mei's voice cut through his panic, soft but pitying.
"The world is far vaster than you realize. You're nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well."
"I don't believe you!!"
He roared in a frenzy, unwilling to accept the collapse of his confidence.
The next moment, the air itself began to tremble violently.
The golden lion unleashed the full might of his Devil Fruit powers.
———
High above, a floating island the size of a city ripped through the clouds, blotting out the sun.
"Die, brat!!"
"Witness the true power of the Flying Pirate, Golden Lion!!"
With a sweeping motion of his hand, the island, like a living mountain, plummeted down toward Yamamoto Mei.
The heavens themselves seemed to fall.
But facing this devastating attack, Yamamoto Mei only let out a faint, almost sorrowful smile.
"You really can't accept reality after all..."
Not even sparing a glance at the collapsing sky, she stepped forward lightly.
In the next breath, a spiritual pressure blacker than night erupted from her body, tearing through the atmosphere like a sword piercing the heavens.
"Hadō #99—"
She raised her hand gently toward the incoming island.
"Goryūka no Metsu."
(Five Dragons' Destruction.)
"GYAAAAAAAAAA—!!!"
The sky turned black.
The roaring island, the golden lion's proudest weapon, was instantly devoured by a cataclysmic explosion of five black dragons spiraling upward—erasing everything in their path.
In a deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth, Yamamoto Mei's spiritual pressure erupted like a tangible force, taking the shape of a five-headed dragon.
The beast-like form, reminiscent of a legendary destroyer, coiled through the vast sky.
Under its rampaging force, the falling island was shredded apart almost instantly — massive chunks turning into nothing but scattered rubble, raining down from above.
As for the Golden Lion himself, he stood no chance against the crushing tide of spiritual energy.
Overwhelmed by the brutal impact, he plummeted helplessly through the sky, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
"Sigh..."
Grabbing a corner of the Golden Lion's tattered clothes, Yamamoto Mei let out a soft sigh.
"The power to step on an ant without killing it... really is hard to control," she muttered. "I used to think Aizen was just showing off when he said that... but now, it makes a lot of sense."
Uchiha Miyuki: "Exactly. Killing is easy. But catching someone alive without breaking them? That's the real trouble."
Uchiha Miyuki: "Still, that move — the Five Dragons Annihilation — the strongest Hadō spell... damn, the Grim Reaper's Violent Girl is pretty badass."
Tosaka Sakura: "Congratulations, Sister Mei! Even legendary pirates are no match for you now!"
Uchiha Miyuki: "Seriously though, the way your strength keeps skyrocketing is terrifying. At this rate, even Aizen wouldn't dare face you."
Yamamoto Mei: "Aizen, huh... His raw power isn't as overwhelming as mine anymore. But to be honest, I still can't do much against Kyōka Suigetsu. Hypnosis on that scale... my only real option would be indiscriminate attacks. Problem is, my Bankai's range is way too big — it'd be like dropping a nuke."
Luo Hao: "You'd basically wipe out half of the Soul Society if you got serious."
Yamamoto Mei: "Exactly."
Switching topics, Yamamoto Mei asked:
Yamamoto Mei: "Nairona Daemon Saint, Daemon — you and that pregnant woman... done yet?"
Daemon: "Hmm... not yet. I could have kept going, but her body's a bit stronger than an average human's. Still, if I pushed any harder, she really might've died."
Stepping out of the villa, Daemon stretched lazily under the vast sky.
Speaking in the chat group, he said:
Daemon: "Aren't you guys coming down yet? I can't fly, you know. Don't tell me you expect me to unleash the Chaos Dragon Leviathan just to come find you? I hope the Golden Lion at least drops a decent treasure."
Uchiha Miyuki: "Looks like it's your turn to shine, Your Highness Daemon!"
Uchiha Miyuki: "By the way, the Golden Lion had the Float-Float Fruit, right? Maybe you'll get a flying ability!"
Jibril: "Wouldn't get your hopes up. I have wings, but I can't truly fly either. Doesn't stop me from hunting sky races though~"
Tosaka Sakura: "Still... it'd be super cool if Brother Daemon could fly! Flying's every human's dream, right? And it'd be so convenient!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Exactly. Even if the treasure's useless for combat, just gaining flight would patch one of Daemon's few weaknesses."
Luo Hao: "Tch. You guys are too short-sighted."
Meanwhile, Yamamoto Mei had already ended her live stream.
Esdeath, who had been dueling Silvers Rayleigh, had completely forgotten about the broadcast too.
Left with nothing else to do, the group casually speculated about what kind of treasure Daemon might obtain next.
From Miyuki's perspective, Daemon didn't even need traditional flight abilities.
He had long since mastered physical techniques like "Moonwalk," and he commanded the Chaos Dragon Leviathan — a flying behemoth.
Not to mention his other monstrous assets.
He held "The Authority of Life and Death," an inherent barrier that could forcibly age and weaken even immortal beings.
He wielded "God Avoid," a treasure that unleashed a slash so absolute it could ignore space, distance, and even the flow of time itself.
With all these trump cards, what did flight even matter?Even if the enemy had the ability to fly, what difference would it make?
Yamamoto Mei herself could fly — and yet, in a real fight, Daemon had already proven he could kill her easily once he released God Avoid.
Her own Zanpakutō, Celestial Fall's Streamer, dissolved into true light-speed attacks when fully unleashed.
But none of it mattered when Daemon got serious.
One clean strike. One unavoidable end.
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