Chapter 245: Assault on Sabaody: Golden Lion’s Reckoning

At the Navy branch on Sabaody Archipelago, a sentry yawned and lazily gazed skyward, squinting as if something was falling from the sky.

“Did something just fall?”

A moment later his eyes went wide. A pirate ship was plummeting from above, getting bigger by the second as it hurtled toward the Navy headquarters gate. He shouted in terror, “We’re under attack! Alert!”

“Boom!”

Sadly, before he could finish, the pirate ship smashed into the gate, crushing several Navy soldiers beneath it. Blood seeped from the wreckage.

At least his shout and the crash of the ship were loud enough that others heard it.

“What happened out there?”

“Look! Up in the sky!”

“It’s the Golden Lion!”

As more Navy soldiers rushed out and heard that name, they shuddered. What was the Golden Lion doing here all of a sudden?

With their strength, at best they’d only die swept up in the crossfire.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

One Navy man forced down his fear, darted to the side, and pulled the alarm. Its wail echoed out across the base.

Inside the Navy branch on Sabaody, as the alarm blared, Sengoku vanished from his office in an instant.

That earlier crash was something Hodes could handle, but with the alarm sounding, this was clearly beyond him.

“Boom, boom, boom!”

The Navy had no time to react as pirate ships crashed down one after another, smashing buildings to rubble and burying countless soldiers who never even made it out.

A squad of Navy troops gathered in the square, guns trained on the Golden Lion.

“Fire!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The bullets barely got close before the Golden Lion waved his hand, and a pirate ship blocked them all with ease.

“Kehahaha!”

Golden Lion bowed his head, glaring arrogantly at the soldiers below. “Small fry like you should stick to small fry business.”

He landed on the ground, just about to strike when a thunderous shout cut through the chaos. “Golden Lion! So you dare attack the Navy base yourself? I’ll drag you to Impel Down with my own hands! I’ll see you repent your sins in that hellhole!”

“Shockwave!”

A golden giant Buddha appeared on the battlefield.

Seeing Sengoku attack, Golden Lion smirked. “Lion’s Thousand Cut Valley!”

Two massive golden sword waves slashed toward Sengoku, aiming to split him in half on the spot.

Still, Golden Lion hadn’t forgotten why he’d come. Without hesitation, he barked, “Sengoku, do you know what happened on Hachinosu?”

Sengoku was momentarily thrown off by the question, but as Golden Lion rushed him with twin swords coated in Armament Haki, Sengoku shot out a thunderous punch.

Clang!

A violent gust swept out, tossing Navy soldiers stationed nearby hundreds of meters away.

Vice Admiral Hodes arrived at the scene, giving only a quick glance at Golden Lion and Sengoku locked in battle.

He glanced at the battered Navy troops and shouted, “Hurry, organize an evacuation!”

At Vice Admiral Hodes’ command, the remaining Navy soldiers quickly pulled back. The battlefield was left to just Golden Lion, Sengoku, and Hodes.

With his men clear, Sengoku’s Buddha form shone with blinding golden light. His massive hand crackled with raw Shockwave power, layered with Conqueror’s Haki, making this strike deadlier than ever.

“Lion’s Thousand Cut Valley!”

Golden Lion never lost sight of his true reason for coming. “Was Hachinosu’s destruction really your Navy’s handiwork?”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“I found piles of shredded Navy uniforms at the old Hachinosu site.”

“Or was this the World Government’s doing instead?”

“Honestly, Sengoku, why not become my right-hand man?”

“Kehahaha!”

Even now, Golden Lion couldn’t help but stir up trouble between Sengoku and the World Government. He knew Sengoku would never join the pirates, but everyone knew the Navy and World Government had long been at odds. If he could rattle Sengoku a bit, so much the better.

“Ha!”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Golden Lion?”

A vein throbbed on Sengoku’s forehead. Sure, the Navy and World Government didn’t get along, but he wasn’t about to take lectures from a pirate.

Twin golden palms lunged at Golden Lion from either side, trying to crush him in their grasp.

Noticing Sengoku’s scowl, Golden Lion caught on to something.

He couldn’t help but sigh—seemed Hachinosu’s destruction really wasn’t the World Government’s doing. Sengoku’s reaction made that clear.

“Lion’s Might – Earth Scroll!”

The earth exploded as boulders and dust swirled skyward, a pillar of stone rocketing into the air out of nowhere.

Feeling the terrifying power, Vice Admiral Hodes’ face went pale. He frantically directed Navy troops to evacuate the nearby residents.

“Radiant Buddha Light!” The golden Buddha shone with blinding force, dissolving dirt and stone wherever the light touched.

That kind of attack might work against Luffy or his allies, but it was nowhere near enough for Sengoku.

Sengoku and Golden Lion weren’t exactly old rivals, but Sengoku knew all of Golden Lion’s tricks.

For Golden Lion to come to a place like Sabaody Archipelago alone, and with such a clear purpose, he was obviously here to find Sengoku.

Judging by Golden Lion’s questions, Sengoku understood he was desperate to learn who really destroyed Hachinosu. But even the World Government was clueless, let alone himself.

Golden Lion had the Float-Float Fruit, so coming and going as he pleased was second nature—Sengoku could never keep him here by force.

Of course, Sengoku wasn’t about to hand over any intel, either.

“If it’s answers you want, Golden Lion, you’ll have to follow me to Impel Down.”

“Shockwave!”

The golden giant hand surged again, now charged with dual forces, hitting even harder than before.

Now that Sengoku understood Golden Lion’s intentions, only two outcomes came to mind—if he could defeat him, he’d make the arrest right now. That was unlikely, though, so the best he could do was force him back. Sabaody just couldn’t take any more of their rampage.

“Kehahaha!”

Golden Lion sneered, “Sorry Sengoku, I don’t have time to play around here with you.”

“One Sword Style – Wave Slash!”

His black blade, coated in Conqueror’s Haki, flashed and sent a roaring golden lion streaking for Sengoku.

Sengoku let out a cold snort, murderous intent sparking in his eyes. He tightened his fists, battle spirit surging. “Bring it on!”

The golden lion collided with Sengoku’s massive golden palm. For an instant, it seemed the whole sky was ablaze with brilliant auroras.

When the clash faded and the dust settled, Sengoku watched as the Golden Lion flew off into the distance, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Their power was just too overwhelming. If they kept fighting, Sabaody Archipelago might not survive.

Just one of Golden Lion’s Earth Scroll attacks had swept up soil from several islands nearby. If it wasn’t returned, those islands would shrink drastically.