One Piece: I'm not Roger

Golden Lion's restored youth shocked everyone once again.

Although many people had already witnessed Rayleigh regain his youth earlier, that situation still felt different. Rayleigh was the Dark King, the former right hand of the Pirate King himself. But now, Golden Lion Shiki had also returned to his younger years.

That could only mean one thing.

Their captain likely still possessed more longevity pills.

The thought instantly ignited countless desires in people's hearts. If they could obtain one after growing old in the future, it would practically mean gaining a second life.

As those thoughts spread, the loyalty within the Aether Pirates quietly rose once more.

Even some unusual emotions began surfacing.

In the distance, the Ice Witch Whitey Bay stared at Golden Lion with unconcealed greed flashing in her eyes. She would reach fifty in only a few more years. No woman could easily accept aging.

Aether immediately noticed the strange system notification.

[SS Class Character Whitey Bay has developed negative emotions toward the Host: High Level Greed.]

[Reward: 5,000 Experience Points.]

The sudden notification made Aether glance toward Whitey Bay.

The moment their eyes met, Whitey Bay instantly suppressed the greed in her gaze and forced herself to look serious again, pretending to focus entirely on the battlefield.

Aether found it somewhat amusing.

He had not expected her obsession with the longevity pill to reach this level. This was the first time the system had specifically labeled someone's greed as "high level."

Time truly was every woman's greatest enemy.

Among everyone present, the only woman who remained completely indifferent was Rouge.

Her physical age was still around thirty years old. Besides, even if she eventually grew older, she believed Aether would already have something prepared for her by then.

Just as many people were sinking deeper into their own thoughts, a thunderous dragon roar suddenly echoed across the distant sky.

The sound immediately interrupted everyone's daydreams.

Faintly, Kaido's furious roar of "Roger" could be heard from the horizon.

Soon, Kaido's massive Azure Dragon form appeared within everyone's sight once more, growing larger and larger as he approached. His overwhelming aura remained just as oppressive as before.

Golden Lion slowly narrowed his eyes after seeing Kaido return.

His restored fighting spirit surged violently.

The Conqueror's Haki that had returned alongside his youth slowly spread outward, carrying the arrogance that once shook the seas.

After suffering such a humiliating defeat earlier, he desperately wanted to reclaim his dignity.

"Roger, are you going, or should I?"

Aether glanced toward the already unstable island beneath them.

"Shiki, are you confident you can defeat Kaido alone? We can't drag this battle out any longer. If the fight continues, this island won't survive much longer."

Golden Lion fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.

Although his strength had recovered tremendously, he had already witnessed Kaido's terrifying durability firsthand. In his current condition, he was not completely confident he could win quickly.

Perhaps allowing Aether to handle it alone would be safer.

But Aether clearly had a different idea.

"Shiki, let's go together," Aether said casually. "Ending this as fast as possible is more important."

Golden Lion frowned slightly.

Their eyes met briefly.

Seeing the seriousness hidden beneath Aether's relaxed smile, Golden Lion finally glanced toward the heavily damaged island below before nodding reluctantly.

"Fine. Fish-Man Island matters to you, so it's worth it. That brat Kaido should feel honored that the two of us are personally teaming up to deal with him."

Aether laughed lightly.

"Exactly. It's his honor."

Nearby, Ace silently watched the conversation with an odd expression.

These two legendary pirates were shamelessly justifying a two against one battle without the slightest embarrassment.

Soon, Aether and Golden Lion began walking toward Kaido together.

The sight alone caused excitement to spread through the battlefield.

Two legendary monsters joining forces was something almost nobody had ever witnessed before.

Jozu sat nearby while receiving treatment for his injuries. Even while using his full diamond form, he had still been heavily injured by Kaido's Thunder Bagua.

Looking at the approaching figures, he could not help muttering quietly.

"So the era really has changed..."

"Roger actually pulled Golden Lion onto his ship."

"Roger, Rayleigh, Golden Lion... all these remnants of the old era gathering together like this, the world is definitely going to turn upside down."

Above them, the black clouds thickened further.

Lightning continuously flashed through the dark sky while violent rain crashed downward without pause.

Kaido quickly noticed the two approaching figures.

His vertical pupils narrowed instantly.

Even he looked visibly surprised.

Golden Lion Shiki, someone arrogant enough to despise almost everyone, was actually willing to cooperate with Roger.

That was genuinely unbelievable.

Still, Kaido did not think too highly of him.

In his eyes, the crippled Golden Lion could at most serve as an annoyance.

Nothing more.

Returning to his Hybrid Form, Kaido stood atop the cliffside while enormous waves crashed violently against the shore below.

His thick arm lifted the kanabo onto his shoulder before casually pointing it toward Golden Lion.

"Old Lion, still not satisfied after getting beaten down earlier?" Kaido sneered. "Keep sticking your nose into this fight and I'll kill you for real."

Aether instantly turned his head away while covering his mouth.

His shoulders trembled slightly as he tried suppressing his laughter.

Golden Lion's expression darkened immediately.

Just moments ago, he had been speaking confidently, only to be looked down upon this badly by Kaido.

No one could tolerate such humiliation.

"Kaido, you brat!" Golden Lion roared furiously. "And you, Roger, stop laughing before I beat both of you together!"

The moment his voice fell, Golden Lion raised his hand.

"Lion's Majesty: Imperial Earth Bind!"

The shattered earth instantly rose again.

More than a dozen massive stone lions formed from the ground and charged directly toward Kaido with deafening roars.

Kaido swung his kanabo casually, planning to destroy them in one strike.

But the moment the weapon connected, his expression changed slightly.

The resistance was far greater than before.

These lions were completely different from the earlier ones.

They were coated with powerful Armament Haki.

Boom!

Kaido destroyed most of them, but two remaining lions still slammed heavily into his body, forcing him backward repeatedly.

The surrounding rocks exploded apart while a massive cloud of dust swallowed his figure.

The instant Kaido burst free from the rubble, Golden Lion had already appeared above him.

A sword coated in powerful Conqueror's Haki descended straight toward Kaido's head.

A dangerous sense of crisis immediately erupted within Kaido's instincts.

There was no time to block with his kanabo.

He could only hastily coat his arm with Conqueror's Haki to defend himself.

Crack!

The hastily formed defense shattered apart under the slash.

The blade tore through Kaido's Armament Haki and carved a deep wound directly into his arm.

The pain from an attack infused with advanced Conqueror's Haki was impossible to ignore.

Kaido's eyes darkened instantly.

Without hesitation, he swung his kanabo with his free arm, forcing Golden Lion backward before he could continue attacking.

Both men quickly retreated apart.

Kaido lowered his gaze toward the wound on his arm.

The injury had already begun healing rapidly.

Still, the shock in his eyes remained obvious.

Only now did he properly notice Golden Lion's appearance.

Compared to earlier, Shiki looked over twenty years younger.

The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki radiating from him felt reckless and domineering, almost identical to the Golden Lion from decades ago.

At this moment, Kaido finally treated him seriously.

Advanced Conqueror's Haki.

Great swordsman level swordsmanship.

The Float Float Fruit.

The terrifying monster from the past had truly returned.

Kaido slowly raised his head.

"Golden Lion..."

"This younger appearance of yours..."

"So the rumors about Roger possessing a life extending medicine were actually true."

Kaido's expression became genuinely complicated.

He had originally assumed the reports about Rayleigh regaining his youth were either fake or some impossible miracle that could never happen again.

But now Golden Lion stood before him as living proof.

Such a terrifying treasure truly existed.

And the person possessing it was Roger.

No.

Aether.

At that moment, Kaido understood something clearly.

If news of this spread completely across the world, countless monsters would lose their minds over it.

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