East Blue.
Above the clouds of Prometheus Island, more than a dozen floating islands drifted.
The largest among these islands was the location of the Golden Lion's court.
The island was originally named "Vermeil" and was discovered by the Golden Lion after his escape from Impel Down.
He found that the island was inhabited by fierce beasts that had been mutated by consuming plants containing "IQ" components. Using his abilities, he lifted the entire island into the sky, turning it into his own floating domain.
He then renamed the island "Strong World."
For twenty years, he concealed his whereabouts, researching "IQ" with his trusted副手 (fùshǒu - deputy), Dr. Indigo, and residing on the floating island, planning his grand return.
His plan was to unleash these beasts upon the East Blue, known as the weakest sea, the birthplace of Roger, causing widespread destruction and demonstrating his vengeful power to the World Government.
At this moment, on "Strong World," a banquet was underway in the Golden Lion's palace.
The Golden Lion, with his long golden hair and a ship's helm stuck in his head, wearing a traditional orange and yellow striped Japanese garment, was dancing on the platform below his throne with his deputy, Dr. Indigo, and a gorilla.
Ever since the helm was lodged in his head, the Golden Lion had become somewhat eccentric.
He would sometimes fall into a daze, or give nonsensical answers, exhibiting many amusing behaviors.
Aside from dancing, he had no particular hobbies.
Below the palace's throne, two rows of peculiar pirate captains were seated cross-legged.
These were pirate captains whom the Golden Lion had casually subjugated over the past twenty years.
They were not yet considered members of the Golden Lion Pirates, as he had not yet formed a new crew.
These individuals possessed all the typical pirate traits, except for strength.
Cruel, ruthless, merciless, bloodthirsty, wicked, and lawless...
It was precisely this aura of true piracy that the Golden Lion admired in them.
Therefore, he treated them as subordinates, not as comrades.
The pirate captains watched the Golden Lion's dance, drank their liquor, and laughed and shouted with abandon.
"Yeehaw!"
The Golden Lion, who was dancing, suddenly stopped.
He had been aware of his controlled island being shredded, and he knew it immediately.
This small island had initially been discarded to test Kong.
A glint of a smile flickered in his eyes, and then he grinned and let out a loud laugh.
"Jahahahaha...! That silver-haired brat is impatient already!"
He laughed, pulled out a cigar, lit it, and took a gentle puff. He then turned to his deputy, Dr. Indigo, and said, "I'm going to take a look. You all continue the banquet."
"Kekeke!"
Dr. Indigo laughed heartily, shaking his body, and pantomimed with silent gestures, urging the Golden Lion, "Go, go!"
"Hmm...?"
The Golden Lion looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Seeing that the Golden Lion did not understand his meaning, Indigo became anxious, stomping his feet in place and emitting a series of "pizzzz" sounds, akin to flatulence.
"Pizz."
"Pizz, pizz..."
Just as the Golden Lion was about to curse, the doctor suddenly spoke.
"I understand, you may go!"
"You can talk?!"
The Golden Lion stared at Indigo in astonishment.
"Jahahahaha...!"
With another booming laugh, he shook his cape and swiftly flew out of the palace.
Slowly, a bounty poster of Kong drifted down to the ground.
The pirates paid little attention to Kong's bounty poster, continuing their feasting and merrymaking.
He was just a small pirate with a bounty of 70 million Berries.
To the Golden Lion, he was nothing.
The Golden Lion was a legendary pirate, once on par with the "Pirate King" Gol D. Roger and "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate, possessing world-shattering power!
He was also the first pirate in Impel Down's history to escape.
...
On the ground.
The Bearded Man, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly's eyes bulged outwards, his face filled with terror as he looked towards the sky.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, a golden figure was seen floating opposite Kong.
The Bearded Man's gaze was primarily fixed on this golden figure.
He stared at the golden figure as if he had seen something exceptionally terrifying, utterly petrified.
"What a joke!"
"How could you old man possibly be in the East Blue?!"
How could he forget this legendary pirate who had caused immense casualties to Marine Headquarters twenty years ago!
Twenty years ago, he had been training at Headquarters and personally witnessed the Golden Lion's invasion of Marine Headquarters.
If it weren't for his own weakness and his inability to participate in the battle, he wouldn't know if he could have survived that war.
He still clearly remembered the nearly half-destroyed Marine Headquarters and the scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood after the battle.
The surrounding Marines watched the Bearded Man's frenzied shouting.
They were all bewildered.
"Has our Captain lost his mind?"
They did not recognize the Golden Lion, and even if they did, they couldn't see clearly from this distance.
One Marine quickly walked towards the Bearded Man, grabbed his shoulder, and shook him relentlessly.
"Captain."
"Captain..."
"What's wrong, Captain?"
The Marine's calls jolted the Bearded Man awake. He paused, his mind racing.
"There's no time to waste here."
He was the only one who knew the terror of the golden figure in the sky.
He glanced up at the Golden Lion, suppressing the fear in his heart.
He quickly jumped up and urgently shouted to the surrounding Marines.
"Everyone, stop resting! Now is not the time for dawdling."
"Quickly, quickly."
"Gather the villagers from the village at the dock, and let's leave here immediately."
With the Golden Lion here, there might be other islands in the sky above this sea area.
If those two individuals in the sky were to engage in a fight, they could easily be caught in the stray slashes and suffer heavy casualties.
Both of them were great swordsmen!
If the Golden Lion were to drop another island, none of them would be able to escape.
"Why, Captain?"
The Marines were confused.
"No time to explain, hurry and call the villagers. Tell them that if they don't leave, they will all die. Hurry, hurry!"
Seeing the Bearded Man's urgent and terrified expression, the surrounding Marines finally took the matter seriously.
They quickly scattered and went to gather the villagers.
Although they didn't understand why Captain Bearded Man had such a look of impending doom, they knew that something major was about to happen.
Something that forced the Bearded Man to make the decision to evacuate the entire island.
...