Then he put his hands together, and the space around him instantly collapsed, followed by an immense force rushing outwards.
"Pseudo: Shinra Tensei!"
The lion heads and slashes rushing from all sides were instantly scattered.
Kong Tai stepped through the dust-filled air, blade in hand, and rapidly approached the Golden Lion.
"Soru, Tsumaki Giri."
With a "swoosh," he instantly appeared above the Golden Lion's head and brought his sword down fiercely.
Clang—!
Sensing that the point of impact this time was not a collapsing Haki, Kong Tai burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahaha!!!"
"Old man, you'd better obediently train with me!"
"Hahaha..."
He continuously swung his blade, delivering heavy blows, while the Golden Lion could only defend passively.
"What's wrong? Old man, are you finished already?"
He roared ferociously, "If this is all the strength you have, then die!"
Then, the veins on his arm gripping the sword bulged, and he brought down a powerful slash towards the Golden Lion.
Clang—!
A golden figure shot backward at great speed.
The Golden Lion tried to stabilize himself, but the force transmitted through his arm made it impossible to stop.
He used this momentum to his advantage, speeding even faster towards his main island.
Kong Tai watched the Golden Lion fly far away, a hint of doubt flashing across his face.
"Is this old man trying to run?"
"That shouldn't be!"
"Such a powerful figure would never consider escaping from a junior like me."
He shook his head, thought no more of it, and stared at the Golden Lion, activating his ability.
"Teleport!"
He instantly appeared behind the Golden Lion and swung his blade at his back.
Clang—!
Red light flashed in the Golden Lion's eyes, and he preemptively raised his sword, blocking Kong Tai's attack.
Although he couldn't match Kong Tai's speed, his Observation Haki was top-tier!
While he couldn't yet foresee the future, this top-tier Observation Haki, coupled with his lightning-fast nerve reflexes and decades of combat experience, was something ordinary people couldn't possess.
Using this momentum, he propelled himself even faster into the air, towards the edge of the main island, finally landing beside the layer of seawater that enveloped the island.
"Oh..."
"So, you want to use the power of the sea against me!"
Kong Tai stood in place, watching the Golden Lion with amusement, then yanked the sake gourd from his waist and leisurely took a drink.
"Old man, hurry up and show me whatever other moves you have!"
"Next, I'll have a good... good Haki spar with you."
"Burp!"
He exhaled a puff of sake-scented breath towards the Golden Lion, a blush appearing on his face.
Looking at the sake gourd in his hand, he shook it.
"Not enough to drink!"
"Hehehehe! Brat, don't get too arrogant. Do you really think you can defeat me?"
The Golden Lion let out a booming laugh, then unleashed a swift slash towards the edge of the main island.
"Zanpa!"
The layer of seawater at the island's edge, like jelly, was instantly sliced open with a "plop."
Then, he spread his five fingers, and the cut seawater, like fireworks, decomposed into countless tiny droplets that scattered in all directions.
This enveloped the entire world in a thick mist of raindrops.
Then, he vibrated his hand.
The countless water droplets in the air instantly decomposed further, breaking down into a pervasive mist.
The mist shrouded the entire sky, making one feel as if they were in a dense winter morning fog.
This was his preparation specifically to prevent Kong Tai's teleportation.
In this dense seawater mist, he didn't believe Kong Tai could teleport away.
He glared at Kong Tai, his expression one of arrogance.
"Hehehehe! Brat, take this!"
"This is a gift I specially prepared for a Devil Fruit user like you!"
Saying this, he clenched his right fist.
The mist scattered around them, as if being pulled by an unseen force, rapidly converging towards Kong Tai in the center.
Kong Tai looked at the Golden Lion as if he were a fool.
This guy prepared for so long, only to come up with this?
This stuff was completely unnecessary for him!
Because he had no intention of moving at all.
Since the old man enjoyed putting on a show, he might as well put on a spectacular one for him.
After all, the old man was nearing his end; it wouldn't be good to rob him of his last moments of joy, would it?
As the mist rapidly gathered, water droplets began to condense on the surface of his body.
At this moment, Kong Tai's face displayed an expression of terror.
Then, his entire body was instantly submerged in seawater formed by the connected water droplets.
He clutched his throat, struggling to breathe, and continuously blew out small bubbles.
He appeared to be in great distress.
"Hehehehe..."
The Golden Lion, watching Kong Tai trapped within the seawater, couldn't help but erupt in laughter, which continued to pour from his mouth.
The frustration of being dominated by Kong Tai earlier vanished completely.
He stood there, silently watching Kong Tai, laughing continuously.
"Hmm...?"
Kong Tai had been waiting for the Golden Lion's slashing attack. He waited and waited, but the slash never came.
He couldn't help but cast a glance at the Golden Lion.
"Ugh!"
The old man remained indifferent, laughing incessantly.
"Old man, are you going to keep laughing forever? Aren't you going to finish your performance with a slash?"
At this moment, he truly wanted to complain to the Golden Lion.
"His forced performance is exhausting, you know?"
This guy wasn't like this towards Monkey D. Luffy!
Why did his brain suddenly become so sharp when it came to him?
Thinking of this, he gave up on the act and began to showcase various swimming styles in the water.
Freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, even doggy paddle and the lazy turtle paddle...
Everything was on display.
The Golden Lion watched Kong Tai continuously change his swimming poses in the water, and he realized he had been tricked by Kong Tai.
His entire display of useless acrobatics probably made him look like a fool in this brat's eyes.
Because this brat clearly wasn't afraid of the seawater at all.
"This ability is too invincible!"
In his decades of life, he knew of only a limited number of Devil Fruit users who weren't significantly afraid of the sea.
For instance, he himself could easily control seawater, thus disregarding the sea's curse.
But for him to be completely submerged in seawater like Kong Tai was simply impossible.
However, what he didn't know was that Kong Tai wasn't a Devil Fruit user at all.
The Golden Lion stared at Kong Tai, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Too arrogant, simply too arrogant."
"This brat clearly doesn't take me, the Golden Lion, seriously at all."
Thinking this, he rapidly swung his legs towards Kong Tai.
"Die, brat!"
"Shishi: Sen-tōgū!"
Several golden slashes charged rapidly towards Kong Tai, who was encased in seawater.
"Hmph!"
Kong Tai stopped his movements, turned to look at the Golden Lion, whose rage was palpable, and his gaze sharpened.
"Now that you know the gap between us, just obediently spar with me!"
Without even looking at the incoming golden slashes, his Spatial Domain instantly expanded.
Bang—!
An immense force instantly repelled both the seawater and the slashes.
Then, Kong Tai teleported directly behind the Golden Lion, drew Zankon, and swung it down hard at his back.
Clang—!
The Golden Lion was somewhat helpless against Kong Tai's teleportation. He could only turn and raise his sword to block the attack.
Then, his body was sent rapidly crashing towards the ground.
With a "thump," he crashed into a massive mountain below.