Chapter 280: Dead, But Not Gone

"Ji ha, ha, ha…"

Golden Lion's once untamed and domineering laughter now sounded as weak as a candle in the wind, the light in his eyes gradually fading away. The breath that was holding him gradually dissipated.

"Roger..."

With his last breath, the Golden Lion spoke his final words. His shattered and broken face showed a hint of nostalgia.

No one knows what the world after death looks like…

Fine spiritual pressure seeped continuously from the Golden Lion's battered body, turning the already shattered form into a heap of pale ashes.

A gentle breeze blew, and the ashes scattered into the sea like a wisp of smoke.

Adrian, who was pale and had a swollen right arm, flew over slowly. The long battle with the Golden Lion had been a heavy burden for him as well.

The final "Dragon of Destruction" had almost drained the last of his strength.

At this moment, Adrian was barely able to float in the air, relying on the basic abilities of his Ghostly Body.

"Do you still think of that man until the last moment of your life?"

Looking at the disappearing life of the Golden Lion, Adrian's eyes were calm and still, like an ancient well.

After a moment, Adrian, who had regained some of his strength, silently lifted his still-intact left hand and reached out to the front.

With his motion, an ethereal humanoid figure was drawn out from the void. The entirely translucent form emitted a faint, deathly white glow, unmistakably a soul. {It's not hollow hollow no mi anymore guys… or it actually is now?}

The Golden Lion felt a moment of darkness, and then the world, which had been shrouded in black, became bright again.

"Have I reached the afterlife?"

The existence of various fruits like the Shadow Fruit, Underworld Fruit, Ghost Fruit, and Soul-Soul Fruit confirmed the presence of souls in this world.

Having once sailed with Charlotte Linlin, Golden Lion Shiki naturally knew this and had witnessed Linlin manipulate others' souls more than once.

But, this was the first time the Golden Lion saw his own soul.

"Is this the underworld after death? It's nothing like I imagined. It feels like… the sea?! This is still the sea I know!"

"I never thought a soul could remain in the living world after death!"

"Does that mean… Roger is also 'alive'?!!"

An incredible thought suddenly popped up in his mind.

A sharp, unprecedented light shone in the Golden Lion's eyes, reminiscent of his ambitious spirit right after leaving the Rocks Pirates, eager to challenge the world.

Overwhelmed with excitement, the Golden Lion completely ignored Adrian's strange, amused gaze beside him.

At this moment, the living seemed insignificant to the Golden Lion.

"The power of the Float-Float Fruit… as expected, I can no longer feel it."

"But this soul body will still allow me to fly freely. So, losing the Float-Float Fruit doesn't matter much."

The Golden Lion floated in the air, raising his right hand, silently feeling the differences between his soul body and his physical body.

"And after this death, my legs have been restored! That damn ship's wheel is finally gone!"

"This is really interesting!"

"It's just a pity about my old friends, [Oto] and [Kogarashi], who've been with me for years..."

"Roger! Sorry I'm late, but the big players always show up last! Wait for me, I'm coming to find you!!"

Just as the Golden Lion began to plan a grand blueprint for the world of the dead, eager to meet his old rival, Pirate King Roger, again.

A vaguely familiar voice called out to him.

"Golden Lion, are you done mumbling to yourself?"

"Hmm?"

The Golden Lion hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Adrian, and their gazes collided.

"White Ghost brat, you can see me?"

The next moment, the Golden Lion remembered something and said with a look of realization.

"That's right, you have the power of the Ghost Fruit and can see things that others can't. That's normal."

"Alright, I don't have time to chat with a kid like you!" Golden Lion regained his arrogant pirate demeanor, looking impatient. "Roger is still waiting for me to find him!"

"It's still uncertain whether Roger's soul is still in this world."

Adrian said with a smile, looking at this Grandpa who was still greedy for power.

"But now, you come down with me!"

The Golden Lion felt a strange and powerful force suddenly appear around his body, and the next moment, he involuntarily flew over to Adrian.

Then, under Adrian's mental control, he obediently stood in front of him.

Even in his ghostly form, the Golden Lion's healthy and complete body could not resist Adrian's terrifying control.

Golden Lion was both shocked and angry. "White Ghost brat! What have you done to me?!"

"What have I done to you?"

Adrian chuckled softly.

"You still haven't figured it out, Shiki? I pulled your soul back from the underworld!"

This claim…

Of course, Adrian was just talking nonsense and tricking the Golden Lion, this Grandpa in his fifties, by taking advantage of the fact that the Flying Pirate didn't understand the secrets of the Ghost Fruit.

In reality, the reason Adrian could so easily recall Golden Lion's soul and keep his consciousness intact was primarily due to the "Dragon of Destruction" formed entirely by spiritual pressure!

Back in Water 7, Adrian had used ghost energy to resurrect the nearly vanished ship spirit, Rumi.

Now, "spiritual pressure" was a complete upgrade of "ghost energy."

When Shiki clashed with Dragon of Destruction, the highly dense spiritual pressure penetrated Golden Lion's body and touched his soul.

This was the key to Adrian being able to summon the Golden Lion's soul!

Of course, the max-level [Ghost Domination] also played a significant role.

Additionally, the reason Golden Lion could maintain such clear consciousness, unlike those who lose most of their memories and become empty shells after death, was not only due to his short time of death but also his own exceptional qualities!

Specifically, the influence of [Conqueror's Haki]!

This kind of "king's talent" that only one in ten million people possess was the fundamental reason why the Golden Lion's Ghostly Body was able to be so perfect.

"Do you think I'll believe your bullshit, White Ghost?" the Golden Lion snorted.

He was more willing to believe that he had entered the world after death, and White Ghost brat was able to see the souls of the dead through some unknown method.

Adrian didn't want to explain too much. He extended his left index finger, gathering a small cluster of ghost energy, and swiftly struck Golden Lion's left leg.

Golden Lion was startled. He wanted to dodge but couldn't move due to the mysterious binding force, and had to endure the blast of ghost energy.

For a soul, ghost energy inflicted far more damage than on living beings.

This was evident from Adrian's previous battle with Charlotte Linlin, where ghost energy bombardment was able to damage Prometheus!

"Ah!!"

The ghostly energy attack hit the Golden Lion's left leg, and the semi-transparent ghostly leg was instantly turned into a powdery substance and disappeared into the air.

The intense pain was like his soul was being cut by a thousand knives, and it was unbearable even for the Golden Lion, who had a strong will.

What was even more shocking was that the Golden Lion felt that along with the disappearance of his left leg, some of his past memories also disappeared.

"Although I don't want to turn an intelligent high-level ghost into an empty shell devoid of memories," Adrian smiled gently, "if you continue to be arrogant, I'll have no choice, Golden Lion."

"White Ghost! I won't let you go even in death!"

Golden Lion, indifferent to such threats, roared furiously.

Adrian's eyes were cold, and he once again gathered a small ball of ghostly energy and cleanly broke the Golden Lion's right leg.

"Now, it's symmetrical, and what suit you the most."

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