Chapter 66: The Golden Lion's Treasure

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"Meow——"

"Bastard, how dare you do this to Boss Shiki!!!"

Ignoring the furious shouts of "Violent Tiger" Boris, Ichi instructed Gin and Ohm to take the weakened and heavily injured "Golden Lion" (Hakuba in Shiki's body) away. He then looked towards the black cat (Shiki in Hakuba's body) that was struggling in Ohm's hands, roaring angrily, filled with malice and hatred.

Resting his elbow on the armrest, cupping his chin, Ichi said with a faint smile: "That floating island fortress of yours, the wealth... I raided it thoroughly. The harvest was indeed substantial, beyond imagination..."

The treasures collected by the Golden Lion were truly astonishing. Even compared to the enormous sums Germa had extorted through constant campaigns across the world over the years, it was likely far greater.

Not only did it fill the fortress's extremely large underground vault and storage warehouses to the brim, but they even had to commandeer numerous soldier's rest quarters, and even his personal castle, just to store all that treasure. One can only imagine what a colossal fortune it was!

With the support of this wealth, Germa could now completely abandon continuing those pointless wars of employment and focus on high-speed development. For a short period, they wouldn't have any financial worries.

"What surprised me even more was that your treasure vault actually contained Devil Fruits. I almost missed them..."

He pointed to a rather inconspicuous, half-meter-long black box placed on the table.

Even Ichi hadn't expected that the Golden Lion's vault actually held five or six Devil Fruits. Furthermore, aside from two unknown fruits, the others were all quite decent Devil Fruits, clearly labeled with their types.

He hadn't given them to his subordinates, likely because he felt those guys were too weak/useless. He probably intended to wait until the IQ research succeeded and he formally made his comeback, then directly recruit some capable pirates from the sea, bestow the Devil Fruits upon them, and cultivate them.

Those common Zoan or Paramecia-type Devil Fruits were definitely not something the Golden Lion would bother collecting.

"Heh~~ Heh~~ To actually have Mythical Zoans... you've truly given me a big surprise..."

A former King of the Seas, his hidden resources were indeed shockingly deep.

This harvest, though unexpected for Ichi, was entirely reasonable.

If the IQ research succeeded, coupled with the wealth controlled by the Golden Lion, the precious Devil Fruits, and leveraging his own strength which hadn't declined significantly, along with the innate advantages of the Pika Pika no Mi, he could have completely staged a comeback.

It's just a pity the Golden Lion was too old, and his strength had declined too drastically!

If back then he had directly imitated BIG MOM's model and had a bunch of children, this possibility would have been even greater!

Especially since he was a man, there wouldn't be any pregnancy period. Coupled with his own excellent genes, he might really have been able to create a team even more exaggerated than BIG MOM's.

But in this world, there was never such a thing as "if".

The ironclad fact was that the Golden Lion's decades of accumulation and collection had all merely paved the way for others, benefiting Germa.

"Meow——"

The Conqueror's Haki raged incessantly, but was fundamentally unable to intimidate the few people still standing there.

Gazing murderously at Ichi and the others, the Golden Lion (in the cat's body) was somewhat cornered, his cat paws swiping making empty grabbing motions continuously.

"However, you are useless now!" Ichi's expression was calm. His tone shifted, and he suddenly flicked his finger: "Shigan!" (Finger Pistol)

"Thwip!"

A powerful blast of air, fast as a bullet, pierced through the cat's head like lightning.

Skimming past Ohm who was holding the black cat single-handedly, the force continued unabated, striking the wall behind, leaving a shocking finger-sized hole!

"Thump!"

He tossed the completely dead black cat aside.

Ohm couldn't help but feel some emotion. A former King of the Seas who looked down upon an entire era couldn't even choose his own way of death.

This sea... is just this cruel!

"Boss!!!"

"Clang..."

"Violent Tiger" roared, the chains all over his body rattling.

Not just because of Shiki's death, but also because he foresaw his own end from Shiki's fate.

Getting up from the chair, Ichi walked over to the cell holding the Violent Tiger!

"..., Then next, it's your turn..."

Ichi looked down upon the incessantly struggling "Violent Tiger" Boris, filled with anger and unwillingness, his eyes cold and indifferent!

"Detestable!!"

"If you have the guts, kill me, bastard!!"

The sturdy body struggled constantly, rattling the chains!

Boris's eyes showed unwillingness, but also a measure of despair and intense hatred.

Even his body was going to be seized – such a method of death was truly hard to accept!

"Killing you is very simple." Ichi stood there quietly, looking directly into Boris's bloodshot eyes filled with resentment and fury: "But, are you truly resigned to it?"

"What do you mean?" Boris continued to struggle forcefully, his tone laced with vigilance.

"From your eyes, I see a strong desire to live. You don't want to die..." Ichi spoke calmly, his words striking directly at Boris's soul: "At least, you don't want to die like this!"

"Gasp..." Boris came to a realization, understanding Ichi's intention.

He looked mockingly at Ichi, saying somewhat sarcastically: "Are you trying to recruit me? Dream on! Pirates also value loyalty!"

"Shiki was so inherently cold-hearted and selfish, he could even kill his own subordinates without hesitation, yet you were willing to serve him loyally. What reason is there for you not to serve me?" Ichi didn't mind his sarcasm, calmly looking down at Boris, radiating a confidence that seemed to come from his very bones.

"Boss Shiki isn't..."

"Whether he is or not, you know very well yourself!"

"You should have also seen everything of Shiki's being seized by us, including his body and ability. I don't think you'd want that either!"

Boris's eyes held disdain, but he remained silent.

He truly wasn't resigned to dying just like this, but serving this brat? How could that be possible?

"The Golden Lion Shiki you served loyally, in fact, died twenty-odd years ago..."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Wasn't Boss Shiki just killed by you, bastard?" Boris's eyes narrowed, speaking with some anger.

Golden Lion Shiki had just been killed by this bastard, yet he claimed he died over twenty years ago? What kind of joke was this?

"With the rudder stuck in his head, unable to even use Conqueror's Haki aside, despite clearly losing to the heavens (weather), he still shamelessly kneeled down to that lucky dog Gol D. Roger. He even acknowledged the other party's title of 'Pirate King' after Roger completed the journey through the Grand Line... It simply makes my teeth ache..."

"You bastard, shut up..."

Golden Lion Shiki was the boss he respected most, yet he was being so utterly despised by a brat. How could Boris not be furious?

Without any intention of stopping, Ichi continued coldly: "Not thinking things through, he actually stormed Marine Headquarters just because Pirate King Roger was captured by the Marines. In the end, knowing he couldn't win, he didn't retreat either, and was captured and thrown into Impel Down..."

"He certainly has courage, but what about his strategy? His schemes? That ambition aspiring to rule the world?"

"Hmph—" Boris snorted coldly, saying nothing.

In fact, not just him, but the entire Flying Pirates crew found it somewhat incomprehensible that Golden Lion Shiki would lose his mind over Pirate King Roger's capture and recklessly attack Marine Headquarters.

"Your captain is an idiot. He went into Impel Down to experience the temperature of the legendary blood pond. The result was that your entire Flying Pirates crew, having lost its core pillar, was destroyed by BIG MOM, Beasts Pirates, and other pirate crews. Even the Flying Pirates' First Division Commander 'Wind Demon', and the Third Division Commander 'Lion's Might' who lost a leg, died because of this..."

"But after he broke out of prison, did he ever think of taking revenge for 'Wind Demon' and 'Lion's Might'? Or did he simply not dare to seek revenge against the ever-strengthening Beasts Pirates and BIG MOM..."

Ichi sneered, looking down at Boris with some mockery: "Researching that IQ, causing huge casualties in the East Blue, but surely you aren't naive enough to think that just because he has a rudder stuck in his head, broke his own legs escaping prison, and his strength continuously declined, the Marines were completely helpless against him?"

"More importantly, the reason he desperately wanted to destroy the East Blue was still because of Pirate King Roger. Just because that rival he acknowledged died in the East Blue, which he deemed the weakest sea, he felt the World Government was humiliating Roger? Simply laughable!"

"Stop talking..." Boris gave up struggling, saying coldly: "No matter how he changed, Boss Shiki will always be my boss. I will never betray him!"

"'Betrayal?' He's already dead, what betrayal is there to speak of?"

Ichi leaned against the nearby wall, looking at Boris, whose heart had clearly already been swayed somewhat, and said calmly: "Or perhaps, with Shiki dead, you've lost your purpose and motivation in life, and no longer wish to live?"

"Then, back when the Golden Lion hadn't yet escaped from Impel Down, and the Flying Pirates were nearly annihilated, I didn't see you commit suicide. Don't tell me you firmly believed that useless trash could escape from Impel Down, or did you firmly believe you could rescue him yourself..."

....