Watching the massive vacuum projectile inches away, Golden Lion wrapped all his Conqueror’s Haki around his black blade, eyes wide, and slashed with all his might right into the center of the vacuum projectile!
“Hum—!!!”
Mihawk and Bullet, watching from below, instantly sat up straight, their eyes locked on that earth-shattering slash in mid-air.
The next moment, a breathtaking scene unfolded—the massive vacuum projectile that Dar had unleashed with full force was actually sliced clean in half right down the middle by Golden Lion’s blade!
The two halves of the vacuum projectile grazed Golden Lion’s ears as they shot past, slamming violently into the distant sea and instantly kicking up waves that blocked out the sky.
But just as Golden Lion had expended his old strength and his new strength had yet to form, Dar had already silently appeared behind him.
“I’m right here, Golden Lion.”
Golden Lion was shocked, frantically turning to swing his blade, but Dar had anticipated this; with a nimble maneuver, he circled around behind him once again.
Giving his opponent no chance to react, Dar closed his arms, locking him around the waist, and laughed loudly:
“Hahaha!!
Golden Lion, I’m about to self-destruct, you’d better be careful!”
Golden Lion’s scalp tingled instantly, his advanced Observation Haki screaming warnings.
He immediately unleashed his Armament Haki and Conqueror’s Haki to their full extent, wrapping them tightly around his body to endure the impending shockwave.
“Boom—!!!”
A thunderous explosion that shook the heavens erupted, the violent shockwave sweeping in all directions.
The air distorted violently, and even the seawater was instantly boiled.
The entire xuanjin ark lit up with a dazzling blue light, and a cold, urgent mechanical alarm sounded inside the ship:
“Warning!
Warning!
Energy reserves are about to exceed capacity!
Repeat, energy reserves are about to exceed capacity!”
Hawkeye Mihawk, who had already retreated into the cabin, was deeply shaken and could not calm down for a long time.
For the first time in his life, he felt the urge to eat a Devil Fruit.
After all, the boost a powerful Devil Fruit provided to one’s combat strength was truly terrifying.
He looked at Bullet, who was standing to the side with a grave expression and breaking out in a cold sweat, and asked in a deep voice:
“Back then, how exactly did Vice Admiral Garp defeat such a monster?”
Bullet took a deep breath and said in a low voice:
“He was nowhere near as terrifying back then.
Don’t forget, given his age and foundation, he is currently in his peak period of rapid growth.”
“If we don’t want to be left further and further behind by a monster like this, our future training must be even more insane.”
Mihawk nodded slowly, a newfound, unprecedented seriousness in his eyes.
…
On the deck, at the center of the explosion.
Golden Lion Shiki’s eyes had already rolled back, and he had passed out completely.
That majestic golden hair was now blown into a charred, frizzy afro, and his skin looked carbonized, emitting wisps of white steam.
“Ding…
host has beaten up a top-tier powerhouse, Armament Points + 8500.”
The long-lost system notification sound rang in Dar’s mind.
He clenched his fists, feeling the powerful energy surging endlessly within him, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud in excitement.
“Angela, fire a shot to liven things up!”
“Very well, Master.”
The beam cannon at the front of the xuanjin ark gathered energy frantically, and a brilliant pillar of light shot straight into the sky, exploding high above like a magnificent firework.
As the energy was released in large quantities, the piercing alarms inside the ship finally quieted down completely.
Dar hoisted the unconscious Golden Lion onto his shoulder, turned, and walked toward the cabin, saying to Bullet and Mihawk:
“Let’s go to the medical bay and give this old guy a full-body checkup.”
Just like when he treated Bullet, Dar placed Golden Lion on the medical platform.
A moment later, the complete body scan results appeared on the huge screen nearby.
To everyone’s surprise, Golden Lion’s injuries were not severe—aside from surface burns and a few broken bones, there were no serious injuries, and given his monstrous physique, he would recover after a few days of rest.
What was truly fatal were the old injuries accumulated over many years.
It was clearly visible on the 3D projection:
The wooden shard of the ship’s wheel in his head was embedded deep inside his brain.
Dar, Mihawk, and Bullet all felt their scalps tingle as they looked at the image.
Dar turned to look at Angela and asked:
“Does this wooden shard affect him significantly?”
Angela bowed slightly and answered calmly:
“Yes, Master.
The wooden shard has been pressing on his brain and nerves for a long time, causing chronic brain damage, persistent severe pain, and neurological disorders.
It severely affects his balance, perception, and reaction speed, keeping his overall strength suppressed and preventing him from returning to his peak.”
“The damage is actually this severe…” Dar was secretly shocked.
He thought about it and instantly understood.
In his prime, Golden Lion was a legendary Great Pirate who had once nearly wiped out the Roger Pirates!
Although his fleet was massive back then, there were few truly top-tier combatants; those ordinary pirates couldn’t withstand even a few bursts of Conqueror’s Haki.
This meant that the Golden Lion of that time had likely suppressed all the high-end combatants of the Roger Pirates single-handedly.
“Can it be removed?”
Mihawk, who was nearby, suddenly spoke up and looked at Angela.
“Yes,” Angela answered immediately without the slightest hesitation.
“The xuanjin ark is one of Mr.
Tony Stark’s proudest masterpieces, equipped with the most advanced medical modules.
As a third-generation artificial intelligence, my database contains the world’s top medical technologies.”
“Tony Stark…
who is that?”
Bullet couldn’t help but ask, frowning.
A person capable of building such a terrifying warship was definitely not a nobody, yet he had never heard this name before.
“Tony Stark is my creator, equivalent to my father,” Angela answered calmly.
“What a terrifying man…” Bullet sighed in a low voice.
Dar pondered for a moment and immediately ordered Angela:
“Perform surgery on him and remove the wooden shard.
Also, while you’re at it, craft him two vibranium prosthetic limbs.”
The xuanjin ark had its own internal precision vibranium processing line, so making prosthetic limbs for Golden Lion was no problem at all.
However, no matter how large the vibranium reserves were, it was a non-renewable resource that decreased with every use.
But as the saying goes—nothing ventured, nothing gained.
With both medical treatment and the replacement with vibranium prosthetic limbs, he had really invested a fortune.
When Golden Lion wakes up, he has to make sure this legendary Great Pirate stays on his ship no matter what!
“Understood, Master,” Angela replied with a bow.
A blue light curtain descended instantly, completely shrouding the medical bay.
Several precision robotic arms extended from beneath the platform, working methodically under Angela’s control: undressing, cleaning, disinfecting, shaving…
That’s right, in order to perform the craniotomy, the golden hair that remained on Golden Lion after the explosion was mercilessly shaved clean, turning him into a shining bald man.
The following scenes were truly a bit gruesome; Dar felt his eyelids twitch and immediately waved to the other two:
“Stop watching, let’s go, let’s go get a drink!”
…..