The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Then he gently tapped the purple clay teapot with his knuckles, and said in a calm tone...

"Just a heads up, my garden... every single plant here is worth more than both of you combined."

"I can tell." The Golden Lion sneered, a cigar dangling from his lips, his tone ambiguous.

Then, the next second.

"Buzz!" A loud popping sound echoed through the air!

The golden lion's figure vanished from its spot in an instant, appearing almost simultaneously in front of Law!

Its speed far exceeded Luo's reaction limit!

"Huh?!" Luo only managed to utter a short nasal sound.

Without a word, the Golden Lion launched himself into a high split with his right leg and delivered a powerful kick to Law's abdomen!

"boom!!"

The immense force caused Luo's eyes to bulge out instantly, his stomach to churn, and he was kicked straight into the air like a kite with a broken string!

"Shh! Shh!"

Two whooshing sounds rang out, and the famous swords "Kumo" and "Sakura-ju," which had been carelessly discarded to the side, were summoned.

They transformed into two streaks of light, flying precisely into the golden lion's outstretched hands!

Immediately afterwards, he slightly bent his knees, the air beneath his feet exploded, and his figure soared into the sky at a speed even faster than Luo's flying backwards, chasing after him!

In mid-air, Luo endured the tearing pain and suffocating sensation in his abdomen, clenched his teeth, and desperately opened his left hand, attempting to activate his ability.

"ROOM!"

However, just as the pale blue spherical space began to take shape, a pungent cigar smoke enveloped him from behind!

At the same time, the Golden Lion's menacing voice rang out right behind the back of his head.

"Know your place, you little brat!"

"Slaughterhouse!!"

"You're not qualified to use Devil Fruit tricks in front of me, given my domineering presence!"

The pale blue "ROOM" space, like a soap bubble torn apart by a gale, fluctuated violently under the pressure of the golden lion's domineering and violent aura, and then completely collapsed!

Law's abilities were abruptly interrupted before they could even be fully unleashed!

"Kid! You think you've got some special abilities..." Shiki's maniacal laughter boomed in Law's ears.

"So you think you can negotiate with me on equal footing?!"

Without even using his twin swords, Shiki didn't finish his sentence. Or rather, he had intended from the start to use Law as a punching bag to get used to his legs!

Therefore, the Golden Lion merely used his extremely fast movements to get close to Law.

His newly transplanted right leg slammed into Luo's side again!

"Crack!" A clear sound of bone breaking rang out.

"Ah—!" Luo let out a painful scream, his body spinning uncontrollably in the air like a top being whipped around.

But the golden lion's figure followed closely, attacking from all directions. The inertia from the attack kept Law suspended in mid-air for a moment.

It can only be said that the 'Flying Pirates' truly live up to their name; the sky is the lion's home ground!!

After a while, the Golden Lion reappeared above Law, raising his left leg high, covered in jet-black Armament Haki, and then slashing down fiercely!

"boom!!!"

The kick slammed heavily into Luo's back, the terrifying force penetrating his body!

"Pfft!" Luo could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood. His body accelerated downwards and crashed heavily into the ground of Barrett's training field below!

"Boom!"

Smoke and dust filled the air, and a human-shaped crater appeared.

Luo lay at the bottom of the pit, his bones feeling like they were falling apart. Excruciating pain surged from all directions, his vision blurred, and even his breath tasted blood and burned.

He tried to struggle, but found that the excruciating pain rendered him powerless.

"Hehehe."

At this moment, the golden lion slowly descended to the edge of the pit, looking down at Luo, who lay limp on the ground like a dead dog.

He casually slung the "Dead Wood" and "Sakura Ten" swords over his shoulder, the smoke from his cigars swirling around his wild face.

"When I was roaming the seas, fighting Roger for treasure, and arm wrestling with Newgate, you were probably still suckling somewhere!"

The Golden Lion's voice was cold, carrying the arrogance and majesty unique to the overlords of the old era.

"You think you can take advantage of me just because I need your help? You think you can order me around to kill people for you?"

He slowly raised his right foot, covered it with Armament Haki, and then stomped down!

"Boom!!!"

It wasn't stepping on Luo, but on the ground next to Luo's head!

The solid ground cracked instantly, sending pebbles flying. Several sharp stones even grazed Luo's cheek, leaving bloodstains.

The imminent threat of death and the display of power caused Luo's pupils to shrink to pinpoints.

"Listen to me, you brat!" Golden Lion bent down and grabbed Law's hair.

"You're alive and breathing right now because I still need your abilities!"

But that doesn't mean you have the right to bargain with me!

"The remnants of the old era are not to be underestimated by a newbie like you who has only been at sea for a few years!"

"Want me to help you? Fine! But there's a condition..."

You fucking need to learn first how to speak when facing absolute power!

Having finished speaking, the Golden Lion released his grip, straightened up, took the cigar from his lips, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke onto Luo's face.

"Now, tell me."

Have you recognized your own 'position'?

Trafalgar Law.

At the bottom of the pit, Luo lay amidst rubble and blood, writhing in excruciating pain and struggling to breathe.

The Golden Lion's merciless and crushing beating finally shattered the little bit of complacency and arrogance that had grown from the preferential treatment he had received recently.

With difficulty, he raised his head, and through his blood-blurred vision, squeezed out a sentence.

"...I understand...it's clear now..."

At that moment, young Luo received a serious lesson.

I have come to deeply understand the true weight of old-fashioned legends, and how any calculation or negotiation appears so pale and laughable in the face of absolute power.

So, if there's a next time, we still need to find someone like the Straw Hat Boy.

People like the Golden Lion are all cunning and scheming; none of them are easy to get along with.

Chapter 442 'Opportunity'

Just as Luo humiliatingly admitted reality, and Shiki, brimming with self-satisfaction, prepared to exert further pressure...

"Heh." A cold laugh, filled with pure malice and fighting spirit, cut in without warning.

The golden lion's pupils suddenly contracted, his rich combat instincts allowing him to react almost instantly upon hearing the laughter!

Before he could even turn around, he slammed his left palm into the ground!

"boom!"

A powerful backdraft burst forth, propelling itself dozens of meters into the air in an instant!

And, almost at the same instant he left the spot

"Bang!!!" A fist covered in jet-black Armament Haki, with bulging muscles, slammed into the spot where he had just been standing!

Where the fist landed, the air exploded, creating a ripple several meters in diameter. The airburst generated a shockwave that sent Luo flying!

On the other side, the golden lion floating in the air also looked down.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the attacker's true form was revealed.

His signature dark red skin, his devilish and excited smile, and his massive body that exuded immense pressure just by standing there.

"Douglas Barrett!"

"Golden Lion... Shiki!"

Two voices, one coldly crashing down from the sky, the other rising from the ground with fervent fighting spirit, almost simultaneously and accurately called out each other's names!

Two figures from the old era confront each other again on the G-10 training ground in such an unexpected way!

Barrett slowly withdrew his fist, cracked his neck, and made a teeth-grinding "crack" sound.

Looking up at the golden lion suspended in mid-air, its eyes, filled with destructive intent, made no attempt to conceal its provocation.

"Golden Lion...you've weakened. We fought before when I was rampaging through the ocean, and back then...you didn't choose to hide."

"Damn it, you think I'm trying to hide? You bastard."

The golden lion hovered in mid-air, watching Barrett with a chill running through its heart.

"This guy... is so much stronger than he was back then!"

This pure physical strength and domineering aura, definitely Emperor-level...

Just as the Golden Lion was pondering, a cold voice drifted from another direction.

"A demon sword?"

The Golden Lion looked in the direction of the sound and saw that "Hawkeye" Djokovic had quietly appeared at the edge of the training field.

Those hawk-like eyes were fixed on the ghostly wailing that Luo had thrown down not far away, and then with a flick of the back of his foot, he grabbed it in his hand.

"They say it's a demon sword? Then why did you pick it up? Hurry up and throw it away!"

Perona floated behind Mihawk, hugging her Kumasi (Hawkeye doll), frantically poking Hawkeye's hat with her hand, her tone tinged with a hint of spoiled arrogance and disdain.

On the other side...

"Hahaha! Isn't that Luo?!"

Enel sat cross-legged on Bartholomew Kuma's broad shoulders, his golden staff casually draped over his shoulders.

Looking down at Luo, who was in a sorry state at the bottom of the pit, his face was full of undisguised mockery.

"Why have you gotten so bloated after just a few days?"

"He's so badly injured, so pitiful..." Beside the bear, a pair of soft rabbit ears trembled slightly.

Libo took a bite of carrot, blinked her big eyes, looked at Luo's miserable state, and spoke with a touch of innocent sympathy.

Standing behind Ribo, the slender and graceful Snake Princess Torituma, entwined by a giant snake, did not look at Luo.

Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the golden lion in the air as if facing a formidable enemy. With her red lips slightly parted, she said in a calm, mature voice, "It seems a restless fellow has arrived."

"Everyone!!" Just then, Gern's voice came from behind them.

"You're back?"

Gern walked slowly out from the depths of the garden, his expression still calm, with Tesoro beside him.

Gern did not take sides, but simply stood in the open space between the Golden Lion and the "Calamity" group.

With his arrival, the positioning on the field instantly became subtle and meaningful.

Gern stood alone at the very front, as if he were the core and master of the entire G-10.

Behind him stood the "Calamity" loyalists, represented by Barrett, Mihawk, Tesoro, Enel (and Kuma), Ribo, and Toritoma.

Whether standing or sitting, whether sneering or calm, they subtly formed a line, creating a massive and suffocating collective pressure.

And what they had unknowingly half-surrounded at the center was none other than Shiki the Golden Lion, who was suspended in the air, holding two swords, his face grim and unpredictable.

He neither stood with Gern nor aligned himself with the "Calamity" group.