Seeing this, Law didn't bother arguing further. He simply reminded him coldly: "Until our deal is fulfilled, I don't want to see you dying."
With that, Law turned and left the palace, heading toward the floating island's edge.
Bepo, along with Shachi and Penguin, who had followed Law, were waiting there. They had built a temporary shelter, staying separate from Golden Lion Pirates.
Golden Lion watched them leave, the amusement fading from his face.
"This kid's talent is undeniable, and his Op-Op Fruit is extremely versatile in battle."
Spandine approached, his gaze cold as he watched Law disappear into the forest.
"Captain, it doesn't look like he's truly loyal to us."
Having thrown his lot in with Golden Lion Pirates, Spandine now relied entirely on Golden Lion.
After spending years working for the World Government, he knew exactly what a good subordinate should be.
Golden Lion replied indifferently: "I forced him to kneel by threatening his friends. Do you think that would make him truly loyal?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
His eyes locked onto the fading figure of Law, and a confident smile crept across his face.
"But..."
"You know..."
"When someone loses everything they can possibly lose, they'll cling desperately to whatever remains."
"When that time comes, he'll realize I'm the only thing he can truly rely on!"
Spandine's breath was slightly choked.
He suddenly understood what Shiki wanted to do.
At this moment, he also thought of himself.
Golden Lion could attack his companions in order to completely subdue Law.
Then, for himself, who has lost his usefulness, is the promise he made before really valid?
Thinking of this, for the first time, Spandine felt a trace of regret in his heart at this moment.
He regretted that he was encouraged by Crocodile's words and fantasized about controlling his destiny in his own hands…
It's all about being a dog, being a dog of the World Government, and being a dog of the World Government is much better than being a dog of a pirate!
Freedom? Strength? Power?
These are meaningless compared to life!
"By the way, there is another thing."
While thinking, Golden Lion's somewhat playful voice fell into Spandine's ears, making the latter feel numb.
Spandine raised his head with horror, only to see a savage and ferocious face.
"Yesterday, the people who stayed below sent back the news that the Pluton blueprint existed in the Water 7, and it has spread throughout the Grand Line and even the four seas."
Golden Lion's sight fell on Spandine; invisible pressure permeated around, and there was a faint flash of lightning in the void around him.
Spandine's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but say: "It's not me!"
Shiki shook his head, his tone indifferent:
"Of course, I know it's not you, but we have lost the initiative now."
"It's easy to predict those aiming to rule the world, or to claim One Piece, won't sit still any longer. Kaido, Big Mom, Ochoku... They're all going to make a move."
"And this is the perfect opportunity to announce my return to this boring world!"
… … ...
Somewhere on the Paradise, on the open sea, waves crashed under the blazing sun.
On the deck of the Raven, half-naked crew members trained like madmen.
"Lucci chose to shoulder everything alone. Compared to that, what we're doing is nothing!"
"Yeah! Training for 20 hours a day? Pissing blood? So what?! Our lives? Who cares?!"
Pfft!
Mid-sentence, one pirate coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
Even as his consciousness faded, he kept muttering to himself: "We have to get stronger... Even if it costs us our lives, we must save our instructor..."
Chopper quickly stepped forward and, after a thorough examination, confirmed that the crew member was not in any life-threatening danger.
It was simply an acute stress response due to his body being unable to withstand such intense training.
However, driven by his instincts as a doctor, Chopper spoke up: "Your body can't take this level of training anymore. You have to stop!"
"What?! Are you kidding me? The instructor is betting his life on this!"
The crew member grabbed Chopper by the collar as he spoke, only to realize that beneath Chopper's bulky coat, his body was covered in dense weight blocks.
He was momentarily stunned and tugged at Chopper's coat with force... But he couldn't move it.
"Aren't you overexerting yourself too?!"
"This is different!"
Chopper shook his head.
"I'm a doctor. I have to eliminate all opponents before my comrades get injured."
With that, Chopper raised his hand and knocked the crew member unconscious, signaling two assistants to take him to the infirmary to recover.
Then, with an excited expression, he picked up a nearby barbell and resumed training.
At that moment, the crew on deck once again fell into a fervent state, showing no fear despite witnessing their comrades collapse from exhaustion.
They were all fueled by a single thought to bring Lucci back alive and well.
Inside the captain's cabin, Gawain watched the crew from the window, then shifted his gaze to Kuro, who was floating high in the air, expertly manipulating wind currents with his Sickle Weasel ability, and then he nodded slightly in approval.
Over the past few days, he had gained a clearer understanding of his crew's strength.
After consuming the Sickle Weasel Fruit, Kuro's combat power had already reached the threshold of the Gold tier.
Now that he had further refined his ability, he had perfected his combat style.
Without a doubt, Kuro had reached the Gold tier standard, equivalent to a high-ranking warlord of the sea.
Although he likely wasn't a match for top-tier gold-level fighters like King or Katakuri, he would have little trouble dealing with an average high-ranking commander.
In a way, Kuro had taken on a combat template similar to Kizaru. His physique and Haki were average, but his speed and attack power were terrifying.
With his Pussyfoot Maneuver, he could overwhelm his enemies with sheer speed.
On the other hand, Gin was more of a balanced fighter. His Haki, physique, and speed were all decent, and he was incredibly skilled in developing his Devil Fruit ability.
His two-layer bone armor and bone cannon techniques went beyond basic applications, proving that the Paramecia Fruit's strength depended heavily on the user's creativity.
Although Gin had yet to reach the level of a high-ranking commander, he was far stronger than he had been back on Drum Island. If he fought Who's-Who again, he could handle the battle alone.
Zoro and Sanji had also been growing at a rapid pace, closing the gap with Gin.
Van Augur had recently awakened his Observation Haki, and with his signature rifle and Sea Prism Stone bullets, his long-range lethality hadn't just increased; it had become frighteningly precise.
Chopper and Kalifa hadn't yet broken through their current combat levels, but they had made significant progress nonetheless.
Previously, Gawain had used Fukurou's Te-Awase to measure their Power Level, and with his increased mastery of the Six Style, he refined the measurement technique.
According to his estimates, Chopper's combat power had surpassed 1,500, while Kalifa had reached 800.
All in all, after consecutive battles, Gawain's crew had reached the level of one emperor and four commanders configuration in terms of high-end combat power.
They were far stronger than an average warlord of the sea but still had a significant gap to close before reaching the level of a true emperor crew.
However, with Zoro, Sanji, and Gin's continued growth and the steady establishment of the Martial Arts Tournament system, that gap would eventually disappear.
With that in mind, Gawain withdrew his gaze and pulled up his system panel.
[Host: Gawain]
[Age: 25]
[Identity: Captain of the White Knight Pirate]
[Current Bounty: 248 Million Belly]
[skill:↓]
> Swordsmanship: Level 14 (26,031/75,000) Feature: Swiftness, Extreme Force
> Physique: Level 15 (47,015/120,000) Feature: Equilibrium, Harmony, Celestial Being
> Human-Beast Form Physique: Level 17 / Demon Form Physique: Level 17 / Beast Form Physique Form: Level 18
> Pussyfoot Maneuver: Level 8 (7,031/12,000) Feature: Flash Step
> Devil Fruit, Red Dragon: Level 5 (16,342/25,000) Feature: Battle Armor
> Six Styles (All): Level 6 (42,312/70,000) Feature: Life Return
> Observation Haki: Level 6 (16,713/18,000) Feature: Foresight
> Armament Haki: Level 5 (61/15,000) Feature: Diamond Body
> Conqueror Haki: Level 4 (7,581/25,000)
> Navigation: Level 5 (Max)
> Sniping: Level 5 (Max) Feature: Perception
[Badge: ↓]
> Captain's Fury: Subordinates' physical strength recovery speed +20%.
> Rising Fame: You can check the potential level of your subordinates.
> A bounty of over 100 million: The Favor of the Sea (Used)
> Warlord: Experience Piggy Bank (Disassembled: Navigation, Sniping, Paramecia Devil Fruit's experience)
[Rating: Diamond, strength at the level of the emperor of the seas or the admiral from the Marines!]
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