Minos gave no answer to the questions in Kyros and the others' hearts. His leg had healed, so what was there to ask about?
However, Kyros himself was incomparably excited. To a warrior, a leg was far more useful than an arm. Crocodile had lost an arm, yet after fitting a hook, he had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his combat strength with barely any major impact.
Kyros was different. He had lost a leg, especially one that included the knee and part of the thigh. That left him with no point from which to exert force in battle, while his mobility had also been severely restricted. His combat strength had been cut by more than half.
With Kyros fully recovered, his combat strength alone was no worse than Minos in his normal state. At most, he was somewhat weaker in Observation Haki. If Minos did not transform into the Evil Eye King, he might not even be able to beat him.
After much thought, this was the only way Minos could think of to improve their combat strength. He did not know when the World Consciousness's backlash would arrive, but he had already begun to feel a faint sense of crisis. He knew he could not delay much longer.
If he could not increase his own strength, then he would increase his subordinates' strength. Every additional bit of combat power meant another bit of hope.
The other benefit was earning Kyros and Violet's gratitude. Originally, the two of them had merely shared an ordinary superior-subordinate relationship with Minos.
Violet and Kyros naturally held no favorable impression of the Big Mom Pirates. They had only joined because they needed protection. Moreover, both had fairly high moral standards, so their loyalty could be guaranteed, but expecting them to immediately give their all was impossible.
Now, however, things were different. Kyros felt he had received an immense favor. He did not dare say outright that he was selling his life to Minos, but that was more or less what he meant.
Minos did not feel unworthy of it. In truth, the Holy Grail had not only healed Kyros's severed leg; it had also repaired his old injuries, restored the vitality he had lost through combat and training, and even returned him to the age when his life force had been at its peak.
In a sense, the current Kyros was definitely far stronger than he had been before losing his leg. It was simply not so easy to see those effects. Tianlai Novel Network
After Kyros recovered from his injuries, Minos did not lead everyone away from Sleepy Town. Staying near the island was relatively safe, but if they took a ship, who knew where the World Consciousness might throw them?
However, they only remained until the following night. Stimulated by an intense sense of crisis, Minos knew that danger was likely coming again.
From the originally dim night sky, a strange ship descended. Accompanied by a burst of "Jiehahahahahaha," all of Sleepy Town—and even the entire island—began to tremble.
"What is going on, Captain Minos?" Kyros raised his head toward the sky and asked in surprise.
At that moment, Violet, Baby5, Talon, and the others had all been asleep. Though they had awakened now, they had not fully reacted yet and were still inside their rooms.
Only Kyros was awake. Thanks to the Holy Grail, his mental and physical energy had been overflowing during this period. Combined with having been unable to train for a long time after losing his leg, he had been practicing swordsmanship on deck nonstop.
"Ah... we've run into trouble again," Minos said with a sigh.
A ship flying through the sky, that "Jiehahaha" laughter, and the ship and island trembling as they rose into the air—of course Minos knew who had arrived.
It was another character from a movie, one of the Great Pirates of the previous generation: Golden Lion Shiki!
Come to think of it, in Luffy's movies, nearly every Great Pirate from the previous generation had been beaten up—Count Red, Golden Lion, the Devil's Heir, the World Destroyer, and the like.
Yet in theory, none of those people should have been much weaker than the Four Emperors. They were probably like a group of old, weak, sickly, and crippled Four Emperors.
All Minos could say was that movie Luffy had cheats enabled. In any case, Minos himself could never defeat Golden Lion.
Speaking of which, Minos had originally wondered whether the world's backlash might at least follow some basic rules and only send opponents a bit stronger than their current strength. He had not expected top-tier fighters to show up every single time!
Golden Lion could only be considered unlucky for failing to catch up with the version update, which was why he had no Haki. But in the real world, Minos truly could not say whether Golden Lion had Haki or not.
Even if Golden Lion had really lost his Haki because of the ship's wheel stuck in his head, his swordsmanship and Devil Fruit ability alone would still make fighting Minos like an adult beating a child.
By then, the others on the pirate ship had come out as well. The entire ship was already rising into the sky, and Minos had no intention of struggling. What was the point? Jumping into the sea would probably be even more dangerous than being dragged up by Golden Lion.
"If my guess is correct, the one we're facing now should be the legendary Great Pirate, Golden Lion!" Minos said directly.
It was not yet ten years later, when Luffy would set sail. Less than ten years had passed since Golden Lion had been defeated by Garp and Sengoku. Therefore, the others still knew who Golden Lion was.
"The Golden Lion who nearly forced Pirate King Roger into a desperate situation?" Baby5 sucked in a cold breath. Her entire body trembled, and she nearly burst into tears. "Doesn't that mean we're doomed this time?"
"Who knows? We'll see when the time comes."
Minos spoke as the ship flew faster and faster. They were already over a thousand meters above the sea, and it was too late to jump even if they wanted to.
"By the way, Baby5. Can you transform into the Bat Fighter now?" Minos glanced at Baby5 and asked.
"Huh?" Baby5 froze slightly. "I think so. I feel like I've pretty much mastered the blueprint."
"Good!" Minos nodded slightly, then looked at Violet. "When we reach Golden Lion's territory, please follow my command. Do not reveal your abilities yet."
Both Violet and Kyros nodded. Talon scratched his head foolishly. "Minos, are you planning to have us launch a sneak attack?"
Minos curled his lip and shook his head. "You're overthinking it! Golden Lion is a Great Pirate on the same level as our captain, Charlotte Linlin. Do you think you could sneak attack our captain?"
Uh... Talon recalled Charlotte Linlin's terrifying appearance. A sneak attack? Wouldn't he just be scratching an itch?
Using force was definitely useless. Even if Minos had chosen the River of Death ability back then and absorbed all the life force of the hundreds or thousands of people in Sleepy Town, he would still absolutely not be Golden Lion's match.
An immortal body? Golden Lion's ability was the greatest counter to an immortal body! One Lion's Roar and he could bury you underground. Then you could slowly die and revive beneath the earth.
Not to mention the current Minos. Although his strength was not far from Straw Hat Luffy's when he fought Golden Lion in the original story, who was Straw Hat Luffy? He was the protagonist!
If Minos failed to recognize his own limits and went to challenge Golden Lion one-on-one, he would probably end up dead for good from a single Wave Slash or Lion's Roar.
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