The Golden Lion's Intelligence Has Occupied the High Ground Again

Time passed quickly. During this period, Golden Lion no longer accompanied Minos in training, as his mind was entirely focused on the newly developed serum.

Minos felt that ever since Golden Lion had that ship's wheel embedded in his skull, he had become completely single-minded; all his thoughts had turned into a straight line. During this time, other than the serum, the guy didn't care about anything else.

Under the threat of Golden Lion's Great Grade Swords, Withered Tree and Cherry Blossom Ten, Judge's research speed was pushed to the limit. Now, with about a week left until the three-month mark, the serum was almost ready.

However, at the same time, Minos could feel the Causality Points gradually approaching the critical threshold. He could guarantee that by the time the medicine was finished, the Causality Points would likely have reached the target as well.

To avoid any potential issues, after observing for a period of time, Minos decided to treat Golden Lion's injuries.

Although Golden Lion with a wheel in his head was easier to manipulate, his combat power had also dropped significantly. Considering the world's backlash, the enemies he would encounter were basically in the ranks of the top-tier powerhouses. If a Kaido were to suddenly drop from the sky, the current Golden Lion would definitely not be a match.

It could even be said that against powerhouses at the level of the Four Emperors, the Three Admirals, the Marine Hero, or the Fleet Admiral, Golden Lion couldn't beat a single one. Even Zephyr, the weakest among those at that level, hadn't lost his arm yet, and if his asthma didn't flare up, Golden Lion certainly wouldn't be able to win.

As for Golden Lion's subordinates, they were all just scraps and rags. As for the slightly more capable Germa 66, if they really encountered an enemy, it was hard to say which side they would turn to.

No, if the people who came were from the Marines, Germa 66 would definitely defect to the Marine side, right?

Therefore, during the banquet held today while Golden Lion was in high spirits, Minos took out the Holy Grail and poured some wine into it.

In an instant, an intoxicating aroma permeated the entire banquet hall. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the cup in Minos's hand—or, to be precise, on the wine emitting a magnificent glow from within the simple silver cup.

"W-what is that?" Judge swallowed hard and asked.

"This is the Holy Grail," Minos said directly. "I am a Devil Fruit user of the Holy Grail Fruit. Every month, the Holy Grail can turn ordinary wine into a miraculous medicine that can cure all diseases and heal all injuries."

Well, Minos didn't mention that the Holy Grail was an external object. Although he could recall the Holy Grail directly and didn't fear it being stolen, one could never be sure if someone might have the idea of killing him in hopes that the equipment would drop.

In a situation where one's strength is insufficient, attributing it to a Devil Fruit is undoubtedly an excellent excuse. As for the timing, Minos had also kept a significant amount of information to himself.

Hearing Minos's words, everyone's gaze turned to Golden Lion. At this moment, Golden Lion's eyes were slightly red.

The more severely injured a person is, the less they can resist the temptation of the Holy Grail Wine; this is humanity instinctively pursuing its own perfection.

Golden Lion's willpower should have been as strong as steel, but the ship's wheel embedded in his head severely affected his judgment. Consequently, his current behavior was even worse than that of Kyros when he lost his leg. Seeing Minos hand over the wine cup, Golden Lion almost impatiently used his Float-Float Fruit ability to swirl the wine and draw it into his mouth.

A creaking sound suddenly rang out. The ship's wheel on top of Golden Lion's head rose bit by bit, carrying some black blood clots, until it was finally squeezed out of his skull entirely.

At the same time, a series of clicking sounds came from his legs. That was the sound of the two Great Grade Swords, Withered Tree and Cherry Blossom Ten, being forcibly pushed out by the bones of his legs.

A moment later, the ship's wheel from his head and the two Great Grade Swords from his legs fell to the ground. Meanwhile, the wound on his head and his two legs had completely regenerated.

With his eyes closed, Golden Lion didn't speak, seemingly savoring his healthy state. However, the volcanic aura on his body was churning constantly, and finally, it erupted completely.

Black lightning instantly filled the sky. Many of the weaker pirates fainted on the spot, and even Dr. Indigo was trembling all over, nearly rolling his eyes back.

Judge's face turned slightly pale, and he almost lost his grip on the table knife in his hand. His children, however, performed much better than him; after their emotions of fear had been castrated, their resistance to Conqueror's Haki had clearly increased significantly.

Facing the intimidation of the Conqueror's Haki, Minos only stiffened slightly before quickly recovering. With his current strength, it was difficult for him to be affected by Conqueror's Haki anymore. At the very least, against the likes of Katakuri's Conqueror's Haki, even the most basic intimidation effect would be impossible to trigger.

It could only be said that Golden Lion was worthy of being an old-school hegemon; the level of this Conqueror's Haki had basically reached the absolute peak, and it was definitely no worse than that of Kaido, Big Mom, or Whitebeard.

"Jiehahahaha!" Opening his eyes, Golden Lion looked up and let out a wild laugh. His whole body gradually floated upward, and at the same time, his two swords slowly rose and were gripped in his hands.

"This feeling... it's been so long!" Faint black lightning crawled all over the two swords. Golden Lion looked up and swung his blades, two terrifying sword beams sweeping across the sky. The hundreds-of-meters-long Sword Qi left an X-shaped mark in the clouds, like a scar across the entire sky.

"I, Golden Lion, have finally returned!"

His domineering gaze swept across the room. This time, before Golden Lion even used his Haki to suppress them, Judge almost knelt down.

It could only be said that the complete version of Golden Lion was worthy of being that hero who roared across the Four Seas and had the ambition to swallow the world. Furthermore, under the treatment of the Holy Grail Wine, the current Golden Lion hadn't just returned to his peak; he had actually surpassed his former self.

Golden Lion was now around 50 to 60 years old. Although the strength curve of powerhouses on the sea had always been maintained at an exaggerated level, by the age of 60, one should have started to go downhill.

However, with the Holy Grail Wine's ability to prolong life and restore youth, although Golden Lion's appearance hadn't returned to his youthful state, his actual physical age had recovered to roughly that of a forty-year-old.

He could now feel that his strength hadn't just returned to its peak; his power not only hadn't entered a decline, but it even had a trend of continuing to grow.

Of course, the most important thing was that Golden Lion had cured his "cerebral infarction." His originally sharp intellect had returned to his brain. As a top-tier Great Pirate, the Golden Lion of the past, who could support a Pirate Crew that pushed Roger into a desperate situation, clearly had an IQ far higher than the average moronic pirate on the sea.

Looking back at the things he had done during his period of cerebral infarction, Golden Lion felt a burning sensation on his face. Just how much of an idiot did he have to be to come up with that kind of grand plan that was no different from a fool's?