Conqueror's Haki

Ye Chen truly did not know how to describe Golden Lion. Golden Lion's strength had completely overturned everything Ye Chen understood. He had only been in this world for a few short months, yet he had already witnessed one of the most terrifying monsters in the world of One Piece.

The captain of the Flying Pirates, Golden Lion Shiki, was an overlord of the seas whose strength was not the slightest bit inferior to Roger's.

In his several clashes with Roger, Golden Lion had never fallen behind. The battle of Edd War three years ago had shocked the world. It had been the peak battle between Roger and Golden Lion, with Roger completely suppressed by Golden Lion. Roger had only escaped disaster thanks to a storm, while Golden Lion had unfortunately been struck in the head by a flying ship's wheel, suffering severe brain trauma. Even so, Golden Lion's strength remained terrifying. Later, upon hearing that Roger had been captured, Golden Lion had single-handedly wreaked havoc at Marine Headquarters. Garp and Sengoku had joined forces and fought bitterly for several days before finally subduing him. Even Marine Headquarters had nearly been completely destroyed by Golden Lion.

In Golden Lion's eyes, Shiryu of the Rain was simply unqualified to fight him. Their duel quickly proved that point. Both moved at the utmost speed, sword energy crisscrossing as killing intent soared. Every slash caused massive tremors throughout Infinite Level, and even the surrounding walls and corridors were nearly completely destroyed by the sword energy they unleashed. Ye Chen could only see Afterimages flashing endlessly before his eyes. Other than that, there was only sword energy roaring like tigers. He could not see how either of them made their moves at all. Explosions thundered in his ears, as though he were enduring an artillery drill. Even if the Great Qing Dynasty's entire artillery battalion fired at once, Ye Chen did not believe it could cause such destructive power.

Their battle was so fast it was suffocating. Before long, a scream suddenly rang out from the billowing dust, and then everything around them fell quiet. Ye Chen looked closely. As the choking smoke gradually dispersed, a sharp sword was embedded upright in Shiryu's chest. Its blood-dripping blade had pierced straight through Shiryu's back. Blood dripped continuously from the once snow-bright blade onto the ground.

Shiryu's face was filled with horror. Even now, he still could not believe that he had been defeated by Golden Lion so quickly.

"Jiehahahaha! What a pathetic weakling. Hmph... a frog at the bottom of a well actually dared to block my path, Golden Lion's path. How arrogant."

Golden Lion laughed arrogantly, yanked Oto from Shiryu's chest, then turned and headed toward the Fifth Level, Freezing Hell. After walking a short distance, he saw Ye Chen still standing blankly in the distance. Golden Lion's tone softened slightly as he beckoned to Ye Chen. "Ghost, it's time to go. Haven't you had enough of this place?"

"I've had more than fucking enough." Seemingly trying to bolster his own courage, Ye Chen cursed disdainfully and hurried after him. The surrounding guards were all stricken with shock, their faces drained of color as their bodies trembled uncontrollably. No one dared attack Golden Lion again. Golden Lion did not even look at them as he strode straight out of Infinite Level.

After arriving in Freezing Hell and walking only a short distance, a pack of War Wolves let out low growls and surrounded them from afar. Before long, the two were encircled.

Ye Chen could only handle one of these War Wolves at a time. The injuries on his body from going to see Golden Lion had also been left by his fight with the War Wolves. He had done this so Golden Lion would feel grateful for everything he had done for him and would not kill him out of ingratitude.

Ye Chen had only done it to deceive Golden Lion. Most people here were vicious pirates, and promises had no binding power over them whatsoever. Ye Chen merely wanted to use his own efforts to make Golden Lion show him at least a little mercy. Otherwise, if Golden Lion wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Golden Lion cast a disdainful glance at the War Wolves around them and continued forward without slowing. After only a few steps, the War Wolves howled in unison and pounced at him. Yet Golden Lion still ignored them. Just as they were about to leap onto him, Golden Lion swept his gaze over them. Two sharp flashes of killing intent shot from his eyes, and the air around them began to churn violently. A fierce gale suddenly rose from the spot, carrying a terrifying pressure within its howl. As if frightened by something, the War Wolves all rolled their eyes back and collapsed helplessly to the ground.

"Hmm?" Golden Lion's expression changed slightly. Turning back, he found Ye Chen still gritting his teeth and following behind him.

This was somewhat unbelievable. After all, Golden Lion knew perfectly well what he had just done. He had used Conqueror's Haki. Otherwise, those War Wolves would not all have been frightened unconscious. Yet Ye Chen was still standing there unharmed.

At that moment, Ye Chen's blood was racing through his body. Every pore across his body had closed instinctively in self-protection. His body had changed when he crossed over, making his muscles and bones stronger, his vitality more abundant, and his senses exceptionally sharp. Even the blood energy within him had undergone a qualitative change compared to ordinary people.

There was another reason as well. Though he had only been in this world for a few months, Ye Chen's strength had increased considerably. Especially after comprehending Haki and training day and night in Freezing Hell, his resistance had reached an unimaginable level.

"What is that..." Basan suddenly rose to his feet and looked into the distance. His face instantly turned pale and bloodless. He stood there blankly without moving, as though someone had struck his acupoints, completely stunned.

Snow and wind filled the air as the freezing gale howled. Not far away, one large figure and one small figure were walking toward them step by step. Basan naturally recognized Ye Chen. What he found unbelievable was the man walking ahead, leisurely smoking a cigar. It was Golden Lion Shiki, who had been locked up earlier.

Moreover, Shiryu of the Rain had just led people toward Infinite Level. For Golden Lion to emerge from the sixth level without a scratch, Shiryu of the Rain had clearly already been defeated by him.

As one of Impel Down's two greatest combat forces, standing shoulder to shoulder with Magellan, Shiryu of the Rain could not even stop Golden Lion, much less leave so much as a wound on him.

Ye Chen suddenly stopped and pointed at Olvia, who stood by the iron-barred window gazing eagerly at him. Ye Chen said to Golden Lion, "Golden Lion, she's my friend. Please rescue her too."

Golden Lion glanced at Olvia and was just about to nod when he suddenly laughed. "Ghost, I only promised to get you out. I never said I'd rescue your friend."

"You..." Ye Chen froze. To Golden Lion, rescuing Olvia would take no effort at all. This bastard truly was heartless and ungrateful. Yet Ye Chen could not find any reason to complain, much less question Golden Lion.

Golden Lion suddenly laughed. "Ghost, as long as you kneel and beg me, I'll agree to take your friend out with you."