Chapter 316 - 174

Chapter 174"Golden Lion Shiki is in this state, and those old guys like Whitebeard are probably about the same; the Four Emperors should retire.""Don't forget, Kaido and Linlin are still in their prime, and there's also the youngest one, Red Hair.""I'm starting to suspect that Golden Lion and Crocodile were too weak, rather than that so-called Straw Hat kid being too strong.""Shut up!"Golden Lion and Crocodile, in the neighboring cell, shouted coldly almost at the same time.Golden Lion peered thoughtfully through the ice towards Crocodile's cell, a hint of realization and mockery in his voice: "Oh? The brat who was with Whitebeard... so the one who defeated you was also that Straw Hat kid."Crocodile leaned against the cold wall, a cigar in his mouth, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. He said coldly: "Shut up, Golden Lion."The deterrent power of the two was clearly insufficient.Everyone here was a big shot, and no one yielded to anyone else; they soon started arguing again."Hahaha, it seems this Straw Hat kid really is an extraordinary rising star! After defeating a Shichibukai, he clashed with Admiral Aokiji and still managed to escape unscathed.""Now even an old monster like Golden Lion has fallen at his hands!""Do you think it's possible for this kid to challenge the thrones of those four monsters?""I think it's unlikely, but he certainly shouldn't be underestimated.""You old guys have been stuck in here for too long; you don't know how much of a stir Straw Hat has been making lately. I'd definitely bet on Straw Hat; he's absolutely the popular choice for the next of the Four Emperors!""Are you joking? Tell me, who among Whitebeard, Red Hair, Kaido, or Big Mom could be taken down? Would you be the one to do it?"In one cell, a man with only half a face pointed at the one who just spoke and shouted, "Those are the Four Emperors; just clashing with an Admiral is enough.""Hey, you think the Four Emperors are stronger than the Admirals?"In another cell, a man pointed at a nearby giant block of ice. "The guy Aokiji froze decades ago still hasn't thawed out!"Whether the Four Emperors or the Admirals were stronger was an eternal topic of debate.Chapter 252: Satisfying, Truly Satisfying"Forget the Admirals, the Marine still has those two old geezers Garp and Sengoku. Could you handle a single punch from either of them?""If you ask me, Tsuru is the strongest. Once Tsuru speaks, Garp and Sengoku both have to go stand in the corner."The sudden voice amidst the argument made the cells fall silent for a moment. Then someone said: "If you put it that way, is Buckingham Stussystronger than Whitebeard?""That's hilarious. Whitebeard would just give Stussy a direct punch.""Anyway, the one Straw Hat has the best chance of challenging should be Whitebeard. Among the Four Emperors, that old guy doesn't have many days left."The prisoners began to heatedly discuss what was going on with this Straw Hat kid who had appeared out of nowhere, where his strength ceiling was, and whether he would truly become the fifth emperor to stir up the winds and clouds of the New World, or if he would take down one of the current Four Emperors.Then, the topic inevitably extended to legends like Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp.There were prisoners held here even older than Golden Lion. Someone asked Golden Lion across the cells:"Shiki, do you think this Straw Hat kid has the potential to surpass Roger or stand alongside Rocks?"Golden Lion remained silent within the ice for a moment, then let out a low, ambiguous chuckle. His voice drifted through the frost, carrying a hint of self-mockery and an indescribable sentiment: "If I said he could compare to Rocks, would you believe me?"Some were familiar with Roger during his peak twenty years ago, so naturally, some also knew of the true overlord of the seas during that era.Rocks D. Xebec!For a moment, the entire Infinite Hell fell silent.Everyone knew that Golden Lion Shiki was one of the core members of the Rocks Pirates back then.This evaluation was simply too high!But talk of who was stronger or weaker in this sunless prison always passed quickly, because it was meaningless.Soon, the prisoners' conversation turned to other matters.Treasure, fame, territory, secrets of the World Government, the Celestial Dragons... in these cells they could never leave, only their own glorious or twisted life experiences, along with endless speculation and memories of the outside world, were the only things that could serve as a diversion in these endless dark years....Without Luffy knowing, Golden Lion was sent into Impel Down to continue his imprisonment.As for Luffy's situation, it was enough to make Golden Lion envious if he knew.He was currently being attended to by several ladies in turn.Chopper, the ship's doctor, gave his diagnosis for Luffy:The injuries looked severe, with multiple muscle tears, minor bone fractures, and internal bleeding, but his vitality was extremely vigorous and his recovery power was super strong. He needed a lot of nutritional supplementation.The conclusion was: eat more, rest more.But with Luffy's constitution, rest could be managed flexibly, but eating was a must.Because of the diagnosis from Chopper, Luffy was now being taken care of by Vivi, Robin, and Nami in turns. From time to time, Merry would also blink her large eyes and hand him fruit. Enjoying this rare patient treatment, Luffy's mouth almost never stopped moving.For Luffy, the more he ate after being injured, the faster he indeed recovered.This was almost an ironclad rule.So Sanji went all out in the kitchen, and all kinds of highly nutritious, easily absorbed delicacies were served to Luffy like a flowing stream.The injuries on his body looked terrifying, covered in small cuts and bruises, but with his monster-like constitution and the large amount of food, his recovery speed was also startlingly fast.In less than half an hour, the hideous wounds were the first to fade.Chomp!Luffy swallowed a piece of meat on the bone that Nami held to his mouth, even crunching the bone loudly. "Delicious! Sanji, ten more portions like this!""As if you could ever burst!"Sanji shouted back from the kitchen with a cigarette in his mouth, but his hands didn't stop stir-frying, and a hint of a smile played on his lips.Seeing the Captain eating so vigorously was better than anything.Although he seemed badly injured and was wrapped in many bandages, in just two hours, Luffy was already able to move freely and even started doing some simple stretches on the deck."You really scared me to death."Nami breathed a sigh of relief seeing Luffy jumping around, but her hand was still shaking a bit as she fed him, almost stuffing her hand along with the meat into Luffy's mouth."Nami, are you giving me your hand to eat too?""No licking!"Nami pulled her hand back in embarrassment, her cheeks slightly flushed. "It's only because you were so badly injured this time!"Was the injury serious?To be honest, it wasn't that serious.Luffy stood up, his mouth splitting into a grin. This tenacious vitality was thanks to the way Garp had trained him when he was a child.There was no serious injury that a meal couldn't fix; if there was, then eat two.Unless it was a case of a lost limb, then there was no way—you can't grow a hand back by eating."Was that Golden Lion really that strong?"Nami recalled the sight of Luffy when he was first brought back, covered in small wounds and seeping blood, and she still felt a lingering fear. "When you fought Aokiji, you didn't seem to have been in such a sorry state."Luffy sat cross-legged on the deck, stretching his arms while saying: "That's not exactly it."There was still a bit of a gap between Golden Lionand Aokiji.The most significant gap was in terms of endurance; if the fight had continued, he would have definitely had the advantage.It was just that Golden Lion made a final gamble with his Awakening power, and that strike resulted in both sides being injured.However,Luffy grinned, showing his signature smile. "It was satisfying, truly satisfying."The gains from this kind of battle were enormous.That kind of all-out clash, the pressure of a life-and-death situation, allowed his control over his own power—especially his understanding of Haki—to deepen by another level.The only regret was that he had only vaguely grasped the edge of Golden Lion's trick for Conquerors Haki Infusion, but hadn't yet fully mastered it.If the enemies in every battle were teachers, then Golden Lion was a bit of an unqualified teacher."What a pity," Luffy muttered softly."What's a pity?" Nami didn't hear clearly."Nothing."Luffy shook his head and patted his stomach. "It's just a bit of a pity that I don't know which guy took that Golden Lion uncle away in the end. Otherwise, maybe we could have exchanged some pointers.""Exchange what pointers!"Nami couldn't help but raise her voice. "A dangerous legendary pirate like that, the further away the better! You weren't actually thinking of inviting him onto the ship, were you?"Luffy whistled and looked at the sky, his expression a bit guilty. He really had let that thought flash through his mind; after all, it had been a fun fight.Nami knew what he was thinking just by looking at his expression. She was so angry she wanted to twist his ear, but considering his injuries, she could only stomp her foot.However, both parties involved were reflecting on the battle between Luffy and Golden Lion, and it had clearly stimulated everyone else on the ship as well.Once Luffy had eaten enough to be able to move normally, his companions gathered around.Zoro was the first to approach, his green bandana already tied, three swords at his waist. "Luffy, who are you training with next? I'm ready."Zoro was impatient to improve himself; the aftershocks of that battle just now had made him clearly feel the gap between him and the top tier.Chopper opened his mouth to say something, really wanting to say that Luffy was still a seriously injured person just a moment ago.According to a doctor's professional ethics, a patient should not be treated like this.But seeing Luffy already looking so full of life, he swallowed his words, only expressing the same longing with his round eyes.Chopper also wanted to get stronger!Sanji also walked over. Although he didn't speak, the meaning in his eyes was clear.Usopp was a bit intimidated, but he also plucked up the courage to stand behind them. Even little Merry blinked her large eyes, looking at Luffyexpectantly.Luffy looked at his companions, each one full of fighting spirit, and couldn't help but scratch his head. "What's wrong with all of you?""Nonsense!"Sanji lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Watching you fight for your life at the front while we can't help much... that feeling is not pleasant. Marimo, don't hold us back this time.""Who are you calling a drag? You want to fight, Curly Brows?"Zoro immediately shot back."Bring it on, it's a good time to stretch!"Those two could argue all day.But this time they stopped quickly because there was something more important.Sanji lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and stared at Luffy with a dangerous look in his eyes: "Hey, Luffy, you can't always choose the ladies! During this time, you've been choosing between several ladies every day. I'm starting to suspect you're doing it on purpose!"The jealousy in his tone was almost overflowing."It's not entirely up to me to decide."The [pirate king training plan] had a huge say in arranging study partners.As a result, everyone stared at him with a strange expression that said 'as if we'd believe you'.Wasn't choosing who to study and train with something you, the Captain, could decide?Who are you trying to fool with those words!But Luffy had been strange for more than a day or two; everyone was already used to it. Right now, their desire to get stronger was incredibly urgent.No matter who it was, or in what aspect.For instance, Sanji and Zoro were combatants, so they naturally wanted to increase their strength.Chopper also wanted to improve in this regard, and if he trained with Luffy, there was a high probability that it would also boost his skills as a ship's doctor.Learning and studying meant learning from each other.As a sniper, Usopp was very interested in the Observation Haki Luffy mentioned.Wouldn't a sniper's combat power increase by a huge margin with that kind of ability?