One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

Rather, it was because of... shock.

He was shocked by the power of the attack, and even more shocked by the energy level it contained, which was completely beyond his expectations!

"The fusion of two natural elements... thunder and fire..."

The golden lion slowly raised its head, the contempt and mockery in its eyes completely disappearing, replaced by a sharpness and solemnity like a beast locking onto its prey.

"This kind of control...this kind of destructive power..."

"When did a monster like you emerge from among the World Government's lackeys?"

The golden lion's voice echoed in the air, carrying suppressed anger and a hint of barely perceptible fear.

He roamed the seas for decades, clashing with Roger and Whitebeard, witnessing countless powerful figures, and personally destroying countless so-called "geniuses."

But this young man in front of me...

That attack just now deserves to be treated as an equal!

And just as the golden lion was trembling inside—

"Hello, V."

An impatient voice rang out from the deck of the Merry.

Zoro caught the two long swords that emerged from his arm, and the Wado Ichimonji had somehow appeared in his mouth. His eyes gleamed with eager fighting spirit.

"Didn't we agree to test our strength? Why did you make the first move?"

Almost simultaneously, Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette, and the smoke he exhaled quickly dissipated in the wind.

He kicked his foot, his leather shoes making a crisp "tap" sound on the deck, his tone equally complaining:

"That's right, we were supposed to be the ones to deal with this legendary pirate this time."

"And what do you do? You unleash your ultimate move right from the start... If you cripple this guy, how are we supposed to test it?"

"Sorry sorry~"

V, who was being "criticized" by Zoro and Sanji, wore a completely insincere apologetic smile:

"Who told this guy to be so arrogant? He didn't even say a few polite words before he started attacking."

V raised his head, looked at the gloomy golden lion in the sky, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips:

"I can't stand guys who are even better at pretending than me."

"You bastard!"

Zoro and Sanji both chuckled at the same time.

However, the next second, Zoro and Sanji's expressions simultaneously turned extremely serious as they looked at the golden lion in the sky.

It's quite extravagant for legendary pirates to be their testing ground.

Chapter 181 The Lion in His Twilight Years

“In that case…” Zoro’s voice came through the hilt of his sword, his expression firm and resolute, “Then let’s ‘test’ just how much this legendary great pirate really weighs!”

Sanji tossed the cigarette butt onto the deck and stubbed it out with the tip of his shoe. He straightened his suit collar, and beneath his golden bangs, his eyes became deep and focused.

"Perfect timing, I also want to know... after this period of special training, how far am I from being 'top-tier'?"

The two took a step forward almost simultaneously.

Zoro exerted force with his feet, and the deck made a slight "creaking" sound.

Sanji slightly bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed a fighting stance.

"bring it on!"

The two exchanged a glance, and the next second they shot out simultaneously!

The two of them suddenly exerted force with their feet, and without the aid of any flying vehicle, they soared straight up to meet the golden lion high in the sky.

The howling wind pressure rushed towards him, but Zoro's eyes showed no fear, instead flashing with a hunter's sharp light.

"Let me witness the power of a legend!"

With a low growl, Zoro's muscles suddenly swelled, green fur emerged from under his skin, and his pupils transformed into the vertical pupils of a beast.

Strength, speed, and explosiveness surged instantly, but more importantly, there was that "beast instinct" that was one with the blade.

On the other side, Sanji's legs were bent, and the structure of the soles of his shoes and the joints of his calves underwent a subtle change, producing a faint metallic adjustment sound.

The power of the Spring-Spring Fruit reappeared in him.

Even though V's Devil Fruit ability library has been updated many times, neither of them has any intention of changing their Devil Fruit abilities.

After all, compared to other Devil Fruits, these two abilities do have a higher degree of compatibility.

Sanji stomped on the air repeatedly in mid-air.

With each step, the leg spring structure compresses and stores energy, which then bursts forth with thrust, allowing him to achieve a near-instantaneous zigzag leap in the air!

The two were incredibly fast, closing in on the golden lion within a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

"Zoan type? Paramecia type?"

Facing two very common ability users, a hint of contempt flashed in the eyes of the golden lion hovering high in the sky.

"Is that all you've got?" He scoffed, the famous swords "Withered Wood" and "Sakura Ten" gleaming beneath his feet. "Twenty years ago, I could have crushed brats like you with a flick of my wrist!"

Before he finished speaking, the golden lion suddenly spread his arms wide to the sides!

Rumble—!

The islands suspended below trembled violently, and countless rocks and giant trees were stripped away by an invisible force, converging in the air to form dozens of ferocious rock dragons, each a hundred meters long with menacing scales and claws.

"Shishiwei Royal Palace!"

With a wave of his arms, the Golden Lion unleashed a silent roar as dozens of giant rock dragons charged toward Zoro and Sanji.

These dragons sealed off all angles of evasion, carrying an overwhelming force capable of crushing everything in their path.

He wanted to teach these two arrogant young lads what "despair in the sky" truly meant.

Faced with an overwhelming and terrifying offensive, Zoro and Sanji both laughed.

That was a smile of extreme excitement.

"As expected of a legendary pirate!"

"Finally... I can test it to my heart's content." Zoro roared, his three swords crisscrossing in front of him.

The next instant, the "beast aura" around him suddenly changed.

Green fur is no longer just a symbol of wild beasts, but has begun to merge with something "deeper".

A dark mist emanated from Zoro's body; it wasn't a shadow, but a ghostly aura.

The green fur was tinged with a dark luster, and a blood-red, demonic color emerged deep within the beast's eyes.

Beyond the bulging muscle outline, a faint, menacing phantom appeared—as if possessed by a three-headed, six-armed demon.

"Demon Aura - Nine Swords Style - Gara Form!!"

Zoro's voice was hoarse, like an echo from hell. He stopped dodging and charged straight at a giant rock dragon!

"Nine-Sword Style: Demon Slash - Fang!"

Ashura, Awakening, and the Way were all unleashed simultaneously!

The blade was wreathed in dark, ghostly energy and ferocious beastly shadows. The three slashes were not in a straight line, but rather intersected and tore at each other like a wild beast pouncing.

boom!

The hundred-meter-long rock dragon was torn into countless pieces by the three slashes the moment it made contact.

The shockwave from the strike even caused two nearby dragons to veer off course.

"What?!" The golden lion's pupils shrank.

On the other side, Sanji's figure darted and weaved through the air, dodging the encirclement of several giant dragons.

The spring-like structures in his legs continuously compressed and released, increasing the speed until a certain critical point was reached—

call!

Blazing flames erupted from Sanji's legs.

That was no ordinary flame, but a soul fire forged, awakened, and emanating from the depths of one's genes through countless trials.

At this moment, the flames were no longer confined to the feet.

Each compression of the spring structure triggers a burst of flames;

The high temperature and expansion of the flame, in turn, enhance the energy storage and release of the spring.

The two form a perfect energy cycle.

"Flame Demon Wind Leg Form!"

Sanji let out a low shout, and his entire being seemed to transform into a speed demon god wreathed in flames.

Each time he missed a step, he left a scorching flame mark in the air; each dodge was so fast that it left a fiery afterimage.

"Flame Demon Wind Kick - Big Skewers!"

He teleported three times in quick succession in the air, and each teleportation ended with a double kick that was both bursting with flames and spring-loaded energy.

Bang bang bang!

The heads of the three rock dragons were kicked to pieces, and fiery cracks like lava burst from their necks, causing their entire bodies to collapse from the inside out.

In just a few breaths, Zoro and Sanji, using their "Beast Demon Form" and "Flame Demon Gale Form," utterly destroyed the dozens of rock dragons that Shiki had summoned from most of the island.

"These two brats!?"

Golden Lion stared wide-eyed at Zoro and Sanji's figures, frozen in mid-air.

What's going on?!

Hasn't he just been staying in the sky for over twenty years?

How did the world evolve into a form he no longer recognize?