Chapter 405: Lying Down and Subduing Barrett

The crowd was fighting with such fervor that no one even noticed Barrett quietly approaching.

At this moment, Barrett's expression was extraordinarily remarkable.

This was because, among the Knights of the Round Table within his line of sight, Akin, Zoro, and Sanji were conspicuously present.

If his memory served him correctly, these three had been beaten by him yesterday until they could not even crawl.

Both their bodies and their spirits had been pushed to the brink of their limits.

Under normal circumstances, with such exhaustion and injuries, it would take at least three to five days to recover.

But now.

The few who should have been lying in hospital beds were instead full of life and vigor, showing not the slightest trace of that fierce battle.

Zoro's words from earlier flashed through Barrett's mind, plunging him into deep thought:

"Could it be that I am the one who has fallen behind the times?"

"During my twenty-plus years in Impel Down, have human bodies truly evolved to this extent?"

"Or is this the effect of that medicinal soup from last night?"

After a brief moment of thought, Barrett immediately ruled out the second possibility.

"No, I have tried that medicinal soup; it indeed has the effect of relieving fatigue and repairing bodily depletion, but it absolutely cannot achieve this level."

"Could it be that..."

"No!"

"Even if humans boarded a rocket, evolution could never proceed this fast!"

Barrett shook his head, casting aside those unrealistic thoughts from his mind.

Of course, another relatively reasonable guess would be a special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit ability.

For instance, Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit, when developed to a profound level, can directly pop out the pain within one's body and transfer it to others to bear.

It was simply outrageous.

However, during this period, Barrett had also gained some understanding of the ability users under Gao Wen's command.

Mythical Zoan, Paramecia, and Logia types were all present.

Yet among them, there was no ability similar to the Paw-Paw Fruit that could transfer pain or repair the body.

The Ope Ope no Mi's ability was more about manipulating the human body rather than repairing it.

"Enduring through sheer force?"

This was the only explanation Barrett could imagine; he shook his head and said:

"To fulfill one's words by pushing one's body to the point of damage, doing something like this, holds no meaning whatsoever."

It was at this very moment.

Xiang Keluo, who had been hovering high in the sky sensing the rhythm of the air currents, slowly descended to land beside Barrett.

From their previous clash in Impel Down, both had gained a clear understanding of each other's strength; thus, even someone as arrogant as Barrett held Xiang Keluo's power in high regard.

Having heard the gist of Barrett's doubts, Xiang Keluo opened his mouth to explain:

"It is not enduring through sheer force."

"Rather, once you surpass your body's limits, you will feel endless power surging forth from within."

"All pain and injuries will recover by the next day."

Barrett looked at Xiang Keluo, his face filled with skepticism:

"Do you think this is reasonable?!"

"..."

Xiang Keluo fell silent for a moment; seeing that Barrett was unwilling to believe him, he couldn't be bothered to explain further and simply turned to return to the high skies to begin his cultivation.

The air currents around him instantly began to churn!

A wild wind howled, sweeping across the entire mountain range, even scattering the cloud layers!

Barrett stood in place for a long time; just as he was about to leave, Zoro from below had already charged up with his sword drawn!

"I wasn't fully satisfied last night!"

"Let's go again!"

With that said.

Without further ado, Zoro slashed several sword beams at Barrett, which the latter crushed bare-handed!

Even though his body still bore the fatigue from days of continuous combat, Barrett felt no fear facing Zoro; he immediately swung both fists, easily suppressing Zoro!

Clang—!

A fist coated in Armament Haki collided with the blade, sparking showers of sparks.

Feeling the force transmitted through the blade, Barrett's expression changed slightly.

This guy... has become stronger!

Although the margin was not large, it was still perceptible!

Such a rate of growth was not obvious, but compared to an ordinary person, it was essentially equivalent to riding a rocket.

It would not take long before Zoro could truly enter the ranks of the legends.

Realizing this, Barrett's breathing nearly stopped.

If this guy continues to grow at such a speed, does that not mean...

Perhaps in one year, perhaps in two, he could catch up to me?!

Damn it!

Barrett cursed silently in his heart; after punching Zoro back, the expression on his face became even more extraordinary.

He had been thinking of chasing after Gao Wen's footsteps, but in his plan, that would require at least ten-plus years.

At this rate, before he could even touch Gao Wen's foot, he would already be defeated by Zoro and the others; the thought of being caught up to by juniors...

In this moment, Barrett suddenly empathized with those companions on Roger's ship whom he had surpassed one by one, and finally understood why they had chosen to drink alone in gloomy silence.

He could not afford to lose such face!

No, he must train harder; he absolutely must intensify his training!

Before I become the strongest in the world, how could I possibly be surpassed by anyone?!

Gritting his teeth, Barrett switched from defense to offense, like a catfish darting into a school of fish, instantly igniting everyone's fighting spirit!

From Zoro, to Sanji, then to Law and Smoker, Barrett forcefully suppressed the members of the Round Table Knights.

However.

When Barrett finally faced his last opponent, Ah Jin, he felt for the first time that this foe was truly troublesome.

That armor, woven from layers of bone and coated with supreme Armament Haki, possessed a hardness that exceeded Sea Prism Stone, even far surpassing it!

Supreme Armament Haki combined with an awakened Bone-Bone Fruit.

The fusion of these two gave birth to yet another powerhouse like Zephyr, one who had mastered Armament Haki to its utmost limit!

This battle ended in a draw; Barrett and Ah Jin collapsed almost simultaneously, he lacking even the strength to move a single finger.

Amidst the silent Shanfeng.

Only Barrett's gasping breaths could be heard; after two consecutive grueling battles, his body was nearing its limit.

Like this... it should be enough, right?

It should be enough to let them realize the gap in strength...

"Come again tomorrow!"

"Truly unforgettable!"

When Zoro's excited voice rang out once more, the corner of Barrett's mouth twitched slightly.

Leaning against a rock nearby, drenched in sweat and nearly exhausted, Law similarly showed no decrease in fighting spirit:

"Truly...

"It has been a long time since we encountered such an opponent!"

"Training, becoming stronger, fighting...

"All possess a wonder captivating enough to make one lose oneself!"

"Barrett, you are truly an opponent gifted to us by heaven; this feeling of giving your all yet still being unable to win is simply too exhilarating!"

These words immediately drew praise from everyone, painting a picture of insatiable desire.

Only the silent Smoker noticed Barrett's constipated expression and asked suspiciously:

"Barrett, don't tell me... you can't go on?!"

Barrett's mouth twitched; even though his body's warning lights had begun flashing and his muscles were nearly torn apart, he had no intention of showing weakness at this moment:

"What kind of joke are you making? I will absolutely never be unable to go on!"

"Heh~!"

Smoker chuckled coldly, then closed his eyes to feign sleep.

For several consecutive days, Barrett was either serving as a sparring partner for Ah Jin and the others or resting in his room.

For the first time, he felt that fighting was not necessarily an enjoyable thing, especially when surrounded by a group of insatiable opponents.

When Buena Festa saw Barrett again, it was already several nights later.

Seeing Barrett's unsteady footsteps and pale complexion, he momentarily thought Barrett was near sudden death from overtraining and couldn't help but advise:

"If you really can't..."

"You're the one who can't!"

Barrett interrupted Buena Festa's words as if by reflex.

Immediately afterward, he came to his senses; the other party had only intended to comfort him.

Buena Festa also wore a look of astonishment, thinking only that he had touched a sore spot for Barrett.