Chapter 416: Surpassing Luo Jie

Barrett gazed at the crowd, his eyes sweeping over them with disdain, a sinister smile curling the corners of his mouth:

"Now..."

"I shall claim the title of the strongest."

His voice carried an unshakable confidence.

Even among those watching him from afar, the weakest were at the peak of the Gold level, while stronger ones like Zoro and Sanji had already crossed the threshold of Legend, reaching the realm of the sea's ultimate powerhouses!

"Ho~"

Zoro gripped his swords with both hands, a smile brimming with malice spreading across his face.

Having suffered repeated crushing defeats at Barrett's hands before, he naturally felt unwilling to accept it; now that he had ascended to Legend, he could no longer suppress the fighting spirit surging within him!

Zeng—!

Three blades unsheathed, restless and emitting a piercing hum.

Crimson lightning coiled around Zoro's swords, elevating his already intimidating aura by several notches!

Seeing this, Barrett's expression did not change in the slightest; only his eyes revealed a hint of appreciation:

"To grow to this extent in just three months—even in Luo Jie's era, you would have been a rare monster."

"If we were the same age..."

"I would not be your match."

Regarding his own past, Barrett felt not a shred of shame, only frankness.

Yet it was precisely this frankness, this open admission that the opponent before him was stronger than himself, that made Zoro subconsciously tighten his grip on his long sword!

Such confidence, such an aura, he had seen in only one person.

That person was Gao Wen.

Had Barrett already descended to the Captain's level?!

As if he could read the doubt in Zoro's heart, Barrett said lightly:

"I have already surpassed the Captain; no, I have surpassed Luo Jie. The next step... is Gao Wen!"

Boom—!

Wild, domineering Haki radiated outward from Barrett as the center, nearly causing the ground beneath his feet to collapse!

Trees toppled all around, and rivers flowed backward!

As the wild wind howled, heaven and earth seemed to tremble from Barrett's aura!

"Hey, hey, hey..."

Zoro's eyes sharpened immensely; within his gaze lay only caution!

Caution!

And caution!

Two months of bitter cultivation had brought about a complete transformation not only for himself but also for Barrett, who, after breaking free today and fulfilling twenty years of arduous training, had likewise ushered in growth that could only be described as terrifying!

Such an aura...

Such an aura...

Zoro had never reached the battlefield of the Summit War, but based solely on what he perceived now, even Big Mom and Golden Lion from two years ago were far inferior to the Barrett standing before him.

There was no doubt about it.

Barrett was now the second strongest existence in the Round Table Knights, surpassed only by Gao Wen.

Whether it was Ah Jin, Xiang Keluo, or Fujitora, all of them lagged a full step behind him!

But the greater the pressure, the more fiercely the fighting spirit in Zoro's eyes burned!

"This truly makes one's blood boil!"

"Moss-head."

Cha—!

A friction sound rang out as a flame ignited the tip of a cigarette.

Sanji took a deep drag of smoke, deep purple flames already blazing along his legs:

"Let's go together."

"Alone, you are no match for that monster; a one-sided battle cannot bring any real satisfaction!"

"Ah."

Rarely.

Zoro did not refuse; he merely gave a faint response, lightly swung his dual blades, and suddenly vanished from his spot, his Haki surging wildly as he charged toward Barrett with intent to kill!

Sanji, sharing an unspoken understanding and perfect synergy, erupted with flames under his feet at almost the exact same instant, shooting like a meteor toward the distant Barrett!

Boom—!

Barrett smiled confidently; his fists, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, met the combined attacks of Zoro and Sanji head-on. Though the flames exploded and the slashes were sharp, they failed to budge the towering man before them, who stood like a mountain range!

From afar, Xiang Keluo and Ah Jin, having just recovered their senses, witnessed this scene and could not help but shake their heads, their eyes filled with both shock and a sense of defeat.

"Even working together, Zoro and Sanji are no match for that monster."

With eyes as sharp as Xiang Keluo's, he could see the outcome of this battle at a glance, yet he still could not help but feel astonished.

Originally, he had thought that after two months of cultivation, he would feel no fear even when facing Barrett, but reality proved far more exaggerated than his speculation.

The gap between him and Barrett...

Had grown even wider!

"Ah."

"The Captain once said that if Barrett had not been captured by the Marines and imprisoned for twenty years, he might have already reached the level of Luo Jie and Whitebeard by now."

"Looking back, the Captain's judgment at the time seems to have been somewhat conservative."

"It's possible that even Whitebeard at the Summit War wouldn't necessarily be this monster's match."

Jin subconsciously clenched his fist; the frustration in his eyes flashed and vanished, quickly drowned by fighting spirit:

"Does that mean there's one more target to defeat?!"

"Heh."

Xiang Keluo smiled faintly and teased:

"Now in Britannia, excluding Gao Wen, there are fully six Legendary-level combatants."

"You, me, Sanji, Zoro, Barrett, and Yisheng; Bevil is a bit lacking, but Law is close, so that's nearly seven."

"Beasts have Three Calamities, Whole Cake Island once had the Sweet Four Stars, so what about Britannia?!"

"The Seven Stars?!"

Jin shook his head and laughed helplessly:

"I think, once the Captain returns, the standard for the Knights of the Round Table will need to be raised to Legendary level."

"That's true."

Boom—!

In the distant battlefield, a fire lotus bloomed.

Sanji's charged heavy kick precisely struck Barrett's chest; merely the scattered flames melted the earth and stone around the border, flowing into lava.

Yet it only held Barrett back for an instant before the latter tore it apart violently!

"Black Leg Sanji..."

Barrett recalled the words Gao Wen said to Whitebeard at the Summit War and said with malicious amusement:

"Not bad!"

"Bastard!"

Sanji flew into a rage, stomped hard, and was grabbed again by Barrett, who casually smashed him into the ground; he felt as if every bone in his body was about to shatter!

Of course, that was an illusion.

As the culmination of Germa technology, Sanji has now developed his genetic factors to an unprecedented degree.

A blow that would render a normal person combat-incapable brought him only pain; the next instant, he wrapped his legs around Barrett's hand.

"Hmm?!"

Barrett narrowed his eyes and looked up to see Zoro's incoming slash!

Clang—!

The ultimate sharpness and speed of the attack struck Barrett, tearing open the Armament Haki on his body, yet could not advance a single inch further!

Such a physique made Zoro exclaim that it was troublesome!

Two months ago, a slash of this degree could still tear through Barrett's defense, but now it merely left a thin line of blood on his chest, achieving nothing more.

This guy's improvement is far greater than I imagined!

"Eyebrows, stop with your tricks and go all out to crush this arrogant bastard!"

"Got it!"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The three's fierce battle triggered earthquake after earthquake on the beach, and countless birds and beasts nearby were startled into flight!

Inside Camelot City.

Fujitora sat outside a tavern, gazing up at the direction where everyone was fighting, and couldn't help but reach out to touch the Black Road Fire Line at his waist.

"Oh my~"

"Even I'm feeling a bit itchy to fight~"

"But if I go over now and get caught by the Captain, no, the Commander, I'll be drafted too~!"

"Never mind."

"It's more carefree to just drink a little wine and gamble a little money."

"Hehehe~"

"I just wonder where the Captain is now, and what exactly is the One Piece?!"

As a member of the Knights of the Round Table, Fujitora naturally knew Gao Wen's purpose for this journey.

As for what the legendary One Piece actually is, he was also extremely curious.

After all, it was an existence capable of changing the world!

"Perhaps... it's a weapon powerful enough to alter the world order, turning the entire world into what Britannia is now!"

"One Piece?"

Sabaody Archipelago.

Lei Li looked at the Straw Hat, whose face was full of curiosity, with a strange expression:

"How to put it..."

"It's... um... it's..."