Chapter 88

Sabaody Archipelago, Plating Dock.

On the deck of the East Sea Emperor, Tenghu sat silently beside Seven, lowering his voice.

“Captain Seven, two strangers came by recently. I overheard them threatening the plating craftsmen to tamper with the East Sea Emperor’s plating.”

“No need to worry.” Seven remained calm.

If he were one of the Five Elders, he’d certainly want to eliminate a pirate who had kidnapped Celestial Dragons twice and demanded ransom from the World Government.

But as long as Saint Elaine is still in our hands, we’re safe.

Besides, don’t we still have Gold Lion?

Worst case, we make a deal with Gold Lion: exchange his freedom for helping the East Sea Emperor and the Giant Yacht fly over the Red Line to the New World.

Once we find a way to obtain the Gura Gura no Mi, we’ll capture Gold Lion again and squeeze out every last drop of value.

Right now, Seven was thinking about what kind of Devil Fruits Kizaru would bring back.

He hadn’t demanded five Devil Fruits as he had last time, precisely because he feared the Five Elders would again send a Mole form to deliberately disgust him.

These Animal-type Devil Fruits are risky to awaken, and on top of that, they’re all damn abstract.

What would you even do with a Mole on the open sea?

But since the World Government has already coerced the plating craftsmen into tampering, we must cancel the plan to dive to Fish-Man Island.

Seven couldn’t risk the lives of everyone on board to gamble on whether the plating was reliable.

What if it had been tampered with?

He decided to go speak with Gold Lion.

When Seven arrived at the ship’s prison cell carrying two prosthetic limbs forged from Thunder Metal and explained his purpose, Gold Lion burst into loud laughter.

“Jehahahahaha~”

“Barzab! You really think two legs have defeated me?”

“The humiliation you’ve inflicted on me—I’d tear off your skin, strip your tendons, carve your flesh, and grind your bones…”

Seated helplessly on the floor, Gold Lion pointed at Seven and unleashed every vile curse he’d ever learned, one after another, raining down on him.

Clearly, no one had ever broken Gold Lion’s composure so thoroughly before Seven captured him alive.

As a legendary pirate who rose to fame in the Rocks era, Gold Lion stood alongside Pirate King Roger and Emperor Whitebeard, the first in history to escape Impel Down.

Yet he was repeatedly humiliated by Barzab, forced to endure lewd photos used as blackmail—Gold Lion had never hated anyone this much.

“You think I’ll help you? Dream on.”

“Don’t even bother!”

Seven scratched his ear.

“Sigh, I was actually going to help you remove the helm from your head. Since you don’t need it, then let’s bury ourselves together in the deep sea.”

With that, Seven walked away without looking back.

Gold Lion’s pupils shrank; he stared at Seven’s retreating back for a second, then used both hands to crawl, hunched over, to the cell bars.

“Don’t go! Come back!”

“Come back! I agree!”

If he could safely remove the Supreme Helm from his head, Gold Lion believed he could fully restore his peak strength after healing.

Even if he’d lost both legs, what did it matter?

A Gura Gura no Mi user already possessed flight freedom; having legs or not made little difference—only aesthetics suffered.

As for why he was so certain Barzab would keep his word instead of deceiving him—

Gold Lion was gambling: betting that Barzab truly needed help, and even if it turned out to be false hope, how could it be worse than his current state?

He’d already been captured alive; next, he’d likely be executed. Now, not only did he have hope of life, but also freedom and a return to his peak.

Even if Barzab now asked him to join the Morning Star Pirates, Gold Lion wouldn’t hesitate a second.

What’s the big deal?

He could always quit later.

Once he regained his peak strength and freedom, Gold Lion could go anywhere he pleased—no one could stop him, and perhaps even defeat Barzab and absorb the Morning Star Pirates…

Hmm hmm hmm hmm.

In an instant, Gold Lion thought of many things, his face glowing with flushed excitement.

“Speak. What else do you want?”

Seven raised his thumb.

“Senior Shiki, you’re a man of principle.”

“After we sign the contract, we’ll sail to the New World to seize a base. Then you and I will duel—win or lose, you’re free to leave.”

“Of course, if you don’t want those photos published in the news and exposed to the world, I require two conditions.”

“First, for the next twenty years, do not destroy any part of the East Sea.”

“Second, keep absolutely secret everything that happens when I remove the helm.”

"If you fail, no matter where you hide—whether at the ends of the earth or in Mary Geoise—I will capture you alive again…"

Gold Lion thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Deal.”

Before seeking Whitebeard, Gold Lion had already planned to gather his old Flying Pirates crew, lie low for a while, then destroy the East Sea.

But upon hearing from Whitebeard that someone had inherited Roger’s will, he changed his mind and chased after the East Sea.

Then, unfortunately, he was captured alive by Barzab.

The path was winding and turbulent, but now he was back on track—and even gained fortune from misfortune: soon, he’d safely remove the helm from his head.

Thinking of this, Gold Lion suddenly felt a tickle on his scalp—

“I entrust my life to you.”

“I hope you keep your word.”

After the Edoh Sea Battle, Gold Lion had sought doctors everywhere, trying to remove the helm—but all received the same reply: removing it prematurely would risk his life.

He gave up, and began living and fighting with the Supreme Helm on his head.

Seven immediately assured him.

“Don’t worry—medicine cures all.”

To remove the helm from Gold Lion’s head, Seven chose the most primitive, direct method: yanking it off.

As Seven exerted brute force, Gold Lion’s vision blurred with stars, and he cursed nonstop.

“Barzab, you tricked me!”

Gold Lion had actually believed Barzab had a method—only to have it ripped off like this?

You white-haired brat! Dammit!

Is this the end of my lifelong reputation?

The instant the helm was torn away, blood gushed from Gold Lion’s scalp like a fountain. Seven calmly raised his hand and collected every drop, saving it for Vegapunk’s research.

Then, Seven pulled out a Senzu Bean.

“Open your mouth. Swallow it.”

Gold Lion hadn’t fainted yet because he was resisting the agonizing pain with sheer willpower. Hearing this, he obediently opened his mouth and swallowed the tiny pill.

The moment the pill entered his stomach, a surge of vitality flooded every limb and organ.

“Huh?”

Gold Lion’s pupils trembled. He looked up, stunned, at Seven’s utterly expressionless face.

Because a miracle had occurred.

Around the gaping hole where his skull was visible, flesh surged back to life, rapidly regenerating, intertwining, sealing shut—skin followed, healing visibly before their eyes.

In the end, only a bald crown remained.

Gold Lion was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving. The hatred in his gaze toward Seven had vanished, replaced by a complex, profound glow—

A miracle. This was a miracle.

After witnessing the divine, he felt a mix of dread, bewilderment, and a sliver of reverence he himself refused to admit…

This method—unheard of, unseen, beyond comprehension—had approached the realm of gods in Gold Lion’s worldview.

Are there really gods on this sea?

Thinking of Barzab’s Lunarian bloodline—the so-called Divine Race—Gold Lion suddenly understood: it was only natural for a human to be defeated by a god.

Roger, you’re a ruthless bastard.

You’ve secretly raised a god.