"Jihahahaha! So you're the brat who wanted to see me?"
The Golden Lion sat on a magnificent throne, laughing boisterously. A head of golden hair and the steering wheel embedded in his scalp made him look like a ridiculous, giant rooster. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Law would have found it hard to believe that this was the legendary great pirate.
"Golden Lion, you've really gotten old."
"What did you say, you damn brat?!"
Ever since escaping from Impel Down, the Golden Lion had completely vanished from the seas. He had been gone for a full twenty years. Except for a few old-timers who had witnessed his glory, his name had long been forgotten by most.
The reason Bellamy said he had gotten old was because, upon meeting him, he could feel a heavy, palpable aura of decline. The Golden Lion had indeed aged. It seemed that the moment he was defeated, his ambition to conquer the four seas had been utterly crushed.
Such a Golden Lion was not what Bellamy had hoped for.
"Draw your swords, Golden Lion."
"You damn brat, did you go to all this trouble to find me just to die?" The Golden Lion couldn't understand what Bellamy was trying to do. But since the kid wanted to die, he might as well grant his wish. The Golden Lion was no saint; he was the quintessential pirate—cruel by nature, and prone to unpredictable mood swings.
A slash of sword energy shot through the air without warning, cutting horizontally toward them.
The moment he heard Bellamy tell the Golden Lion to draw his swords, Law knew something was wrong and quickly moved to the side. Before they came, Bellamy had warned him that if a fight broke out, he was to get clear immediately. He was not to get involved under any circumstances, or he would die. What Law hadn't expected was that they would fall out the moment they met, without even exchanging more than a few words.
So what exactly did Captain Bellamy come here for?
If it was just to fight the Golden Lion, why did he specifically bring him along? Law managed a clumsy flip in the air, narrowly dodging the sweeping sword attack. The sharpness of the Golden Lion's slash made him break out in a cold sweat. This was a slash from a legendary great swordsman. If it hit, he would probably be sliced in two on the spot.
"Is that all you've got?"
Bellamy tilted his body, casually dodging the Golden Lion's attack. To be honest, this legendary great pirate was a bit of a disappointment. But it made sense. If the Golden Lion still harbored ambitions of ruling the seas, why would he hide in the sky for twenty long years? As for his so-called plan to destroy the East Blue, it was nothing more than a joke. Shiki himself probably knew that the ferocious animals and the revenge plot were just toys to pass the time. The moment he was defeated, his ambition had been completely extinguished.
"Hey, brat, don't get too arrogant."
The Golden Lion lit a cigar and took a deep drag.
"I've certainly gotten old, but I still have enough strength to kill a junior."
He was old; that was an undeniable fact. Otherwise, even a casual slash like the one just now would not have been so easily dodged by Bellamy. Twenty years ago, he was already a great swordsman who had reached the pinnacle. But after so many years, not only had his swordsmanship not improved, it had actually regressed significantly. On one hand, he was indeed old. On the other, it was because his spirit had been broken. Furthermore, the severe damage to his body was an unavoidable reality. Compared to his peak, even he wasn't sure how much of his strength he could still wield. It had been a long, long time since he had a proper fight.
"Golden Lion, do you want to return to your peak?"
The current Golden Lion was too steeped in decline; Bellamy was finding it hard to get fired up. But he hadn't come here today to fight.
"What did you say?"
The Golden Lion was confused. He had no idea what this kid was getting at.
"That steering wheel in your head, and your severed legs."
"I can have them healed for you." Bellamy pointed to Law behind him. "The world's greatest doctor is standing right here."
"The greatest doctor? How great?"
He had never heard of medical skills that could even heal severed legs.
"How great? Law, go and take that steering wheel out for him."
With the power of the Op-Op Fruit, removing the steering wheel would be as easy as turning over his hand, as long as the Golden Lion didn't resist with Armament Haki. However, the wheel was embedded in his skull. If Law had any ill intentions, he could kill the Golden Lion on the spot. Anyone with even a shred of caution would not easily entrust their life to a stranger, let alone the Golden Lion.
How to get Shiki to lower his guard was up to Law. Bellamy couldn't help in this regard. The more he said, the more suspicious the Golden Lion would become.
As a doctor, Law naturally understood the most difficult part of removing the steering wheel. Under normal circumstances, if a patient came to him for help, they would cooperate. But the situation now was clearly much more complicated. Fortunately, Law was not just a doctor; he was also a pirate who had been at sea for many years. He understood how pirates thought and knew how to dispel their suspicions.
Law placed his weapon on the ground and walked toward the Golden Lion empty-handed.
"Sir Golden Lion, I am going to remove it now. Please do not resist."
"If anything feels wrong during the process, you can kill me at any time."
He was using his own life to gain the Golden Lion's trust.
"Brat, my ship's doctor told me that removing this wheel would put my life in danger."
The steering wheel had pierced into his brain. Removing it by conventional means would indeed be extremely dangerous. But Law's ability was the perfect tool for this situation. For treating such a strange external injury, even the Heal-Heal Fruit was not as effective as the Op-Op Fruit.
"Sir Golden Lion, please trust a doctor's judgment."
With Law's personality, if it weren't for the debt he owed Bellamy, he wouldn't have bothered with so many words and would have just left. But this time was different. He had to repay Captain Bellamy's kindness. It was a man's promise.
Law looked the Golden Lion in the eyes and said with utmost seriousness, "If you feel any discomfort, you can take my life at any time."
"Is that so?"
"Then let's begin, kid."