**********
—One Hour Later—
100G Mountain,
Deep within Area 7 of the Gourmet World stood a mountain unlike any other.
It was called 100G Mountain, an enormous peak that towered far above all the surrounding mountains. This was the place where the legendary ingredient PAIR could be obtained since it was the territory of the Monkey King himself—Bambina.
The reason for its name was simple.
As one approached the summit, the gravitational force gradually increased, becoming anywhere from ten to one hundred times stronger than normal ground-level gravity.
The mountain was considered one of the most dangerous regions even within the Gourmet World. It was said that once someone set foot upon 100G Mountain, descending from it was virtually impossible.
And right now, Lev had arrived at the foot of that very mountain.
After traveling for some time, he had finally reached the place where Bambina lived.
And just as its name and reputation suggested, 100G Mountain truly lived up to its name.
"If Area 8 was filled with delicious and fresh air, then this place is the complete opposite," Lev muttered as he looked around.
The area where he currently stood was known as the Zero Mountain Range.
It had earned that name because of its lack of oxygen, making normal breathing impossible within the region.
Yet Lev showed no signs of discomfort.
Instead, his attention was drawn toward the mountain itself.
"What abundant resources. Bambina has really killed quite a number of beasts."
Lev looked closely at the enormous mountain.
Just as he had learned beforehand, 100G Mountain was composed largely of the crushed remains of countless numbers of organisms.
This mountain had not been naturally formed.
Bambina himself was responsible for creating it.
However, Lev had no interest in the history behind the mountain.
There was only one thing he wanted to do.
"Arise."
Lev immediately activated one of his Class Skills.
The moment his voice echoed through the Zero Mountain Range, the ground began to tremble.
The countless remains buried within the mountain suddenly began to move.
Then—
WOOOOOOOOOOO!
A chorus of horrifying wails erupted from within the mountain.
It was as if the mountain itself had suddenly come alive.
The sound spread throughout Area 7.
Every creature on the continent could hear it.
More importantly, they could feel it.
The four masters ruling the continent were no exception.
Each of them sensed the sudden disturbance.
"That's right."
Lev looked toward the newly risen Shadow Soldiers.
"Rise and become nutrients for Indra."
As soon as he finished speaking, Indra appeared beside him.
The Shadow Soldier immediately began devouring the newly risen soldiers under Lev's command, consuming them one after another and turning their bodies into nourishment for its growth.
Lev simply watched for a moment before leaving Indra to its task.
He then turned his attention toward the mountain.
Without hesitation, Lev flew upward.
The immense gravitational force of 100G Mountain immediately pressed down upon him.
BOOM!
The air itself seemed to distort around his body.
Yet Lev continued ascending.
The stronger the gravity became, the more he pushed forward.
Eventually—
He reached the summit.
And there, at the top of 100G Mountain, Lev finally saw the ruler of Area 7.
The Monkey King—Bambina.
The creature was currently lying casually on the ground.
It didn't immediately attack.
It didn't even move.
Instead, Bambina simply stared at Lev.
Its expression remained completely indifferent, as though the arrival of an outsider in its territory was nothing worth reacting to.
But there was something else in its eyes.
A faint glint of interest.
Bambina was looking at Lev.
And for the first time, the Monkey King seemed genuinely curious about the strange creature that had entered its domain.
Meanwhile, Bambina's identity was that of a Ballboon, a race of monkeys resembling enormous baboons. Its body was covered in ruffled fur around its head, back, shoulders, and arms, while its dark pink and purple skin was covered in bright web-like markings.
A long tail extended from its back, and its forehead was brightly colored, contrasting with the messy, spiked fur covering its head.
"Monkey King… you and I probably share quite a connection," Lev muttered as he looked at Bambina.
The reason was mainly because of his Saiyan Bloodline, whose natural biology possessed traits strongly associated with monkeys.
"I hope we have some good time tog—"
Before Lev could finish his sentence, his Observation Haki suddenly activated.
A grave threat.
His instincts screamed at him.
Something was coming.
Yet just like what had happened back in Area 7, the danger was simply too fast.
Lev's mind perceived the attack.
His body, however, reacted far too slowly.
In the next instant—
His vision shifted.
Lev saw his own body standing several meters away.
Except—
It no longer had a head.
His headless body remained standing for a brief moment before finally collapsing onto the ground, falling directly in front of Bambina.
It had taken less than a millisecond.
That was all the time Bambina needed to kill him.
Lev's death in that instant demonstrated just how overwhelming the Monkey King's strength truly was.
Heracles was already powerful enough to overwhelm Lev with a single serious attack.
Yet Bambina's strength was said to eclipse even Heracles.
And this wasn't even Bambina's full power.
This was merely his contained form.
Bambina looked down at Lev's lifeless body.
The faint interest that had appeared in its eyes disappeared.
It had been excited when someone finally appeared in its territory.
For a brief moment, Bambina had thought that perhaps someone had finally arrived who could play with him.
But now—
Disappointment.
The Monkey King simply lost interest.
It turned around, lay back down on the ground, and once again stared toward the horizon.
There was nothing left to do.
The game was over.
Or so Bambina thought.
Suddenly—
The dead body lying before him began to move.
Flesh regenerated.
Bones reconstructed.
Muscles formed.
And within moments, the body that should have been nothing more than a corpse had completely recovered.
Lev slowly stood back up.
Bambina's eyes widened.
The Monkey King's expression immediately changed.
Surprise.
Then—
Excitement.
Bambina had not expected this.
The creature that had just died in a single instant had returned to life as though nothing had happened.
Perhaps…
This one really could play with him.
"That's disappointing, isn't it?" Lev said with a smile as he looked directly at Bambina.
This time, however, something was different.
A tail extended from Lev's back.
When he regenerated his body, he had deliberately chosen to regenerate it.
Lev's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Show me everything, Monkey King!"
There was no fear in his voice.
Only anticipation.
This was the battle he had been looking forward to.
A battle against an opponent who was comparable to him in size.
A battle where he could finally unleash his physical abilities without having to worry about overwhelming his opponent with techniques that would destroy the surrounding environment.
More importantly—
This was an opportunity to discover just how far his physical potential could truly go.
Bambina slowly rose from the ground.
The excitement in its eyes grew stronger.
Lev clenched his fists.
The Monkey King grinned.
And so—
The game they had started in 100G Mountain began once again.
**********
—Night—
Infinity Castle,
At this moment, Lev could be found inside the Infinity Castle, lost in thought as he stared at the endless platforms stretching out before him.
His mind was occupied by the events of the day.
More specifically—
How many times Bambina had killed him.
At some point, Lev had already stopped counting.
The entire day had become a repetitive cycle.
He would fight Bambina.
Get decapitated.
Regenerate.
Fight again.
Get decapitated once more.
Regenerate.
And then repeat the entire process.
Over and over again.
As for why Lev was inside the Infinity Castle right now, the reason was simple.
He and Bambina were currently playing hide-and-seek.
While Lev rested inside the Infinity Castle, Bambina was somewhere out there, hiding within the vast 100G Mountain continent.
It gave Lev a chance to recover and, more importantly, a brief moment to reflect on everything that had happened.
If Lev ignored the number of times he had died throughout the day, there was actually something quite remarkable happening.
His skills had improved considerably.
Especially his three types of Haki.
Constantly fighting against Bambina, being killed before his body could even react, and repeatedly forcing himself to keep up with the Monkey King had pushed his Haki to a level it had never reached before.
Lev could feel it.
If he continued playing with Bambina like this, all three forms of Haki would eventually reach an entirely new height.
A level that had never been seen before in the world of One Piece.
"I wonder how the others are doing right now," Lev muttered.
He closed his eyes.
Immediately, his consciousness connected with the Shadow Soldiers he had hidden beneath the shadows of his companions.
He decided to check on them one by one.
The first summon Lev chose to observe was Alpha.
Through the Shadow Soldier beneath her shadow, Lev could see her hiding and resting somewhere within the vast continent while eating.
The location she had chosen appeared relatively safe.
No other creatures were lingering nearby, and the surroundings were unusually quiet.
However, judging from Alpha's appearance, Lev could tell that she had probably encountered some trouble along the way.
Lev continued watching silently.
It seemed that while he had been busy playing with the Monkey King, the others had also been experiencing their own battles throughout Area 7.
Following Alpha, Lev turned his attention toward Ghislaine.
Through the Shadow Soldier hidden beneath her shadow, he saw her fighting against a number of monkeys despite the sky having already turned dark.
However, it didn't appear that she was being overwhelmed.
Ghislaine was handling herself well, and Lev continued monitoring her for a little while before eventually moving on to Tomoe.
This time, Lev didn't expect to see what was happening.
Tomoe was casually eating as if she didn't have a care in the world.
But that wasn't the surprising part.
Scattered around her were several monkeys, happily eating alongside her as though they had completely forgotten about the rules of this continent.
Seeing the strange scene, Lev couldn't help but smile.
It seemed Tomoe had somehow managed to turn her enemies into dinner companions.
With that amusing sight in mind, Lev moved on to check Shion's situation.
If Tomoe's situation had been surprising, then what Lev saw with Shion nearly made him gulp.
Shion was also in an extremely safe location.
However, unlike the others, she was currently bathing naked in a pool of water.
From his perspective, Lev could see everything.
For a moment, his expression stiffened.
The sight immediately brought back memories he hadn't thought about in quite some time.
He suddenly remembered what it was like to have sex.
It had already been two years since his last sexual activity.
Seeing Shion's naked body had unexpectedly brought those memories rushing back.
Lev quickly composed himself and continued monitoring her for a little while longer before finally moving on to Shizuku.
Through another Shadow Soldier, he found Shizuku still traversing the gigantic forest.
She continued searching for the ancient civilization that had once thrived on this continent, while the Shadow Soldier accompanying her assisted in the search.
It seemed that everyone was progressing with their respective missions.
"Looks like everyone's working hard. I should do the same."
With that, Lev stopped monitoring the others.
He opened his eyes and returned his consciousness to his body.
Then, he stood up.
For some reason, seeing everyone working hard had suddenly motivated him.
"Nakime, I'll be heading out to find that problematic monkey."
"Be careful, Master," Nakime replied.
With a pluck of her biwa—
The space within the Infinity Castle shifted.
**********
—One Year Later—
100G Mountain,
All this time, Lev and the others had still not reunited.
Alpha and the others were still out there in the wild.
In fact, Alpha and the others had already made contact with the four masters of the continent only a week after arriving in Area 7.
At that time, they quickly realized that their current strength was still insufficient to defeat them.
Rather than recklessly challenging the four masters, they postponed their battles and continued training against the various creatures inhabiting the continent. At the same time, they steadily grew stronger by consuming ingredients that could only be found in Area 7.
From time to time, they would launch attacks against the four masters to gauge the difference in strength between them.
Whenever they realized they still weren't ready, they would retreat.
Throughout this period, each of them had improved considerably more than they had during their training in Area 8.
The reason was simple.
The intelligent monkeys of Area 7 knew martial arts.
Unlike the creatures they had encountered in Area 8, these primates could actually fight using techniques and combat styles rather than relying solely on their physical abilities.
This gave Alpha and the others far more opportunities to improve their own combat abilities.
Still, it took them a month before they finally managed to knock out all four masters.
After accomplishing their mission, they continued roaming around the continent while waiting for Lev to summon them.
Of course, they didn't waste their time.
They continued training and eating ingredients along the way, constantly improving themselves.
The only exception was Shizuku, who continued roaming across the gigantic continent in search of the ancient civilization.
Meanwhile—
Lev had become an entirely different being after playing with Bambina for an entire year.
His Armament Haki had reached an unimaginable height.
He had already mastered advanced hardening, emission, and internal destruction.
But that wasn't all.
After reaching Tier 8, his Armament Haki underwent an evolution.
Normally, Armament Haki manifests as a black coating over the user's body or whatever object it was imbued into.
Lev's, however, had completely changed.
His Armament Haki had transformed from black into gold.
This wasn't merely a change in appearance.
The golden Armament Haki was far denser than its previous form, drastically increasing its offensive and defensive power while making it extraordinarily durable.
His Observation Haki had progressed even further.
In fact, it was the Haki that had undergone the greatest transformation.
After reaching Tier 8, it evolved beyond ordinary physical perception.
Lev could now extend his Observation Haki into the astral and spiritual realm, allowing him to perceive not only physical beings but also their presence, intentions, energy, and movements across enormous distances.
With this evolution, Lev could finally perceive the Back Channel and the Food Spirits that normally couldn't be accessed without consuming PAIR.
At the same time, his Future Sight had become far more sophisticated.
He could now see approximately twenty seconds into the future.
Finally, his Supreme King Haki also evolved after reaching Tier 8.
Lev's Supreme King Haki had reached a point where his overwhelming will no longer existed merely as an aura surrounding his body or a force used to knock out those with weak wills.
Instead, he could now project his will over an enormous area and establish it as his own domain.
This did not mean literal reality manipulation.
Rather, Lev's Haki had become so powerful and refined that it could directly influence the will, instincts, and combat effectiveness of everyone within its range.
All of these developments were the result of one thing.
Lev's never-ending will to continue.
And now—
He could be found back in their usual playing ground, standing together with Bambina.
The Monkey King was enjoying himself immensely.
As time passed, Lev, his playmate, had grown stronger and more durable.
The difference was now obvious.
Lev could endure their exchanges for much longer, and he was no longer as susceptible to sudden, unexpected deaths.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Shockwave after shockwave erupted throughout 100G Mountain as Lev and Bambina's fists repeatedly collided.
They were no longer simply playing.
They were comparing their strength.
Testing their limits.
Seeing who would ultimately come out victorious.
"How is it, Bambina? Hahahaha!" Lev shouted with laughter as he looked at the Monkey King.
Despite the intensity of their battle, neither of them was taking the fight completely seriously.
Because of that, the Emperor Ring—which should have appeared in the sky whenever two apex predators met and battled—had never manifested during their countless clashes.
Bambina responded with a wide, delighted smile.
The Monkey King was genuinely happy.
It wondered how wonderful it would be if this moment could last forever.
It had been an incredibly long time since Bambina had played this happily.
Because of its overwhelming excitement, the PAIR within Bambina's body continued releasing its unique tone, a sound capable of satisfying the hunger of anyone who heard it.
However—
"Playtime's over now, Bambina."
Lev suddenly stepped back.
"I want to take our fight to the next level."
His expression became serious.
"Be prepared. This will be the first time I use this skill."
Lev had possessed this skill for quite some time.
But until now, he had never had the opportunity to truly test it against an opponent capable of withstanding it.
Today, however, was different.
He had spent an entire year fighting Bambina.
He had died countless times.
His Haki had evolved.
His body had evolved.
And now—
He wanted to see what this skill could truly do.
Lev slowly backed away, creating some distance between himself and Bambina.
For the first time in a long while, his playful expression disappeared.
His eyes became completely serious.
Bambina noticed the change.
Its eyes widened.
Then—
An expression of extreme excitement appeared on its face.
Whatever surprise Lev was about to show it…
Bambina couldn't wait to see it.