When they were sailing on the Monkey King, Bardock had the Flying Nimbus split off several tendrils to wrap around his crewmates, allowing them to train under constant artificial gravity. Since the Nimbus was a connected entity, it didn't hinder their flexibility within the small confines of the boat, nor did it cause any extra stamina drain.
However, once they disembarked, that method was no longer viable. Since the four of them might wander off in completely different directions, maintaining those stretched-out tendrils would drain a massive amount of stamina. Plus, walking down the street trailing glowing golden clouds would draw entirely too much unwanted attention.
To solve this, Bardock just wrapped the entire Flying Nimbus around his own body like a weighted undershirt and cranked the downward gravitational force up several times over.
Recently, he had discovered a terrifyingly broken synergy between Mansherry's Heal-Heal Fruit and his own grueling training regimen. Mansherry could use her powers to create magical 'Dandelions' that instantly healed whoever ingested them. But creating them required an energy source.
Bardock, possessing the absurdly accelerated cellular regeneration of an Awakened Mythical Zoan, simply donated his own blood for her to use as the medium. The result was basically the One Piece equivalent of a Senzu Bean. While it couldn't fully restore mental fatigue, no matter how much muscle tissue Bardock tore or how physically exhausted he was, eating a single Blood Dandelion would instantly restore his body to peak physical condition.
With this infinite healing loop, Bardock multiplied his daily training intensity several times over. His progress was terrifying. In addition to Soru (Shave), he had fully mastered Tekkai (Iron Body), Geppo (Moonwalk), and Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) from the Rokushiki martial arts. His swordsmanship had also advanced rapidly—he had finally reached the point where every single swing he made carved a perfectly straight, razor-thin line through the air.
It was the dead of night. The affluent district was completely silent. Robin, Leo, and Mansherry were already fast asleep inside the villa.
In the spacious backyard, Bardock's training was still in full swing. Because the estates in the affluent district were built far apart with excellent soundproofing, he didn't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors.
"Boss, this is the place, right?" "Yeah, this is it. Get ready to scale the wall. Keep your weapons ready and keep the noise down. If things get loud, whatever, just make sure the job gets done cleanly. Move!"
A squad of ten thugs quietly hoisted themselves over the villa's brick wall. When the squad leader finally dropped down into the backyard, he immediately noticed his men standing completely frozen, staring blankly ahead.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?!" the leader hissed furiously. "Find the kid and kill him!"
"Boss... we don't need to find him," one of the thugs pointed with a trembling hand. "He's right there."
The leader looked past them. Sure enough, there was a young boy casually doing one-armed push-ups on the grass right in front of them.
"Give me a second, I'm almost done," Bardock said casually, not even pausing his reps.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" the leader roared, pulling out a heavy iron pipe. "Do we look like we take orders from you?! Boys, kill him!"
Not daring to disobey, the nine thugs drew their weapons—swords, iron pipes, hatchets, and even a jitte—and charged wildly at the boy, aiming for his vitals.
Bardock sighed. He only had twenty reps left to hit his daily goal, and he really didn't want to stop. He strictly adhered to the Rock Lee school of punitive training: if he failed to meet a goal, he had to double his reps on the next exercise. Knowing he had the stamina to finish, but being violently interrupted by a bunch of random fodder, really pissed him off.
"Sorry about this, neighbors," Bardock muttered.
His brow furrowed. An invisible, suffocating wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted outward.
Thud, thud, thud.
All ten charging invaders instantly rolled their eyes back and collapsed face-first into the grass, out cold.
"Man, I really hate collateral damage," Bardock sighed, ignoring the unconscious thugs to finish his last twenty push-ups. "When am I finally going to figure out how to exclude innocent people from the blast radius?"
After finishing his set, Bardock popped a Blood Dandelion into his mouth. A surge of warm energy instantly flooded his veins, repairing his torn muscle fibers and restoring him to peak condition in seconds.
He walked over to the squad leader, grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him across the face a few times until the man groaned and his eyes fluttered open. Bardock dropped him back onto the grass, picked up one of the thugs' fallen swords, and pressed the tip gently against the leader's throat.
"Alright. Start talking. Whether you live or die depends entirely on your performance right now."
"I'll talk! I'll talk! Please don't kill me!" the leader shrieked, going pale. "We're from the Night Wolf Gang! The boss, Oliver, ordered us to take you out and bring the two dwarves back!"
"Oliver? The Night Wolf Gang?" Bardock's eyes narrowed dangerously, a thick killing intent bleeding into his voice. "Are you scumbags involved in the slave trade?"
"No! No, we swear!" the leader panicked, frantically trying to pass the blame. "We're just a local street gang! We don't have the connections for the slave trade! But sometimes, the higher-ups force us to do their dirty work for them! I had nothing to do with this! I was just following orders! Oliver was the one who made the call!"
"The higher-ups? Who exactly? And where is this Oliver?"
"Oliver lives in the slums! He's got the biggest, most luxurious mansion in the whole district, you can't miss it! The higher-ups... the higher-ups..."
Bardock pressed the blade slightly closer. "You don't sound very eager to live."
"The higher-ups is Viscount Elrond!" the leader cried out. "He's a World Noble affiliate! He gave the order, and we have no choice but to obey! Even if I tell you, what can you do?! You're strong, kid, but he's nobility! Please, just let me go! I swear I'll never bother you again!"
"Too loud," Bardock muttered, delivering a swift kick to the man's neck, knocking him out cold once again.
"Oliver, huh? Let's start with you."
Bardock summoned the Flying Nimbus, expanding it to scoop up all ten unconscious thugs, then hopped on himself and shot straight toward the slums.
"He wasn't kidding, this place is incredibly easy to spot," Bardock noted as he hovered over the slums. A massive, ostentatious mansion sat right in the middle of blocks of rotting shacks. "But he definitely lied by omission. This has to be their main headquarters, there's way too many guys patrolling the perimeter. Damn, I forgot to ask what Oliver looks like. Whatever. I'll just smash my way in and make a scene."
He had been looking for a chicken to scare the monkeys with. While a local gang boss wasn't exactly a high-tier threat, it would do the job for now.
Bardock leaped off the Nimbus, crashing heavily onto the pavement right in front of the mansion's main gates. The two armed guards stationed outside immediately drew their swords and lunged without asking a single question.
"Oh? Pretty good reaction time. They're trained well," Bardock praised mockingly.
Before their blades could even swing downward, Bardock lashed out with two lightning-fast kicks, sending both guards flying backward through the air. In the same motion, he swung his leg twice more—Rankyaku!
Two intersecting crescent blades of compressed air tore through the night, instantly shredding the heavy iron gates into pieces. Bardock strolled casually into the courtyard.
The moment he stepped through the ruined gates, he was ambushed. Two thugs had been hiding right behind the walls. Unfortunately for them, their speed was pitifully slow.
As a thug swung a machete toward his neck, Bardock didn't dodge. Instead, he simply reached up and caught the descending blade perfectly between his thumb and index finger. The thug's eyes nearly popped out of his skull in disbelief. Bardock shoved his hand forward, driving the hilt of the thug's own machete brutally into his chest, caving his ribs in and sending him flying.
Within seconds, alarms blared, and the entire mansion sprang to life. Dozens of armed gangsters flooded the courtyard, completely surrounding Bardock. Several snipers took up positions on the balconies, aiming rifles directly at him.
Oliver, wearing an expensive silk bathrobe, stepped out onto the second-floor balcony, looking down with a heavy scowl. "Who the hell are you? Why are you attacking the Night Wolf Gang?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Bardock clicked his tongue, looking up. "You send a hit squad to murder me in my sleep, and you actually have the nerve to ask who I am? How can you sleep so soundly?"
"Ah, the merchant's brat," Oliver sneered, recognizing him from the photo. "Useless trash. Ten of my men couldn't even handle a single kid. Hmph. You might have some skills, boy, but if you think you can take down the entire Night Wolf Gang by yourself, you're delusional. Tell you what—hand over the two dwarves, and I'll graciously let you join my crew as an enforcer. How's that? It's a rare day when I show this much mercy."
"Oh, really?" Bardock grinned, his golden eyes flashing. "Tell you what. If you strip completely naked, run three laps around the city screaming 'Viscount Elrond is a pig!', I'll graciously spare your life. How's that? It's a rare day when I show this much mercy."
Oliver's face contorted with rage. "Kill him!"
The gangsters, waiting for the command, instantly swarmed forward, ready to beat the boy into a bloody pulp.
Surrounded on all sides, Bardock didn't panic. He just lowered his shoulder and charged straight ahead. The gangsters in front of him were blown away like dry leaves in a hurricane, completely shattered by his raw physical force as he easily broke out of the encirclement.
Sticking to his usual tactic of taking out ranged fighters first, Bardock repeatedly triggered Soru, teleporting across the courtyard and balconies in blurs of motion. Bam! Bam! Bam! In a matter of seconds, every single sniper was unconscious on the ground.
The remaining melee fighters were absolutely terrified. They couldn't even track his movements. This wasn't a fight; it was a one-sided massacre by a literal monster. They just spun around in circles, gripping their weapons tightly, too paralyzed by fear to actually attack.
Watching his men cower infuriated Oliver. Realizing they were completely useless, he vaulted over the balcony railing, dropping into the courtyard.
"I'll admit, your strength is completely beyond my expectations! But don't you dare look down on me!" Oliver roared, ripping off his silk bathrobe. "I'm the boss of the Night Wolf Gang! Oliver the Ruthless!"
As he screamed, his muscular torso rapidly sprouted thick, spotted fur. His face elongated, his ears grew pointed, and sharp fangs extended from his jaw as he transformed into a horrific feline beast-man.
"He did it! The Boss transformed into his Bobcat Beast Form!" "We're saved! The Boss is gonna tear him apart!" The gangsters cheered, their morale instantly sky-rocketing.
Bardock just stared at him, utterly deadpan. "Are you kidding me? The boss of the 'Night Wolf Gang' is a freaking cat?"