The thought kept spiraling in Charlotte Linlin's mind, sending her body into a feverish frenzy. Drool gushed from her open mouth, splattering onto the ground with a loud hiss, as if her saliva itself was corrosive.
That's exactly why her husbands never had a happy ending. Ordinary men simply couldn't survive the overwhelming "passion" of this monstrous woman.
The pirates around her backed away instinctively, afraid even a single drop of that saliva might touch them.
Hovering above, Shiki's face twisted in disbelief. "What the hell is going on?! I just punched the guy! Why does he look even more terrifying now?!"
Ares's red-hot arm looked like it had been pulled from a forge, searing and unnatural.
And the next second...
BOOM!
Ares's massive body shot up like a cannonball, soaring toward Shiki with terrifying force. The heat radiating from his arm made Shiki's pupils shrink.
"This kid... still not sober?!"
There was no time to hesitate. Shiki wrapped his fist in Armament Haki and met Ares's punch head-on.
BOOM!!!
The impact cracked the sky, unleashing shockwaves like a typhoon that tore through the entire town.
Roofs rattled, windows shattered, and items clanged and clattered across the streets.
Shiki's eyes went wide. "When the hell did this brat get so strong?!"
Earlier, one punch had sent Ares flying like a ragdoll.
But now, even a fully empowered strike laced with Haki couldn't suppress him.
What kind of insane growth rate was this?!
Shiki's jaw nearly dropped. That crimson arm, scorching and strange it had to be the reason.
It felt denser, tougher, and bursting with power.
"Kid... is this some hidden battle technique of yours?" he blurted, half in disbelief.
It was so different from standard Armament Haki that Shiki didn't even associate it with Haki at all.
The next moment, Ares plummeted from the sky, unable to fly. Shiki followed close behind.
Their fists clashed midair like a torrential storm, blow after blow, so fast it left afterimages in the air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A rapid series of muffled thuds thundered down from the heavens.
Whitebeard watched, visibly stunned. "This kid... that's some freakish growth. He's holding his own against Shiki's Armament Haki?!"
Even though Shiki wasn't using his full strength, for a kid who looked barely fifteen, this was unheard of.
Had he not witnessed it himself, he never would've believed it.
Shiki wasn't just anyone he was the First Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates, already over thirty years old, a legend on the seas.
Captain John's eyes lit up as he chugged from his bottle, grin stretching wide.
"Hahaha... This brat's a monster! If he keeps growing like this, he'll be a powerhouse in no time!"
"In a few short years, Ares's name will shake the Grand Line!"
"He'll be one of Captain Rocks's top lieutenants, no doubt!"
John's chest swelled with excitement. Strength, stamina, battle instinct this kid had it all. With time, he'd make the Rocks Pirates unstoppable.
Invincible.
He could already imagine a future where they ruled the New World... and he could finally live the dream of sleeping on mountains of treasure and guzzling rum till he passed out.
But not everyone shared his excitement.
Kaido, who had once been flattened by Ares, stood frozen in shock, jaw so wide it could swallow a table.
"How... how is this guy this strong?!" he screamed internally.
"Damn it! He wasn't this powerful before!!"
"Why... why is the gap getting so big?!"
The overwhelming difference filled Kaido with frustration. The gap between him and Ares had grown into a chasm.
Just days ago, he still believed that with training and determination, he could catch up. Beat Ares.
Now, that hope was shrinking fast.
His once-blazing drive to surpass Ares began to flicker, dimming under the crushing weight of reality.
But then...
A voice echoed in the depths of his soul.
Telling him that if he gave in now if he admitted inferiority he would never be worthy of the crown.
Kaido's massive eyes lit up with fire.
Clenching his fists tight, he declared, "No. I'm Kaido, born with the blood of a king."
"One day, I'll become the strongest in this sea."
"I will never admit defeat!!"
A violent aura surged from him Conqueror's Haki.
Several pirates turned their heads in surprise.
But among the Rocks Pirates, Conqueror's Haki was nothing new.
Not just Rocks himself, but also Shiki, Whitebeard, and even Linlin had mastered it.
BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH!
BOOM!
The battle above raged on, destroying buildings left and right.
Shiki's face darkened. "This kid's stamina and strength... he's a damn monster!"
"My arm's going numb from the impact!!"
"How long is he gonna stay drunk?!"
"If he doesn't snap out of it soon, I'll have to draw my swords!"
He hadn't expected this at all. That mysterious transformation had cranked Ares's power through the roof.
Even among the Rocks crew, Ares was now standing out.
Shiki finally shouted, frustration boiling over.
"Hey!! Ares!! Snap out of it already!!"
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