Slap!
Slap!
It wasn't a sparring match it was the sound of Ares repeatedly slapping Kaido across the face.
Even though he'd held back a bit, Ares's palm was still as wide as a fan, and each smack echoed loud and clear.
"Kaido!"
"Wake up!!"
"Kaido!!"
No matter how many times Ares called out, Kaido didn't wake up.
That last hit had dealt a serious blow.
"Tch, that guy's shockwave punch is no joke..."
Ares wrapped an arm around Kaido's waist and hoisted him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, stepping out from the ruins.
As soon as he appeared, King Elizabello I's face lit up with self-assurance.
"It's been two minutes now. Ares, you're clearly stronger than that arrogant pirate."
"I've decided, I'll take you down with my King Punch, charged for a full three minutes!"
The longer he charged, the more heat surged from his body, rolling outwards and shaking the very air.
But Ares didn't respond.
He simply leapt high into the air and landed steadily on the pirate ship, laying the unconscious Kaido gently onto the deck.
Time ticked by quietly.
The force surrounding King Elizabello's charge-up grew more terrifying by the second.
"Three minutes!"
Ares jumped back down to the plaza.
His golden, slit-pupil eyes fixed on Elizabello's figure. His experience with physical combat techniques began with none other than Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
It was Newgate who opened the door to the world of martial arts for him teaching him how to control strength, throw punches, dodge, and use his body to absorb damage.
In just a month, Ares had learned a lot from Newgate.
Though Newgate was self-taught, relying entirely on instinct honed through battle and, of course, his devastating Gura Gura no Mi powers.
That's the reality for most pirates.
Few have access to structured training or teachers. They learn through raw combat driven by talent alone.
And brutal fights do accelerate growth. When your life's on the line, you either kill or get killed.
After all, most pirates were once commoners, refugees, even slaves people from the bottom rung of society.
Some were fallen nobles, bankrupt merchants, or survivors from fallen kingdoms.
People with power and status wouldn't trade it for a life where their head's tied to their belt and every day is a gamble for survival.
Before joining the Rocks Pirates, Ares fought beasts to survive, learning primitive, savage, and brutal fighting methods.
His grasp of his own power back then was… crude.
But over a month of battling with powerhouses like Garp and Zephyr who were trained in the Navy's elite combat school taught him genuine technique.
What stuck with Ares most was Zephyr's mastery of the "Rokushiki Secret Arts."
Especially the long-range shockwave technique so powerful, it shattered anything in its path.
That was when Ares realized martial arts weren't just about physical moves. They could unleash overwhelming force.
He stared intently at Elizabello, analyzing the differences.
"He's clearly building up his strength. It's different from Zephyr's attacks."
"But it's definitely powerful. I have to understand this kind of force!"
Elizabello's stance reminded him of a spellcaster's long wind-up.
Zephyr, on the other hand, could unleash powerful shockwaves in rapid succession.
Both had something in common these "fist waves" were vastly more destructive than ordinary punches.
Ares burned with the desire to master this kind of technique.
His supernatural memory allowed him to memorize every detail of Elizabello's current state though he couldn't perceive the king's internal energy.
"Four minutes!"
As Ares was deep in thought, Elizabello had already charged for four minutes. Confidence radiated from his face.
With a hint of pity, he said, "What a shame. I was hoping to collect your bounty to offset tonight's damage."
"But I suppose I'll have to pass. Because now, you're going to be smashed into dust!"
"Four and a half minutes!"
Blood surged through Elizabello's veins with a roar like flooding rivers.
"Five minutes!"
"The name Bloodhand Ares will be wiped from the seas!"
"King Punch!!!"
A monstrous shockwave tore through the air like Big Mom's "Ikoku Sovereignty," pulverizing everything in its path.
The air shimmered, and space itself seemed to warp.
The earth trembled again only worse. This time, even solid boulders were reduced to powder by the sheer force of the punch.
Facing this overwhelming strike, Ares didn't dare underestimate it.
With Bloodhand Haki activated, the blue scales on his thick arms turned a deep crimson that made one's heart race.
White steam hissed from his limbs.
His muscles tensed, blood pumping violently to channel immense strength into his arms.
"Crimson Armament, Azure Dragon Fist Style: Divine Dragon Emerges!!"
As Ares hurled his mighty punch, shockwaves rippled outward from his fist like waves crashing over water.
BOOM!!!
The deafening blast rang across the entire city, shaking everyone to their core.
The shockwave's backlash was like a tsunami, sweeping up soldiers and tossing them into the air with terrified screams.
A scene of absolute devastation.
And in that moment, Ares fully grasped the terrifying power of Elizabello's King Punch.
But his own blood boiled with excitement.
His crimson arm suddenly swelled with explosive force.
"Break it!!"
With a thunderous shout, Ares poured his entire strength into his fist his punch collided with the shockwave and pushed forward ten whole centimeters.
His entire arm extended fully.
Elizabello's five-minute charged King Punch was utterly shattered by Ares's raw power.
One punch.
Shattered the King Punch.
Elizabello's eyes went wide in shock. "What?!"
"My King Punch… was destroyed?!"
He had believed it could take out pirates worth over 100 million berries with ease.
But now he'd seen it crushed by Ares.
His mind reeled. "How is this guy only worth 40 million?!"
In that instant, Elizabello cursed the Marine who issued Ares's bounty to the depths of the sea.
This was the strength of a 40 million berry pirate?!
Is this a joke?
A bad one?
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