This didn't make sense at all!
With power like that, any pirate of his caliber should have a bounty starting at at least 200 to 300 million berries!
That would be a far more reasonable number!
In contrast.
After witnessing Ares's terrifying might, breaking apart the same devastating shockwave that had knocked Kaido unconscious, the surrounding pirates felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off their chests.
Their grim faces immediately brightened with joy, and one after another, they began cheering and sucking up to Ares like crazed fans.
"Amazing! Ares, you're the best!!"
"Show them what the Bloodhand is made of!"
"He really is a monster even injured, he's still this strong!!"
…
While the pirates were riding high on renewed morale, the soldiers under King Elizabello I looked as if they'd just woken up in a nightmare.
Their morale had plummeted to the floor. Everything felt surreal, like they were trapped in a dream that was quickly turning into a nightmare.
The next second.
King Elizabello's pupils trembled as he saw Ares charging straight at him, his beast-like expression twisted with bloodlust.
Like a tiger descending the mountain.
His blood-red arm cleaved through the air, bringing a fierce gust with it!
Elizabello's expression shifted from shock to panic.
His King Punch charged for a full five minutes hadn't been able to stop this monster.
And now?
He had nothing prepared.
What could he possibly use to block this next punch?!
In a split-second panic, he grabbed a nearby soldier by the collar and flung him toward Ares, shouting in desperation, "Hold him off! Just buy me some time!!!"
"Give me ten minutes!! Just ten minutes of charge time, and I'll finish him!!"
The poor soldier, thrown like a sandbag, looked completely hopeless. His mouth opened to scream, but before he could get a sound out.
BOOM!
Ares's fist landed squarely on his body, a terrifying blast echoing like a balloon bursting.
The soldier exploded into a mist of red, his remains shredded to nothing.
While Ares was briefly stopped by that human shield, King Elizabello quickly backed away, trying to gain distance while beginning to charge up again.
He turned to his trembling troops faces pale, knees shaking like leaves and bellowed, "That man is a savage pirate! Don't forget youare soldiers of the Prodence Kingdom!"
"Your duty is to protect your nation!"
"As soldiers, it's your honor to give your lives defending your home!"
His rallying cry stirred a bit of courage in the troops, and they gripped their rifles and spears tighter.
But no matter how determined they tried to be…
They had all seen it.
That monster, Ares who could reduce a man to paste with a single punch.
Fear gripped their hearts.
Those who met Ares's golden slit pupils like the eyes of a snake felt like they'd been struck by lightning, paralyzed with terror.
Even their skin felt like it had been flayed by knives.
No one dared make eye contact with him.
Ares stood in his terrifying draconic hybrid form. His arms gleamed blood-red, while his chest bore the yellow, sinewy texture of a serpent. His back and upper arms were covered in brilliant blue scales.
It was a strange, grotesque fusion.
A horrifying form that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who looked at him.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
No one knew which soldier fired it maybe it was the nerves, or maybe someone's finger slipped.
But the moment the shot echoed, every soldier on the field flinched in shock, their hearts nearly jumping out of their throats.
The bullet flew toward Ares.
He casually raised his scaled arm. The bullet struck with a crisp ding and clattered to the ground, harmless.
His eyes turned sharp as blades, locking directly onto King Elizabello I.
Ignoring the trembling soldiers, Ares bared his teeth in a grim smile, his dragon face twisted in excitement. His voice rasped low and deep.
"I'll give you ten minutes."
Silence fell.
Ares stood motionless like a wooden pillar, not advancing, not attacking.
Just waiting.
The soldiers and pirates alike were stunned.
Even his own crew shouted anxiously:
"Ares, what are you doing?! That guy's punch was already strong after five minutes if you let him charge for ten, it'll be twice as strong!!"
"Yeah! Finish him now before something unexpected happens!!"
"Don't give him a chance to retaliate!"
The pirates were more panicked than Ares himself.
They wanted Elizabello gone now so there'd be no threat left.
Even Elizabello himself was thrown off by Ares's sudden generosity.
"This guy's bigger than an elephant, and even after seeing the power of my King Punch, he still dares to be this arrogant?"
"He's completely full of himself!"
In Elizabello's heart, Ares was now marked as arrogant and deluded.
He sneered coldly in his heart.
"Just wait. You'll pay the price for that arrogance."
"Once my punch charges for ten minutes, not even a steel fortress will survive."
But Ares wasn't just waiting idly.
He was watching Elizabello's movements with total focus analyzing his body, his breathing, the minute shifts in his muscles.
At the same time, he began replaying the King Punch in his mind.
"What kind of technique makes his punch so powerful?"
"My body already has the strength but what I lack is the right technique to release it."
In the past few days, Ares had already mastered several of the Rokushiki techniques.
His control over his body had greatly improved.
He understood how a punch mainly relied on the upper body's strength, especially the arm muscles.
But most of the power from the rest of the body never made it to the fists it dissipated before it could become a true amplification.
"If I can grasp this kind of explosive-release technique, not only will my attacks become even deadlier, it'll also temper my body to new levels."
That was why Ares had chosen to give Elizabello ten minutes.
He had already experienced the King Punch twice, but it wasn't enough he needed to feel its full power, clearly and directly.
He needed to let it hit him.
To study it, to understand it.
Because if he could learn to channel the full might of his body's strength into a single punch…
The result would be a force that could shatter the heavens.
Minute by minute, time ticked away.
More pirates returned to the ship, having been drawn by the chaos. Upon hearing what Ares had done giving the enemy time to charge they were dumbfounded.
One by one, they pleaded with him to stop this madness.
Wang Zhi, one of the first to arrive, approached Ares, his massive broadsword already drawn. His expression was grim as ice.
"Ares, I warned you before…"
"Never show mercy to your enemies!"
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