The massive longsword gleamed with an icy, threatening light.
Wang Zhi knew full well that Ares was still young and had yet to fully grasp the brutal rules of survival that governed a pirate's world.
A bone-chilling aura and an overwhelming killing intent radiated from his entire body.
"Golden Armor Swordsman, Wang Zhi!"
Seeing him arrive, King Elizabello I visibly tensed. Cold sweat beaded down his face, and a wave of unease surged in his heart. "Wang Zhi... A cadre of the Rocks Pirates is here too?!"
Wang Zhi, with a bounty of 180 million Berries, was leagues more famous than the newly rising Bloodhand Ares.
"Wait a second..."
Elizabello's pupils shrank as a terrifying thought flashed across his mind. His expression paled.
That giant pirate ship... appearing in the middle of the plaza... Could it be.
"Don't tell me... he's here too?!"
Just as that chilling thought surfaced, a wicked laugh echoed through the air, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Sha-ha-ha-ha..."
Golden Lion Shiki had appeared atop a rooftop without anyone noticing. Behind him, suspended in the sky by his powers, floated dozens upon dozens of barrels.
Over a hundred at least.
Unsurprisingly, those wooden barrels were packed with food and alcohol.
"Brother Shiki!"
Seeing him, Ares beamed with excitement.
Shiki quickly flew to Ares's side. Under his command, the barrels gently descended onto the deck of the pirate ship, neatly stacking themselves.
"Ares, leave this one to me. You're still injured you can't afford to hinder your recovery," Shiki said, cigar clenched between his teeth. His voice carried the imposing weight of a true conqueror.
His lion-like eyes bore into King Elizabello I like a predator eyeing its prey.
Elizabello felt like he'd plunged into an icy abyss. Just being looked at by the Golden Lion made his blood feel like it was freezing solid from the sheer killing intent.
All he could do was silently continue storing up the power for his King Punch.
Ares turned to face Shiki, golden eyes burning with resolve.
"Brother Shiki, let me fight him," he said firmly.
"I have a reason I must fight."
The technique behind the King Punch was a powerful draw an irresistible temptation.
Its flaw was obvious, but that didn't change the fact that it was a fearsome physical technique.
Concerned for Ares, Wang Zhi stepped forward and sternly objected. "Ares, stop this nonsense."
"You just fought Zephyr not long ago, and your wounds haven't healed. Don't be reckless!"
Shiki also turned, locking eyes with Ares. From the younger man's golden gaze, he saw unwavering determination and a fierce hunger for battle.
His lips curved into a grin. "Ares, my little brother, go ahead. Fight to your heart's content."
"I believe in you. You'll win for sure."
"Shiki..." Wang Zhi looked at him, surprised. He hadn't expected Shiki to support Ares's request. He was just about to argue again when Shiki interrupted.
"Sha-ha-ha... If he wants to fight, let him fight."
"Wang Zhi, if we only acted when the outcome was certain, we'd lose our drive and our fire."
"When you became a pirate, did you think everything would go according to plan?"
Everyone was different. Some people were born to endure one brutal trial after another before they could grow into a man capable of standing on his own.
Ares reminded him of both Garp in his youth and the Whitebeard of old when he entered battle.
If you always play it safe, you lose something vital.
"Overprotective guidance only makes the strong brittle... Ares..." Wang Zhi tried to speak again but was cut off once more.
"No need to say anything," Shiki said. "I trust Ares."
There was no need for explanations. This was the unspoken trust intuition and bond between men.
Ares's voice rang out like a war drum. "I want to become the strongest man on this sea. I want to forge my body into something that surpasses even the Supreme Grade Blades."
"I won't give up any opportunity that might help me achieve that dream!"
As he spoke, his eyes shone with a kind of madness a twisted, near-fanatical obsession. This wasn't just a dream anymore. It was a fixation etched into his very soul.
In his draconic form, a towering and masculine aura surged from Ares, climbing higher with each passing second.
The King Punch and the ultimate techniques of Rokushiki he believed both would help him on his path. These methods of controlling and releasing power could further refine his body.
Unlike a weapon forged from steel, a human body was far more complex and it held within it the terrifying potential to shake the heavens and split the seas.
Forging his body into a Supreme Grade Blade... was nearly impossible.
But Ares wanted to walk that impossible road.
He refused to follow in his father's footsteps creating the 21 Great Grade Blades only to hand them over to others.
Even if he forged a Supreme Grade Blade, in the end, it would still just be a weapon.
A tool that could be lost or stolen.
But if he forged his own body into a living blade then no one could ever take that from him. And maybe, just maybe, he'd become something greater than a Supreme Grade Blade.
He would become the only one of his kind in this vast sea.
One of a kind.
Peerless.
A weapon beyond all others!
Ares's beastly eyes locked onto Elizabello I.
"Eight minutes have passed," he said calmly. "You have two left."
The fighting spirit and aura rising from him made even Wang Zhi pause. He finally gave up trying to stop him. Instead, he smiled faintly almost bitterly.
How can I try to restrain Ares with my own ideals...
If he loses this sharpness, this fearless resolve, could he still chase his dream?
Would he still become a lion, a tiger among men?
Wang Zhi sheathed his sword in silence.
Shiki, too, watched Elizabello with amusement, observing the king's reddening skin and the steam rising from his body.
He now understood why Ares was so adamant about facing him.
Taking a long drag of his cigar, Shiki said, "Interesting... It's similar to Ares's blood-activated Armament Haki."
"But it's a completely different technique."
"Could it be... Ares is trying to copy this too?"
As someone who had trained Ares, even if only half-seriously, Shiki knew just how terrifyingly fast Ares could learn. His talent was abnormal.
He'd seen it with his own eyes how Ares picked up Rokushiki techniques just by watching Zephyr.
The corner of Shiki's mouth lifted. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Ares.
His Haki is different from normal...
I hope this kid can push his "unique" Haki to even greater heights...
I wonder what kind of monster he'll become then...
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