The banquet continued, but the venue had shifted outdoors, to a spacious platform overlooking a flat expanse below. Flying Pirate Fleet's prominent figure, the 670 million Berry bounty holder, "Skull Crusher" Hyde, already stood below. Facing him was King, who had quietly drawn his sword.
"I was startled when I saw in the newspaper that you took a Lunarian as a subordinate," Golden Lion said, looking down at the calm King with interest. "Have they not gone extinct yet? You're so young, not much older than this kid, are you?"
"Don't underestimate King just because he's young," Roa chuckled. "He's super strong."
"Is that so? Then I'll be watching closely," Golden Lion said, taking a sip of wine, noncommittal.
But Kaido frowned. He was quite familiar with King's strength, or rather, the strength of Roa's subordinates. In truth, they weren't qualified to challenge Golden Lion's three commanders. Even the strongest, Bullet, might not be as strong as the weakest of the three. Those three were genuinely world-renowned powerhouses who had followed Golden Lion in his conquests. Bullet and King certainly had bright futures, but they were, after all, still too young. Roa couldn't possibly be unaware of this. What was he up to? Why did he propose this Best of Three?
Below, on the open ground.
The extremely muscular bald giant twisted his bulging neck and spoke calmly, "You are Lord Roa's subordinate. I will go easy on you."
"Now, make your move."
"How arrogant. Then I won't hold back." King raised his Ama-no-Murakumo, the tip of his blade suddenly pointing at the giant in front of him. Flames surged out from behind him, forming a huge fiery ring, then abruptly poured into his blade.
"Fire Dragon Emperor!"
A colossal fire dragon, over five meters in diameter, roared out instantly. These orange-red flames were as viscous as magma.
"The ability to control fire, huh?" Golden Lion nodded slightly. "What a strange race."
Roa merely maintained his breathing rhythm. They were just getting started.
Facing the incoming fire dragon, the giant, Hyde, simply clenched his right fist, and his right arm instantly turned pitch black, an invisible ripple intertwining around it. Emitted Armament Haki!
"Mere flames!"
As the giant twisted his waist and threw a punch, a devastating shockwave of Haki pierced through the fire dragon from head to tail, advancing unstoppably! At this moment, King had flapped his wings and flown into the sky, inadvertently dodging the blow.
"This!"
Bullet, who was unwilling but made no protest due to the Boss's command, his pupils suddenly contracted. What astonishing Armament Haki! He was still far from reaching that level! Although extremely unwilling, he probably couldn't win against this guy! No wonder the Boss sent King to fight. To be unwilling about the Boss's decision, to be jealous of King—he truly deserved to die!
"Blade's Twin Emperors!"
King flapped his wings, and a shower of fiery feathers rained down on Hyde.
"Meaningless!"
Hyde merely stomped the ground, using the powerful recoil to launch himself into the air, covered in black Haki, directly charging through the scorching flames towards King. His speed was astonishingly fast; King had almost no room to dodge.
"Looks like it's over," Golden Lion said indifferently. No surprise, even a Lunarian, but not a monster like Roa, still far too inferior compared to his top commander.
"Is that so?" Roa's smile didn't falter. "Don't pop the champagne halfway through, Uncle Shiki."
Hyde's strength was undeniable, definitely a master on the level of a future Emperor's First Mate. It would take some effort for Roa himself to defeat him, and even Bullet would be directly executed in a head-on confrontation. That's why he sent King to fight.
Boom!
The giant's punch landed squarely on King's chest. The terrifying power sent King flying, creating ripples of air in his wake.
But.
"This is?"
Hyde, falling to the ground, looked down at his fist in disbelief. Had he punched Sea Prism Stone? Why was it so hard?
"Guardian · Fire Dragon Emperor!"
Fiery dragons, baring fangs and claws, slammed down on Hyde from the sky.
"What's going on?" Golden Lion couldn't help but look at Roa in surprise.
The latter simply shrugged casually. "Lunarians are born with the strongest defense, surpassing even Aunt Linlin's."
"..." Golden Lion paused, then sneered, "So that's what you were planning, kid?"
Below, Hyde had already launched himself skyward again. With a few punches and kicks, he shattered all the frenzied fire dragons, then, treading air, he mercilessly punched King flying again.
He can use Moon Walk? Roa was a little surprised. The Six Powers, that stuff was really widespread. In the original story, Aunt Linlin's children also used Moon Walk.
"It's useless," King, whose clothes were only slightly soiled despite being sent flying, flew back again. "You are strong, but I am a wall you cannot overcome."
"What wall is there here!" Hyde was unwilling. Having charged with Admiral Golden Lion for so many years, could he really not handle a mere kid? The Flying Pirate Fleet's second-in-command attacked King like a raging storm, sending him flying repeatedly, only to watch King fly back again and again. In contrast, he himself became somewhat disheveled under King's flame attacks—Armament Haki cannot completely resist elemental attacks.
"That's enough, Hyde," Golden Lion said coldly. "Don't embarrass yourself any further."
"...Admiral!" Hyde's body trembled. He subconsciously wanted to argue, but facing Golden Lion's stern gaze, his body involuntarily shuddered, and he quickly pulled back his fist. "Yes."
"This round is a draw then," Golden Lion said, looking at Roa.
"Fine, even though King doesn't have a scratch, and Mr. Hyde is already scorched," Roa shrugged. "But you're my most respected Uncle Shiki, aren't you? I'll let you have this one. A draw it is."
Golden Lion's forehead immediately twitched with a vein. He turned to look at the tall, thin man holding a sniper rifle. "Borg, you must not lose."
"Yes, Admiral." The man named Borg, the Flying Pirate Fleet's third-in-command, the legendary sniper of the New World, "Heart Piercer" Borg, stood up.
"Boss!" Bullet interjected impatiently.
Dillon also looked at Roa. "Heart Piercer" Borg also possessed a flying Zoan Devil Fruit ability. In that case, he was the most suitable to fight.
"An opponent who uses a gun?" Roa's gaze swept back and forth across Bullet's and Dillon's faces, then suddenly settled on Doflamingo, who was stuffing his face. "Doflamingo, go and bring me victory."
Doflamingo, with puffed-out cheeks, looked up at Roa blankly. Was he hallucinating? Why did he hear Roa call his name?
Then.
"Huh? Me?" Doflamingo nearly became the first Conqueror's Haki user in history to choke to death. Not only him, but even Bullet and Dillon looked at Roa in astonishment. Why Doflamingo?
"Dillon," Roa said earnestly, "go help Doflamingo get his equipment first."
Dillon instantly understood what Lord Roa meant. Right, "Heart Piercer" Borg was also an incredibly formidable opponent, and his fighting style completely countered Bullet; he wouldn't give him a chance to get close at all. Neither he nor Bullet would likely win. That's why Doflamingo was sent to fight. Although this kid was weak, he could essentially replicate King's fighting style from earlier!
So, soon, on the flat ground, a chaotic stone giant, integrating rocks, heavy cannons, heavy machine guns, and a series of other miscellaneous things, stood erect.
"Damn Roa!!" Inside the stone man, Doflamingo gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.
"What trick are you pulling now, kid?" Golden Lion looked suspiciously at Roa. That blond kid could only be described as pathetic. Even a peer like Roa probably couldn't beat Borg, could he?
"You'll find out soon enough, won't you?" Roa raised his voice with a grin. "Doflamingo, go for it! If you lose, I'll kill you oh!"
"You bastard!" Doflamingo roared in fury. "Bring it on, you idiot!"
He had no choice but to fight!
Buzz!
An invisible aura spread out.
"Conqueror's Haki?" Golden Lion raised an eyebrow slightly. This kid was also a Conqueror's Haki user? Kaido also looked bewildered. Roa had two Conqueror's Haki users under him?
"I will win against you with all my might!" "Heart Piercer" Borg didn't hesitate, immediately launching himself into the air to create distance from Doflamingo. He had witnessed Hyde's predicament firsthand. Lord Roa probably wouldn't send a frail kid to die! His three sections of arms transformed into wide wings, and his face protruded, forming a long beak. In the blink of an eye, Borg transformed into a Pteranodon!
"Take this, you bastard!" Doflamingo struck first, activating both the heavy cannon and heavy machine gun simultaneously. Cannonballs and bullets converged into a storm of metal, raining down on Borg in the sky.
"Too slow." The Pteranodon merely flapped its wings, soaring through the air like the wind. Doflamingo's attacks couldn't even touch a feather on him.
"Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Spino-type Pteranodon form!" Dillon quietly named Borg's ability. His form was much smaller than his own Pteranodon, but its agility was on a different level.
"If this is all you've got, it's my turn." Borg flapped his wings, ascended further to increase the distance, then grabbed his sniper rifle with his feet, aiming at the stone giant.
"Is that how you use it?" Roa couldn't help but retort. No, it's a sniper rifle, and he's a Longarm Tribe member. Any normal person would assume he'd use his hands, right?
"Ancient dinosaurs fired guns like this," Borg said coolly, injecting Haki into his weapon. The next instant, the bullet fired.
Bang!
Almost simultaneously, the colossal stone man was sent flying.
"Waaah!" Doflamingo was instantly sent tumbling, disoriented.
"Again?" Golden Lion's eyes widened. "What's wrong with this kid again?" Borg's bullet, capable of piercing even the hearts of Haki masters, merely knocked the stone man back without causing any damage.
Kaido was suddenly startled. A Poneglyph! So that's it, this Roa, he truly knows how to think!
In the sky, sweat was already beading on Borg's forehead. No way, was Hyde's misfortune going to repeat itself with him? Was he going to draw with a kid under ten years old? His sniper rifle was once again aimed at the stone man.
Noticing this, Doflamingo scrambled to his feet. "Merge!" Purple light spread downwards, and the next second, the stone man's lower body had merged with the ground.
Slap!
Another shot came, causing the ground to shake violently, but the stone man wasn't knocked away this time.
"Fufufufu! My ability is indeed invincible!" Doflamingo instantly swelled with confidence. As long as he stayed inside the stone, what could that birdman do?
Golden Lion's face turned extremely grim. "Grab that kid and throw him from the sky!"
Borg's eyes lit up. Right, what good was strong defense if the kid couldn't fly like that Lunarian? Thinking this, the Pteranodon suddenly swooped down, tucking his sniper rifle behind his back, and grabbed the stone giant's head with his talons, attempting to pull it from the ground.
"Then," Roa raised the corner of his mouth, "it's over."
"Fufufufu! Idiot! You really dare to touch me!" Doflamingo suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Bang.
A soft gunshot.
"Gah!" Borg's body suddenly stiffened, already directly being beaten back into human form, rolling miserably on the ground. Then, the stone man grabbed him, holding him up as if showing off.
"Fufufufu! I won!" Doflamingo was incredibly proud. What damn great commander, no strength means no strength!
Golden Lion froze for a moment, then looked at Borg's foot. There was a bloody hole there—he had been shot. And there was only one thing that could nullify Borg's Armament Haki, or rather, make him unable to use it the moment he was touched, and even prevent him from using his ability, only one.
"Sea Prism Stone!!" Golden Lion practically squeezed the words through clenched teeth.