Satan's originally nonchalant expression turned ferocious the moment Zaki uttered those arrogant words and released his Conqueror's Haki.
"The qualifications of a king?" His face twisted for only a moment before returning to a cold calm, though a fierce light flashed in his narrow eyes.
"Then you must die here, rebel!"
Jaygarcia Saturn: Five Elders (Dark Gold), Ox-Demon (Light Gold), Evil Scientist (Light Gold), Cold-Blooded Cruel (Purple)
Five Elders (Dark Gold): One of the supreme rulers of the world. Your authority is absolute, and you can use the pentagram to summon the other Five Elders.
Ox-Demon (Light Gold): User of the Mythical Zoan-type Gyu-Gyu no Mi (Ox-Demon form).
Evil Scientist (Light Gold): A scientist constantly researching advanced technology, valuing knowledge above all else.
Cold-Blooded Cruel (Purple): You will do anything to maintain the Celestial Dragons' rule, exploiting others' weaknesses to achieve your goals.
"Tsk, trash!" Zaki sneered disdainfully. "The man is trash, and so are his entries."
The Five Elders and Ox-Demon traits were entries he couldn't replicate. Evil Scientist had some use, but Cold-Blooded Cruel was worthless to him.
Zaki crouched low, gathering power, then suddenly twisted his body and punched down at Bacchus Luosheng, who was writhing on the ground.
Saint Satan's pupils shrank, and he charged at Zaki with surprising speed for his size, his cane completely coated in Armament Haki.
Zaki hadn't mastered Armament Haki yet, so he couldn't see the black coating on Satan's cane. Lowering his head, he dashed straight toward Satan.
His goal had always been clear—save Kuma!
Only Kuma had the Paw-Paw Fruit, the key to escaping this hellish situation.
When Zaki was nearly upon Satan, he rolled under the elder's line of sight. Satan's eyes followed him without hesitation.
This trick wouldn't fool him.
The pitch-black cane swept down with a whistling crack, carrying the momentum of a giant's club. The Ox-Demon Fruit granted Satan immense strength, even in human form.
The blow smashed into Zaki's left shoulder. He spat blood, but thankfully, his Iron Balloon trait held up!
With sheer grit, he could still endure.
Zaki grinned viciously like the Yujiro Hanma, while Satan was momentarily stunned by what he saw.
Despite being just a boy, Zaki's raw physical toughness had blocked his full-power strike—almost unscathed!
Such terrifying potential, coupled with open malice toward the World Government… this boy had to be crushed here and now! Otherwise, he'd grow into a threat far worse than Rocks himself.
But Zaki's plan had worked. Using the force of Satan's blow, he was launched closer to Kuma, grabbing him with one hand.
He rolled twice, released the momentum, and sprinted away.
"Kuma! Plan A!" Zaki shouted.
Kuma's timid eyes hardened. He slapped Zaki once, then himself. With a pop sound, they vanished.
"The Paw-Paw Fruit…" Saint Satan muttered with a deep frown.
Such a convenient ability…
Then his expression turned cold again. Even if they escaped, what did it matter? The entire world was under their control.
Run now, but in the end, they'd die like the 100,000 slaves already executed in the Valley of the Gods. Entertaining the Celestial Dragons before dying—that was the fate of all pariahs.
"Mah mah mah!" Charlotte Linlin swung her blade, with Prometheus coating it in thick, raging flames.
She was clashing with officers from Roger's crew, though neither side was going all out—there was no real reason to fight to the death.
Roger's true focus was Rocks. After several exchanges, Linlin felt the intent behind Roger's attacks and understood he wasn't trying to kill her.
Scanning the battlefield, she spotted the conspicuous pair of large horns.
She commanded her group forward while Prometheus blasted flames between Kaido and his opponent, forcing them apart.
Charlotte Linlin grabbed Kaido by the arm and pulled him away.
"Linlin! What the hell are you doing?!" Kaido roared, irritated that she had interrupted his fight.
"Don't waste your strength, idiot. I told you not to trust Rocks!"
"I'm just fighting."
"And that fight is helping him! That lunatic is going to die against the World Government sooner or later. How stupid can you be?! The Rocks Pirates might look strong, but which of us top execs are truly fighting for him?"
Linlin snapped impatiently. "Get off this sinking ship before you're dragged down too!"
"Here! I'll give you a fruit!" Linlin conjured a Devil Fruit from her bag as if performing a magic trick.
The blue-green Devil Fruit, with fish-scale patterns, immediately caught Kaido's attention.
"How is it? I treat you well, don't I? Call me sister!"
"…Sister… Sister," Kaido grumbled reluctantly, feeling humiliated but unwilling to anger her.
"Maaamama!" Linlin laughed joyfully and shoved the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon into his hands.
Kaido grimaced at the disgusting taste but forced himself to swallow.
Then the power surged through him. His eyes widened. This was true strength!
At that moment, a voice called out nearby, drawing both their attention.
"Moshi moshi? Hey, you two! Want to do something big?"
The two turned and saw two tall kids standing there, smiling confidently.
"Maaamama! I like this little brat!" Linlin laughed.
Zaki looked up at them with a grin.
Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, John, Shiki, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and Gloriosa—
all the senior officers of the Rocks Pirates—were now gathered, staring at the bold kid before them.
"Hahahaha!" Shiki the Golden Lion laughed, his golden mane flowing like a cloak. "What a strange ability. He actually found us all!"
"Do something big? Is that some kind of Devil Fruit power?" Gloriosa asked curiously, stroking the snake wrapped around her body.
She was interested. The Devil Fruits collected by the Celestial Dragons had to be powerful treasures, well worth the risk.
Kaido, sitting beside Linlin, silently studied Zaki. He already had a fruit, so he wasn't looking for more.
This kid was tall, sharp-eyed, and radiated confidence. What kind of big plan could he have? If not for Linlin's guarantee, Kaido wouldn't even have listened.
John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi sat quietly, drinking and watching, waiting to see what Zaki would say.
"Devil Fruits? Think bigger." Zaki spread his arms wide, his golden eyes gleaming with wild ambition.
"No matter how strong a Devil Fruit is, it's only the power of one person.
"But if your name carries weight, the entire world's pirates will rally to you! Even someone like Rocks would want you on his crew."
"Then how do we raise that reputation?"
Zaki's grin widened, his voice filled with madness.
"Kill a Celestial Dragon. No—kill the most exalted Celestial Dragon here in the Valley of the Gods…"
"One of the Five Elders—Saint Jaygarcian Saturn!"
*Don't forget to add it to your library and drop some Power Stones! If there are any mistakes in the story, I'll do my best to fix them.*