Queen was no fool by any measure.
As the self-proclaimed smartest man in the Beast Pirates, how could he suddenly challenge a fellow All-Star without thorough preparation?
Kai's Haki training sessions with King were hardly secret knowledge within their organization.
"Kai, you little brat! Now let this master test your Haki learning progress! Muhahahaha!"
Queen, supremely confident in his assured victory, laughed with maniacal glee.
Do all the Beast Pirates suffer from this compulsive need to play teacher?
Is this what people meant by "when superiors have certain preferences, subordinates will take them to extremes"?
Kai found himself speechless at this recurring pattern.
But honestly, Kai harbored exactly these same intentions!
Queen represented a rare opportunity as a large, mobile punching bag with limited offensive capabilities while possessing exceptional durability.
Otherwise, he would have already transformed into Rayquaza's hybrid form to end this quickly.
Kai clenched his fists tightly, King's rigorous teachings echoing clearly in his mind.
"Fists without conviction are weak and powerless. The same principle applies to Haki!"
Kai naturally understood the fundamental essence of Haki perfectly.
Aura, killing intent, fighting spirit... when manipulating these invisible emotional forces, willpower itself could become a devastating weapon.
But understanding remained far easier than actual implementation.
In this particular regard, people like Yamato actually possessed significant natural advantages.
However, I absolutely can't allow myself to fall too far behind!
"Consecutive Normal Punches!"
Kai's arms became blurred afterimages as his fists descended upon Queen like a torrential downpour.
Feeling the relatively painless impacts against his protected abdomen, Queen finally realized why Kai was deliberately avoiding his Devil Fruit abilities.
"You bastard! You're genuinely using me as a whetstone for training." Queen flew into an explosive rage.
His massive body suddenly swelled and transformed with frightening speed. Within the blink of an eye, a fierce-looking orange brachiosaurus-humanoid appeared in his place.
"You enjoy throwing punches so much? Then this master will gladly play with you to your heart's content!"
"Brachio Bomber!"
Queen's mechanical right arm, along with the mechanical claw mounted on his head, suddenly contracted to store tremendous power, then unleashed at air-tearing velocity toward Kai in a frenzied barrage.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The dull sounds of flesh meeting flesh connected into one continuous symphony of violence.
After enduring just a few brutal rounds, Kai's knuckles began splitting and bleeding profusely.
Simultaneously, Queen leveraged his superior Observation Haki to precisely exploit gaps in Kai's defensive guard, slamming his enhanced fists directly into vulnerable points.
Soon, Kai was being systematically dismantled by Queen's Armament Haki-covered strikes.
So much pain! It felt as though every bone in his body was crying out in agony.
Blood trickled steadily from the corner of Kai's mouth, his consciousness beginning to blur under the relentless heavy blows. The tense muscles in his arms trembled violently beyond his control.
His punching motions grew increasingly sluggish and uncoordinated, driven almost purely by desperate instinct.
"Lord Kai!" Komurasaki couldn't restrain her emotional outcry, crystal tears sliding down her cheeks.
She had never imagined that Kai would endure such punishment for her sake, especially when they had only just met.
Lord Kai, do I truly hold such an important position in your heart?
Setting aside Komurasaki's internal emotional turmoil, Minami frantically sought assistance from Yamato: "Miss Yamato, please save Lord Kai! He's about to be beaten to death by Lord Queen!"
Yamato appeared genuinely confused by this request: "What foolish things are you saying? Kai is obviously performing just fine."
What? Are my eyes malfunctioning?
Minami stared at Kai continuously spitting blood on the battlefield, then at Yamato's serious expression, falling into complete self-doubt.
But Yamato's assessment proved absolutely correct.
On the battlefield itself, Queen, who seemed to possess an overwhelming advantage, wore a gravely concerned expression, while Kai, who kept absorbing devastating damage, displayed increasingly bright and determined eyes.
"Almost there! Just a little more!"
Kai forced himself to maintain focus, desperately squeezing every ounce of his body's hidden potential. He could sense a mysterious power gradually surging from deep within his core.
Queen, feeling the progressively heavier impacts from his opponent's strikes, unconsciously entertained a troubling thought: "Damn it all! There can't really be a genius who achieves a breakthrough mid-battle, right?"
"No, no, no! That's impossible. I'm a scientist, and I must believe in scientific principles."
Queen quickly shook his head vigorously, attempting to banish this absurd notion from his mind.
But observing Kai, who seemed to grow more energetic the more punishment he absorbed, Queen realized he couldn't continue this dangerous stalemate, or the one facing embarrassment might become himself.
"I'm completely done playing these games with you."
Queen suddenly withdrew his mechanical fists, his massive body leaping backward to create substantial distance between them.
"Sparking Queen!"
His eyes suddenly blazed with dangerous crimson light. The next second, countless explosive laser beams erupted from his enhanced optics, precisely blanketing the entire area where Kai was positioned.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Deafening explosion waves swept across the entire venue as smoke and debris shot skyward in towering columns.
But Queen still wasn't satisfied with this level of destruction. Brilliant light gradually emerged from both his mechanical prosthetic claws and his gaping mouth.
"This pathetic farce ends now."
"Henry Queen!"
Two concentrated laser beams shot boldly toward Kai's location with devastating intent.
RUMBLE!
A massive mushroom cloud rose majestically into the sky!
"K-Kai-sama!" Komurasaki felt struck as if by lightning, intense panic gripping her heart so tightly she could barely draw breath.
"LORD QUEEN!" Queen's devoted fan club erupted in renewed celebration, behaving as though Queen had already secured a decisive victory in the duel.
They completely failed to notice that their beloved idol was watching the depths of the smoke and debris with grave concern.
Yamato maintained the same serious observation.
The next instant, a brilliant smile bloomed across Yamato's face, while Queen's expression turned distinctly sour.
"Well then, it really was a matter of conviction after all."
Kai's voice, calm yet clearly tinged with joy, rang out clearly from within the dissipating smoke. An invisible wave of energy quietly radiated from his transformed body.
Just moments before, when he had been struck repeatedly by Queen and was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, he suddenly remembered his sacred vow: in this lifetime, he would always be the one left standing!
How could he possibly fall to a mere Queen?
With this unshakeable conviction firmly in place, he finally sensed the power contained within his body for the first time with crystal clarity.
Armament Haki!
"Thank you sincerely for your guidance, Queen-sensei."
Kai no longer suppressed his true power, transforming seamlessly into his dragon-humanoid form with a calm smile. His eyes blazed with pure fighting spirit: "I'll use my last remaining stamina to demonstrate my learning results."
The fundamental power of Haki was mobilized by his will once again. Although he still couldn't coat his body's surface with visible black armor at this stage, it was already more than sufficient.
Under Haki's protective effect, Kai's entire physique became increasingly hard and resilient.
"Extreme Speed!"
The towering dragon-man instantly vanished from his position, leaving only a twisted ripple distorting the air where he had stood.
What? I can't track him at all!
Queen felt greatly alarmed, frantically activating his Observation Haki in desperate attempts to capture Kai's blurred movements.
But his efforts proved completely futile.
BANG!
A dull, heart-stopping, thunderous impact echoed across the arena.
Kai's figure materialized as if through teleportation, striking Queen with devastating head-on force.
Ultimate speed had generated ultimate destructive impact.
"WUAH!"
Queen's eyes instantly bulged comically, the force even shattering his ridiculous sunglasses into fragments.
Even though he had preemptively covered himself with concentrated Armament Haki, he was still struck with such tremendous force that he briefly lost consciousness. His entire massive body flew backward dozens of meters through the air.
The dumbfounded pirate referee, witnessing the instantly transformed battle situation, snapped back to awareness and raised his hand while shouting: "Lord Queen is out of bounds! In this official duel, Lord Kai emerges victorious!"
"NOOO!" Queen's heartbroken fan club wailed as though attending a funeral service.