It had to be said, this move was extremely vicious.
Even Kaido, with his monstrous physique, after being impaled with seven Seastone Spiked Clubs directly into his joints, was reduced to a helpless, raging waste.
Well, he couldn't even rage properly.
Raleigh, afraid that Kaido might start shouting and disturbing the peace, had stuffed a large apple into his mouth.
Now, Kaido had absolutely no ability to resist. Raleigh and the Marine soldiers could finally carry out their work without interruptions.
[Slacking Off during work hours. Slacking Points +500]
[Slacking Points are full. Draw a prize?]
As soon as Raleigh relaxed, two holographic messages popped up in his vision.
Seeing the last one, Raleigh immediately became excited.
It had been a long time since he last drew a prize, and his strength had currently reached a bottleneck.
Although his power wasn't earned through his own training (thanks to the System), Raleigh still hoped to grow stronger quickly.
At present, he still fell significantly short when facing top-tier legends like Whitebeard or Roger.
Against mid-tier experts, he was superior, but that middle ground left him feeling dissatisfied.
"Draw."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for drawing: Conqueror's Haki - Beginner Level.]
"Holy crap!"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Raleigh's eyes, though he quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.
Now that he was arguably at the level of an Elite Vice Admiral, he didn't place much importance on Beginner Level Conqueror's Haki.
In actual combat, the basic blast of intimidation was almost useless against anyone strong; it was only good for clearing out small fries to save stamina.
However, what truly excited Raleigh was the progression system.
Having unlocked the skill meant the probability of drawing Intermediate and Advanced levels in subsequent draws would skyrocket.
Once he reached the Advanced level, Raleigh could learn the true game-changer: Conqueror's Coating.
"Full speed ahead!"
Raleigh couldn't wait to reach Vegapunk's laboratory to test his new ability.
...
Two days later.
After a long journey across the New World, Raleigh and his group finally arrived at Punk Hazard.
Dr. Vegapunk, who had already been in contact with Raleigh via Den Den Mushi, was waiting at the port entrance.
Surrounding him were a group of well-trained Marine elite soldiers, led by a tall man wearing a yellow-striped suit and sunglasses.
Borsalino.
Originally, the World Government had assigned the defense of this critical research island to the Cipher Pol organization.
However, after Raleigh's aggressive expansion in the North Blue, too many CP elites had died, forcing the Government to transfer most agents away.
In the end, when Vegapunk arrived, the defense had to be handed over to the Marine.
Without a doubt, the World Government remained highly wary of Raleigh's faction, but with Borsalino here, things were peaceful.
Woooo—!
Accompanied by the warship's horn, the steel behemoth sailed into the port of Punk Hazard.
Raleigh shed his usual lazy demeanor, standing at the ship's bow to direct the docking.
As soon as the gangplank dropped, he walked over to the welcoming committee.
"Long time no see, Dr. Vegapunk, my old friend."
Vegapunk smiled, his massive head bobbing. "It's truly been a long time. Congratulations on the capture, Vice Admiral Raleigh!"
Behind them, soldiers led by Enel carried down Kaido.
The pirate looked like a porcupine, tightly bound and impaled with spikes.
Borsalino looked curiously at the captive.
"Ooooh? Is this really 'Hundred Beasts' Kaido, the remnant of the Rocks Pirates? How did he end up looking so... pitiful?"
Borsalino had heard the stories, but he had never fought Kaido personally.
According to the papers, Kaido was an unstoppable brute.
Seeing him trussed up like a holiday turkey was jarring.
Raleigh patted Kaido's bruised face.
"Dr. Vegapunk, I didn't spend much effort defeating him, but bringing him back took considerable work."
"His recovery speed is fast, and his stamina seems endless. On the ship, whenever he woke up, he'd cause trouble. Even anesthesia that could knock out ten elephants only kept him down for an hour."
Raleigh gestured to the spikes. "But it's fine now. I've inserted Seastone spikes directly into his meridian points and joints. As long as you don't pull them out, he's just a heavy piece of meat."
Borsalino pushed up his sunglasses, his expression shifting.
"To actually come up with such a method... how scary~."
Borsalino wasn't a fool; he understood the implications.
Standard Seastone cuffs could be broken or unlocked, instantly restoring a prisoner's power.
But these internal spikes required surgery to remove. It was a permanent debilitation.
Borsalino felt a chill.
He certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Raleigh's "creativity."
Raleigh glanced at Borsalino, reading his mind. "Don't worry, Brother. The technology to process Seastone like this is exclusive to our Marines. Ordinary pirates can't do this."
Vegapunk, however, ignored the morality of the torture and focused entirely on the science.
"What an incredible physique," the scientist muttered, eyes gleaming. "I believe with his experimental data, my research into Artificial Devil Fruits will advance significantly."
...
The Experimental Base, Center of Punk Hazard.
Exclamations of surprise echoed through the sterile laboratories.
Vegapunk and his researchers were glued to the monitors, analyzing the initial biopsy results.
"If I hadn't obtained this data myself, I would doubt it existed!" Vegapunk remarked with admiration.
"These cells possess an activity level far surpassing that of giants or fishmen. Moreover, his physique and the Mythical Zoan fruit have a mutually enhancing effect."
"If we dig deeper into his lineage factor—"
BOOM!
A sudden wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the containment room, shaking the laboratory walls.
Raleigh, who had been sitting on a sofa sipping red wine, felt the ripple.
Kaido was awake.
The anesthesia had worn off.
Inside the high-strength glass chamber, Kaido opened his eyes.
The smell of disinfectant and the white ceiling triggered his rage, compounded by the humiliation of his capture.
"GRAAAAH!"
Conqueror's Haki continuously erupted from his body, trying to shatter the glass.
Raleigh stood up and walked to the observation window.
"How is it, Doctor?"
"We've completed the preliminary scan," Vegapunk replied calmly. "The restraint devices are infused with Seastone. He can't move an inch."
Raleigh stared at the raging pirate. "Open the door. I want to go in."
He wanted to test his new prize.
Raleigh entered the chamber.
Kaido's Haki was wild, uncontrolled, and furious.
'I need to see if my Beginner Level can withstand a Yonko-to-be.'
Crackle...
Raleigh focused.
A burst of his own Conqueror's Haki flared out, colliding with Kaido's invisible pressure.
"What? You too?!"
Kaido, though unable to move, stared in shock.
He hadn't expected this Marine to possess the King's will!
Raleigh furrowed his brow.
'It's no use.'
His Haki was like a small stream crashing against a tidal wave.
It was instantly suppressed, forced back until it could barely coat his own skin.
He couldn't push back at all.
As expected, Beginner Level is just for show against top tiers.
Raleigh sighed and deactivated his Haki.
Sensing the weakness, Kaido burst into loud, mocking laughter. "WORORORO! Is that it, Marine? That weak will—"
Thud! Thud!
Raleigh didn't argue.
He simply picked up a spare iron club and delivered two heavy, Haki-infused blows to Kaido's skull.
"Shut up."
With his head severely injured again, Kaido's focus broke, and his Conqueror's Haki dissipated.
Raleigh waved to the window. "He's ready for you, Doctor."
...
Several days later.
Vegapunk had finished studying the human form.
Now, he needed the prize: The Dragon.
A researcher approached Raleigh and Borsalino, who were leisurely drinking tea in the breakroom.
"Vice Admirals. Dr. Vegapunk requires your assistance to proceed with the Azure Dragon Form sampling."
The two men stood up, stretching lazily.
"Let's go then."
In the control room, Vegapunk explained the procedure.
"To force the transformation, we must remove the Seastone spikes and restraints. We have a distinct chemical agent—a 'Chaos Potion'—that will strip him of reason and force a Zoan transformation."
"However," Vegapunk looked at the two powerhouses, "I need you to ensure that once he transforms, he doesn't destroy the island or escape."
Borsalino pursed his lips. "Release the beast and then beat him up? Sounds simpler than paperwork~."
They moved Kaido to a massive, reinforced open-air arena on the far side of the island.
The Marine soldiers removed the chains and carefully extracted the Seastone spikes.
Before Kaido could fully regain his motor functions, a mechanical arm poured a pale red potion down his throat.
Gulp.
Silence descended on the arena.
A few seconds later, the previously groggy Kaido snapped his eyes open.
But there were no pupils. His eyes were a glowing, deep red, devoid of all reason.
"ROAAAAR!"
A pillar of dark energy shot into the sky as the transformation began.
---------
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