At those words, a sharp gleam flashed through King's eyes, and a spark of ambition and longing ignited within them.
Ashura Doji, meanwhile, lit up with delight and said excitedly, "A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit ability... If I can render meritorious service, maybe Boss Ares will reward that fruit to me."
Having witnessed the overwhelming strength of the three Mythical Zoan users, Kaido, Tengetsu Ares, and Chinjao, very few people could resist the temptation of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Marco asked curiously, "Uncle Ares, what ability does that Mythical Zoan have?"
"The Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Okuchi no Makami."
"A dog?!"
Marco blurted it out instinctively, then immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing what he had just said...
was a little too much.
Whitebeard quickly smoothed things over with a laugh. "Gurarara... It may be a dog, but it is still a Mythical Zoan. It is only one form among mythical beasts. A fruit like that is something countless people dream of obtaining."
"It is the kind of treasure you cannot necessarily buy even if you have money."
Kaido's face was full of excitement as he grinned. "Worororo... Better focus on the duel in front of you. Chinjao's about to win."
"Once we win the second match, with Newgate stepping up for the third, there won't be any suspense left," Slarda said with a smile.
Marco looked absolutely confident, his face full of admiration as he declared, "If Pops takes the field, he'll definitely win the next round!"
Naturally, everyone had complete faith in Whitebeard's strength. He was one of the sea's top monsters.
The samurai of present-day Wano were no match for him unless Ryuma crawled out of his grave.
Maybe then there would be someone worthy of crossing blades with him.
On the battlefield, Chinjao's eight heads lashed at Shimotsuki Yasuie relentlessly like Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Gatling.
As a one-sword style fighter, with both hands gripping a single blade, Yasuie's power was more concentrated than that of a dual-sword user.
But against Chinjao, who possessed the Yamata no Orochi form and terrifying strength, he was completely outmatched.
A Mythical Zoan belonged to the Zoan class, which meant it enhanced the user's physical power. Combined with Chinjao's already formidable base strength...
it created an absolute gap.
Not to mention that Chinjao had spent years roaming the seas in search of treasure as a pirate, fighting more battles than anyone could count. His experience was immense.
Together with his unique Hasshoken, Yasuie was given no chance to fight back.
Chinjao laughed excitedly. "Crossing hands with a samurai of Wano has been a fine experience. But your strength... is still too lacking. It is not enough to truly satisfy me."
"Let's end this already!"
Crackle, crackle.
Arcs of electricity burst from the bodies of the cyan-scaled serpentine necks, and the terrifying aura rolling off him swept out like a hurricane in every direction.
"Haoshoku... Haki?!"
Shimotsuki Yasuie's face went pale. He was not unfamiliar with this power.
Kozuki Oden possessed that same kingly disposition. Yet in all of Wano, vast and rich as it was, there was currently only Oden who had it.
But Kaido and Chinjao, both subordinates of Ares, possessed it as well.
Yasuie was badly shaken. His heart hammered violently in his chest as though it wanted to burst out.
"Ares's own strength, plus these subordinates born with the qualities of kings..."
"If Wano falls into their hands, it will surely become a tool to conquer the seas."
Those who possessed Conqueror's Haki were, by nature, people with ambition. For men like that to submit to Ares could only mean that Ares's ambition and strength were even more terrifying than theirs.
In that instant, Yasuie's mind faltered.
The eight massive snake heads shot forward mercilessly like spears.
The concentrated force gathered at a single point, and the moment it hit his blade, it exploded outward. The devastating shockwave blasted Shimotsuki Yasuie off his feet.
Boom!
Yasuie's body crashed into the ground like a cannonball hitting water, kicking up a towering cloud of dust.
Shattered rocks sprayed everywhere.
Chinjao's eight heads snapped back into his body like spring-loaded mechanisms. Stroking his long black beard like Lord Guan's, he said with a smile,
"The samurai of Wano all have admirable spirit. But when it comes to strength..."
"They still fall far short!"
It was a very objective and factual judgment. As a whole, Wano truly was a great power on the seas.
But compared to the strongest monsters in the world, the gap between its samurai and those true top-tier figures was enormous.
Chinjao actually respected these capable samurai quite a bit. If they were to temper themselves on the seas and experience the vast outside world, they might grow much stronger still.
A thought stirred in his mind.
"Boss Ares is about to become Wano's shogun. I wonder what he plans to do with these samurai. They're a force too large to ignore."
These past few months, while helping develop Kuri, Chinjao had come to understand Wano far better.
Wano producing samurai was no empty boast. The warriors of every region could absolutely be called elite.
Tens of thousands of samurai was not a force anyone could dismiss.
And among them, there were quite a few truly formidable individuals.
The sound of Yasuie hitting the ground struck Sukiyaki like a thunderclap. His face went ashen, his expression turning incomparably ugly.
"We lost... We lost the second duel too."
Sukiyaki trembled so hard he nearly collapsed, but fortunately Fukurokuju hurried forward to support him.
"Sukiyaki-sama, the duel... the duel isn't over yet. We still have a chance. I believe Lord Ushimaru will bring us victory."
At those words, Sukiyaki forced himself to rally, his gaze filling with desperate hope as he looked toward Shimotsuki Ushimaru.
"Ushimaru, everything now rests on you. The burden of saving Wano..."
"As a samurai, I cannot simply stand by and watch Wano fall into Ares's hands," Ushimaru said firmly, his will unshakable.
He strode toward the field, drawing all eyes to his back.
Seeing the worry on Sukiyaki's face, Fugetsu Omusubi tried to reassure him. "Sukiyaki-sama, please believe in Shimotsuki Ushimaru. He is the strongest swordsman of the Shimotsuki family at present, and..."
"He also has Wano's national treasure, Shusui, to aid him. He will definitely win the next duel!"
Sukiyaki's expression eased slightly. "Shimotsuki Ushimaru... will not lose."
On the other side, Tengetsu Ares and his people welcomed the victorious Chinjao back.
With a grin, Ares said, "Chinjao, you won that round quite easily."
"If I didn't have the Yamata no Orochi form, dealing with these samurai would still have been pretty troublesome. But with a Mythical Zoan, the difference becomes obvious," Chinjao said with a smile.
He had personally experienced the massive increase in strength that came from a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Back in the past, he was certain he could never have defeated one of Wano's strongest samurai this easily.
Ares clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "This fight may not have been satisfying enough, and it may not have truly let you cut loose. But in the future, there will definitely be stronger enemies waiting for us. I don't want any of you getting complacent over a small victory."
Chinjao's expression turned serious at once. "Boss Ares means the Rocks Pirates or the Marines, right? Don't worry, I absolutely won't slack off!"
"Besides..."
"With the style of the War God Pirates, even if you wanted to relax, it would start feeling unnatural."
Even the training intensity he had once used for the Happo Navy now felt childishly light compared to the group of maniacs training inside the War God Pirates.
Kaido laughed loudly. "Worororo... There are still plenty of strong people on the sea waiting for us to challenge and crush. How could a tiny little win here blind us?"
"Wano is only the beginning for the War God Pirates!"
Hearing them talk like this, Whitebeard's lips curled upward. "Gurarara... Truly enviable. But now, it is my turn to take the field. When this is over, Ares, you'd better serve me the finest booze and meat you've got."
Naginata Murakumogiri in hand, he strode into the battlefield like a dragon and a tiger together, instantly drawing every eye upon him.
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