"Origin Style — Blazing Fire."
Matsuri swung her blade. Her every movement appeared elegant, a stark contrast to King's frenzied brutality. Their blades clashed continuously, sparks bursting like fireworks.
In swordsmanship, Matsuri was far superior to King.
King had never even systematically studied swordsmanship. He had only chosen a sword as his weapon after joining Kaido. But he had chosen it merely as a tool for killing.
So in terms of swordsmanship, King was clearly outmatched by Matsuri.
In fact, he quickly abandoned any notion of competing with Matsuri in swordplay and instead prepared to capitalize on his own advantages.
As a member of the Lunarian race, King inherently possessed extraordinary physical prowess and flame abilities. Otherwise, he wouldn't later come to be known as the Wildfire!
And in truth, he was also a rare Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user!
Pteranodon Fruit!
What was interesting was that the Pteranodon Fruit was classified under the Dragon-Dragon Fruit series, while Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit was categorized under the Fish-Fish Fruit type.
In Matsuri's gaze, King's head began to protrude. His mask, made from who-knows-what material, remained intact even under these circumstances. Instead, it adapted to fit his changing facial structure.
King still voluntarily unzipped the front of his mask, allowing his hardened beak to be exposed.
"Ancient Zoan user, huh? Looks kind of ugly."
Matsuri seemed completely unfazed by this. So what if it was an Ancient Zoan? She was a Mythical Zoan herself!
Though Matsuri was quite grateful that Ren had saved a Mythical Zoan for her. Not only did it grant special powers, but her hybrid form didn't make her look hideous. It even added a hint of fox-like charm.
In reality, since Matsuri was an oni warrior created by Ren using his absorption ability, her hybrid form made her look like a girl with beast ears. Adorable, really.
Shichigatsu had it worse. Her hybrid form was an Ancient Zoan Velociraptor, though it wasn't exactly ugly either. It just looked a bit more ferocious.
The fact that Matsuri could think about such things mid-battle was proof that her strength far exceeded King's.
That was perfectly normal. She had followed Ren for so many years, training harder than anyone each time. Though her natural talent and physical attributes weren't exceptional, the Mythical Zoan more than made up for those shortcomings.
As for King, he was still far too young. A teenager. Even Kaido hadn't been all that impressive at that age.
The Lunarian race might have some special innate gifts, but they weren't born as powerhouses either.
Still, King felt quite confident after entering his beast transformation.
He could tell Matsuri was some kind of Devil Fruit user, but he didn't think he would lose to a woman. He had already gained a basic grasp of two types of Haki. Combined with his physical prowess and aerial advantage, defeat was the last thing on his mind.
"Emperor of Flames!"
Mysterious flames ignited in King's hands. The two clusters of fire condensed into blazing fireballs that he hurled toward Matsuri!
Though the origin of these flames remained a mystery, one thing was certain. This fire didn't possess any special properties like Matsuri's fox fire or the Phoenix's immortal flames. It was just ordinary fire.
"Origin Style — Fox Fire Ring."
Matsuri reversed her grip on the blade. The Kochōbyō Isshin swung upward in a fierce arc. Blue fox fire shot from the tip of the sword, instantly forming a ring of flames!
The ring of fire sliced clean through the fireballs King had unleashed!
Though Matsuri also possessed flame abilities, fox fire and ordinary fire were not equivalent. She merely had a higher resistance to fire, not immunity.
And she certainly didn't want to end up looking disheveled with scorch marks on her body.
"Dan Kō Kō!"
Seeing his attack had no effect, King immediately spread his wings and took flight.
He circled in the air like a fighter jet, gathering momentum. Then he spread his massive wings and dove straight toward Matsuri!
His wings were as sharp as blades. At this speed, a direct hit would likely slice Matsuri's body clean in half in an instant!
Matsuri could feel the very air being sliced apart. Even from a distance, a stinging sensation prickled her skin. But she didn't dodge.
She stomped her right foot, and a burst of flame erupted beneath it. The power of those flames accelerated her charge even further.
This time she didn't use the Cursed Blade to meet his attack. Instead, she directly slashed at King with her left hand, now transformed into razor-sharp claws!
Cold yet scorching flames coiled around her fingertips.
SHLCK!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out. The next moment, a massive spray of blood painted the air. Matsuri's claws sliced into the flesh of King's left wing like a blade cutting through taut fabric!
The taut wing membrane was instantly torn open with several enormous gashes. What was most terrifying was that her flames had also seeped into King's wounds!
The cold flames continuously corroded King's injuries, inflicting searing agony upon him.
Even his pteranodon-transformed face couldn't conceal the twisted grimace of pain. King crashed to the ground like a plane with a damaged left wing. The blue flames didn't go out even after he rolled across the ground several times!
"It's useless. These flames aren't ordinary fire."
Matsuri couldn't help but remind him as she watched his sorry state, rolling on the ground.
By this point, King had reverted to his human form. But his left arm still bore a massive wound. Upon the wound, the flames continued to burn through his flesh, exposing pale bone beneath.
He clenched his teeth against the agony. In that brief moment, he had already begun developing a tolerance to the pain, constantly using Haki to resist the corrosive force.
'It's working!'
The flames on his arm slowly shrank, then finally extinguished.
King let out a breath of relief. But the wariness in his eyes as he looked at Matsuri only deepened.
"Your captain made the wrong choice."
Matsuri looked at King and couldn't help but speak. She despised traitors, especially those who betrayed Ren.
And Kaido had far too many ulterior motives.
Though from Kaido's own perspective, that wasn't really a flaw at all.
A fool wouldn't survive long in this world.
"Wrong? Even if I'm no match for you, Lord Kaido can still defeat your master." King shot back.
He had seen Ren being attacked by both Big Mom and Kaido. There was no way he had a chance.
Matsuri looked at him with disgust, then gripped the Kochōbyō Isshin and walked toward him. She was deliberating whether to kill King right here or take him captive.
This person's ability to produce flames wasn't a power from a Devil Fruit. Perhaps those scientists in the Abyssal Palace would find him quite interesting.
With that thought, Matsuri didn't hesitate. She drove the Kochōbyō Isshin straight through King's wrist, pinning him to the ground.
King had tried to resist, but the flames released through the Kochōbyō Isshin continuously eroded his strength. And this Cursed Blade seemed to be absorbing his Haki as well!
[
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