"Hmph!"
"If it weren't for a rare Logia like the Flame-Flame Fruit, I wouldn't have risked showing my face to the world again." Max landed gracefully, looking down at the unconscious Hajrudin. "Even with the threat of the Chris Pirates hunting me down, I wouldn't have survived this long if this was all the strength I had!"
Max hadn't bothered hiding his identity during the sign-ups for a simple reason: the finals would be crawling with powerhouses. The moment he unleashed his true abilities, his identity would be exposed anyway. It was better to fight for the Flame-Flame Fruit in the open and let strength decide the victor.
At that moment, Sai stepped forward, intercepting Max. "You took down the giant mercenary Hajrudin with a single blow," Sai noted grimly. "No wonder you've managed to stay alive while being hunted by the Chris Pirates!"
"I know you. Sai, the 13th Leader of the Happo Navy," Max said, narrowing his eyes as he sized up his opponent. "Back during the Paramount War, your 12th Leader and retired legend, Don Chinjao, died at the hands of that man, 'Golden Ring' Aeridar."
Sai's expression twisted, his face darkening. The mention of his grandfather's death struck a raw nerve.
During the Paramount War, Chinjao had sought to settle his long-standing grudge against Garp and Aeridar, only to be crushed by Aeridar's fist. Left on the brink of death, Sai and Boo had fought desperately to retrieve his broken body. Despite the fleet medics performing emergency surgery for three hours, they couldn't save him.
With Chinjao gone and the Happo Navy severely crippled, they had spent the last two years recuperating in the Kano Country, only resurfacing in recent months. The debt of blood, however, was never forgotten.
"If you were in a different block, we might have been able to team up in the finals against the Chris Pirates' executives," Max said with a trace of regret, shaking his head. "But as it stands, only one of us is making it out of Block C."
Max had already seen Vito and Cavendish in the waiting room. Barring any miracles, those two were guaranteed finalists. Facing both of them at once was a challenge Max wasn't confident he could win alone.
"Then let's begin. The Flame-Flame Fruit will be mine!"
Sai's resolve hardened. He gripped his long bladed polearmwith both hands as a powerful aura erupted from his frame. With a heavy stomp, he lunged forward, blade raised high.
"Very well!"
Max's eyes lit up, his stoic mask finally cracking into a look of genuine interest. He began to spin his Obsidian Scepter with fluid precision.
"Take this!"
In the span of a few breaths, Sai closed the distance. With a thunderous shout, he brought the bladed polearmdown in a vertical cleave so sharp it seemed to split the very air, letting out a high-pitched hum.
Max's spinning scepter came to a dead halt as he met the blade head-on, refusing to yield an inch.
CLANG—!
The collision produced a metallic screech. A violent shockwave rippled out from the point of impact, kicking up a gale. Concentric air ripples vibrated along Sai's blade, the signature Hasshoken shockwave. Most shields and weapons would have shattered instantly under the vibrating pressure.
After a brief stalemate, Sai retracted his blade and immediately transitioned into a low sweep aimed at Max's legs. Max didn't miss a beat; with a light tap of his foot, he glided backward several meters, evading the strike.
The moment his momentum stopped, Max counter-charged. His Obsidian Scepter became a blur of dozens of afterimages, raining down upon Sai from every angle.
Night Secret Art: Dance of the Night Shadows!
THUD—!
A foot slammed down onto the head of the scepter. Concentric shockwaves exploded outward, and the sheer pressure caused the ground within a ten-meter radius to splinter and crack.
Relying on his keen eyes and Observation Haki, Sai had picked the real strike out of the dozens of phantoms. He stopped the attack cold with a well-placed stomp.
"Interesting!"
A smirk tugged at the corner of Max's mouth, a glint of battle-lust appearing in his eyes. He spun the two-meter scepter again, engaging Sai in a high-speed melee.
"Night Secret Art: Obsidian Flash!!!"
"Night Secret Art: Night Ruin!!!"
"Hasshoken: Great Dragon Slash!!!"
"Kiryu Kirikugi: Wujiaogen Heel!!!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Secret Arts of the Church of the Night clashed violently against the Hasshoken of the Kano Country. The battle reached a fever pitch. Between the weapons and the martial arts, raw power was unleashed recklessly. Sparks flew, metal shrieked, and the resulting gales whipped up a curtain of dust that obscured the ring. Any contestant foolish enough to wander near the two was ruthlessly blown away, dead or broken.
"Look! Look at this! Max and Sai are locked in a white-hot struggle! Is the winner of Block C standing right before our eyes? Let's find out!" Gatz bellowed, feeding off the intensity.
By now, fewer than thirty contestants remained in Block C. The duel between Max and Sai was the undisputed heart of the chaos. Their perilous close-quarters combat had the audience roaring with adrenaline.
CLANG—!
A final, massive metallic ring echoed. A visible ring of air surged outward, and the ground beneath them shattered into a web of deep fissures. Both fighters were forced back several paces. Sai retreated four steps; Max retreated six.
"Huff... huff... Hasshoken truly lives up to its name," Max panted slightly.
"A mere cultist possessing this kind of skill... no wonder you've survived the Chris Pirates' hunt," Sai countered, sweat beading on his forehead as he stared down his opponent.
"A cult? Merely a misunderstanding by the masses," Max replied, a flash of anger crossing his face. "However, it seems martial arts alone won't be enough to put you down. It's time I show you my full power... and tear you apart!"
"Full power?" Sai frowned. Does he have an ace left?
"ROAR—!"
Max's eyes turned a predatory blood-red. he hunched over, letting out a low, guttural growl.
RIP—!
Suddenly, under the shocked gaze of thousands, Max's body began to swell. His priestly vestments tore as his muscles expanded. His skull and torso elongated, and thick, dark-grey fur sprouted rapidly across his skin. His hands and feet morphed into beastly claws, and a bushy, dark-grey tail erupted from his spine.
In the blink of an eye, the handsome middle-aged man had transformed into a four-meter-tall bipedal werewolf, radiating a chilling, murderous aura.
"AWOOOOOOO—!"
A high-pitched lupine howl pierced the air, drowning out the frantic cheers of the crowd.
"That's... an Zoan-type Devil Fruit user!" Sai's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the hulking werewolf before him.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
"Horkheimer Max is a Zoan-type ability user!"
Gatz's stunned voice carried across the entire Corrida Colosseum, leaving the audience speechless as they witnessed the transformation.