"They all say that among the younger generation, you are the strongest. That you are qualified to stand equal with Shiki and Newgate, divide the New World into three, and take a seat as a Pirate Emperor. Every time I hear that, Kaido and I feel very unconvinced. Today, I challenged you here with no personal grudge involved. I simply want to measure who among us is truly stronger!" Charlotte Linlin said directly, getting straight to the point.
On the sea, the so-called younger generation usually referred to those under forty. Once someone passed forty, they were generally considered to have reached the peak of their life.
Valthior had made his debut in the Sea Circle Calendar year 1484, boarding the Roger Pirates' ship in the West Blue. That year, he was eighteen. His birthday was February 5.
Now, with half a month still left, he was about to officially turn twenty-six.
No matter how one looked at it, he was definitely part of the younger generation on the sea.
Even if judged by seniority, he was already an eight-year veteran pirate.
As for Charlotte Linlin, she was thirty-eight this year, twelve years older than Valthior. She was still two years away from turning forty. Even if she was close to the line, she could still be counted as part of the younger generation.
Kaido was nine years younger than Charlotte Linlin. He was only twenty-nine this year, just three years older than Valthior. He could absolutely be considered someone from the same age group.
The three of them were indeed the most outstanding people among the younger generation on the sea.
"Judging by how polite the two of you have been, I'll take that as your word. No grudges—only a fair contest. In that case, after I win today's challenge, I'll spare your lives as well. It would be rather rude of me not to," Valthior laughed.
His words were outrageously arrogant. The moment Kaido and Charlotte Linlin heard them, their expressions darkened.
"Hmph. Such a sharp tongue," Charlotte Linlin snorted coldly. "If I win, I can grant you the dignity due a defeated man as well. As long as you're willing to come back with me and give me a child, I'll spare your life too!"
Kaido had just been about to say a few harsh words, but when he heard that, he froze and glanced at Charlotte Linlin twice.
When you say it like that, I do not even know whether I should win or not!
Damn it. If we lose, I lose face.
If we win, I have to watch Valthior go back with you and have a child?
What kind of cursed choice is this?
While Kaido was still stunned, Valthior raised a hand to his chin and said with a smile, "If you can truly defeat me, giving you a child wouldn't be out of the question..."
He paused briefly before his smile widened.
"But enough of that. If you have any rules, state them now. If not, I'm opening fire."
But when pirates fought, what rules were there to follow?
The moment Valthior finished speaking, Buggy had already slid down from Bartholomew Kuma's shoulder. Stuffing the cannonball in his hand into the bow cannon, he fired without a moment's hesitation.
Coincidentally, Charlotte Linlin clearly had no intention of playing by any rules either.
Almost at the exact same moment Buggy fired, Queen grabbed the rocket launcher beside him, pulled the trigger, and launched a shell with a thunderous boom.
The important thing was that neither of these bastards had any sense of honor whatsoever.
The two projectiles streaked through the air with uncanny precision and collided midway between the ships.
A violent explosion erupted.
The next instant, green and blue poisonous mist billowed out from the black smoke, rapidly drifting toward both sides.
Shanks looked at Buggy in surprise. "You added some of Caesar's new creations again? And you didn't even give us the antidote?"
"No! The blue poison mist has nothing to do with me!" Buggy hurriedly explained.
On the Queen Mama Chanter, Arber also looked at Queen. "You made something new again?"
"Bullshit! Damn it, that guy on the other side is also using poison gas shells! Are pirates these days all this shameless!?" Queen cursed.
As for Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, the two of them seemed strangely in sync, completely ignoring the minor distraction.
The instant the cannon fire rang out, Kaido raised the Hassaikai in his hand. At the same time, Charlotte Linlin removed her captain's hat, Napoleon, transforming it into a blazing Emperor Sword.
Neither of them spared the other a glance.
There was no need for confirmation.
Their movements were perfectly coordinated, as though they had rehearsed them countless times before.
Stepping forward at incredible speed, they moved in unison. At the same moment, Conqueror's Haki erupted from their bodies and swiftly wrapped itself around their weapons.
On the deck of the Oro Jackson.
The instant Charlotte Linlin and Kaido moved, Valthior felt a bone-chilling sense of danger.
At that instant, his pupils changed rapidly. Red light flashed, and his four-point Mangekyō Sharingan spun at high speed. At the same time, Conqueror's Haki rose from his body.
Spencer and the others quickly retreated, putting distance between themselves and him.
Then a deep-blue Susanoo suddenly erupted from Valthior's body. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a war god clad in heavy armor and holding a battle axe.
"Hakai!"
The moment Valthior's Susanoo rose, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin swung their weapons in unison and roared.
The waves of Conqueror's Haki released from their attacks fused together the instant they left Hassaikai and the Emperor Sword.
Their flawless coordination transformed an already terrifying strike into something far more powerful than either could unleash alone.
The sea before them was crushed downward by dozens of meters in an instant, while vast amounts of seawater evaporated beneath the overwhelming force.
Hakai surged forward with unstoppable momentum.
Before their voices had even faded, the raging shockwave was already upon the Oro Jackson.
At that very moment, Susanoo raised its massive axe.
It showed no intention of retreating or avoiding the attack.
Facing the Hakai that seemed to fill the entire world before it, Susanoo swung its axe down.
"Heaven Splitter!" Valthior roared.
Though it appeared to be a clash between a flying shockwave and a Susanoo's battleaxe, at its core, this was a collision of Conqueror's Haki between three monstrous individuals!
The moment those three forces confronted each other, wild pressure turned into a ring-shaped shockwave, setting off a violent tsunami that rushed in every direction.
At the same time, black lightning burst across the battlefield. The air trembled constantly, as if even the clearly divided sky was about to be torn apart.
Because the essence of the attack was Conqueror's Haki, Valthior keenly sensed that the seemingly fused shockwave was actually made of two powers pressed tightly together.
Those without enough strength naturally could not resist it, much less notice this flaw that could barely be called a flaw.
But for someone as powerful as Valthior, that tiny seam was enough for him to break it open.
After a brief stalemate, the surging shockwave was smoothly cut apart beneath the axe blade.
"Haah!" A sudden, secondary burst of raw force was squeezed out from Valthior's throat.
At this moment, the Hakai was forcefully split in two by his sheer dominance. The two overwhelming Conqueror's Haki shockwaves brushed past the left and right sides of the Oro Jackson, shaving several meters of seawater away into glowing mist before roaring into the distance.
Viewed from high above, this strike looked as terrifying as a literal parting of the sea.
The split Hakai swept away in a V-shape, carving two trench-like marks across dozens of kilometers of sea.
"Valthior Pirates! Crush them!" Valthior raised the battle axe in his hand and shouted.
The instant his voice fell, bone-chilling cold erupted.
With the Oro Jackson as the center, it instantly covered the entire Bambur Sea. Wherever the freezing air passed, the sea turned into a glacier, providing a boundless battlefield for this war.
At the same time, Kaido raised his kanabo, Hassaikai, and roared, "Beasts Pirates! Crush these babies!"
Arber's body instantly blazed with roaring flames. He transformed into a Pteranodon and was the first to answer his big brother Kaido's call, flying toward the Oro Jackson at incredible speed.
Meanwhile, Bullet locked his gaze onto this flying opponent who seemed exceptionally capable of handling a fight. Blue flames spread across his body, and he transformed into a phoenix, rising into the air to intercept Arber.
The exact moment the two crossed paths, a sudden cry of "BANZAI!!!" echoed out, and Bullet directly detonated himself!
This guy was wearing a proper black military uniform, but in truth, his entire body was packed with special gunpowder and bombs that Buggy had developed for him.
In an instant, a scorching blast exploded in the sky.
Then, from within the smoke, Arber was sent flying back in a sorry state, his clothes torn and ragged. Clearly, he had never expected someone to suddenly self-destruct without warning.
But as a Lunarian, Arber's defensive power was astonishing. He could adapt to all kinds of extreme conditions and was extremely tough.
After falling dozens of meters through the air, he suddenly flapped his wings. Flames reignited, and he steadied himself, gritting his teeth. "What kind of fighting style is that?"
"Don't worry, I'm coming to back you up..." Queen yelled, detaching his left wrist to reveal a multi-barrel machine gun. A cigar was clenched between his teeth.
Yet before he could fire a single shot, a sharp BANG echoed across the ice.
Queen's head snapped back violently. His mechanical eye shattered on the spot, spraying sparks in every direction. His massive body staggered backward, nearly losing its balance.
On the deck of the Oro Jackson, Sphinx lowered her massive metal sniper rifle and clicked her tongue. "Ever since I started following Valthior, everyone we meet seems to be a monster who does not die even after getting shot in the head…"
"That guy is obviously modified. Without knowing his weak points, it really is hard to kill him…" Rengar held two hunting knives and grinned fiercely. "Watch yourself. I am going in!"
The moment his words fell, Rengar activated his ability. As he entered his half-beast form, his feet lightened, and his figure suddenly disappeared. Then he appeared on the ice and clashed fiercely with Charlotte Daifuku, who had just charged down.
Daifuku and Katakuri were brothers from the same birth.
The moment Rengar began fighting Daifuku, Katakuri immediately chased after him. From several meters away, he swung the trident in his hand, wrapped in Haki, and smashed it toward Rengar.
However, Rengar seemed not to see him at all.
His two hunting knives flashed left and right, directly cutting Daifuku's genie into four pieces. Completely ignoring Katakuri's trident, he charged toward Daifuku and slashed down.
But at that very moment, Bartholomew Kuma arrived faster despite moving later. Almost like teleportation, he appeared beside Rengar and pushed one hand forward. His palm lightly touched Katakuri's trident.
It looked as if he had not used any strength at all. Yet Katakuri's heavy, powerful trident was instantly repelled.
This had nothing to do with physical strength.
It was purely the nature of the Paw-Paw Fruit.
It could repel everything.
"I am not very good at fighting, so please go easy on me!" Bartholomew Kuma said, looking at Katakuri with a slightly embarrassed expression.
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