Yamato looked up.
"Remember this pain," Rhett's voice carried on the wind. "The strong all start out by getting beaten."
Kaido finally broke free from his restraints and grabbed his daughter. "You bastard..."
But when he looked in the direction Rhett had gone, there was a complex emotion hidden behind the rage in his eyes.
Yamato clutched the bell tightly. Determination was written all over her small face. "Dad, I will definitely defeat him!"
Kaido ruffled his daughter's hair. For once, he didn't argue.
"Then I'll become Kaido the First, and you'll have to call me Dad."
"THWACK!!!"
"What was that for?! You bastard dad!!"
Kaido looked at Yamato with disdain.
"A son will always be a son." Kaido rubbed his wrist. He felt like his form was off just now. He hadn't put enough force into it. He would have to pay more attention next time.
Don't forget, there was still another battlefield. Moria and Enel saw that their captain had finished his fight, so they immediately withdrew with full force. There was no point in fighting any longer.
"BOOM—!!!"
Five terrifying forces collided again in mid-air, creating a deafening explosion. The shockwave instantly vaporized the rocks within a kilometer radius. The sea surged into waves dozens of meters high.
"Kishishishi... Interesting!" Moria's shadow general swung its giant sword, clashing fiercely with King's fire dragon. Although it was forced back slightly, it still held. "Is this all the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars have to offer?"
Enel's lightning giant raised its hand and unleashed a blinding bolt. "200,000,000 Volts: Wrath of the Thunder God!"
Queen's mechanical arm spun frantically. "Maximum Output: Shockwave!"
Five figures flickered in and out of view through the smoke and dust. The aftershocks of the battle made the entire island tremble once again. But in the chaos, a massive figure suddenly flew backward.
"THUD!!!"
Jack crashed into a distant cliff like a cannonball. One of his mammoth tusks had broken off.
He was still too young. He struggled to get up, but Moria's shadow tentacles grabbed him and threw him again. There was no helping it. Jack was the youngest. With one fewer opponent, it was less pressure for the two of them.
"Lord Jack!" A few ordinary Beast Pirates shouted and rushed toward him.
Enel snorted disdainfully. "Trash."
A tribute to the legendary "Punching Bag." Ever since his debut, he had been beaten by the Cat Viper and Duke Dogstorm, beaten by the Navy, beaten by Zunesha, beaten by Ashura Doji, and now beaten by Inuarashi. His nickname was "The Punching Bag."
A bounty of one billion berries, but tusks worth nine hundred million.
And Rhett noticed that not only did Jack lose every fight, but there was something else even more embarrassing about him. In all of the story so far, Jack had never used a single named attack. Not one. The things he was best known for were — "Pull the ship closer!" and swinging his trunk.
Poor Jack. Let's light a candle for him. Now, back to the battlefield.
King's flame wings flapped violently. His eyes burned with rage. "Get out of the way!"
"What?" Moria's shadow general rose from the ground, grinning sinisterly. "Three against two and you still can't win? Is this the level of the Beasts Pirates?"
Queen's mechanical eyes spun rapidly. Suddenly, he aimed directly at Enel and fired. "Die!"
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—"
A golden bolt of lightning and a green energy beam collided in mid-air, causing a massive explosion. Through the smoke and dust, Enel suddenly appeared behind Queen. "Too slow."
"THUD!"
The gold trident slammed into the back of Queen's head, driving his entire body into the ground. Queen's mechanical body was intact. He shouted at Enel, "You... bastard... do you think I'll fall for the same trick twice?!"
Enel looked at the smoke rising from Queen's head. Hmm. "This god thinks you might."
Enraged, King suddenly changed direction. His flaming blade shot straight for Enel's throat. "Flame Emperor!"
"CLANG!"
Moria's shadow sword blocked him in time. The two forces were evenly matched. Enel used the opportunity to create some distance. His thunder drums hummed. "30,000,000 Volts: Thunder Beast!"
The lightning took the form of a giant wolf and leaped at King, forcing him to defend. Just then—
"You two, have you had enough fun?"
Rhett's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone clearly. He had somehow appeared in the center of the battlefield, the Black Tide Greatsword slung lazily over his shoulder.
Kaido stood not far away. Everyone saw him first pat Yamato on the head.
Then "THWACK!" He hit Yamato on the head.
"Had enough?" Rhett scanned the crowd. "We're leaving."
Enel clicked his tongue and withdrew his lightning giant. Moria reluctantly pulled back his shadow as well. The two of them stood on either side of Rhett, guarding their king.
---
Rhett's next target was Vinsmoke Judge. Not that Rhett hadn't wanted to go sooner, but Judge was like that damn Morgans. His base was mobile. The ships of Germa 66 were giant snails. They could travel on both sea and land. The reason Germa Kingdom had survived as a nation of assassins for so long was largely thanks to those snails.
In a world of chaotic magnetic fields, finding Germa was nearly impossible. Zou's movement couldn't be controlled by people. You could find patterns if you tried. But Germa's movement was controlled by people. Artificial intelligence could never completely control a human.
So what if it was difficult? The great Mist Lord had still found it. And luckily for him, Vinsmoke Judge wanted to make Germa great again. That kept him tied to the North Blue.
Rhett: Morgans, don't just sit there grinning. When I catch you, you're going to suffer.
Whoosh!! Splash!! After some time.
In the cold wind of the North Blue, Germa 66's giant snail castle moved slowly. In the highest floor's meeting hall, Vinsmoke Judge stood before a giant map of the North Blue. He wore a black battle suit. His cape billowed behind him.
"Listen well, my children." Judge slammed his scepter against the ground. His metal boots clicked sharply against the floor. "The West Blue will be our next target."
The princes stood straight, their faces expressionless, watching their father.
"Ichiji!" Judge suddenly barked.
"Here!" The red-haired eldest son stepped forward.
"You will lead the eastern offensive. Conquer Cheese Island within one week!"
"Yes, Father."
"Niji!"
The blue-haired second son straightened his back. "Here!"
"You will take the western route and cut off their supply lines!"
"Understood!"
Judge's gaze swept over his third son, Yonji, and his eldest daughter, Reiju. His eyes turned cold in an instant. "Don't any of you embarrass this family like that useless failure."
Niji pounded his chest. "We would never be like that failure."