"This is—!"
As Burufatt stared in disbelief, Oshi called out the name of her technique.
"Hehe! Phantom God Karate—Demon Tile Straight Punch!"
The exact same move Burufatt had just used flew from Oshi's fist, and it was even more powerful than his.
"Scale Hide!"
Hurriedly using his strongest defensive technique, Burufatt crossed his arms as powerful Armament Haki covered them.
"Haaah!"
The next instant, a fist streaked with red and gold lightning crashed through the air against the pitch-black arms with the clang of metal striking metal!
The clash of energy at the point of impact directly spawned terrifying lightning, and the resulting shockwave even blew away several pirates who had been watching from too close.
That day, the townspeople once again recalled the terror of being ruled by earthquakes.
"It's over, it's over! My daughter, we really can't stay here anymore. Let's pack up and go back to the West Blue!"
Saluzo, the owner of the Syracuse Restaurant, ignored the orange he had unconsciously crushed in his hand and hurriedly shouted toward the kitchen.
"No, I'm not going back. No one in that dump of a West Blue appreciates my cooking at all."
Young Miss Lap rejected her father's suggestion.
"It's much better here. People come to order my Pineapple Pizza every day now. And I just happened to get some new inspiration recently..."
"But this place... the earthquakes..."
"Even if the island sinks, I'm not going back."
"Sigh, fine, fine! As long as you're happy!"
"Kid, when did you learn Fish-Man Karate?!"
Burufatt spoke with difficulty as he struggled to defend against Oshi's attack.
He stared at the red figure close at hand, feeling as though the Haki wrapped around her small fist was endless.
"Do you even need to learn such kiddie stuff? Don't you just know it after seeing it once?"
Oshi's face was full of unrestrained laughter.
Though she had exaggerated, the force-generation techniques behind Fish-Man Karate straight punches were all broadly similar. After watching Burufatt demonstrate them so many times, Oshi had already learned most of it.
"You really keep giving me one surprise after another, kid!"
"Don't rush to give your impressions. There's more to come!"
As she spoke, air currents suddenly began spinning around Oshi's fist, which had been deadlocked against Burufatt's arm. Scarlet Haki carried a violent spiral, grinding forward like a drill bit and gradually breaking through his defense.
"Hah! Heaven-Piercing Breakthrough—Crimson Lotus Spiral Fang!!!"
"Wha—"
Faced with this sudden second impact, Burufatt finally could not hold on any longer. His entire body was pushed backward, sliding across the ground, while the Haki on his arms showed signs of dispersing.
"Kyahahaha! Is that all you've got, Minotaur uncle? What trash, what traash~"
Having gained the upper hand, Oshi could not help switching into bratty-taunt mode. On one hand, she wanted to interfere with her opponent; on the other, she was getting revenge for having been sent flying earlier.
"Damn it! I can't lose to a little brat like you!"
With no room left to retreat under Oshi's pressure, Burufatt hardened his resolve and no longer cared whether he could hold back.
He suddenly threw his head violently backward, while pitch-black Armament Haki swiftly coated his forehead.
"Hah! Fish-Man Karate Secret Art—Sea God Hammer!!!"
"Mm—?"
In Oshi's eyes, Burufatt's horned head suddenly enlarged at incredible speed. Having completely failed to anticipate this move, she was struck by his sonic-boom headbutt and sent flying almost horizontally along the ground toward Kaido and the others watching from afar.
"Oshi got careless."
Ra stretched out her hands and gently caught Oshi. No one knew what method she used, but Oshi, who had been moving even faster than a cannonball, landed lightly in her arms. The impact only stirred a single strand of Ra's golden hair.
"Hmph~ Once that girl gains the upper hand, she gets carried away easily." Obe crossed her arms and glanced at Oshi in Ra's embrace.
"The gap in experience was also an important factor."
"Burufatt's combat experience far surpassed Oshi's. If Oshi's strength had not repeatedly caught him off guard, he probably would have won much more easily."
Ra lowered her head to look at Oshi in her arms. Her eyes had turned into spirals, and she had clearly passed out.
Burufatt shook his somewhat numb arms and called over, "How is she? That kid isn't hurt, right?"
"She's fine, just unconscious." Kaido glanced at Oshi, then laughed loudly. "Wororororo! Not bad, Burufatt."
"Ahh, Boss Kaido, please stop rubbing it in! If I hadn't gotten lucky today, I probably would've really lost to that brat. She's one incredible little monster~"
"Alright, come over here and rest first!" Kaido pointed to the spot beside him.
"Whoa! Brother Burufatt won!" Once the surrounding pirates heard Kaido declare the result, they could no longer contain their excitement.
"What an incredible fight! It would've been worth the ticket price even if I died after seeing something this amazing, fang!"
"That red-haired girl was so strong too. She actually forced Brother Burufatt into a hard fight."
"Yeah, just who are these three brats Boss Kaido brought back?"
"Next, it's you two. Don't disappoint me." Kaido signaled for the next battle to begin.
"Leave it to me, Mr. Kaido." King glanced at Obe, then walked into the arena.
Obe also withdrew her gaze from Oshi and stared into King's exposed eye. "Don't think I'll get careless like that idiot, you masked bastard."
"I don't need my opponent to be careless in order to win."
Having reached the center of the training ground, King directly drew the long blade at his waist, and the flames on his back began to swell violently.
"Ooh~ Going all out right from the start, huh? That guy King."
Seeing King like this, Kaido looked forward to the battle even more.
King taking the field sent the atmosphere, already heated by the previous battle, boiling over once again!
Cheers mixed with disbelief as the surrounding pirates erupted with unimaginable excitement.
Within the Beasts Pirates, a group that worshipped strength above all else, nothing could stir everyone's emotions more than battle.
"Wooooah!!!!"
"Is that Brother King?! Brother King is fighting too?"
"How is that possible?! Two officers are being challenged on the same day!"
"Haha! This time, it really would be worth it even if I died!"
"Who's the opponent? Don't tell me it's..."
"That's right, it's that blue-haired girl! After the older sister challenged an officer, is the younger sister fighting too?"
"Gulp... D-do you think Boss Kaido will fight afterward?" One pirate thought of a possibility and could not help swallowing.
"N-no way... Boss Kaido's strength isn't on the same level as the officers. If he enters the fight, the other side probably won't withstand even one swing of his club."
"What if it's Ra?" Another pirate thought of that golden figure.
The moment those words were spoken, all the pirates around him fell silent.
Seeing that no one else spoke, the pirate continued, "You can feel it too, right? That golden-haired girl who has the air of a noble lady.
"She has always looked so delicate, and she has never even cursed at anyone, but I don't dare entertain the thought of fighting her at all."
"Yeah, it feels like I'd vanish from this world the moment I made a move. It's like my body instinctively refuses to make an enemy of her." A pirate beside him agreed.
"And that red-haired girl—even though she's so strong, she behaves like a kitten in front of her."
Amid the pirates' discussion, Obe and King's battle had already quietly begun.
Before you continue