Unexpected

The aftershocks of the explosion echoed through the arena, and the two figures remained motionless, seemingly back in a standoff.

Several minutes later, Jin's ragged breathing gradually steadied, and his hunched frame straightened once more.

"Oh? All rested up?"

Seeing him stand firm again, Obe spoke with admiration, "Impressive physical condition. My previous attack wasn't just for show, and you've recovered so quickly."

"You've certainly earned my respect, Masked Man."

"Indeed, that last barrage was quite something. It's been a long time since I was this disheveled. If this were a real fight, you would have won by now."

Jin also acknowledged the damage from Obe's previous flurry of attacks. If she had pressed the advantage or unleashed another Haki Bomb, he would have been unable to retaliate.

"Enough with the boring pleasantries. It's time you showed me your real skills."

Obe remained with her arms crossed, looking completely at ease.

She knew Jin was also one of those "ability users," yet he hadn't transformed or used his powers at all.

"You're right, I can't win against you in my current state." Jin sheathed his sword and re-hung it at his waist.

"Then watch closely, the true form of a Zoan Type Devil Fruit user!"

The air suddenly grew heavy, and Obe's pupils contracted sharply at the sight before her.

The crisp sound of bones shifting erupted in succession. Jin's facial bones made a series of fine cracking noises, his cheekbones bulging to form a streamlined bony armor, and his lips and teeth extended into a half-meter-long, curved beak.

Next, she saw his shoulder blades bulge unnaturally, and dark wing membranes rapidly spread, transforming into metallic-sheened wing blades in an instant.

As the massive wings, spanning seven meters, fully unfurled, a small whirlwind kicked up in the arena.

Zoan Type—Ancient Zoan—Pterodactyl Form!

Even though she had witnessed Kaido's transformations multiple times, Obe was still amazed by the transformations of these Zoan Type users.

A humanoid creature was literally turning into a beast before her eyes, its muscles and bones completely rearranged. For Obe, who thought in a more scientific manner, it felt like a fundamental law of nature was being overturned.

"Alright, let's begin the second round!"

"Boom~"

A piercing sound suddenly exploded as Jin shot into the air once more.

Unlike before, his speed had increased dramatically, surpassing normal human dynamic vision. He patrolled the sky like a black bomber.

Jin had clearly found a way to counter the Stone Bomb: as long as his speed was high enough, Obe couldn't hit him.

This "speed is invincible" solution left Obe temporarily stumped.

"Speed increase 216%, and maneuverability is even—"

"Blade Dance Double Emperors!"

His tactical analysis was forcibly interrupted by a sky full of cold light.

Jin clearly had no intention of giving Obe time to think. Countless slashes erupted from his dark wings, forcing Obe below to raise her arms in defense.

"Dan Gong Huang!"

Without a moment's pause, Jin's next attack came head-on.

The pterodactyl's massive body plummeted in a way that defied physics, its right wing transforming into an elusive arc of slashes.

The instant the blade edge touched her arm, the rock layer beneath Obe's feet collapsed with a roar.

"Clang!"

Amidst the ear-splitting metallic clash, the blue figure shot backward like a cannonball, plowing a trench tens of meters long across the ground before finally halting her momentum.

Obe glanced at her arm. A shallow red mark had appeared where she had been struck, giving her a clear understanding of the power behind Jin's attack.

It was a slash capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

"Your attack and speed have both improved by more than a notch. This isn't just the boost from transforming, is it? Where's your flame?"

Shifting her gaze from her arm, Obe noticed that the flames on Jin's back had disappeared after his transformation.

"This is a characteristic of our clan. By drawing the flames inward, we sacrifice defense to gain speed and explosive power."

Jin had no intention of hiding anything and directly revealed this racial talent to his opponent.

"I see, Cast Off, huh... It's certainly a troublesome form."

Although she knew his defense was lowered, Obe couldn't think of a good countermeasure without using her Authority. The initiative remained with Jin.

On Jin's side, although he had gained the initiative in attack, he was also currently unable to do anything about Obe.

His normal attacks were like tickles to Obe, and even his Dan Gong Huang had little effect.

However, if he attempted a powerful charged attack, Obe would undoubtedly find an opening and blast him down again, just like before.

In his flame-condensed state, Jin absolutely could not withstand another Haki Bomb.

[In any case, I can't let her have time to think of a countermeasure.]

"Blade Dance Double Emperors!"

Countless slashes rained down again, and Obe could only dodge repeatedly.

Although she could have easily stood still and taken all the slashes with her Armament Haki, Obe still chose to dodge and weave.

After all, she wasn't Oshi; she didn't have the habit of being a stubborn idiot.

Calculating the time, the next heavy blow should be coming soon... Obe silently figured out the timing of the next assault based on King Jin's previous attack.

5, 4, 3... Here it comes!

As expected, just as Obe finished her thought, the slashes from Blade Dance Double Emperors above her suddenly paused.

Obe immediately looked up sharply to observe Jin in the sky.

At this moment, Jin had his back to the sun, seemingly intending to blind Obe with the sunlight to catch her off guard. However, Obe's physical capabilities clearly exceeded his expectations.

Her vision was not hindered by the sun at all, and every move Jin made was clearly visible to Obe below.

"Hoo~"

She clenched her right hand, accumulating astonishing power in secret. Obe, closely watching Jin's every move in the sky, planned to give him a surprise the moment he got close.

At least I have to cripple those wings!

Once the aerial advantage was lost, her opponent would no longer be Obe's match.

While Obe on the ground was fully focused, Jin's attack began. But this time, it wasn't the "Dan Gong Huang" she had anticipated from last time; it was...

Huh? What the hell?

To Obe's surprise, she saw Jin in the sky grab his crown with his hand and pull it back forcefully, stretching the distorted pterodactyl face into a comically conical shape.

"Pfft!"

Jin's contorted expression made Obe, who had been staring at him, freeze for a moment. Then, an irrepressible chuckle surged from the depths of her heart straight to her face, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up!

"Damn it! Pfft~ Hahaha~ To think he'd use a mental attack, how despicable! Hahahahaha~"

"No, I can't laugh! I can't laugh anymore! Hahahahahahahaha~"

Obe could no longer maintain her charged stance, her whole body going limp with laughter.

The rhythm of the life-or-death struggle suffered a fatal break at this moment.

The instant Obe's momentum plummeted, Jin's attack surged forward!

"Diao Zi Zun Huang!"

Jin's head stretched out like a slingshot, his supersonic headbutt breaking the sound barrier and solidly colliding with her wide-open torso.

"Ugh!"

Almost completely unprepared, Obe was hit directly by this blow. She was slammed deep into the ground, and the ensuing dust cloud then concealed her small figure in the depths of the crater.

"Is... is it over?"

"It should be... that brat took a direct hit from Brother Jin's Diao Zi Zun Huang. They're probably not getting up."

"Brother Jin's Diao Zi Zun Huang is truly powerful. Is this the strength of an Ancient Zoan?"

"What a huge pit. That brat isn't dead, is she?"

"Don't spout nonsense. Don't you see Boss Kaido and Ra looking so calm? That brat will definitely be fine."

"That's good. Even though that blue-haired little one made me lose a lot of money gambling, I still quite like her."

Having landed a successful hit, Jin reverted to his human form and landed on the ground, the flames on his back reigniting.

This time, he had genuinely hit his opponent. The soft sensation at the tip of his beak made him certain that his opponent hadn't managed to defend herself at all.

"I didn't expect the blue-haired girl to be distracted by Jin. Was it the sun? No, what's so funny about the sun?"

Burufatt found it difficult to understand why Obe had suddenly burst into laughter.

"Boss Kaido?"

"Perhaps it was Jin's face. The brat suddenly found something funny about Jin's face?"

Kaido had seen the reason for Obe's laughter but was also somewhat unable to understand it, so he wasn't sure.

To be honest, to these roughnecks in the Beasts Pirates, Jin's Diao Zi Zun Huang was perfectly fine. It was fast, powerful, and a rather formidable technique.

Besides, Jin had explained to them before that it was actually a special hunting method of the ancient Pterodactyls, and everyone else found it reasonable.

After all, no one had actually seen how those long-extinct flying reptiles hunted.

As for facial deformation? It didn't matter at all! No one in the Beasts Pirates would pay attention to such trivial matters.

"Snap!"

Just as Jin was contemplating whether to go forward and check, a small hand grabbed the edge of the large crater. Immediately, a figure flipped out and landed on the ground.

"Cough~ Cough cough!"

After clearing the dirt from her mouth, Obe shifted her gaze back to Jin.

"Pfft~"

Alright, she couldn't hold it in. Obe had to look away again.

"What's wrong? Is something funny?" King, who had already taken a fighting stance, asked Obe with some confusion when he saw her expression.

"N-nothing... Pfft~"

"Stop, stop talking, I'm begging you." Obe suddenly turned her back, her shoulders shaking violently.

[It's over. Forget seeing it, now even hearing his voice reminds me of what just happened! Damn it, why would this usually serious guy develop such a ridiculous move!]

"Th-this battle is yours. Th-today ends here... Pfft~ Haha~"

Obe, looking somewhat disheveled, quickly covered her mouth and ran off the field. At this moment, she couldn't even think about fighting anymore, let alone clenching her fists.

The endless stream of laughter welling up from within made her body feel weak, completely unable to muster any strength.

The sudden declaration of surrender caught everyone by surprise. The small, blue figure stumbled away from the center of the clearing, leaving behind a bewildered King and a crowd of equally confused pirates.

"Why did the blue-haired kid suddenly give up!"

"Weird, she didn't look injured at all?"

"She seemed to be holding something back, maybe she sustained some internal injuries?"

"Right! She ran off covering her mouth, she must have been about to vomit blood!"

"Doesn't want to show weakness in front of others? Hmph! What a remarkable kid!"

"She's a real one, I respect her!"

"Brother King! Brother King! Brother King..." x n

More pirates shouted King's name, celebrating his victory, and also the victory of the old members of the crew.

"Deep breaths, goood~~ Yes~ Relax, don't think about it."

Ra, at the edge of the training ground, was gently patting Obe's back, helping her adjust.

When Obe had run to her earlier, she was already laughing so hard she couldn't speak. Ra had to use Divine Power to help her regulate her breathing before slowly calming her down.

"You're too weak, Obe. Surrendering because you couldn't stop laughing at being teased."

Oshi had woken up by now and was standing nearby with a cup of water.

"You didn't see the masked guy's face then, pfft~ I can't, I'm thinking about it again, hahaha~"

"To actually break your poker face, I'm now quite curious what level of facial expression technique that was."

Oshi said as she handed the water to Obe. "Want to try it sometime?"

"Don't! Otherwise, you'll never be able to look that guy in the face again, just like me."

This time, Obe genuinely didn't want Oshi to fall into the abyss of facial expression techniques. If she also ended up laughing until she couldn't breathe, their elder sister would have to be distracted to take care of her...

Several minutes later—

"I'm alright now, Big Sister."

After taking a few deep breaths, Obe finally returned to her normal state, then lowered her head with some shame.

"Sorry, I couldn't win this time."

Although there were various reasons, losing two matches in a row made Obe feel like she had failed to live up to Ra's patient teachings over the past few days.

"It's okay, winning or losing isn't the most important thing. As long as you can gain insight and learn from this battle.

Besides, you didn't use your Authority, did you? I believe your true strength is definitely above theirs."

Ra didn't care about the outcome of their matches. Rather, she was very satisfied to see their progress on the field this time.

"Of course! If I went all out, I could take down both of them with one hand." Oshi put her hands on her hips and puffed out her proud little nose.

"Don't get complacent."

Ra gently patted the other's little head, which was tilted almost to the sky, then abruptly brought up the issue they had both tacitly avoided.

"By the way, there are only two days left until the assignment is due. How are you two preparing?"

"..."

[Shit!]

The expressions on the two girls' faces froze instantly! Then they both forced out awkward, dry laughs.

"Uh... soon, it'll be soon~ Ha~ Haha~" x 2

This was a lie. Neither of them had any idea what to do yet.

Ra didn't expose their lie, but said with a smile, "Then I wish you a pleasant voyage in advance~"

"Th-thank you, Big Sister Ra... Ha, haha..." x 2