"Hm? Hanmo got taken out? Well~ good. Too many mouths and too little food—one less mouth makes it easier for everyone else to eat their fill."
Without sparing a moment of grief for the fallen Hanmo, Nid turned back toward the forest of Needle Thorns, intending to deliver the final blow to King.
"Goodbye, brat!"
Nid clenched the hand controlling the needle forest. The already densely packed long needles split apart again, filling even the last remaining gaps.
"It's over. Next is... huh?!"
Just as Nid was about to turn and leave, he froze. A sudden sense of danger crawled up his spine.
Before he could react, fierce flames erupted from within the needle forest, instantly melting countless steel needles into molten iron.
"You!"
"The warm-up just ended. Leaving so soon?"
As the firelight faded, King emerged from within, completely unharmed.
"How... My needles were all coated in Armament Haki! How could you be fine?!" Nid roared in disbelief.
Because Nid's earlier clashes with King had mostly consisted of naval cannon fire or long-range attacks using their abilities, he had severely misjudged King's physical toughness.
The skin of the Lunarian tribe was not something a few steel needles could pierce.
"Enough. This boring trick ends here. It's time to finish you."
Seeing the state his opponent was in, King had no intention of dragging things out any longer.
Spreading the black wings on his back, King flew into the air. Rather than transforming into a pteranodon again, he simply gripped his sword with both hands.
"Damn it! I'm not going down that easily! Torrential Rain: Needles!"
Nid spread his arms in hysteria. Countless long needles shot from his body, sweeping toward King in the sky like a violent storm. This time, however, King could not even be bothered to dodge.