Although King Taklama wore a Golden Mask, the gaze he fixed on Dragon from beneath it burned with fervor. Earlier, he had considered sparing the latter to avoid provoking Garp too badly.
But now, he had changed his mind!
This was a Logia user. Was there any slave more valuable than that?
He wanted to turn Dragon into his slave, his pet. For that, he was more than willing to become Garp's mortal enemy. A Logia ability was simply too tempting.
Besides, once this battle was over, he would find a way to hide again and retreat into the world of darkness. He just had to avoid Garp. As long as Garp could not find him, what was there to fear?
The thought flashed through his mind.
King Taklama fiercely swung the Golden Scepter in his hand, producing a chilling shriek through the air as it, wrapped in an invisible layer of Armament Haki, struck straight toward Dragon's back.
"Dragon Claw!"
Dragon sensed the danger and reacted quickly. His right hand curled into a claw, coated in a layer of pitch-black Haki, and forcibly blocked the savage blow.
[Clang----]
As claw and scepter collided, the layers of wind and sand swirling around them were swept away by the shockwave. Dragon and King Taklama's figures appeared before everyone's eyes.
But before anyone could react, Dragon was sent flying by King Taklama's strike and crashed heavily onto the deck of the warship. Fortunately, his passive elementalization spared him from further injury. After dispersing into a mass of wind, he gathered himself back into human form.
"Such powerful Armament Haki!"
Dragon stared coldly at King Taklama, who stood in midair atop a cloud of yellow-brown sand and wind. That exchange had been enough for him to recognize the gap between them.
King Taklama's