Just...
In their eyes, Ares was being downright reckless and acting recklessly!
When "Hakai" struck Ares, his entire body was swallowed by the shock wave radiating dazzling light.
In that instant.
He felt as if countless starving wolves and fierce tigers were tearing at his skin again and again. Even skin tempered to be far tougher than steel could not withstand such terrifying power.
His skin split open, exposing the flesh, tendons, and bones beneath, which began to endure the shock wave's berserk, destructive force.
Pain—
It had been many days since Ares had felt such intense agony, surpassing even the pain of having his bones scraped clean.
The last time.
It had been at Marine G-1 Base, when Sengoku had blasted him with shock waves hundreds of times.
Every inch of his body, flesh and skin alike, was being ravaged and battered by the "Hakai" shock wave.
Ares had voluntarily endured this attack, without even using Armament Haki. It was a completely insane—gambler's wager!
But...
He knew that no one could ever tell whether tomorrow or an accident would come first. Wano was indeed flourishing now.
But sooner or later, Wano's affairs would be discovered. Once it entered the eyes of the World Government and everyone else, it would inevitably become the target of all attacks.
Whether it was Rocks or the World Government, neither would sit by and watch him develop Wano. As for Kaido, Kozuki Oden, Jin, Kuma, and the others, they had yet to grow into their full strength.
They were still far from meeting Ares's standards.
While they grew, Ares naturally would not stop moving forward either. He desperately hoped to become even stronger, at the very least...
After the Rocks Pirates fell, he would need enough power to protect Wano.
For now, "Rocks" stood