Charlotte Linlin's Body Grows Hot

Ares descended from the sky, raising his enormous fist, his face flushed red like Guan Gong's visage.

The thick muscles on his arms bulged even further, swelling several sizes larger.

Like a second limb, they stiffened!

The muscles not only grew bigger but also harder!

Beneath those powerful muscles surged explosive strength—Kaido knew this all too well.

"HRAAAGH!!"

He threw a punch, dragging a terrifying current of air that rippled through the sky from Ares's fist in dreadful waves.

An overwhelming momentum!

One punch could shatter stone and sever steel!

"You damned brat, I won't let my guard down this time!!" Shiki the Golden Lion's arm was coated in fierce Armament Haki, wrapped in an eerie black-purple aura.

It wasn't true flame, but an Armament Haki aura without real heat.

Though not a master of Body Arts, his Armament Haki was already honed to perfection.

Even without using swordsmanship, he was still a powerhouse!!

"Kid, this time I'll knock you out cold!!" The Golden Lion roared with arrogant, domineering pride—he had to prove the strength of the Rocks captain before the countless onlookers!

He had the confidence and the power!

A fist reinforced with formidable Armament Haki met Ares's punch.

Compared to Ares's fist, the Golden Lion's was several times smaller in size!

BOOM!!

The deafening crash rang out!

Like a thunderclap suddenly exploding under a clear sky, it made one's hair stand on end.

Ares's massive frame was sent flying under the Golden Lion's blow, crashing with a boom into a three-story building, collapsing it.

Shiki couldn't help but grin and burst into laughter: "Jihahaha... That punch should sober you up!!"

Yet inwardly, he was still astonished—this kid hadn't even learned Armament Haki and was already this strong.

If he ever mastered Armament Haki, he truly wouldn't be able to trade blows with Ares!

The Golden Lion hovered in the air, exuding majestic might.

His gaze swept down over Hachinosu Island with contempt.

Countless pirates on the island snapped back to reality, staring at the Golden Lion in the sky with awe.

"As expected of the First Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates—such overwhelming strength!!"

"I wonder who that giant is, daring to challenge Shiki the Golden Lion!"

"Who cares? That punch must have taken care of the big guy, right?!"

"Such powerful Armament Haki! The Golden Lion is incredible, and he hasn't even used his swordsmanship or ability yet!"

"······"

Many murmured in admiration.

The massive commotion had also drawn the attention of others in the Rocks Pirates.

Whitebeard, gripping his great blade Cloud Piercer, grinned and called up to the Golden Lion: "Hey, Golden Lion, what's going on?"

Then he couldn't help laughing: "Kurarara... I heard you got beaten up by someone—let Whitebeard see who it is!"

Whitebeard regretted missing the scene, but he wouldn't pass up a chance to mock and needle the Golden Lion!

Hearing Whitebeard's taunt, Shiki the Golden Lion's face instantly turned sallow. He pulled a cigar from his pocket, bit down on it, lit it, and took a deep drag: "It's that brat Ares."

"I was just trying to get him to taste what drinking's like, but the guy got dead drunk!"

And it ended up making him look like a fool in public.

"Ares?"

Whitebeard's face showed surprise, then relaxed into understanding, followed by hearty laughter: "Haha... So it's that kid. A pirate should be accompanied by drink!"

"You did nothing wrong—from now on, that kid can drink heartily with us!!"

What pirate life was complete without alcohol?

As a pirate, one should feast on meat and drink freely!

Soon after, Charlotte Linlin, along with John, Ochoku, Silver Axe, and others, also arrived, asking those nearby what had happened.

The ruckus was no small matter—everyone on Hachinosu Island had noticed.

Just then.

Movement came from the rubble. Ares, his face flushed like fire, shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead, looking dazed and groggy.

"So dizzy..."

"My head hurts..."

Ares muttered to himself, the image of Golden Lion punching him flying surfacing in his mind.

His blood instantly surged.

The heat in his body had yet to fade.

His chaotic mind seemed off somehow, replaying in slow motion the moment Golden Lion used Armament Haki.

"Power... that kind of power!"

"Why is it stronger than my fists?!"

"Hiss..."

"My head hurts so much!!!"

One hand clutching his head, the other clenched into a fist, Ares instinctively mimicked Golden Lion's use of Armament Haki.

The sensation of those two punches lingered in his fractured mind, disjointed, unable to form a complete sequence.

Chaos!

Relying on his monstrous talent, his arm began to change!

Unlike the standard black of Armament Haki, Ares's arm transformed entirely into a vivid red.

Even he didn't know that his scrambled thoughts and jumbled perceptions had let him accomplish something unimaginable in that moment.

It was like "reversing" Armament Haki!!

Not exactly doing it backward, just wildly, chaotically messing around!

As Ares emerged from the rubble, the change in his body stunned countless onlookers, their eyes bulging wide.

Their expressions froze as if turned to stone!!!

"Hiss..."

Ochoku sucked in a cold breath, his face full of shock as he exclaimed, "That kid... what happened to that kid? Why did his arm turn red?!"

"And it's smoking?!"

He had no idea why Ares had undergone such a bizarre transformation. Wisps of white smoke rose from Ares's arm.

Like steam.

What the hell was going on?

"Pfft!!!" Captain John, never without his drink, spat out a mouthful of liquor and blurted out in curiosity, "Why is Ares so weird?!"

"He's not a Devil Fruit user either, so why is this happening?" Silver Axe, clad in silver armor and carrying his axe, was equally baffled and dumbfounded.

That kid Ares had swum in the sea for days—there was no way he was a Devil Fruit user.

Devil Fruit users were landlubbers, abandoned by the sea.

How could they swim so vigorously in the ocean for that long?

Charlotte Linlin's eyes gleamed with golden light, her enormous pupils sharp and bright, her gaze full of infatuation. Her scarlet tongue licked her lips as it extended from her mouth.

"This is even more interesting. I wonder if Ares can make that place turn red like his arm too?"

"That burning feeling must be really nice, right?!"

"Hehe..."

Her body began to heat up with restlessness, hormones secreting rapidly within her. A ripple of longing stirred in her brown eyes.