Whitebeard and Golden Lion's Wager

Shiki let out a puff of white smoke from his mouth, grinning widely. "Jihahaha... What an arrogant and reckless brat!"

"I'm starting to like this little guy more and more!"

Whitebeard's eyes blazed with a piercing light, meeting Golden Lion's unruly gaze as he laughed heartily. "Kururururu..."

"I like this kid too. This one is mine—Whitebeard's!!"

Their gazes clashed in midair, sparks flying fiercely.

The pirates standing behind them were utterly bewildered, unable to fathom why Ares, that brat who had just been sent flying by Kaido, seemed to have earned greater regard from these two "big shots."

Doubt filled their minds.

Meanwhile, Linlin's subordinate Streusen wore a grave expression, staring in shock toward the direction of the dust cloud. He muttered incredulously, "That brat... that brat..."

"Could he be another monster?!"

As a master swordsman, he had clearly seen everything that just happened. That kid named Ares had actively charged straight into Kaido's punch at an incredible speed.

It was as if...

He had craved that fist slamming into his body—on purpose!!!

Streusen found it utterly baffling!

Linlin licked her sensual red lips, her eyes burning with an almost tangible, intense desire. She praised with ravenous hunger, "A body that strong will give me outstanding offspring!"

"The union of monsters..."

"Will surely birth a 'monster'!!"

Her heart brimmed with anticipation. "Kaido, Ares..."

"If I mate with them, I, Linlin, can definitely create the strongest family in this world!"

The reactions of the captain-level figures made every pirate sense something was off.

All members of the Rocks Pirates turned their gaze toward the dust cloud.

Sure enough.

A massive shadow emerged from the drifting smoke.

It had to be Ares, the one Kaido had sent flying!

He hadn't been defeated by Kaido yet.

A single thought echoed in everyone's minds: "Could it be that even that monster rookie Kaido's attack didn't harm that guy?!"

Curious eyes fixed on the shadow in the smoke, for they all knew the terrifying power of the rookie Kaido. Though his overall strength might not yet rank high in the Rocks Pirates, few could match the sheer force within Kaido's body.

That punch...

Even the hardest boulder would be shattered!

Under everyone's focused gaze.

Ares slowly walked out from the dust, speaking as if to himself. "That punch was quite good. It actually made my flesh vibrate."

"It's far more effective than slamming my body into a mountain."

"And it seems the technique behind the force is different from mine."

He wanted to know how people outside fought, because that pirate earlier had said that battle could temper a person into a sharp blade.

A sturdy blade.

Ares believed it without a doubt!

So he had chosen to take Kaido's punch head-on with his own body.

At the same time, his mind raced, analyzing and dissecting the secret behind Kaido's fist.

Having never encountered anything beyond this island, Ares was experiencing powerful pirates for the first time. Everything filled him with hope.

Hope of forging himself into a peerless famous sword, surpassing even the Twelve Kizuki of the Supreme Great Swords!

As Ares slowly emerged from the smoke, the pirates present bulged their eyes wide, jaws dropping to the ground as if their faces were made of toy parts that could be detached.

"What the hell?! He took Kaido's punch and came out fine?!"

"What kind of freak is this?! Even steel isn't this tough?!"

"We really misjudged him—this guy is definitely a... monster!!!"

"No wonder he dared to challenge the captain. He's no small fry after all!!"

"Tsk tsk tsk... This is going to be a good show. Two little monsters going at it—who do you think will win?!"

"Wanna bet? I'll put 1 million on Kaido!!!"

"Then I'm betting 500,000 Berries on that brat winning!"

"·········"

Gasps of astonishment rang out all around. Taking Kaido's punch head-on had instantly won over every pirate present.

That was absolutely not something an ordinary person could do.

Kaido's face went blank with shock as he blurted out, "He... he's fine?!!"

The force of that punch was fierce enough to shatter a pirate ship in one blow.

On the entire Rocks ship, he believed that aside from the division commanders, no one could withstand his fist.

But...

He'd seen with his own eyes that this brat in front of him, after taking his punch, was...

Completely unharmed!!!

What the hell!

"His body... it's monstrous!!" Kaido's expression turned serious as he shed his earlier contempt.

This time, he truly didn't dare underestimate the brat before him.

"Hiss..."

The nearby Rocks Pirates members couldn't help but suck in a cold breath, their faces pale with shock. "We've really run into a monster today... Is that guy's defense on par with Linlin's?!"

"A clash between monsters—Kaido-bro should win, right!?"

He had followed Kaido for a long time and knew his strength and power well.

If he himself had tried to block that punch with his fist, he'd be spitting blood and gravely injured.

Those who could take that punch without any defense were few and far between!

At that moment.

Whitebeard curled his lips, a look of keen interest on his face as he proposed to Golden Lion, "Golden-haired lion, how about we make a bet too?"

"White-haired beard, a bet it is—who do you pick?!" Golden Lion shot back, locking eyes with Whitebeard, both of them radiating intense rivalry.

Whitebeard shifted his gaze to Ares and Kaido, moving it back and forth between the two, and finally decided, "I'm betting on that brat. 100 million Berries—you dare?!"

A provocative smile showed beneath his white mustache, deliberately goading Golden Lion.

"White-haired beard, a bet it is—then I'm betting on Kaido!!" Golden Lion shot back immediately, then laughed. "That Kaido isn't just a monster; he's always worked hard."

"His combat experience is nothing that brat can match!"

"Even a full-fledged crew member might not be his opponent."

"This time... I've got this in the bag. You just get that 100 million in treasure ready!"

Whitebeard gave an unshakable smile. "That's not certain. I think that brat Ares will be the final victor."

"His physical toughness is the strongest I've seen aside from Linlin. Maybe he'll pull off a miracle?"

He watched Ares with keen interest, the boy's expression never changing, and felt deep admiration for this "reckless" brat.

No matter who it was, they all seemed the same in that kid's eyes.

Nothing could stir the slightest ripple of emotion in him.

Both men fixed their attention on Ares and Kaido, because Ares had already walked out of the dust and stood before Kaido once more.

That same icy voice rang out: "Your punch..."

"Still lacks power."