Gold Devouring Ant: King Meets King

Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the island, individuals desperately ran, their faces etched with fear and sorrow. This group of thirteen had escaped a tornado, hoping for some relaxation. They thought it was just a trip, but it turned out to be a more terrifying hell.

Now, only seven remained. Six had died in this dense forest. "Run, run! It's too dangerous here!" one of them shouted. This was one of the sailors, drawing a blood-stained long sword.

From behind, "Thump," "Thump," "Thump" echoed – the footsteps of a colossal beast. The ground trembled, and the rustling of bushes grew louder. A figure was chasing them.

"We're done for, we're finished! How could such a huge dinosaur appear on this island? Did we come to Beast Island?" someone cried, their voice choked with tears. The sound behind them grew closer. He didn't dare to look back, fearing that a single glance would reveal a gaping maw.

It was a Tyrannosaurus Rex, fifteen meters long. It opened its massive jaws, remnants of fresh blood clinging to its teeth. How many companions had died in its mouth?

The fresh flesh and blood only made it more excited. It quickened its pace, eager to savor these little morsels before it.

The seven individuals fled, exerting their full strength, but they were still caught by the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Ah! Save me!" a voice screamed. He turned his head slightly, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex lunged, opening its huge mouth and biting down on the upper body of the sailor running at the very back. It lifted its head, tossing his body into the air.

"Quick, save me!" Then, silence. Below was the Tyrannosaurus Rex's gaping maw. He fell directly into its mouth. "Gulp!" A clear chewing sound reached their ears. They didn't dare to stop for even half a step, running at the absolute limit of their lives.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, leaping from a tree. He drew a pistol from his waist and fired several shots at the Tyrannosaurus Rex's eyes. The dinosaur's senses were incredibly acute; it shook its head, dodging the shots. The powerful bullets only slightly grazed its skin, causing no significant damage.

This was clearly within the person's expectations. He then drew a long sword from his waist. His previous shots were merely to attract the Tyrannosaurus Rex's attention and shift its aggression.

As expected, the Tyrannosaurus Rex focused its target on him and stopped, roaring at him.

The man had already landed from mid-air, his long sword held steady, facing the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Old Captain!" Those who were saved rejoiced upon recognizing him. They immediately knew it was the Old Captain and were overjoyed that he had come to their rescue.

"You guys hurry and go! Our people are ahead. I'll hold it off here," the Old Captain shouted at them.

The massive commotion here had alerted the Old Captain and his group in another part of the forest. They had already found some people, but there was nothing they could do for those who had died in the undergrowth.

"There's a huge commotion over there. I'm going to check it out. Someone might be there, being chased," the Old Captain heard and turned to the person beside him. "I'll go first; otherwise, it'll be too late. You guys follow me."

With that, the Old Captain charged into the thicket at an extremely fast pace. Having ventured in the New World for so long, it was no wonder the Old Captain possessed such a ship and some skill. Along the way, he had discovered and dealt with many fierce beasts and venomous snakes. However, this place being called Devil's Island meant it wouldn't be easy.

The Old Captain bore claw marks on his back from a Sabertooth Tiger, and bite marks from a Dire Wolf on his shoulder. On this Devil's Island, ancient terrifying creatures and monsters that survived brutal competition were everywhere.

"What is this? Gold Devouring Ants?" Elsewhere, Teach had encountered the monsters sent to confront him. Dozens of giant ants approached him, their gazes fixed on him like prey.

Gold Devouring Ants were a rare and terrifying species. They were ants, but incredibly huge. From birth, they fed on metal, the blood and flesh, and bones of other animals. They possessed exoskeletons as hard as steel and sharp teeth capable of easily crushing iron.

Furthermore, they carried potent venom – a metallic toxin highly harmful to other creatures, including humans. However, it had little effect on the Gold Devouring Ants, which fed on metal.

But what made the Gold Devouring Ants most terrifying was their strength. They were ants, and ants could lift a hundred times their own weight. Gold Devouring Ants inherited this talent. Their strength, given their size, was formidable.

Teach, when bored, didn't always train. Sometimes he read books, some of which he found quite interesting. Over the years, he had read dozens of them.

The Gold Devouring Ant species was one Teach had encountered in a book specifically detailing various terrifying creatures. It left a deep impression on him.

These Gold Devouring Ants had locked onto Teach. Or rather, Teach was their target from the start. Teach's steps didn't falter, but his body was ready. Armament Haki enveloped and coiled around Teach's claws.

The Gold Devouring Ants attacked, charging forward one after another. Although they sensed a powerful aura from Teach, they were hunters. They loved hunting powerful creatures the most. The Gold Devouring Ant clan was considered a dominant species on the island. Their innate racial talents made them virtually invincible among their peers. Since they always moved in groups, hunting powerful creatures was their favorite activity.

More importantly, their King's command was absolute and unquestionable.

"Hiss!" Their limbs moved rapidly across the ground. Their sharp foreclaws, evolved over countless years of hunting, were sharp and combined with terrifying strength, enough to tear apart anything. However, for Teach, it wasn't enough.

"Claw Strike!" Two Gold Devouring Ants, leading the charge, rushed before Teach. They opened their horrific mouths, as if to grab Teach with their sharp claws and tear his body apart.

Glimmers of blood flashed. "Sizzle!" The sound of metal grinding echoed in the air. The bodies of the two Gold Devouring Ants were sent flying, crashing into two trees. They didn't stop there. "Boom, boom, boom!" They broke through three trees before finally stopping.

The remaining Gold Devouring Ants paused in shock. Such terrifying power was unprecedented.

The chests of the two Gold Devouring Ants had caved in. From the indentation, it appeared to be Teach's claw marks. Yet, their hard exoskeletons hadn't cracked, which surprised Teach. He thought he had overestimated the Gold Devouring Ants, but he had still underestimated them.

Their hard exoskeletons were tougher than steel and possessed immense toughness. The powerful force transmitted into the ants' bodies caused them to bleed from their mouths, but it didn't affect their combat ability. They lay still on the ground for five seconds before slowly rising again, shaking their heads, their gazes fixed on Teach. Then, they opened their mouths and let out a hiss.

This was like a signal. All the Gold Devouring Ants moved again, charging at Teach. Their hardened bodies could withstand Teach's claw strikes.

But Teach's Armament Haki-covered claws were even more formidable.

He continued forward without stopping. Facing the charging Gold Devouring Ants, he said nothing, just swiped with a claw. Teach's claw strike was not something to be taken lightly.

After walking hundreds, even thousands of steps, Gold Devouring Ants lay defeated on the ground behind him.

Teach arrived at his destination, a massive mining pit. At some point, Teach had removed the black bandana from his head and stored it in his chest. His long, unkempt hair cascaded down his shoulders.

Getting closer, Teach's Conqueror's Haki erupted once more. His long hair fluttered, resembling a demon god. A few hundred meters opposite him, a towering figure also unleashed a terrifying aura, a presence akin to Conqueror's Haki that made the heavens and earth change color.

Dust swirled, and the wind howled. Nature seemed to fear something.

Teach saw the figure. They had communicated before, but this was the first time he was seeing it in person. Regardless, he had to admit it was a perfect creation of the Creator.

Its exoskeleton armor was like pure gold. It stood on two legs, its slender limbs containing astonishing power. Such terrifying strength radiated an immense pressure that could be felt from afar.

Its entire body had a metallic texture. Its two golden antennae twitched slightly, and its scarlet eyes flashed with incredible battle intent. This was an Ant King born from slaughter. It wasn't bloodthirsty; slaughter was its instinct. Teach could clearly feel the joy of seeing prey in its gaze.

King meets King. This was the encounter of two kings.

Neither side spoke, displaying only astonishing presence and overwhelming battle intent.

Since descending from the Moby Dick, in just over ten days, Teach hadn't made many breakthroughs. Improvement in strength required time and accumulation. The most noticeable progress was in Armament Haki, which had improved significantly. The intense pressure he felt during his fight with Blood Scythe Barton had led to a slight improvement in both the quantity and quality of his Armament Haki after the battle.

However, for Teach, the most significant progress was in Conqueror's Haki. Having left the Moby Dick and the Whitebeard Pirates, Teach was like a bird freed from its cage. His mind and spirit underwent an astonishing transformation. In a short period, his Conqueror's Haki was rapidly improving.

After a three-second silence, Teach and the Ant King attacked almost simultaneously, using the entire mining pit as their battlefield.

Teach struck first. He felt immense pressure from the Ant King, comparable to his fight with Barton.

In mid-air, two figures appeared and collided. Teach's hands had transformed into demonic claws, crackling with lightning and fire. Black and red lightning flashed between them. Teach held nothing back, unleashing his full power from the start, his Conqueror's Haki enhancing his claws to boost his attack power.

Teach's demonic claws met the Ant King's four limbs, the resulting shockwave spreading outwards, kicking up dust and air currents.

Teach's powerful claw strike made the Ant King dare not be careless, using two limbs to parry Teach's demonic claws.

Face to face, suspended in mid-air, Teach strained his arms, a grin spreading across his face. Veins bulged on his forehead and arms as he suddenly erupted, his claws closing in on the Ant King, intending to crush him with sheer force.

But the Ant King was no pushover. It was a monster renowned for its strength, possessing astonishing brute force from birth. Teach's strength was clearly no match for the Ant King's, but he had exquisite taijutsu and immense explosive power.

The Ant King relied on its raw strength, also possessing terrifying explosive power, displaying its monstrous might. In a short time, it forcefully pushed back the distance Teach had gained, a clash of pure strength where neither yielded.

The first clash was a test of their combined abilities. Neither gained an advantage, nor did either fall behind. It could be called a draw.

But this was only the first clash. The next one began immediately. Their bodies intertwined, reappearing in the direction they had charged from. With a turn, they fixed their gazes on each other.

The next second, their bodies collided again. Teach tilted his head to the left, dodging a Claw Strike. With a counter, he unleashed a claw strike of extreme sharpness, undoubtedly a threat to the Ant King. Below, a claw grabbed Teach's forearm and pushed him aside. He sidestepped to evade the attack.

One of Teach's legs, wrapped in Haki, lashed out fiercely towards the Ant King's waist. This was the Ant King's hardest point, yet also its most vulnerable, being a joint.

The Ant King clearly sensed the danger and blocked Teach's kick with a similar one. As the strongest hunter on this Devil's Island, how could he always be on the defensive? The Ant King, with four limbs on its upper body, had better offensive capabilities. Such a terrifying creature had long awakened its Haki, its Armament Haki. Every attack was imbued with powerful Armament Haki. The previous clashes had only been a rudimentary application, almost instinctual, but after seeing Teach's use of Armament Haki.

It keenly sensed that it was the same power as his own. Extremely intelligent, it gradually learned Armament Haki's coating and infusion during the battle.

Its black and gold claws, coated in Armament Haki, slashed fiercely at Teach's left arm. Teach countered with a punch to the joint behind the claws, deflecting them and altering their trajectory. But the next claw strike was already upon him. It wasn't a claw; the Ant King's claws were pressed together like a sharp spike, aiming directly for Teach's chest.

Teach raised one hand to block his chest, simultaneously coating it with Armament Haki to enhance its defense. With his other claw, he lunged fiercely towards the Ant King's head.