Teach and the Ant King's Battle, Departure

With this stab, his black palm grabbed it, but couldn't stop it. The sharp spike still pushed Teach's left hand towards his chest.

"Clang!" The sound of metal colliding, combined with the cushioning force of his left hand, allowed Teach's Armament Haki to block the attack. Teach's claw lunged directly at the Ant King's head, but this was exactly what the Ant King had anticipated. His two upper limbs slammed fiercely into Teach's chest, and a sonic boom echoed through the air. The Ant King's strike had broken through the air. Teach knew he couldn't dodge it, so he defended with Armament Haki.

As for his claw, it tore through the air. This grueling battle wasn't what they wanted. From this moment on, they would have to fight even more ferociously, inflicting damage on each other.

The powerful claws struck Teach's chest, and Teach's ferocious claw directly gripped the metallic-like head.

"Boom!" With immense power, both attacks landed on their respective targets almost simultaneously. Two sounds of air being split echoed, and two figures were sent flying in opposite directions.

However, the Ant King's golden body slammed heavily into the ground. Even the hard mine pit was smashed into a large crater. One could imagine the immense power of Teach's claw. The Ant King shook his head, but there were no scratches on it, demonstrating his formidable defense. More importantly, he had enhanced his head's defense with Armament Haki.

Meanwhile, Teach was sent flying far into the forest, his body tumbling backward. "Bang, bang, bang!" Teach's body crashed through countless trees before finally stopping nearly a kilometer away. There were no wounds on his chest; his Armament Haki had defended against the blow. What was terrifying was the immense impact force that churned his insides. However, he quickly adjusted, and it didn't affect his combat.

"Such immense power!" Teach exclaimed with some awe. Power and attack force were different concepts. The Ant King's strength was monstrous.

"But the battle has only just begun! Hahahaha!" Teach became completely excited. Fighting someone who relied almost purely on taijutsu was incredibly exhilarating. Although the Ant King didn't understand taijutsu, years of killing had forged his own set of concise and highly effective combat methods. Teach was absorbing his fighting style, and at the same time, Teach noticed that the Ant King was also learning his taijutsu, especially his claw techniques, adapting them as his own.

More importantly, during his fight with the Ant King, Teach could feel his Armament Haki rapidly improving.

"Let's continue fighting! Don't stop," Teach roared, standing up and charging back in the direction he came from. Across from him, the Ant King responded with a massive roar, and a golden figure could be sensed rushing towards him from afar.

The battlefield shifted to the forest. Teach and the Ant King's figures continuously intertwined and clashed in the air. Golden light and dark shadows flashed by. Teach kicked the Ant King in the chest, sending him flying.

Before he could catch his breath, the Ant King's figure appeared directly in front of him. With a forceful blow, Teach was sent flying again. He stomped on the ground, forcibly stabilizing himself. Two tens-of-meters-long gouges appeared on the ground, marks left by Teach's feet digging into the earth.

As soon as his body stabilized, Teach charged forward again, his fists, claws, and kicks treating his entire body as an offensive weapon. "Clang!" Teach's head violently collided with the Ant King's.

"Clang! Clang!" Three consecutive impacts. Teach felt his head swimming, but the Ant King wasn't unscathed either, though he fared much better. His powerful combat instincts allowed him to seize an opportunity. A powerful kick flashed through the air, accompanied by two sharp glints. Teach was sent flying violently. At this moment, the Ant King had already charged forward. Teach found himself in a passive situation, which was highly disadvantageous for him.

The Ant King had already reached Teach. His speed was incredible, his sharp claws relentlessly attacking Teach's body and head. Teach desperately defended. Within a mere few meters, the Ant King had struck dozens of times, his attacks sharp and decisive, without any wasted motion. Teach used his hands and feet to block the Ant King's onslaught, but the Ant King had six limbs, each tipped with sharp barbs. His entire body was a killing machine, designed solely for slaughter.

Teach couldn't block everything. Blow after blow from the Ant King landed on Teach's chest. Finally, his defenses were breached. Teach's eyes widened, his tightly shut mouth opened, and saliva mixed with blood splattered out. He knew this wouldn't work. Enduring an Ant King's strike, the sharp claws dug into Teach's left shoulder. Teach endured the pain and unleashed a powerful claw, using nearly all his strength, to strike the Ant King fiercely.

The Ant King's body flew backward, giving Teach a moment to breathe. His body rapidly recovered. "Life Return!" A faint heat emanated from Teach's body, and the wounds on his chest and left shoulder quickly healed. He forced out traces of poisonous blood from his body, bringing his condition to its peak.

The Ant King's body carried potent venom, especially on his claws. His attacks were infused with a strong metallic toxin. For Teach's physique, a small amount wouldn't be an issue, but if the toxin concentration increased, it would erode his body. It was better to expel such things sooner rather than later.

Staring intently ahead, Teach's shadow vanished. He disappeared from his spot, leaving only the ground indented by the powerful force.

The Ant King, forced back, steadied himself and charged forward again. Their figures reappeared in the air, engaging in a fierce collision. The very atmosphere rippled due to their battle. The intense fight continued without pause. This time, one was slammed into a tree; the next, the other was thrown against a rock.

Neither gave the other any room to breathe. Even after repelling their opponent, they would press their advantage.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Old Captain held a bloodstained long saber. The massive figure of the Tyrannosaurus Rex fell, its impact shaking the ground. The Old Captain panted, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his clothes tattered. "Finally, I've worn this monster down."

The Old Captain said with difficulty, his clothes in tatters. To defeat the Tyrannosaurus Rex, he had used his speed advantage to circle it for a long time. "It's been a while since I've stretched my muscles. It really hurts."

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was covered in knife wounds, blood constantly flowing out. Finally, due to excessive blood loss and a drop in its condition, he seized the opportunity and struck its head with his saber, killing it.

To kill the Tyrannosaurus Rex, his stamina had been constantly depleted during their prolonged engagement. However, the Tyrannosaurus Rex's vitality was incredibly robust, far beyond his imagination. In a moment of carelessness, he was struck fiercely in the chest by the Tyrannosaurus Rex's powerful whip-like tail. Even now, he could feel a sharp pain in his chest, feeling as if his bones were broken.

"It seems I'm truly getting old," the Old Captain sighed. If he were a few years younger, defeating the Tyrannosaurus Rex wouldn't have been so exhausting or troublesome.

"Perhaps I should consider retiring after this job is done," the Old Captain muttered to himself. This battle clearly showed him his declining condition.

"Old Captain, are you alright?" a voice called out. The Old Captain couldn't help but turn his head. He saw the sailor guards who had accompanied him running over. Among them were those found or rescued from the forest.

"I'm fine," the Old Captain shook his head. Seeing so many casualties, he still felt a pang of sadness, but he quickly adjusted. Having sailed the seas for so long, he had experienced such things before. At times like these, he needed to remain calm.

"Let's leave quickly. This place is very dangerous now," the Old Captain said gravely, looking at the Tyrannosaurus Rex he had slain. "Such a fierce beast should normally live in the inner parts of the island, yet it ran to the outer regions. It's unlikely to be an accident." From afar, the rustling of leaves could be heard continuously.

"Something must have happened inland. Those powerful beasts have all moved from the inner regions to the outer ones. As far as I know, the reason for such an occurrence on Beast Island is likely that there are overlords fighting on the island."

The Old Captain analyzed calmly. "Let's go quickly, hurry to the coast. This forest will soon become even more dangerous. The blood here will also attract those fierce beasts."

They all had great faith in the Old Captain's words. Not only had he demonstrated his formidable strength, but they also feared the island itself. Even with the Old Captain leading, nine of the sailors and guards who had ventured out had died. Those who had nearly perished in the forest were even more numerous. With the prospect of even greater horrors ahead, they wholeheartedly agreed with his decision.

Teach grew increasingly astonished. Through their constant combat, this Ant King was gradually learning from him, adopting human fighting methods. This humanoid monster's combat style had transformed from that of a beast to that of a human, though not entirely. It was a combination of what it learned from him and its own killing techniques.

The Ant King became even more powerful, and Teach was also improving, his taijutsu and Haki both advancing. Teach's clothes were tattered, his flying black hair was covered in dust, and he had even lost one of his shoes, which had flown off somewhere.

The great battle continued. In the midst of high-speed combat, five hours passed unknowingly. Teach's stamina was rapidly depleting, and he was panting. This was the first time he had experienced such a battle – a full-power fight, with no moment of relaxation. It was different from sparring on the ship, where they exchanged blows with measured force.

Both Teach and the Ant King fought with the determination to kill each other, yet neither could gain a decisive advantage. Teach couldn't break through the Ant King's defenses, and the Ant King could only inflict minor injuries on Teach, which were insignificant as Teach could recover quickly. Teach possessed monstrous stamina, allowing him to endure for extended periods in combat. As long as he had sufficient stamina, he could maintain his peak condition. This was a talent bestowed by his mental state.

This was only relative. Teach once trained continuously for half a month without a break. Because he was so exhausted, he had slept for mere tens of seconds. Just tens of seconds. When he lay down, his mind quickly recovered, jolting him awake from his slumber. However, Teach would never forget that feeling. But after that, Teach never entered that state again.

"Demon Claw: Hell's Descent!" Teach's movements became phantom-like. His black demon claws were imbued with black lightning and black flames, stained by his Haki.

Sensing the threat of Teach's attack, the Ant King did not retreat. Its black and gold six limbs, carrying terrifying immense force, blasted through the air, with deafening booms echoing in their ears. At this moment, Teach's dual claws were even more fearsome.

The power of Teach's flames and lightning wasn't particularly strong. Their true purpose was merely to assist his swordsmanship. At this level, the highest temperature of the flames Teach could generate was only a few hundred degrees, and his lightning could reach a few million volts at most. He couldn't improve them further. After all, breathing techniques were just breathing techniques. Special breathing techniques could allow the body to generate electricity and flames, but how could they compare to real lightning and fire?

At this level, they weren't very useful against powerful opponents. When weaker, flames and lightning could inflict significant damage, but not now. Especially against a monster like the Ant King, to threaten it, one would need flames of at least a thousand or several thousand degrees, and that was without using Haki.

Lightning could only stimulate cells.

But now it was different. Teach used Haki as fuel, greatly increasing the power of the flames and lightning generated by his body. The black flames and black lightning, combined with his innate physique and non-stop training day and night, made Teach's Armament Haki exceptionally powerful from the start. He also had an extraordinary talent for Armament Haki. In just a few months, coupled with this battle, Teach's Armament Haki had broken through. It could only be said to have made a breakthrough, as Teach had not yet truly learned Ryou.

This was flowing Haki, attached to invisible flames and lightning, truly transforming into the Demon Claws.

And Teach now truly had the capital to injure the Ant King.

The battle grew even more intense, with loud explosions echoing throughout the island. With a claw strike in mid-air, Teach unleashed five slashes with his hands.

The Ant King kicked away one slash and grabbed another with each of its upper four limbs. Its mechanical-like limbs bulged, expanding significantly.

With all his might, tilting his head back, Teach could hear a roar. With a surge of effort, the Ant King forcefully grabbed and then threw away the five powerful slashes.

At this moment, Teach had already charged forward, continuing the fight.

The merchant ship's crew fled back to their vessel. Roars echoed from the forest, filling them with fear. Under immense pressure, the people on board significantly shortened the time it took to repair the ship. Indeed, potential is often born from desperation.

Night had fallen. They had originally planned to rest here for the night, but now they didn't want to linger on this island and were about to leave.

Someone was anxiously waiting – it was Mobius, looking worriedly in the direction of the coast. "Why isn't he back yet? The ship is about to set sail!" Mobius muttered to himself.

Suddenly, a figure squeezed through the window, startling Mobius. He looked closely and saw it was Teach who had returned. "Boss Teach, you're back!"

Teach's appearance was so disheveled that Mobius almost didn't recognize him. His long hair was loose, his clothes were torn, he was covered in dust, and his face was dirty. However, he had to admit, Boss Teach looked incredibly imposing with his long hair.

"Mhm!" Teach smiled and went to the water vat, scooped up a basin of water, wet a towel, and wiped his face.

"So, Boss, how was it? Who were you fighting? The commotion was huge," Mobius asked curiously. He could feel the intensity of Teach's battle from afar. The very ground was shaking, and the sea here was turbulent.

"Fufufu! An Ant King. He was truly an interesting opponent," Teach chuckled, thinking back to the battle.

They had fought for ten hours straight, from morning until night, a high-intensity battle with almost no breaks. In a patch of trees, Teach and the Ant King faced each other, but the fighting had stopped. Teach was breathing heavily, sensing something. Teach laughed, "Fufufu! My apologies, Ant King, I have to leave now." Teach had already learned the news that the merchant ship was departing.

The Ant King bore numerous scratches and some scorch marks, all left by Teach. The most severe was on its right brain; its metallic head had caved in.

However, Teach's condition was no better, especially his Haki expenditure. Despite his powerful attacks, he was at a disadvantage against the Ant King in defense, having been breached at least hundreds of times all over his body. Yet, he had persevered with his stamina and Life Return.

The Ant King remained silent, but Teach could sense its emotions. Its antennae could transmit and receive messages. Teach knew it didn't want it to end like this.

"Fufufu, our battle was very enjoyable. Until next time. I will return, and by then, we will surely be stronger. We'll continue our unfinished battle then," Teach said with a smile and turned to leave. He took off his slightly damaged black coat and slung it over his right shoulder.

The Ant King watched Teach's retreating back, saying nothing more, seemingly contemplating Teach's final words.