Fierce Battle

Krell and Kaguya's performance was astonishing, but the real battle had only just begun, Kaguya's methods were naturally not limited to this.

Glancing at Krell, Kaguya made the best decision: compared to the more threatening Krell, she would first deal with the Whitebeard Pirates members who posed less of a threat to her.

With lightning speed, Kaguya ran towards Haruta and the others, re-condensing two bone swords.

Haruta parried with his sword, while Apoide had just been injured, needed time to recover.

Amidst the flashing blades, Haruta was initially evenly matched, but Kaguya quickly seized an opening. Kaguya's fierce attacks were far superior to Haruta's, forcing Haruta to dodge to the side while defending.

This is used to buy time.

However, battles often end in an instant. Haruta overestimated his own abilities and underestimated Kaguya's strength; the gap between the two was vast.

Bone spikes materialized on his body surface, and as he attacked, they suddenly shot out, hitting Haruta, who hadn't yet mastered Armament Haki Haruta, and was completely unable to defend against them.

Sharp bone spikes, like bullets, pierced directly into Haruta's body. The two were fighting, and at such close range, even those with Observation Haki couldn't dodge them. Apoide didn't even have time to react.

Haruta's arms and legs were all pierced by bone spurs, causing his body to shudder.

Kaguya seized this opportunity, or rather, she had anticipated this situation and acted just before the bone spikes were launched.

The sharp bone knife stopped at Haruta's neck at the last second, its cold touch sending a chill down Haruta's spine.

Just a little further ahead, and the bone knife seemed poised to take his life.

"You've lost," Kaguya said calmly.

Immediately afterwards, Kaguya rushed towards Apoide, whose injuries had not yet healed, wanting to quickly finish off the next one.

The second eliminated contestant has appeared: Haruta, the 12th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. It's hard to believe, considering Haruta's considerable strength.

However, this was a chaotic battle, and the order in which people fell and were defeated could not be measured by strength. Moreover, Haruta was no match for Kaguya, who possessed Two types of Haki, physical skills, and powerful abilities.

Kaguya's combat awareness was extremely strong; with just one move, she created an opportunity to defeat Haruta.

One reason for this is that the Beasts Pirates were just going through the motions. Krell, who had shown his true power, did not join the battle against Kaguya, but instead watched from the sidelines.

Use Kaguya's power to eliminate the other opponents first, then deplete Kaguya's stamina.

When Kaguya wanted to further eliminate Apoide, Krell couldn't hold back any longer. Apoide was no match for him; he could handle him. Precisely because of this, he couldn't let Apoide fall so quickly.

He needs Apoide's power as the main force to restrain Kaguya. Once Apoide falls, he will have to face Kaguya. The battle has only just begun, and Kaguya hasn't even had a chance to catch her breath.

Krell was incredibly fast; his icy blue figure flashed past, and ice shards shot rapidly toward Kaguya.

However, Kaguya's movements did not falter at all. Hard bone armor enveloped Kaguya entire body, and ice shards that landed on the bone armor were easily deflected.

Seeing this, Apoide knew he was in danger. He was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, after all. If he were defeated by Kaguya in a row, and both contestants fell so early, it would bring shame to the Whitebeard Pirates.

Apoide transformed into his Human-Beast Form, his body sprouting sharp, downy hairs—the hairs of a caterpillar, possessing considerable hardness. His arms were covered in Armament Haki, and facing Kaguya, he had no choice but to temporarily retreat.

Seeing the actions of the Beasts Pirates participants and witnessing Kaguya's formidable strength, Apoide realized that the chaotic battle wasn't about strength, but about who would survive to the end. Blindly fighting would only allow others to exploit them.

Her mind raced, and noticing the approaching Krell, she retreated repeatedly in the face of Apoide's Kaguya, trying to buy Krell time while preventing herself from being eliminated.

Krell's figure flashed by repeatedly, then appeared beside Kaguya. He turned slightly, and his nine enormous tails turned black, imbued with Armament Haki, and lashed out at Kaguya with tremendous force.

The immense force caused Kaguya's sword-wielding arm to tremble, and in the next instant, her entire body was sent flying.

The tips of the two bone knives pressed against the hard ground. He leaned slightly forward, bent his legs, and slid backward, constantly rubbing against the ground.

This demonstrates Krell's immense power.

Upon seeing Kaguya being knocked Kaguya, Apoide breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he looked at Krell and took a few steps back to distance himself from Krell.

Krell had been hiding his strength all along, and this time, his power was much greater than before. He was afraid that Krell would suddenly attack him.

Krell stared intently at Kaguya. He had underestimated Kaguya; Kaguya was truly formidable. That attack hadn't inflicted any damage on Kaguya.

All of Kaguya's power was blocked by her bone armor, a defensive capability that made her extremely uncomfortable, as was the case with Clemons on the other side.

Unless one possesses a powerful enough defense to break through theirs, which is very difficult to achieve, the two's strong defensive capabilities, coupled with the enhancement of Armament Haki, make it impossible to even injure them. This is truly an unsolvable problem.

Inside the hall, Teach and the others watched the fight with great interest. To onlookers, the battle was incredibly intense, and the only ones who could capture their attention were Kaguya, Clemons, Smoker, and Krell.

In their eyes, only these four people could become true powerhouses, powerful figures who would dominate the seas, and pillars of pirate crews of their caliber.

As for others, they cannot reach that level unless they are given a powerful Devil Fruit.

Of course, there are also those who achieve great things later in life. Marine Admiral Zephyr is a prime example. He was not particularly noticeable in the Navy at first, and it wasn't until he was 28 that he was promoted to corporal and qualified to learn the Marine Six Styles. In the following years and then a decade, his strength increased explosively until he became Marine Admiral.

Many people set sail in their twenties or thirties, and before that, they were just ordinary people. After that, they quickly grew stronger and became powerful.

Of course, they didn't see this trait in anyone else.

Yamato and the others noticed it too, but they didn't show any outstanding performance yet. They were very strong, but too inexperienced.

They had some suspicions about the masked girl and her relationship with Kaido, because the way Yamato swung her spiked club clearly resembled Kaido's.

However, they haven't matured yet, so naturally they won't catch their eye; it will take at least another ten years.

"This is troublesome." Kaguya frowned, looking at her opponents, especially Krell, whom she could sense was a Krell.

Apoide and that little girl are nothing to fear.

"It's about to begin, Kaido." Teach looked at the arena, clearly aware that the battle between Kaguya and Krell was about to start.

"Haha, Krell's strength is not bad." Even after witnessing Kaguya's formidable power, Kaido still had great confidence in Krell's abilities.

After the Beasts Pirates took over the Kate Kingdom, they learned of the Kate Kingdom's nobles' habit of raising human pets. It was because of this that they bestowed the "Fox-Fox Fruit" upon Krell, only to discover with surprise that Krell had eaten Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.

Therefore, Krell received special training from Kaido as a future pillar of the pirate crew, and Krell also demonstrated his powerful combat potential.

Beneath his wise exterior lies a primal, bestial nature, revealing a mad side.

While the inhumane upbringing of the Kate Kingdom played a role, Krell's situation is extremely difficult to replicate; innate exceptional potential often relies on luck.

Sensing Kaguya's increasingly powerful aura, Krell once again broke free from his own thoughts, narrowing his eyes. Apoide's role was no longer significant, Yamato was unreliable now. Now, he needed to fight on his own.

Krell, in his Human-Beast Form, looks like a fox and holds a longsword in his hand.

The two rushed towards each other at incredible speed, clashing in the blink of an eye.

The two engaged in a fierce offensive, constantly alternating between attack and defense. Although they were not swordsmen and their swords and knives were merely weapons, they exuded the same deadly intent as swordsmen.

Kaguya launched a fierce attack, while Krell remained on the defensive, though she exuded a chilling aura.

Kaguya possesses the power of the Bone-Bone Fruit, granting her sharp bone spikes that are difficult to defend against, coupled with her formidable defensive capabilities.

Although Krell only has one sword, he has nine tails, which he makes full use of as an important weapon. These tails are imbued with Armament Haki and are used to defend against Krell's attacks while also looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

The battle between the two young pirates was truly amazing. Krell's incredible speed and strength, along with his powerful Observation Haki, made his fight against Kaguya a complete even match.

Kaguya also had a hard time dealing with Krell. Just like his defense, Krell's nine tails were incredibly agile, as if they had eyes. They were essential for both offense and defense. Combined with his Observation Haki, he could always defend against Kaguya's attacks and find opportunities to counterattack.

Their battle already displayed the style of a fight between strong individuals from the New World. They had both mastered Two types of Haki and possessed powerful combat awareness. If it weren't for the venue, their battle would have been extremely intense and caused significant destruction.

This also makes the visual effects of the battle less exciting.

The effects of the arena battles these days have also reflected this problem. In general, the arena is too solid and needs to be covered with a layer of rocks and sand.

Such a one-on-one battle is much more exciting than the three-on-one battle on the other side.

Krell's strength surpasses that of the Wolf Tiger Brothers and Smoker. His battle with Kaguya was truly evenly matched, and even the three of them combined could barely handle Clemons.

Having mastered the Two types of Haki, Clemons already possessed an absolute advantage.

Meanwhile, Yamato, bored, set her sights on Apoide, knowing full well that she couldn't interfere in the battle between Krell and Kaguya.

Similarly, Apoide had the same idea: to take advantage of the battle between Krell and Kaguya to eliminate this young pirate named Ina.

However, when the fight actually started, he underestimated this brat named Ina. Wielding a spiked club, even with Armament Haki, she still made his arm tremble, making him marvel at Yamato's immense strength.

Yamato also got excited. She hadn't really fought properly before, since Kaguya was too difficult to deal with. Although this Apoide was also very strong and put a lot of pressure on her, it would also allow her to fight to her heart's content.

He swung his spiked club with great force, creating a powerful gust of wind as he blasted it towards Apoide.

With the formation of the three battlefields, the battles have fully entered a white-hot stage. The highly anticipated battle between Kaguya and Krell, and the equally anticipated battle between the three heroes against Clemons, are both noteworthy.

Finally, the least anticipated battle is between Yamato and Apoide.

Their battle completely shocked many people, especially the cadets in the elite naval training program. They stared wide-eyed, as many of them could hardly see the movements of Kaguya and Krell.

Both Kaguya and Krell are younger than most of them.

But how could their strength be so great? It's hard to imagine what would happen if they encountered Kaguya; they would definitely be killed, no, instantly killed.

Their overwhelming strength and fighting style completely shattered their original arrogance.

Is this the power of young pirates in the New World?

"Shoot him!" Kaguya snorted coldly. She wasn't without emotion; her body radiated fighting spirit, and her eyes burned with fervor. It had been a long time since she had experienced such a passionate battle.

That's why he showed no mercy.

He stretched out his hand, aiming it at Krell, and the next moment his entire arm was covered in bone.

His words had barely left his lips when sharp bone spurs, like spears, pierced the air, extending rapidly and heading straight for Krell.

Krell instinctively dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Kaguya's body immediately sprang into action, swiftly charging towards Krell. The bone material she created beneath her feet covered the ground, flowing rapidly as Kaguya ran.

To form a domain, Kaguya's abilities had not yet reached the level of Awakening, which required a lot of physical strength, and she had previously used it as a powerful move.

Facing Krell this time, Kaguya used all her strength in order to defeat Krell quickly.

Avoiding Kaguya's astonishing thrust, and seeing his feet covered in bone, Krell sensed danger and instinctively jumped back.

The next moment, sharp bone spikes suddenly emerged from the bone-covered ground and pierced towards Krell.

In the blink of an eye, the ground around him was covered with sharp bone spikes, turning into a jungle, a dense forest of white bones, leaving Krell nowhere to land.

As Krell faced the bone spurs, an astonishing chill erupted from his body. The ever-rising bone spurs were visibly covered by ice, frozen, and unable to continue growing.

Similarly, the ice spread, forming an extremely cold domain of its own within tens of meters around Krell.

On the other side, even with the three of them attacking, Kuroro and the Kururu brothers still suffered considerable injuries. Smoker was alright, while their opponent, Clemons, only suffered minor injuries that could be ignored.

Such a meager result is hard to accept; they had already given it their all and exhausted a lot of energy.

After all, Clemons has always focused on enhancing the strength, compression, and defense of his muscles as his main development direction.

Throughout his battles with other members of the Night Pirates, he has always been able to hold out for a long time thanks to his strong defense.

"What a monster." Smoker gritted her teeth, constantly using her abilities was putting a considerable strain on her stamina.

Seemingly sensing the powerful aura of the battle on the other side, Clemons glanced over briefly. He didn't want things to continue like this. Although he was confident he could defeat them, it would take quite a while.

He wanted to end the battle cleanly and decisively, which would better showcase the strength of him and the Night Pirates.

With a feint, Clemons leaped backward, creating distance between himself and the three.

Smoker and her two companions watched Clemons warily, wondering what he was up to, or if he had some other trick up his sleeve.

"It's an honor, this is the first time I've used this posture." Clemons looked at Smoker and the others and said earnestly.

His words made Smoker and the others' hearts skip a beat. Could it still get stronger? Clemons was already putting a lot of pressure on them. If it weren't for the two tough-skinned Zoan taking the brunt of Clemons' attacks...

"So, prepare to face hell," Clemons said with some excitement. A plume of heat emanated from Clemons body, and white smoke billowed out.

Many people have witnessed this, and it is Life Return. There are two reasons why this can happen. The first is that the Life Return is not yet proficient, resulting in excess energy consumption and waste. The second is that too much energy has been consumed, resulting in some overflow.

Clemons was undoubtedly the former; for him, the Life Return was merely a medium—a medium for controlling his own body and his own abilities.

The Muscle Fruit's power, granting him strong muscles and an overly developed physique, places a great burden on him. The most obvious effect is on his speed. Although his explosive power and strength are greatly enhanced, Clemons' speed has not actually increased much because of his large size and further increased weight.

However, his understanding and development of the Muscle Fruit is undoubtedly insufficient, and he cannot solve this problem.

That's why Clemons set his sights on Life Return, learning to control his body and the power of the Muscle Fruit.

Clemons also specifically studied the structure of the human body, especially muscles, the composition of various muscles, and their different functions, so that he could better develop his abilities.

Instead of letting his muscles expand uncontrollably, which would lead to his body collapsing.

Through the Life Return, Clemons developed his strongest form.

Clemons's previously enormous physique, caused by overdeveloped muscles, is shrinking, and he is returning to his original form from his "inhuman" appearance, as if he is returning to his origins.

However, Clemons was not the same as before. The white mist gradually dissipated, revealing Clemons' current appearance.

His entire body was covered in black Armament Haki, and his muscles were as strong as steel bars. Clemons' body was only slightly larger than before, but the aura and power he exuded seemed even more terrifying.

More importantly, Clemons' back was a terrifying "ghost back" formed by a combination of muscles, like the face of a demon, as if it had eyes growing from the back of its head.

This represents Clemons' terrifying power and explosive force. (To be continued)