Ares Joins

Teach stood up. "There are countless islands like this in this ocean, and countless powerful beings, many of whom are even stronger than us," Teach said to the Ant King with a smile.

The Ant King seemed somewhat incredulous, but not doubtful, and a sense of curiosity about the ocean arose in his heart. He had had this thought ever since Teach's first visit.

"Soon, I will set sail again, defeat those powerful opponents, and become the overlord of this sea. Therefore, I need powerful companions." Teach smiled confidently, exuding an aura that wasn't directed at the Ant King, but at this island, this sky, and this sea.

"Ares, I hope you can join me. We are partners, friends. You can leave whenever you want." Teach turned to look at the Ant King and smiled.

He walked to the side, draped his clothes over his shoulders, took out a flesh-colored Devil Fruit from his backpack, and placed it in front of the Ant King. "This is the power I prepared for you. Eat it, and you can become human like me, and you can also turn back into your original form at any time. However, you will have an additional weakness: you will be afraid of seawater."

The Ant King looked at Teach, then at the island where he lived day and night. He suddenly realized that he felt no attachment whatsoever. The island had become boring. He had reached the pinnacle, and those powerful enemies who were once like him had all become his defeated foe.

In contrast, he would much rather go out to sea with Teach to see the vast ocean and the opponents who are even stronger than them. He wants to become stronger and, together with Teach, reach the peak.

"Heh! Heh!" The Ant King looked at Teach, stared into Teach's eyes, and uttered two sounds.

Teach laughed heartily, "Hahahaha! I won't let you surpass me. If you get stronger, I'll get even stronger. If you're so capable, defeat me!" Teach laughed at the Ant King. This was the Ant King for you; how could he be subservient to anyone else?

Teach still had the upper hand in terms of strength, relying on his Observation Haki. However, in order to train his combat ability, he limited his Observation Haki and only used it in the most basic way. Of course, this was also to develop the ability of Observation Haki to "Future Sight".

While it's only publicly acknowledged that Katakuri, the Katakuri -in-command of the Big Mom Pirates, Awakening the ability to foresee the Future Sight, Teach knows this is impossible. At least Rayleigh also possesses this ability; he has personally experienced the feeling of having everything under his control.

However, due to his advanced development of Observation Haki, even if Rayleigh changes Rayleigh actions, he will change accordingly. The future is not static; it is constantly changing. It is also by relying on this that Teach cracked Rayleigh's Future Sight. It cannot be said that he cracked it, but rather that he made it difficult for Rayleigh to play his role.

However, he still yearned to Future Sight, as it touched upon the mysteries of time.

The Ant King said that he was only sailing with Teach for now, and that he would leave once he surpassed Teach in strength.

Teach was also very confident, extremely confident in his own strength. His physical limitations had slowed his progress, and he had already reached his limit. He had only reached this level because of his tireless training day and night. Now he had entered a phase of rapid growth, as if he had been freed from his shackles. Even if he didn't train, his strength and stamina would continue to increase, and his overall strength would rapidly increase.

Since the Ant King has said so, it means that he has agreed to Teach's invitation. This makes Teach very happy, because strong fighting power is naturally essential to building a top-notch pirate crew.

The Ant King's potential goes without saying; after consuming the power Teach prepared for him, his potential will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.

The Ant King didn't think Teach would harm him. Looking at the flesh-colored fruit in front of him, he thought it must be one of those things called Devil Fruit, Teach had told him about before.

The Ant King grabbed it with one hand, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it whole, chewing it greedily.

Immediately afterward, the Ant King froze, his eyes widened, and he bent over, vomiting repeatedly, but nothing came out.

"Haha, Ares, have you forgotten? I told you this stuff is absolutely awful." Teach laughed upon seeing this. The awfulness of Devil Fruit is a rule of this world, and even a non-human creature like the Ant King can't avoid it.

However, the Ant King's body underwent a change. Ignoring Teach's mockery, the Ant King felt a mysterious power surging within him.

The Ant King's body grew larger and taller. Its golden exoskeleton gradually disappeared, transforming into flesh and blood, becoming hard, bulging muscles. The antennae on its head changed, turning into a pair of large, curved, golden horns that extended backwards from its head, each over forty centimeters long.

A thick head of golden hair grew out, reaching his shoulders, and suddenly, a seven-meter-tall Half-Demon appeared, exuding a terrifying aura like Fierce God.

Teach looked at the perfect masterpiece in front of him with surprise. What Teach fed Ares was something he had painstakingly found over the past two years: Zoan Human- Human-Human Fruit in Half-Demon form. The pair of horns were proof of the demon bloodline.

Half-Demon possess the bloodline of demons and are a combination of humans and demons. The specifics of their birth are unknown, but Devil Fruit are an evolution of the world's rules, and even the Gear-Gear Fruit has such abilities. With the birth of Half-Demon, the Half-Demon naturally followed suit.

Few Human-Human Fruit because it's quite useless. Even though it grants the ability of Half-Demon, giving them demon blood and greatly enhancing their vitality, it still can't compare to the boosts provided by ordinary Zoan Devil Fruit.

But more importantly, it brings potential. It's worth mentioning that both Kaido and Moria are Half-Demon with demon bloodlines, powerful bloodlines that gave them great strength in their youth.

Although Kaido was only an apprentice member of the Rocks Pirates at the time, he earned the recognition of the executives through his strength. Moria was the same; he possessed strength comparable to Kaido in his youth, and although he later fell from grace, his strength in his younger days was formidable.

What it can bring is a human physique, human wisdom, and learning ability, which are perfectly suited to Ares' abilities.

Ares, looking at his current appearance in astonishment, stretched out his hand and examined his body. He sensed that beyond the change in form, there was an even more significant change.

This was a body like Teach's, a human body. A punch slammed into the air. Ares clenched his fist, feeling the flow of blood, the beating of his heart, and the stretching of his muscles.

At first, he felt a little uncomfortable, but soon he became familiar with his body, a body that seemed more suited to fighting.

His strength hadn't diminished; in fact, it had increased. In this form, his steel body hadn't disappeared either. With a thought, two more arms appeared beneath his existing arms, growing out of nowhere. He was used to fighting with six limbs, and losing his two arms felt a bit strange; he hadn't expected them to grow back.

The strongest form of Zoan Devil Fruit is a half-beast, while the Human-Human Fruit does not have this effect. However, Ares is different; he is a Gold Devouring Ant King, and was previously a humanoid creature, but his body structure is different from that of humans.

The Ant King's body underwent another change. He had now figured out the power of the Devil Fruit. While maintaining his human form, his own characteristics gradually appeared on his body: four arms, the forearms turning into claws, and his body gleaming with a golden metallic sheen.

Looking at Teach, Ares' eyes were filled with surprise. He possessed Observation Haki, so he could naturally sense the changes in his body. Compared to his original body, the human body was much more complex, which also represented greater potential.

Although he was powerful before, he now realizes that his previous physical abilities had limitations.

"Teach, Teach!" He wanted to convey his emotions to Teach, but somehow, he involuntarily uttered Teach's name. He was stunned, not expecting that he could actually speak. Although it was still a little unfamiliar, it was much better than the simple shouting he used to do.

"Not bad, but you're still getting used to it. After a while, and with more practice, you'll get used to it." Looking at Ares, Teach smiled. "Want to have another match? Get used to your current body. You need to learn explosive power and techniques. Power without technique is useless."

Ares nodded excitedly. He was well aware of this. His physical abilities were rather limited, and his skills were also rather simple. These were his shortcomings, but now he could make up for them. With his strength, his power would be further enhanced.

The two began their battle again. This time, it wasn't a fight, but a friendly spar. Teach was giving Ares some pointers. Ares clenched his fists. Compared to his previous claws, these fists allowed him to unleash his full power, and he liked that feeling.

During the battle, his combat power slowly increased, and he gradually gained control of his current body. The Ant King was a monster, a genius. He couldn't use the Marine Six Styles before because of his physical condition, and could only use Shigan with his body. He understood the principles of the Marine Six Styles during his battle with Teach.

Give him a little more time, and he'll learn.

Teach could feel that the Ant King's fist was heavier, but its explosive power was far less than before. He needed to familiarize himself with his body for a while, and the best way to master his body was through combat.

Teach now has time to fight Ares, even if it's just a friendly spar, it will still be a good opportunity for him to hone his skills.

With his Observation Haki Teach Ares evaded Ares's attacks, making dodging an instinct. Teach could predict the direction and trajectory of Ares's attacks and evade Ares in the best way possible. He would only attack if there was an attack he couldn't avoid.

Of course, it's also because Ares is now much taller, which doesn't affect his speed, but makes it easier for Teach to dodge.

The Ant King became increasingly familiar with his body, and his strength gradually surpassed what it had been before. However, seeing that Teach had dodged most of his attacks, he couldn't help but marvel at the power of Teach's Observation Haki. He knew about all Three Types of Haki, and Teach had explained them to him. With his current physique, his Three Types of Haki had improved somewhat.

The battle lasted only half a day before it stopped.

"Alright, we're leaving now. Let me take you somewhere first." Teach smiled as they walked to the shore, where a boat was moored.

Teach boarded the ship, Ares curiously followed. The ship was not small; it was prepared by Mostima for Teach —simple, sturdy, and suitable for sailing at sea.

Stepping onto the deck, the ship rocked slightly, the sea surging and undulating. Ares' first time on a ship, and he seemed a little unaccustomed to it. At the same time, the vast ocean filled him with both curiosity about the future and fear of the unknown.

"Devil Fruit User lose all their strength when they come into contact with seawater. A little bit won't hurt, of course, with special training, this weakness can be avoided, but the ability will be temporarily unusable," Teach explained to Ares. Ares's reaction was perfectly normal; Devil Fruit User have a natural fear of the sea, but once they get used to it, this feeling will disappear.

On White Sand Island, in the white castle within, Hardner and Haduno stared in shock at Ares sitting beside them. "What kind of monster did Teach bring back?"

His towering seven-meter frame exerted immense pressure on them, especially the Fierce God aura emanating from him, which instilled fear in them from the bottom of their hearts.

They dared not speak loudly, while Teach sat opposite Mostima, and Ares sat on the sofa to the right. Originally there were only two sofas facing each other, but now there was one more.

Mostima appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was very surprised by the person Teach brought. Compared to Teach's perfect control over his aura and his restrained demeanor, Ares was obviously very powerful, with a visual impact and a terrifying aura.

Especially its pair of golden horns, thick blond hair, and silver eyes are very distinctive and eye-catching.

"I'll leave Ares to you for now. I need to go back to the Moby Dick next," Teach said with a smile to Mostima.

Mostima nodded. "No problem, but when will you be back?"

"Soon." Teach smiled and looked at Ares. "Also, please tell Ares about the current situation on the sea." During his absence, Ares should have a clearer understanding of the sea.

Ares remained silent; it would take some time for them to get used to each other.