Demon and Flame Calamity

Hahahaha!

--Crocodile wanted to laugh heartily like this.

But he had taken several solid hits from King during their aerial battle earlier.

His ribs had been broken by King's Armament Haki-infused wings slamming into his chest, and the more he laughed, the more it hurt.

But Crocodile still wanted to laugh.

Because it was genuinely funny!

He wasn't a battle maniac, but the first clash between a [Demon] and the [Flame Calamity] had truly struck Crocodile's funny bone.

The reason was that person--

Vergo.

"How should I describe that scene?"

Crocodile, smoking a cigar, chuckled sinisterly as he recalled:

"Hmm..."

"Have you ever seen a human pinwheel?"

WHOOSH!

Two fists, one in front of the other, swung towards each other.

Whether [Demon] or [Flame Calamity], their target was each other, not anyone else.

But sometimes, merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time would lead to the most unfortunate outcome.

Vergo was caught between the two.

If he had pulled back, he would have instantly altered the vision of both fighters.

Perhaps blocking a hand, or obscuring a foot...

For Lindsey and King, even such a subtle opening was enough to launch a fatal attack on each other!

So in the end, Vergo was bound to face only one outcome--

SWISH!

SWISH!

Two fists, one after the other, struck Vergo's sides before continuing forward.

Even with his entire body covered in Armament Haki, several bones immediately snapped.

Vergo was hit by two forces simultaneously, spitting blood as he spun like a "human pinwheel"!

WHOOSH--!

In an instant, Vergo's body flew out, spinning and tumbling, bouncing several times on the ground before finally crashing into it with a BOOM, leaving him motionless.

Meanwhile, Lindsey and King had also fallen silent.

Flames burned behind King's head, while Aiven Lindsey had already activated his Earth Demon Form.

Their heights were nearly identical, and their fists slammed heavily into each other's faces, deforming both.

"Ugh!"

King's gaze darkened, fixing on the "monster" before him.

How long had it been?

How long had it been since someone had taken a punch from him head-on and still stood tall?

"This is really interesting!"

King's movements didn't change, but he clenched his fist, applying more force, yet he couldn't budge Lindsey an inch.

His monstrous fangs parted slightly, and a few wisps of white smoke escaped from between Lindsey's teeth.

"Tch..."

The [Demon]'s eyes rolled, its strange, Kun Trigram-shaped pupils fixing on King with a playful crescent moon grin.

"By the way, don't you need to introduce yourself?"

"..."

King didn't answer immediately, continuing to exert force with his fist.

BANG!

With a muffled thud, their fists pushed further, separating their bodies slightly as they each stumbled back a few steps.

Aiven Lindsey. Yes, King.

[Demon] against [Flame Calamity]!

"That's quite rude of you."

Jin's voice was deep as he extended his gloved hands, then clenched them into fists.

With a "pop," two fireballs appeared on his fists and gradually merged into them.

This was a unique ability of Jin as a "Lunarian," allowing him to generate flames on his body.

This special race, with its significant origins, could survive under various environmental conditions in nature.

As long as the flame behind his head still existed, his defensive power would greatly increase; and when the flame subsided, although his defense would decrease, his speed would become extremely fast!

"Jin of the Beasts Pirates, here to take Alabasta's Poneglyph for Brother Kaido."

Jin said, continuing to clench his fists.

More flames gathered, like two fiery gauntlets, exuding an incredibly terrifying killing intent!

On the other hand, Aiven Lindsey--

Earth Demon Form maintained.

He first clenched his left fist, then used his large right hand to pull apart the air, tearing off large strips of Ancient Armament Haki.

These Armament Haki, like cloth bandages, were wrapped around his left fist, layer after layer.

After the left fist was done, he moved on to the right.

As he wrapped them tightly, he introduced himself:

"Aiven Lindsey."

"..."

After thinking for a moment, Lindsey grinned and added, "I'm here, I know I need to do these things, and I can do these things, so I'm doing them."

These seemingly nonsensical words were impossible to refute!

During their conversation, both sides had finished preparing.

They were both giants over six meters tall, standing opposite each other, the oppressive aura they emitted even forcing the nearby waves to stop!

"Hmph!"

Jin's expression darkened, and he swung a fist towards Lindsey's head, growling, "Utterly boring!"

BOOM!

The powerful punch, infused with flames, was named: Flame Emperor!

Lindsey did not dodge or evade.

On the giant fist of his Earth Demon Form, bandages of Ancient Armament Haki were already wrapped, making the black fist appear even more terrifying and abnormal!

WHOOSH!

He swung out a fist, also striking towards Jin's face.

Their fists met again, but instead of pausing like their first exchange, they pulled back their other arms and continued to throw the next punch.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Fists rained down on each other, the explosive roars making everyone on the nearby fleet's ears ache!

BOOM! BOOM!

The two loudest thuds came as both sides met each other's fists, locked in a struggle, neither giving ground.

"Don't you realize it yet? This is destiny, [Demon]!"

Jin's voice came from beneath his mask.

As a survivor of the "Land of the Gods" on the Red Line, and having been experimented on by the World Government in his youth, Jin's resolve far surpassed what anyone could imagine!

"I never thought about whether I could easily obtain the Poneglyph if you hadn't passed through Alabasta."

"--I never thought about it, because it was impossible from the start!"

Jin's eyes were bloodshot as he roared:

"If you weren't here, I might not have even gotten any news about the Poneglyph!"

"The appearance, transfer, and deciphering of every Poneglyph are accompanied by unparalleled bloodshed and conflict. This is inevitable destiny!"

BOOM! BOOM!

Flame Emperor barrage!

Two consecutive fiery heavy punches slammed into Lindsey's face, yet they couldn't shake his body in the slightest.

Jin, in turn, used this force to retreat half a step while lowering his body.

He noticed that the earth and stones beneath Lindsey's feet had changed, as if an unknown attack was brewing!

But Jin had no intention of giving the man before him an opportunity.

Perhaps it was the World Government's misjudgment, or perhaps it was because he was alone...

In any case, as soon as they clashed, one would understand that a mere bounty of 650 million Beli could not represent the terror of Evan Lindsey at all!

"I've always believed that Brother Kaido is the one who can change the world, and the Poneglyphs are essential to achieving this goal."

King lowered himself, panting softly.

"So, [Demon]--"

Instantly, his hand, wrapped in flames, gripped the hilt of the long sword at his waist.

"For Brother Kaido, I will destroy you here!"

Clang!

The massive black wings on his back trembled violently, and the halo around his head vanished for a brief moment.

With a double boost, King drew his sword. The sharp, cold glint, carrying extreme heat, slashed horizontally towards Evan Lindsey!

Blade Emperor!

Clink--!

The figures of both sides crossed paths, but instead of the sound of a blade cutting something, it was a harsh metallic collision.

"Huh?!"

King looked back and saw what was behind him, his pupils involuntarily shrinking.

Evan Lindsey now held a "long sword" in his hand.

It was constructed from earth and stone, wrapped in strange, pitch-black Armament Haki, and it flickered with a broken yet ferocious dark light.

Lindsey turned around and swung the long sword with the thick arm of his Earth Demon Form.

His burly physique, combined with the pitch-black blade—

He looked like a monster wielding a human weapon, appearing extremely discordant, yet exuding immense pressure.

"I just learned it."

Lindsey grinned ferociously.

He wrapped the ancient Armament Haki around the hilt and his own large hand, saying excitedly:

"It's interesting, isn't it!"