Baboon King laughed smugly. "I can learn your moves with just one look. If you can use it, I can use it too. And I can use what you can't... How are you supposed to beat me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Baboon King bent his legs slightly before charging straight at Moke.
"Fish-Man Karate: Seven Thousand Brick Roundhouse Kick..."
When he reached Moke, he spun 360 degrees in midair and kicked at him.
"Shave..."
Moke adjusted his speed, dodging the attack before appearing to Baboon King's left.
Ghost Aura then surged from his body. "Tempest Kick: Ghostflame Slash!"
A special slash that combined ghostflames with a Tempest Kick Slash burst forth. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before Baboon King.
"Armament Hardening!"
"Fish-Man Karate: Arabesque Brick Fist..."
Using a straight punch, Baboon King created a full 360-degree Shockwave, forming an all-around defensive technique that carried immense force.
"Boom..."
The Shockwave and slash collided violently. Yet the Shockwave was torn apart as easily as paper.
Baboon King's face filled with shock. However, he reacted swiftly, immediately using Shave to evade the attack. He then sent a Tempest Kick Slash flying toward Moke.
His counterattack came without the slightest hesitation.
Moke launched another "Tempest Kick: Ghostflame Slash!"
The two Tempest Kick Slashes collided head-on. Yet Moke's Tempest Kick: Ghostflame Slash remained as powerful as ever. Baboon King's Tempest Kick Slash was just like the Shockwave from before.
It was split in two, while Tempest Kick: Ghostflame Slash continued onward without losing momentum, heading straight for Baboon King.
"How is that possible?"
Baboon King cried out in shock.
Moke's lips curled upward slightly. "You can see through other people's moves at a glance and even learn them. But you forgot that your own strength is the foundation. If you aren't strong enough, then even if you learn someone else's moves, it still won't make up for your own lack of strength."
It had to be said that this Devil Fruit Ability was truly incredible.
It could save its user a great deal of time and effort spent training techniques. On top of that, it allowed him to gather countless moves into one arsenal to deal with all kinds of situations.
Under such circumstances, he could overwhelmingly crush opponents whose strength was close to his own. He could even defeat some opponents who were somewhat stronger than him while at a disadvantage.
But before absolute strength... everything else was meaningless.
"Shave..."
This time, Moke held nothing back and went all out. After entering high-speed movement, he rushed before Baboon King. "Finger Pistol: Dragon Claw!"
This time, his Armament Haki erupted directly, all of it coating his hand.
At the same time, Ghost Aura wrapped around his hand as well.
The two terrifying powers raised Moke's attack to its peak.
Baboon King's expression changed repeatedly. Moke's words made perfect sense, but he still refused to accept them.
Who was he?
He was Champion Island's strongest fighting champion in a hundred years. How could he possibly lose to someone who could not even use the power he was best at?
If that happened, and he truly lost...
Then what would he amount to?
At that thought, his eyes narrowed. At the same time, he brought out his strongest trump card.
"Armament Haki Emission..."
Armament Haki coated his fist, and he threw a punch to meet Moke's Dragon Claw. For this final, strongest blow, he chose the fist he was best at.
"Boom..."
Their attacks slammed together fiercely. Baboon King's expression froze as he felt an irresistible force coming from Moke's hand.
Moke's expression also hardened, because he had likewise suffered a heavy blow.
"Clang..."
He was sent flying, yet he had not suffered even the slightest injury. He flipped through the air and landed steadily back on the ground.
He looked at Baboon King in surprise.
If he had not been mistaken, that had been Armament Haki Emission just now!
Moke was surprised, but Baboon King was utterly stunned. No, he was beginning to question his entire life. That punch just now had contained all his strength.
Yet he had never expected that he would not even be able to break through his opponent's defense.
Good lord!
He was the one whose mentality had shattered... How the hell was he supposed to keep fighting?
Only now did he realize that he had dug a hole for himself. He had thought he was getting a huge advantage, but in the end, he had gotten himself taken out instead.
Moke could also sense that Baboon King had lost his fighting spirit. He smiled brightly. "Are you admitting defeat?"
Baboon King's face darkened. "You're a freak!"
This fight had left him unconvinced.
Who would have thought this guy's body was so tough? He had taken Baboon King's strongest move head-on without suffering a scratch. It was downright absurd.
In the entire world, only Kaido could probably do that!
Moke asked, "Will you keep your word?"
Baboon King rolled his eyes. "I've always kept my word. But before that, I need to fulfill the bet I made with an old friend. Once that's over, I'll come find you..."
Moke nodded without hesitation. "Of course!"
After saying that, his gaze landed on Jesus Burgess at the edge of the arena.
Baboon King immediately understood something. Following Moke's gaze, he raised an eyebrow. "Jesus Burgess, so he's the one you came for! You've got a good eye. Unless something unexpected happens, he should be this year's fighting champion. And judging by the strength he has displayed, he is exceptionally outstanding even among all past champions. No wonder you came all this way..."
"Wahahahaha..."
Jesus Burgess also noticed the two of them looking his way and let out his trademark laugh.
To be honest, he had watched their entire battle. His blood had boiled with excitement... but he also understood that both of these men were stronger than him.
Especially Moke. A Swordmaster had used pure martial arts to suppress Baboon King, the man known as the strongest champion. It was simply unbelievable.
Moke said, "If you want to grow stronger quickly, you can't limit yourself to this tiny Champion Island. You need to go out and see the powerful people throughout the world. If you're willing to join my pirate crew, I'll take you to fight the strongest people in the world... What do you say?"
Jesus Burgess paused slightly.
He truly had not expected Moke to invite him. Then he let out his trademark laugh again. "Wahahahaha..."
Amid his laughter, he walked toward Moke.
Although he did not answer, his actions already said everything.
Moke was somewhat surprised. He truly had not expected Jesus Burgess to agree so readily.
Jesus Burgess walked up to Moke. "Captain..."
He then shot Baboon King an excited look. In his view, was there anything more exhilarating than being able to challenge the champion known as the strongest champion at any time?
Not to mention that he would also have a captain whose martial arts were just as terrifying.
For a fighter, the temptation was simply too great. After all, even becoming champion on Champion Island was already exciting enough.
"Fufufufu..."
However, at that moment, a peculiar voice rang out from one side.
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