Pteranodon

In Nyx's eyes, Shakky had even greater potential than she did. Once Shakky matured, she could become a central figure in the Rocks Pirates.

She might not measure up to the real monsters, but she would not fall far short of the Marines' two newest admirals.

Those two admirals' strength was somewhat overstated. Most who became Marine Admirals were the best of the best, standouts even among admiral-level fighters.

Those two merely had admiral-level combat power. Even so, they ranked among the strongest on the seas.

It was easy to imagine how far Shakky might go. That was why Nyx wanted to bring her and Hades together.

What Hades had told Bane had already reached Nyx.

Naturally, Nyx felt obliged to look out for Hades and choose a suitable partner for him.

These days, the only people she cared about were Hades and any children he might have.

Jaeger was dead. Hades was her only family, and she could hardly wait to hold a grandchild.

"Hah!"

Sensing danger, the pteranodon spread its wings and darted from side to side, deftly evading the piercing blasts of air.

Hades sighed. The attack looked impressive, but its accuracy left much to be desired. It worked well enough up close; landing a precise hit at long range would take a great deal of practice.

Thunder Flash packed tremendous power, with Hades compressing its force to the limit. But power meant nothing if it missed.

Still, Hades had never expected to bring down the pteranodon so easily.

After dodging the barrage, the pteranodon gave Hades a mocking look and continued its dive.

That had only been a warm-up. Hades leaped, took several steps through the air, and soared straight toward it.

In the air, the pteranodon was faster than he was.

It swept down, its blade-like wings slicing through the air toward Hades's neck.

It had spotted his vulnerable point at a glance.

To the pteranodon, Hades was no different from the monkeys and gorillas on the next hill. He was just smaller and less hairy.

It had never tasted this kind of "monkey" before. Now was its chance.

"Wandering Dragon!"

Hades moved with a snake's agility, shifting position in midair by a hair's breadth. His practiced footwork let him tread the air as though it were solid ground.

In an instant, he appeared on the pteranodon's right.

"Thunder Flash!"

At such close range, beams of light easily pierced its wing, leaving bloody holes behind.

The pain drew an enraged screech from the pteranodon, and it launched a furious counterattack against the little creature.

But its movements were too obvious. Even in midair, Hades moved freely, avoiding each strike by the narrowest margin.

Over the past month, his battles with Shakky and his mother had sharpened his fighting skills enormously. He fought for hours every day, absorbing everything he could learn like a sponge.

More importantly, he had digested all he had learned before and could now put it to use in battle.

From below, Hades's fighting looked like an art. He danced on a knife's edge, controlling the rhythm of the battle so perfectly that the pteranodon had no choice but to follow his lead.

Its mastery of the air gave it no advantage against him. His nimble movements made every attack miss, driving it into a frenzy.

Hades was leading it on a chase.

Was Hades actually stronger than it? Not really.

Its wings were razor-sharp. Combined with its speed, they were terrifying weapons.

And those wings had been tempered by Haki, making them as hard as steel.

Once Hades truly angered it, Thunder Flash could no longer break through its defenses as easily as before. The pteranodon had underestimated him at first.

Hades had yet to show everything he could do. Instead, he practiced his techniques amid the danger.

Real combat offered far more experience than routine training on a practice ground.

The pteranodon beat its wings, whipping up fierce winds to disrupt Hades's movement through the air.

Hades's eyes lit up.

"Eight Extremes: Hurricane!"

He burst forward with astonishing speed, as though the wind itself were pushing him along.

A faint gale swirled around his right leg. Guided by his technique, the wind became his ally instead.

His kick tore through the air with a shriek like a beast's roar and slammed into the pteranodon's neck.

Crack! The force snapped the pteranodon's neck to one side and sent its whole body crashing into the ground.

Compared with its sturdy body and wings, its neck was far more vulnerable.

Its powerful vitality kept it alive, but the blow knocked it unconscious.

One pteranodon was nothing special.

The fact that it lived on the outskirts of Beast Island meant it sat near the bottom of Rusukaina Island's food chain. Far more vicious monsters lived deeper inland.

That was only to be expected. Even a Great Pirate with a bounty over a hundred million would struggle to survive on this island.

Nyx had never visited the island herself. She had only heard about it from Shakky.

Hades's Observation Haki swept across the entire island at once. Beast after beast appeared in his mind, their savage forms clear before him.

Ferocious presences, monstrous strength, the roars of beasts—fighting raged everywhere.

The Beast Kings who ruled their own territories were especially formidable. Even Hades found their strength frightening.

The island had retained its primeval character, and its beasts carried the blood of ancient predators and giant creatures.

One giant ape stood over twenty meters tall. Black material coated its fur, forming armor-like protection.

A leopard ambushed it, claws coated in Armament Haki, yet could not leave so much as a scratch. The gap between their Haki was too great.

The giant ape pounded its chest with both fists and roared. Its overwhelming ferocity froze the leopard in place.

Armament Haki erupted from the ape. It twisted and brought one fist down, shaking the earth and crushing the leopard into pulp before it could even struggle.

Then it tore a giant saber-toothed tiger in half with its bare hands.

That was what happened to those who challenged a Beast King.

Such strength was terrifying, especially the quality of their Haki. These giant beasts held a natural advantage.

Hades might have even greater potential, but he was still young and had yet to reach his full strength.

That only excited him more. On this island, he could thoroughly temper his Three Types of Haki, Body Techniques, physique, and fierce aura.

He could hardly wait to grow stronger. Without enough strength, he would never feel safe. So he would simply have to become stronger still.