Chapter 272: A Battle That Stuns the Five Elders!
The battlefield trembled.
Even the ever-composed King found himself momentarily stunned.
Najenda's words weren't empty provocations—they carried weight and brutal logic.
"Think about it," she said. "Kaido's crew has the Three Calamities. Each of them could suppress one member of our First Division."
And that much was true.
On Kaido's side: Jack the Drought, Queen the Plague, King the Wildfire.
And on the Dragon Hunter Pirates' First Division?
A deadly sniper—Mine.
A killing machine—Red Eye.
And a newcomer whose strength was still unknown, but certainly not ordinary.
If each of them were locked in battle, who would hold the line against the rest of Kaido's army?
"The rest of our crew can't rely on the riffraff still loitering on the ship," Najenda continued.
Three of the Six Sky Disciples were here too, but King knew better. Putting all the pressure on them wasn't his style.
If the main combatants were locked down, and no reinforcements could arrive in time…
The others would be picked off—one by one.
And King, despite his fiery pride, wasn't about to let that happen.
"These are Kaido's core men," he growled. "Losing them here? Out of the question."
"So…" he narrowed his gaze at Najenda, "…what are you suggesting?"
There was no hesitation in her stance. No bluff in her tone.
Clearly, she'd already thought it through.
"We fight," Najenda said, her voice calm but firm. "No weapons. No tricks. We settle this with the purest kind of power."
BOOM!
She slammed her mechanical arm into the ground, sending a quake through the earth. Dust exploded upward. The impact alone made several Beasts Pirates shift in place.
King's eyes narrowed. That wasn't for show.
The power in her arm… it was real. Brutal. Unforgiving.
It made sense now—why she spoke with such confidence.
The Beasts Pirates were monsters known for brute force. Power was their trademark.
If this was going to be a contest of raw strength? They welcomed it.
But King was no fool. Something about this didn't sit right.
"You're serious?" he asked, voice low, dangerous.
"Do I look like Quinn to you?" Najenda sneered. "Of course I am."
"The rules are simple: no weapons, no killing. The loser must obey the winner's demands—but only on this island. Nothing involving death or betrayal. Everything else? Fair game."
As she stood upright, a surge of Haki exploded from her body. The others around her followed suit, their overwhelming presence blasting through the air like a storm.
The Beasts Pirates felt it too. Their instincts screamed in response.
King lips curled into a grin.
"Fine by me."
He turned to look at his companions. "Jack. Quinn. Any objections?"
"None!" Jack bellowed. "This is what we're made for!"
Quinn let out a loud laugh, cracking his knuckles. "No weapons? No problem! Devil Fruit powers are still on the table, right?"
Without waiting for a reply, Quinn's body twisted and grew—scales erupted, muscles bulged. In an instant, he transformed into a massive ancient brachiosaurus, towering over the field.
The ground quaked under his weight.
Najenda nodded coolly. "Devil Fruits are allowed. But so are our own powers."
She looked to her left. "Leone. You're up first."
Without a word, Leone stepped forward. Her expression calm. Focused.
"I may not be a dinosaur," she said, smirking at Quinn, "but I don't need to be."
She raised her hand—and in a flash of light, summoned her Imperial Arm.
Energy surged through her body. Her aura multiplied tenfold.
Just moments ago, she seemed like any other crew member.
Now? She looked like a beast ready to tear down a mountain.
"I've got this," she said.
Across the field, Drake—one of the Six Flying Fighters—stepped up in response.
His body shimmered, and in an instant, he too unleashed his Devil Fruit transformation.
The crowd stirred. Tension built.
And elsewhere—on the other side of the world—the world government watched.
---
In the Holy Land of Mariejois, deep within the fortress halls, the Five Elders sat in a shadowed room, eyes fixed on a projection of the battlefield.
"This just came from Morgans," said Saturn. "He said it's to make up for the failed livestream. Take a look."
Two live feeds flickered into view.
One showed a clash of titans—Ryuunosuke versus Kaido.
No swords. No fancy techniques. Just fists. Flesh. Power.
The island beneath them had already started to crumble. It was unknown how much longer it could hold.
According to Morgans' report, these two had been fighting for three days straight.
"Is that Ryuunosuke?" one Elder muttered. "The Dragon Hunter Captain?"
Mqrs furrowed his brow. "It doesn't make sense."
They had intel. Reports. Strength evaluations.
Kaido was one of the Four Emperors—his power was legendary.
But Ryuunosuke? From what they knew, he should have been able to overpower Kaido by now.
So why… were they evenly matched?
Was their information wrong?
Or… was this a game of deception?
Mars frowned. "There's something off here."
Another Elder added, "If Ryuunosuke's struggling with Kaido, he's not yet strong enough to take on the Navy's top forces."
"Unless," Saturn said quietly, "he's holding back… to lull us into underestimating him."
The room fell silent.
Then Saturn shifted the feed.
"Watch this. Look at his crew."
They turned to the second battle—the one between Najenda group and the Beasts Pirates.
And what they saw made their eyes narrow.
A swordsman—a member of Ryuunosuke's First Division, known for lethal one-hit kills—was… throwing fists?
She wasn't even using his sword.
Instead, she was slugging it out with Queen—in brachiosaurus form!
"This is like watching a Celestial Dragon pick up trash for community service!" one Elder exclaimed. "It makes no sense!"
Why would a swordsman give up her blade?
Why would the crew of the Dragon Hunter Pirates abandon their most efficient weapons?
And worse yet—she was losing.
The Five Elders exchanged uncertain glances.
"This can't be the whole story."
"Is Morgans playing games with us?" asked Wacury.
"Hard to say," Saturn replied. "But one thing is certain—there's no alliance between Ryuunosuke and Kaido. The Beasts Pirates wouldn't lower themselves like that."
The implications were troubling.
Could it be…
"They've lost their ability to fight normally!" Mars suddenly declared, slapping the table.
The others turned to him.
"That must be it! Something's happened! The Dragon Hunter Pirates—they're no longer able to use the fighting styles they're best at!"
The room filled with murmurs.
If that were true…
Then the tides of the New World were about to shift once again.
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