Brook smirked as Admiral Kong rambled on with confidence. So, you’re here to hunt us down, but now you’re switching to defense? Fine by me.
Once we’ve tested our strength, we’ll slip away—what’re you gonna do about it?
Sure, Sengoku’s Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Great Buddha Form was tempting, enough to make Brook’s nonexistent heart race. But with Admiral Kong looming, capturing Sengoku was a pipe dream for the Hell Pirates.
Vegapunk’s analysis had also thrown a wrench in their plans. Their Seastone chamber method for recycling Devil Fruits wasn’t foolproof. Last time, they’d gotten lucky snagging three fruits, but it wasn’t a guaranteed jackpot. The experiment needed more data—more ability users to test.
Vegapunk had spotted a flaw in Brook’s setup: when seawater flooded the Seastone chamber, air rushed out, potentially letting the "devil" escape. Their success had been a fluke.
Pushing aside greed and distractions, Brook knew the Hell Pirates couldn’t take down Kong yet. The best outcome was a wary stalemate, both sides backing off.
Still, they’d probe everyone’s limits. If they could somehow overpower Kong, kidnapping Sengoku would be a done deal!
"Yohohoho! Let’s see how long you can keep that full-body Armament Haki shield up, Admiral!"
Brook grinned, summoning his Soul Reaper. Wraith generals materialized, some eerily familiar.
Kong’s eyes widened as he spotted Dawei’s ghostly form among them. Brook could force enemy souls to fight for him? That was downright sinister. In Kong’s mind, Brook’s death sentence just gained another count.
"Don’t worry, my Armament Haki’s got enough juice to haul you all in!"
After a brief rest, Kong’s soul felt steadier, though a faint sting lingered. He swore never to tank Brook’s soul attacks again—he’d counter with Haki emission from the start!
"Jahaha! Enough talk, sink into the dirt!"
Golden Lion Shiki clapped his hands, ignoring the chat between Kong and his captain. From the depths of the crater, Kong saw walls of earth collapse inward, burying him alive.
As he braced to leap out, a lightning bolt from above blasted him back, sealing him under the rubble. Brook’s crew knew this wouldn’t hurt Kong, but seeing his smug face falter was too good to pass up.
Sure enough, Kong erupted from the ground, his face stormy, no longer the invincible admiral he’d been in front of Sengoku.
"Yohohoho, Kong, don’t scowl like that—it ruins your tough-guy vibe! Come on, flash that cool, confident grin!"
Brook waved a hand, and a swarm of wraith generals, led by Dawei’s ghost, charged Kong, giving him no time to react.
Today, they’d test every trick in their arsenal on the admiral!
Kong wasn’t about to let Brook’s creepy moves touch him again. He’d grown wary of bizarre Devil Fruit powers—best to keep them at bay.
With a single Armament-Haki-charged fist, he shattered the wraith generals. But in a blink, they reformed behind Brook, rushing Kong again.
The other three Hell Pirates jumped in. Even if they couldn’t pierce Kong’s defenses, they’d chip away at his monstrous Haki reserves. Shiki summoned massive earthen fists to pummel Kong, daring him to maintain his Haki emission forever.
Redfield, realizing he couldn’t beat Kong outright, shifted to wearing him down, bombarding him with lightning strikes.
Charlotte Linlin had planned to follow Brook’s lead with soul attacks, but with Kong on defense, her soul powers were less effective. She switched to her trusty thundercloud Zeus and sun Prometheus, unleashing storms of fire and lightning.
Rear Admiral Sengoku burst from the rubble, glowing gold with fury, glaring at Newgate. Then his jaw dropped—his revered Admiral Kong was on the defensive? Unbelievable.
In past battles, admirals swept through enemies like a tsunami. Was Kong actually struggling against the Hell Pirates?
The bombardment dragged on for over an hour, but Kong’s Haki barrier held firm, convincing Brook that the admiral’s Haki pool was bottomless.
High above, the Golden Ark hovered nearby. Antonio had borrowed a flock of News Coo gulls from Mortomas, each carrying live-streaming Den Den Mushi to broadcast the battle.
At the same moment, screens on the Golden Ark, Golden Island, and Sky Islands along the Grand Line lit up with the clash!
Kaido, watching for the first time, was awestruck by the raw ferocity. His old kingdom wars felt like child’s play compared to this chaos of sword auras, shockwaves, thunder, flames, and towering earthen fists.
Most impressive was the sturdy man shrugging off every attack unscathed. In that moment, Kaido glimpsed his own future: to become the toughest, most unbreakable man alive, invincible against all! Google seaʀᴄh NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Newgate and Sengoku’s duel reached its climax first. Both fought desperately to aid their teammates, leveling half the island’s buildings—a destruction dwarfing even the five-way brawl nearby.
Newgate clinched victory with a single decisive blow. Navy soldiers scrambled to drag the defeated Sengoku to safety, while Newgate, exhausted, could only watch him retreat.
Too drained to help Brook’s group, Newgate was hauled back to the Golden Ark by Fishman Tom and treated by ship doctor Crocus.
Kong, having weathered Brook’s quartet of attacks, seemed to have their moves figured out. Seeing Sengoku’s retreat, he dropped his defensive stance.
"Hmph, think I’ve been turtling just to take hits? I’ve analyzed every one of your moves and their strength—you’re not escaping!"
Kong’s confident grin returned. Taking punishment was a rite of passage for pure martial artists like him, a chance to spot enemy weaknesses amid the blows.
He zeroed in on Shiki first. Slower than Redfield and Brook, less durable than Linlin, he was the weak link.
Kong roared, his body glowing red, wreathed in white steam. His speed surged, and he vanished, reappearing to land a devastating fist on Shiki, sending him flying with a spray of blood.
+188 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg