"Kabababa~~ Long time no see, Bazel!"
"Hey, Brogy, I should be the one to greet him first!"
"No way, Dorry! Don't forget, I won last time!"
"Bastard, that was in the past! I've gotten stronger now. Let's fight again if you dare!"
"Fight it is! You think I'm afraid of you, you bastard Dorry!!"
Before Bazel could even raise his hand to say 'long time no see', he watched as the two giants dropped their weapons and started brawling.
Punch for punch, turn-based attacks that made Bazel cover his face.
"I said, you two…"
Boom…!!!
An overwhelming aura erupted from Bazel's body!
Not far away, Adams, who was being held by the neck by King, suddenly widened his eyes, "This… this Haki! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several streams of blood spurted out of his mouth.
"Conqueror's Haki of this level… I refuse to acknowledge…"
King glanced at the enemy, who is refusing to acknowledge the truth in his hand, snorted, and casually tossed him aside.
"Throw their bodies into the underworld. Don't let them clutter the place."
"Yes, sir!!"
Inside the bar, Mato covered her mouth in surprise:
"Toki-san, your lover's aura is so strong. I've only felt something like this from King Harald before."
Toki tried to contain her pride, forcing a smile, "It's nothing special~ Bazel just likes to act recklessly~"
Deep in the underworld, the sleeping Loki suddenly opened his eyes.
His demon-like vertical pupils seemed to pierce through the ice and snow, reaching the edge of the underworld.
"Such powerful Conqueror's Haki!!"
Gripping his warhammer, Ragnir, he stood up and charged toward the source of the Conqueror's Haki.
"What a worthy opponent!!!"
The two giants, still in the midst of their brawl, stopped their punches and sat down cross-legged.
Brogy scratched his head helplessly: "Alright, Bazel, quickly retract your Conqueror's Haki. This is the Land of Giants."
"Such behavior will be seen as a provocation."
Only then did Bazel restrain his aura.
"Long time no see. You two are still so childish."
"This isn't childishness! We are fated friends and rivals!"
Dorry rubbed his fists, looking eager.
"I must settle the score with Brogy! Only I, Dorry, am the strongest giant warrior!"
"But now isn't the time for that. Bazel, come with us. Harald wants to see you."
"He's very interested in the man who defeated us…"
"Wait, Dorry."
Brogy suddenly looked puzzled, his eyes darting left and right.
"Bazel, why are you alone? Where's Captain Kaido?"
"He went out to have some fun a while ago. Most likely, he can't make it in time."
Bazel was extremely displeased that Kaido had ignored his advice and insisted on staying on Whole Cake Island, nearly getting himself killed in the process.
Being stubborn or battle-hungry was one thing, but you had to know who you were up against!
Sengoku + Garp + several Marines + possibly the God's Knights VS remnants of the Rocks Pirates + a potentially fleeing Golden Lion.
Was this a lineup Kaido could handle right now?
Staying on Whole Cake Island was practically asking for death.
To put it nicely, Wang Zhi and the others were remnants of the Rocks Pirates.
To put it bluntly, the truly famous members of the Rocks Pirates were only a handful.
Shiki the Golden Lion, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, Big Mom, and the later Kaido.
As for characters like Wang Zhi and Ganzui, they were, at best, Yonko Commander level.
Even if the God's Knights didn't participate in that Buster Call, Garp alone, having eaten the Goro Goro no Mi, could easily defeat everyone except Shiki and Big Mom.
The current Kaido wasn't the Kaido of ten or twenty years later.
At just 30 years old, he was still in his growth phase, not his peak.
Whether it was his three types of Haki or his physical attributes, there was still significant room for improvement.
If the 40-50 year old Kaido were transported to this era, he might have been able to exchange a few blows with Garp.
And that prerequisite would be that Garp hadn't eaten the Goro Goro no Mi.
To be honest, Bazel wouldn't be surprised if Kaido got captured and imprisoned.
"Have some fun?" Brogy clearly didn't quite understand the meaning of the word.
Bazel could sense the stupidity and confusion in the other party's clear gaze.
"He went out to fight. He's still recuperating in Paradise right now."
Brogy finally let it go, though he kept sighing about how unfortunate it was that Kaido couldn't make it.
"This time, Dorry and I specifically 'borrowed', cough… some royal wine from Harald in advance."
"It's super aged wine that's been stored for over a hundred years!"
"We wanted to let you guys taste it. Looks like Kaido doesn't have that fortune."
'Hundred-year-old wine?'
Bazel licked his lips, his stomach rumbling with alcohol cravings.
Fortunately, serious matters were still weighing on his mind. Bazel immediately suggested they all go to the upper world to meet Harald first.
"Mate, mate, mate!"
Suddenly, a loud roar and the crashing sound of falling trees erupted from the snowy forest in the distance.
"Fight me first! I am Loki! Let me see the spirit of a human pirate!!"
An overwhelming aura pressed down toward Bazel.
"Impressive momentum!"
Reacting quickly, Bazel dashed to the front of the bar, his eyes narrowing.
An equally ferocious aura burst from his body, clashing head-on with the Conqueror's Haki released by Loki.
Boom…!!
The clouds churned, and the earth trembled!
Everyone who witnessed this was stunned.
"Gear 3!!!"
"Setting Sun Body!"
Instantly activating Gear 3, Bazel took a heavy step forward, his entire body transforming into a crimson streak of light as he charged toward his opponent.
His right arm, wrapped in two types of Haki, unleashed a Solar Mirage directly at Loki, who had just revealed himself.
"Wahahaha, let's fight, Loki!!"
Bazel's wild laughter blasted away the snowflakes around him.
Fist and hammer collided mid-air.
Loki's blood-red vertical pupils burned with fighting spirit and madness, his tongue lolling out and the corners of his mouth quirking upward.
"Then let's greet each other like men, human pirate!!"
Bang!
The fist deflected the hammer. Bazel, having jumped up, delivered a powerful punch square to Loki's face.
Not to be outdone, after taking the hit, Loki used the momentum to spin backward. The head of his hammer traced an arcane trajectory, striking Bazel's body directly.
His massive form then crashed through countless large pine trees, sending him flying deep into the forest.
Bazel, meanwhile, coughed up a mouthful of blood, his entire body soaring into the sky.
"Incredible strength! As expected of Bazel, the man who defeated Brogy! With power like this, I acknowledge you!"
Digging his fingers into the ground to halt his backward flight, Loki stood up and spat out a bloody glob.
He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Conqueror's Haki coiled around his hammer.
Crouching down to build power, the ground beneath him cracked like a spiderweb under the immense force as Loki launched himself into the sky.
As he leaped, his body spun, using the rotational force to amplify the power of his next strike.
Loki believed Bazel wouldn't dodge.
He didn't know why he felt this way, but he knew he 'liked' this man!
This man carried an aura very similar to his own!!
A sense of camaraderie, of shared hardship, spontaneously arose.
But this was no reason for Loki to hold back.
It was precisely because he admired him that he had to go all out… this was the Giants' tradition!
A sacred duel must never be compromised by personal feelings.
High within the churning clouds at that moment.
Bazel did not fall as expected.
"Let me show you the perfect form of Gear 3."
The clouds obscuring his vision were dispersed by a palm strike. Bazel appeared, his limbs wreathed in crimson flame clouds!
"Bazel… No, wait!!"
King, watching from the ground, suddenly widened his eyes, "How can that guy fly?!"
"It's not flying… well, not exactly."
Hanafuda's narrowed eyes flashed with red light.
"Flame Clouds! Kaido-sama's special ability, Flame Clouds!!"
"Bazel is using the Yamata no Orochi Fruit's ability to manipulate flames, creating flame clouds strong enough to support his body weight. Look at his ankles!"
"Those crimson flame clouds wrapped around his limbs grant him the ability to fly!"
The two types of Haki receded into his arms.
After Bazel took a breath, his arms suddenly turned translucent, like colored glaze, in a red-gold hue.
Just like the state of his arms when using Solar Mirage!
His chest, around his heart, also turned transparent, revealing the heart itself, now transformed into a transparent red-gold color.
Countless golden blood vessels extended from the heart in all directions, resembling a bustling, brightly lit city street at night.
"Gear 3: Setting Sun Body, Deification!"
Bazel, having activated the complete version of Gear 3, raised his head, his gaze fixed directly on Loki, who was shooting toward him.
His right fist hammered toward his side.
Fist and hammer collided mid-air once more, but under a massive explosive shockwave, the hammerhead was blasted aside.
Along with it, the surrounding clouds were swept away!
A wave of heat rushed toward Loki's chest, his expression shifting slightly.
Damn!
"An opening."
Bazel didn't hesitate for a moment, unleashing his left fist.
"In this state, every strike of mine is an enhanced Solar Mirage. Feel the judgment of the scorching sun, Loki!"