Rejecting Black Maria
Ryōsuke felt absolutely nothing as he watched Ulti's attack approach. He simply reached out his left hand and blocked her charging head. Their collision generated a terrifying shockwave.
Ulti was going all out, the veins on her forehead bulging, yet she still couldn't break through the man's left hand. She couldn't even manage to cripple his arm. A deep sense of dread welled up in her heart. *'How could he block my strongest attack with just his left hand?'*
*'Just how strong is this guy?'* In that instant, a trace of regret washed over her. If she lost, she would really have to bear his child. *'No, absolutely not!'* She pushed with even greater force, but he remained completely immovable.
Even focusing all her strength into her head was useless. She still couldn't budge him an inch.
Ryōsuke had given Ulti more than enough time to show what she could do. Now, it was his turn. Clenching his right fist, he viciously slammed it into Ulti's stomach. The blow sank deep into her abdomen.
Ulti instantly felt an agonizing pain. Her body collapsed involuntarily, dropping to her knees on the floor. It hurt. It hurt so much.
Ryōsuke looked down at the fallen Ulti. He had actually used a relatively weak amount of force; otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up like this. She would have shared the exact same fate as Jack the Drought—knocked unconscious on the spot. However, since Ulti was going to bear his children, he needed to treat her with some care. Still, he couldn't just not hit her, so this level of force was just right.
His effortless defeat of Ulti left everyone else in the room completely stunned. The two Lead Performers stared at the man with newfound caution. To defeat Ulti in a single strike meant this man's strength was far from simple; it felt as though it exceeded their very imaginations.
It might even be above their own. After all, unless they launched a sneak attack, facing Ulti's strike head-on would require them to carefully dodge or struggle to resist it. They certainly couldn't block it so easily. Furthermore, Ulti's Pachycephalosaurus form boasted incredibly high defense. Even if the two Lead Performers threw a full-power punch, they wouldn't be able to force her to her knees.
Yet this man had done it with ease. It seemed Yamato had truly found herself an extraordinary man this time.
The other Tobi Roppo members were even more shocked, a hint of fear creeping into their hearts. Facing Ulti's full-power attack, the aura he had unleashed in that split second made them feel a terrifying presence akin to Kaido himself. Their strength was roughly on par with Ulti's; even if they were stronger, it wasn't by much. If they stepped up to fight this man, the outcome would likely be exactly the same.
Page One's face twisted in fury. "You bastard, how dare you do that to my sister!"
He prepared to activate his Devil Fruit powers and transform into his Spinosaurus form to attack the man. Anyone who dared to bully his sister was going to pay, regardless of how strong they were.
By now, the pain in Ulti's stomach had eased considerably. She hurriedly cried out, "Pay-Pay, don't attack!"
This man was strong. He gave her a terrifying feeling, and if Pay-Pay stepped in, he would definitely get beaten to tears. She had a very strong intuition about this. Seeing his sister speak up, Page One had no choice but to stand down.
Ryōsuke paid no attention to his words. Instead, he looked at Ulti and said, "I assume you'll keep your end of the promise. Yamato, let's go."
With that, he began walking toward the top floor. He had just spotted the stairs anyway.
Yamato immediately followed after him, feeling a little dissatisfied in her heart. *'What a womanizer. What's so great about having kids anyway? Why is he so obsessed with it?'*
However, business came first right now. At that moment, Black Maria smiled and spoke up. "Please wait a moment, handsome. I'd be willing to bear your children too."
Yamato's expression instantly soured upon hearing this. *'Another woman trying to steal my man. How infuriating.'*
"Ryōsuke doesn't need you to bear his children!"
Ryōsuke looked at Black Maria, the giant beauty. She had a very close relationship with Kaido, possibly even being his mistress. He flatly refused. "No need. I don't want an old woman."
Black Maria froze, a surge of anger rising in her chest. No one had ever dared to call her old before. She really wanted to beat him to death, but she didn't dare make a move.
Hearing Ryōsuke's words, Yamato immediately felt relieved. She didn't want Ryōsuke to have too many women; adding just Ulti was more than enough. The two then continued toward the staircase.
Having displayed such overwhelming strength, naturally, no one was willing to stop Ryōsuke. Instead, the others followed behind them. With Yamato having such a powerful man, if he went up against Kaido, it would probably be quite the show.
They wondered if he would join the Beast Pirates or end up clashing with Kaido. After all, the relationship between Kaido and Yamato was far from a normal father-daughter dynamic.
Of course, no matter how strong this man was, they didn't believe he was a match for Lord Kaido. After all, Lord Kaido was a monster of land, sea, and air. He was one of the Four Emperors of this world, standing at the very pinnacle of existence.
Page One was also intrigued by now. He wanted to see this man get beaten to the ground by Kaido of the Beasts. It would avenge his sister. "Sis, let's follow them and watch. They're heading upstairs."
Hearing this, Ulti also felt a spark of interest. If this guy went up against Lord Kaido, she wondered who would prove stronger. If he was actually stronger than Kaido, she wouldn't mind bearing his children—willingly, of course.
"Let's go, Pay-Pay. We're going too." She struggled to her feet and made her way toward the stairs.
Walking ahead, Yamato noticed that the Tobi Roppo and the two Lead Performers were actually following them. She felt a bit worried, but she couldn't exactly chase them back down. Doing so would only arouse more suspicion. She could only place her hopes on Ryōsuke.
Seeing Ryōsuke's calm and composed demeanor, she felt much more at ease. After ascending the long staircase, they arrived at the top floor. There, Ryōsuke saw the over seven-meter-tall Kaido of the Beasts. With horns on his head and exuding a formidable aura, he was sleeping on his side.
In front of him sat a massive liquor bottle. It seemed he was drunk.
Ryōsuke recognized Kaido's strength; his sensory perception was truly astonishing. Kaido's aura was leaps and bounds stronger than even King and the others. He truly lived up to his title as one of the Four Emperors, the most terrifying creature in this world. If he hadn't held back and been careless, Straw Hat Luffy and his crew would never have had any chance of victory.
He instructed Yamato beside him, "Stay here. I'll go over myself."
"Okay," Yamato agreed.
Everything depended on Ryōsuke now. Even if she stepped in, she wouldn't be of much help. Although she had been able to exchange a few blows with Kaido in the past, she always felt he had never taken her seriously.
The trailing Tobi Roppo and the two Lead Performers watched quietly, wondering how these two would clash. Would they talk things out, or would they immediately break into a massive fight over a single disagreement?