Outside Marine Headquarters, above the boundless sea.
The azure light that was Beltz sped forward, while the robust figure behind him followed like a maggot on a rotting bone. Kong's monumental rage had almost condensed into substance, carving an invisible, scorching trajectory between the sea and sky.
A dignified Fleet Admiral of the Navy was chasing him, yet Beltz didn't panic in the slightest. He would have been worried if Garp or Sengoku were the pursuers, but Kong was a different story.
The Admirals of Kong's generation were of average strength; his peers had been casually killed by Rocks during his escape. However, fighting right at Marine Headquarters was still a bad idea—there were too many Marines there, and they were all elites. Though most were "fledglings," there were Vice Admirals who, while no threat to Beltz's life, could cause significant interference. One only needs to look at Oden or Luffy during their fights with Kaido to know the consequences of being distracted in battle.
Thus, he flew far from Headquarters, with Kong trailing him the entire way. Noticing a small island ahead, Beltz plummeted toward it. He couldn't fight Kong in the sky; as a Devil Fruit user, falling into the ocean after taking a hit would be game over. He needed a solid battlefield.
Almost simultaneously, Kong crashed down opposite him like a meteorite, the rocks beneath his feet shattering in a radial pattern. He straightened up, eyes burning with fury as he looked at Beltz, who had actively stopped to wait.
"What an arrogant brat!"
"Pity it's thirty-plus years too early, or I could take your head and trade it for 5 billion Berries!" Beltz said, looking at Kong.
"5 billion?" Kong frowned, not quite understanding the reference.
Naturally, he didn't know—this was the Navy bounty created by Buggy thirty-five years in the future, where a Fleet Admiral was valued at 5 billion Berries. 5 billion was no small sum; even for the wealthy Beltz, it would be a nice bit of income. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to cash that in right now.
Beltz immediately entered his Dragon-Human form!
BOOM!
Cyan-black dragon scales emerged from beneath his skin, and as his dragon tail lashed, powerful energy leaked into the surroundings.
"What?!" Kong was shocked by the transformation. "So you're the thief!"
Seeing this form, everything clicked. This was the thief who had stolen the Celestial Dragons' treasures and Devil Fruits at God Valley!
"Correct, but unfortunately there's no prize, only punishment!" Beltz growled. "I'm going to kill you!"
Yes, he intended to kill Kong. This wasn't a whim; he had planned this before arriving, which was why he went through the trouble of luring Garp and Sengoku away. As for the reason, it was simple: he wanted to conduct an experiment.
He wanted to see if a person from the One Piece world, taken to the Bleach world at the exact moment before death, would produce a soul. If a soul was produced, would they be considered a denizen of the Pirate world or the Soul Society? If the latter, it meant he could drag the dying from this world into the other, creating permanent residents who wouldn't drain his energy to maintain their existence.
An experiment like this was useless on ordinary people; their souls were too weak to show meaningful results. A Fleet Admiral like Kong was perfect. Furthermore, Kong was the future Commander-in-chief of the World Government; killing him now would be a contribution to the future peace of the world.
BOOM!
Beltz knew time was tight. If the fight dragged on, the Navy's fleet would arrive. Furthermore, he didn't know how long Shiki could hold out. According to the "Chapter 0" lore, Shiki would drive Roger to the brink before losing to a massive storm—but that didn't mean much. Roger was driven to the brink often, yet always survived. Beltz couldn't rely on fate; as an ally, he needed to help Shiki. With Garp and Sengoku out at sea, they could return at any moment.
He had to end this quickly.
Kotodama: Bronze Throne!
His body strengthened further, his scaled skin taking on a metallic bronze luster as boundless power surged within him. From the start, he went all out!
Kong, having sworn to capture the "Azure Dragon Thief," met him head-on. Knowing his opponent was powerful, Kong threw a devastatingly heavy punch.
BOOM!
He actually possessed Conqueror's Haki as well!
With both Conqueror's and Armament Haki coating his fist, this strike represented his absolute killing intent. However, Beltz met it with his own punch. Though only coated in Armament Haki, when combined with his current abilities and his innate Conqueror's shroud, the impact was monumental.
It was like two meteors colliding!
The island shook as black lightning crackled and snaked across the sky. Just like in the lab, the collision caused a massive explosion. Centered on the two, the solid rock layer collapsed like a crushed biscuit. A crater over 300 meters wide and a dozen meters deep formed instantly. The shockwave snapped every tree for hundreds of meters around.
What?!
After the dust settled, it was Fleet Admiral Kong who was sent flying! Kong's eyes widened; he never expected his physical strength to be surpassed by this brat. He crashed through the trees further away, leveling several of them.
And Beltz... remained motionless. Though he didn't follow up immediately, he stood exactly where he had been. Kong's punch had caused him almost zero damage. This was his specialty: in terms of defense, there were few in the Pirate world who could rival him.
"Great King of Fire!"
Beltz opened his mouth and exhaled a pillar of fire! This blazing breath was like a ray of light shot from the sun; the temperature of the entire island began to skyrocket. Kong's arms were still trembling from the previous clash, so seeing the fire coming, he could only kick out with a Rankyaku!
The air blade slammed into the fire, but it couldn't stop its path. Kong had to leap upward to avoid the pillar.
KABOOM!
The fire tore through his previous position, shot past the island, and extended far across the sea. The vast ocean surface vaporized instantly from the heat, leaving a long, steaming path through the waves.
"You brat..." Kong said gravely. "In just three short years, you've grown to this level!"
According to intelligence from three years ago at God Valley, Beltz had been elusive but certainly didn't possess this kind of power.
"There's plenty you haven't imagined."
Beltz used Hirenkyaku, blurring toward Kong to throw another punch. Kong blocked with both arms, triggering another terrifying Haki clash. Black lightning spread across the island as they flickered in and out of sight, clashing again and again.
Beltz had underestimated Kong slightly; he hadn't expected the man to possess Conqueror's Haki, let alone the ability to coat his attacks with it. However, Beltz still held a firm upper hand. But the fight was taking too long...
He couldn't wait any longer. He could already sense Navy warships rushing toward the area.
In that case...
He kicked Kong hard, while one of Kong's fists slammed into Beltz's face. Beltz's head tilted slightly, but Kong was sent tumbling backward again. Then, Beltz clenched both hands, and in an instant, he commandeered every gust of wind within a 10-kilometer radius!
The airflow of the surrounding sea went berserk. Invisible winds were forcibly gathered like ten thousand rivers returning to the sea, forming rotating milky-white bands of air that surged into the sky above the island. A highly concentrated sphere of plasma, its internal temperature rising exponentially, began to take form!
This was the strike he used to kill Ochoku—but it wasn't that simple. Back then, it was just a prototype. This was the true finishing move.
"Kotodama: Black Sun!"
Not just wind, but fire! Plasma, storm, and flame—three violent natural forces were forcibly compressed and fused. Above Beltz, a black sun of expanding diameter slowly rotated into existence. It didn't emit light; instead, it seemed to devour it. The surrounding space blurred from the heat, rocks below began to spontaneously combust, and the air wailed as it burned.
"!!!"
Seeing that black sun, Kong felt an instinctive surge of primal terror. He knew he was no match for Beltz in a short burst, but he thought he could hold out until the fleet arrived. Now, his instincts were screaming at him to run.
"Bastard!" Kong used Soru to reach Beltz, throwing a punch. He couldn't let this move be completed!
But Beltz was a Psychologist. In that instant, he split his personality into three: one to continue gathering wind and plasma, one to convert the plasma into the Black Sun, and one to block Kong's strike! Splitting his mind was no difficult task. While his physical combat power dipped slightly, it wasn't enough for Kong to take him down.
The Black Sun, even before being fully formed, was already exerting immense power. The heat caused everything nearby to ignite. Kong, feeling the scorching heat within his own body, gritted his teeth and continued his assault.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
They traded blows, the earth shattering, mountains crumbling, and rivers evaporating. In the outer sea, the Navy fleet had arrived, but as they prepared to enter the zone, they felt the wind change. All the wind was being pulled by a massive gravitational source, causing their ships to accelerate toward the island!
"No!" Kong realized the Black Sun behind Beltz was becoming too horrific. He roared, "Everyone, run!"
He was the first to turn tail, realizing he couldn't stop it.
"Think you can run?!"
Beltz held the black sun aloft and roared: "Kotodama: Black Sun!"
KABOOM!
When the wind was compressed to the limit and the plasma had expanded fully, the Black Sun reached its peak. Then... it began to contract. The sun acted like a black hole, releasing a massive suction force. This wasn't just wind—everything was being pulled in. Fallen trees, boulders, everything within a three-kilometer radius was sucked toward the black orb. Before they even reached it, they were ground into dust, either burned away or crushed by the pressure.
Even the fleeing Kong felt his body freeze, a massive force dragging him backward! When the suction reached its peak, the collapse began. The black sun contracted into a single "point"—a black dot—and then, from that point, it spat out absolute destruction!
BOOM!
All the matter previously swallowed only served to enhance the plasma's destructive power. Bolstered by black flames, a light of black annihilation spread out, and the entire island was swallowed by black fire in an instant. The fire spread across the sea, consuming the approaching fleet before they could even turn around.
And Fleet Admiral Kong bore the brunt of it. Being the closest, the force of the Black Sun's explosion slammed into him, making him cough up a massive amount of blood.