Chapter 342: ARMS MODE
Steel glowed red and heated in the flames, at this moment the large armor appeared more like an overcooked iron plate, sizzling and roasting Duke from every angle.
The BBQ chef gave this a thumbs up.
The steel plate kissed the skin, but the skin could not withstand such a fiery love, letting out a painful "sizzling" cry from the outside in.
The steel plate, heated to several hundred degrees, suddenly turned into a fluid and flowed down from Duke's body. His current appearance was unbearable to look at, with burns all over his body, some parts even resembling a well-cooked steak, charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
The wooden deck showed signs of scorching, and the broken ship's cabin crackled with flames, the orange molten iron gradually burned through the deck and poured into the lower deck.
"Boss!" Seeing the situation worsening, many pirates raised their weapons.
"I'll kill you!" Duke's bloodshot eyes widened. Ignoring the pain all over his body, he placed his hand on a spare steel plate. The steel plate, which was in a normal state, rapidly turned into a liquid, taking away the excess heat of the molten iron, and the solidified steel covered his body.
Duke, originally three meters tall, now swelled to over seven meters, making Genos appear like a mere child in front of him.
"I don't believe your flames can burn through such thick steel!" Duke moved, like a humanoid mecha, stomping toward Genos . The weight of his body pressed down on the deck, making the wooden floorboards creak under the strain.
The entire pirate ship trembled under the footsteps of the steel giant, and the waves of shock spread across the sea surface.
"With such a huge body, his agility is bound to be affected!" Genos calmly analyzed, his mechanical body surrounded by arcs of electricity, with thrusters on his shoulders and palms firing multiple jets of flame.
His figure disappeared before everyone's eyes.
"Machine Gun Fist!"
Duke sharply turned his head, and before him were the punch remnants of an impressionist's brush strokes, with steel fists that looked like realistic outlines.
With fire stripes hidden in the gaps, the wind howling around the fists, dozens of steel punches landed heavily on the chest and face of the steel giant within a second.
"Boom, boom, boom!" The sound of the punches echoed like several pile drivers, causing the pirates around them to cover their ears to block out the deafening noise.
The shockwaves came like continuous waves from the ocean, constantly pounding Duke, the steel giant.
It felt as if Duke was in a heavy metal nightclub, where the sharp metallic collision sounds caused ringing in his ears, and every powerful shock, like a heartbeat, disturbed the rhythm of his heart.
Genos landed punch after punch, leaving numerous dents in the smooth breastplate, causing the rigid faceplate to crack.
The steel armor served as an eggshell guarding Duke inside, while Genos intended to use his steel fists as kitchen tools to break through the tough eggshell.
"Get away!" An angry roar came from the faceplate. Massive palms, the size of beds, attacked Genos from both sides.
Genos swiftly flew upward, avoiding the double palm strike. His image only left a blur on Duke's retina. Then a massive force struck from the side, causing Duke to stagger and crush the deck underfoot, with his right foot sinking into the next layer of the ship's hull.
"It's over!" Genos clasped his hands together, transforming his futuristic weapons into a targeting system aimed at Duke's gigantic body. Orange flames danced between his fists, and terrifying energy began to gather within his mechanical body.
The helmet rotated, twisting his body by 120 degrees. The eyes, like those of a tropical reptile, flashed within the shadow of his eye sockets.
"What?!" Genos froze, just as a meteor-like fist came rushing toward him.
"Boom!"
It was like being hit by a heavy-duty truck. Genos , under the massive force, smashed through the pirate ship's side, flying into the air with shattered wood debris.
The surrounding pirates cheered for their boss's attack.
"Damn it!" Genos 's silicone face cracked, revealing part of his electronic eye. Electric sparks crackled on the circuit, "I got careless again!"
The turbines on his shoulders released flames, and Genos struggled to twist his body mid-air, controlling the flames to adjust his direction, successfully avoiding falling into the sea.
Trailing red arcs, Genos landed back on the pirate ship.
Deidara, riding on the back of a bird, smirked. "What's this? I was ready to go rescue him."
Duke forcibly yanked his right leg out, flipping up a large portion of the wooden deck. The damaged ship was clearly in need of a major repair.
"I'll tear you into scrap metal!" Before he finished Speaking, Duke threw a straight punch, the flowing steel filling his right arm, which suddenly stretched out.
The facial sensors felt the intense wind pressure as Duke's punch neared Genos 's face, ready to crush his skull and expose his original brain.
Genos , who had been trained by Scáthach and Esdeath, blocked Duke's left fist, deflecting the kinetic energy like a steel cannon, opening the enemy's defenses.
"Mechanical Hammer Fist!" Genos instantly separated his right fist, connected it to his arm by a wire, and launched it straight at Duke's head.
"Clang!" The sound of metal clashing rang out as the punch landed on Duke's face.
The steel giant staggered back, stepping into the broken deck again.
"Crack!" The separated steel fist quickly returned to Genos 's arm, and Genos rushed toward Duke again, his fists raining down on the enemy. "Machine Gun Fist!"
The sounds of pounding in the bathhouse started again, with steel kissing steel. The continuous, full-force pounding made Duke burn with rage.
"Your attacks don't even qualify as a massage!" The broken deck, under Duke's power, also turned into liquid, blending into his armor. His massive body swelled up again.
Genos was taken aback. "You can even turn wood into armor?!"
"Die!" The giant raised both fists again, and Genos focused, preparing to dodge. But suddenly, Duke's thick right leg swung upward like a supporting column, crashing through multiple layers of deck and kicking toward the devil-modified human.
"What—?!"
Genos tilted his head back and retreated quickly, narrowly avoiding the fatal kick. Using the blind spot, he rapidly moved behind the giant.
The pounding noises began again, and Duke, now balancing on one leg, lost his stability and stumbled forward.
"Clang, clang, clang—!" The heavy sound of metal clashing rang out like a battle drum. Genos 's attacks became faster, and the mixed armor of wood and steel continued to break apart, layer by layer, being forcibly peeled away.
Far in the distance, Gion used a telescope to watch the increasingly intense battle, Speaking in disbelief, "The one fighting the Seven Warlords is... 'The Devil Cyborg' Genos ?"
"Yes," Vice Admiral Tsuru replied coldly, "It seems that 96 million bounty is a bit too low for him."
"And, riding on the bird's back is the 'Explosion Artist' Deidara," Akame reminded the other two naval officers.
Gion smiled bitterly. "Akame-chan really knows a lot about the Dawn Pirates."
"The Dawn Pirates may be small in number, but each member's combat power is not to be underestimated. Even a regular member can hold their own against a Seven Warlord," Vice Admiral Tsuru explained into the transponder snail, "The Seven Warlord Duke is currently being pinned down by Genos ."
"..." Sengoku remained silent on the other end.
"Don't get too cocky!" The armor of Duke's body miraculously twisted 180 degrees, and the fluid at the joints quickly shifted, flipping the direction of his back and chest instantly.
"What?!"
Duke's massive palms slammed toward Genos , sending a blast of wind throughout the ship.
"Ugh…!"
Genos 's face showed more cracks, and the taste of plasma filled his mouth. His mechanical body sustained varying degrees of damage.
With a jump, Genos evaded the attack, landing where a pirate loudly cheered. Genos elbowed him, sending the pirate flying into the sea with a scream.
Genos spoke in a deep voice, "…How did he do that?"
Showing off his ability, Duke smiled smugly, radiating confidence from within his armor, his heavy armor unable to hide the pride emanating from him.
"My body can change direction within the armor. No matter how hard the steel is, I can easily reshape it from the inside!"
"I see…" During the battle, the ship, pushed by the waves, had drifted closer to the shore. Genos pointed to the shore, "This place is too cramped to unleash my full power. If I fall into the sea, it'll be over. You don't want to lose because of that, do you?"
Without waiting for Duke's answer, Genos flew toward the shore.
"Hmph!" Duke bent his massive body, his metal foot forcefully jumping off the pirate ship. The already damaged ship shattered into pieces as Duke made his jump.
"Boss! Our ship!" His subordinates shouted from the sea.
"We'll just take theirs!" Duke shouted over his shoulder as he jumped.
"They went to the shore to fight," Gion asked, "Should we move closer?"
After thinking for a while, Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded, "Let's approach slowly."
"Boom!"
Duke's massive armor landed heavily, shaking the earth and sending yellow sand flying.
"Ah—!" Sīshǐnò, on the Invincible Ship, let out a quiet scream.
"Damn metal giant, he destroyed the sand sculptures made by Sīshǐnò and Sīshìnā!" The puppet protested with a unique high-pitched voice. "Genos , take down that bastard!"
Even Kuina, standing nearby, clenched her sword hilt in frustration.
Wendy cheered loudly, "Go, Genos !"
On the Invincible Ship, Artoria raised an object the size of a cash box and shouted to Genos , "Catch it!"
The heavy box in Artoria's hands was light as a feather. At the moment of release, it shot through the air like an arrow toward Genos .
Genos caught the box, "Is this… the new weapon Da Vinci made for me?"
Pressing the button on the metal finger, the box split in half, transforming into two black metallic arms.
"Click," Genos didn't hesitate, sticking his hands inside, and the silver metal arms donned black armor.
"Oh?" Duke sneered, "A secret weapon? But do you know why I agreed to come fight on the shore?"
Particles of sand began to wrap around Duke's feet. "Because it was really affecting my strength on the ship!"
"This is..."
"Hahahaha—!" Duke's arrogant laugh echoed across the empty beach. He slowly walked forward, the yellow sand swirling around him like a giant dragon drinking water, forming into Duke's armor.
Ten meters, twelve meters, fifteen meters. Duke's body grew larger as he advanced!
"Oh?" Vice Admiral Tsuru was momentarily stunned. "I didn't expect him to have this kind of power. But… Gion , you can probably cut through his body with one strike, right?"
Gion smiled faintly. "Easily."
More than twenty meters tall, the monster made of yellow sand and steel suddenly accelerated, causing the ground to tremble. The strong wind blasted toward them, and Duke's massive body looked like it was styled with a slick back in the raging wind.
"Die!" The giant swung his arm, and the terrifying straight punch crashed down like Mount Tai.
Genos immediately accelerated, disappearing from sight and narrowly avoiding the thunderous attack.
An unimaginable force crashed into the sand, sending a massive shockwave outward. Pebbles flew in all directions like buckshot, and the sand beneath them created a deep crater with a diameter of twenty to thirty meters.
"Hahaha! Too afraid to block my attack?!" Duke laughed wildly, swinging his massive hands over the sand, kicking up a sandstorm.
Genos gripped his left wrist, and his internal energy core erupted with tremendous energy. 'Five more seconds until full charge for the Omni Energy Burn Cannon.'
"So, you're here!" Yellow sand danced across the beach as the giant, with the raging wind, charged straight toward Genos .
Blue electricity surrounded Genos , "This is my strongest attack—Burn Cannon!"
The ground beneath him collapsed as his fingers spread wide, and intense flames burst from his hands!
"Your flames can't burn through this thick armor!"
At that moment, the sun seemed to lose its light. Everyone's vision was filled with orange flames as the fire column roared toward the mixed monster!
"What—" Duke's voice carried a tone of surprise. "This little fire can't defeat me!"
The enormous body could not dodge in time, heading straight into the inferno.
"Ahhhh—!"
The strong force of the fire column pushed the giant back.
"What, what?"
The scorching heatwave burned the giant. Wood turned to ash, steel melted into molten iron, and sand crystallized under the intense flames.
"Ahhhh—!"
The previous wild laughter was now replaced with agonizing screams.
The body rolled through the molten iron, and Duke tried desperately to escape, but the hotter flames blocked him back.
The blazing fire column finally dissipated, and the steel knees of the giant touched the sand. Genos had almost used up all his energy.
The towering body, radiating intense heat, stood for several seconds before collapsing, from the ankles to the knees and then the hips, the sand and steel tower gradually crumbled.
"Two more days until the recording pointer is fully charged." Eric sighed, looking at his arms full of shopping bags. "I don't have any more space to carry stuff..."
The girls around him, Kurumi with a small purse, and Esdeath, Akame, and Ulti with only their personal weapons, were in a similar situation.
"I can't carry anymore, unless I stretch my neck to hang a couple more bags."
"Ah, Eric, that's a good idea."
Eric was about to complain when Ulti whispered, "Brother-in-law... do you want me to help carry some bags?"
No wonder people say a sister-in-law is...
"No, thank you, Ulti ." Eric smiled and declined.
Kurumi, with a playful smile, said, "Not just your neck, your mouth can also hold two more~"
"Please, spare me..."
"Hahaha."
"Hahaha—!" Their laughter mixed with Kurumi's wild laughter, making them pause. They turned toward the source of the noise, and Kurumi's shadow at her feet began to stir. Kurumi's clone popped halfway out and said, "The Seven Warlords, Duke, is coming to attack."
Eric suggested, "Let's head back."
The girls nodded.
(END CHAPTER)
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