"Thundering Hakken!"
Yamato raised Arceus and smashed it over Queen's head. Although this blow hit the target squarely, Queen's expression remained unchanged. Struck as he was, Queen didn't even use his Haki and simply dissipated under the blow.
"Damn it! Uncle Queen, can't you just fight me head-on?"
"I can't, Miss Yamato. Lord Arceus and Brother Kaidou have instructed me to fight with all my might, and this is my way of fighting. The enemy won't give you the opportunity to choose your battle method."
After the doppelganger dissipated, Queen's true form appeared there. In his Human-Beast Form, the four large leaves on his back shimmered with the sunlight, indicating his Synthesis was absorbing the sunlight to recover his energy.
At this moment, Queen also inherited the consistent trait of the Zoan-type Ability Users: as long as you can't kill me in one hit, I can slowly wear you down. Although he and Yamato both belong to the Zoan type, and Yamato is an even more advanced Mythical Zoan, any attack that can't hit the true body won't work.
Under Synthesis, the energy Queen used to create Stand was quickly restored.
"Ah! I hate this fighting style. Larvitar, have you rested enough?"
"Yuji!"
She still had the assistance of Larvitar. Larvitar's short hands crazily brushed the ground, sending a mass of dust into the sky, which, under Larvitar's power, blocked a small piece of the sky, specifically their battle area.
Even though it was not yet an adult and couldn't create a massive sandstorm like Tyranitar, it could actively release a sandstorm.
An ordinary sandstorm is an indiscriminate area attack, but Larvitar's sandstorm didn't do that because it was pointless.
Just a few months old, releasing a sandstorm was already taxing for it, and the meager sand damage barely affected Queen. It couldn't even forcibly reduce his health by one; its purpose was to block the sunlight and somewhat slow down Queen's recovery.
But due to lack of energy, it would soon need to rest again.
Larvitar was equivalent to a special auxiliary pet; Queen couldn't actively attack it, otherwise, Larvitar would have already exited the stage.
The interrupted sunlight halted Queen's Synthesis, but Queen wasn't in a rush to reclaim the weather. He was far more experienced in battle than Yamato and far more cunning and deceitful; he had many methods to deal with different situations.
Queen's tail tip suddenly split open, firing several specially made small shells. As soon as the shells hit the ground, they emitted a loud hissing sound. Recognizing that familiar sound, Yamato hurriedly dodged backward, as she had previously experienced Queen's custom weapons.
Since it was a fight between comrades, Queen didn't choose the torturous types; he released anesthetic or direct damage Plague Bombs. But as soon as Yamato landed, several plants entangled her ankles.
"These are Leech Seeds, Miss Yamato. Restoring my energy isn't limited to just one method."
Giga Drain, Leech Seeds, Synthesis, taking meds—he had many ways to restore his energy, using different methods for different applications. Giga Drain for strong offense, Synthesis for daily use, and Leech Seeds for setting traps.
Because they were seeds, Leech Seeds had a particularly special delayed effect. On a complex battlefield, he could leave a lot of seeds without anyone noticing.
He then used Protect to block Yamato's Muji Hyoga, and his left arm emitted mechanical sounds.
"Volume Queen!"
Queen's modified left arm rapidly extended. Leech Seeds not only drained the opponent's energy but also restricted their movements.
The shooting grappling hook reached for Yamato.
Yamato didn't choose to dodge but allowed Queen to grab her. After Queen pulled Yamato closer, he sensed something was amiss.
The energy from Leech Seeds suddenly vanished, and the mechanical hand became slightly stiff as if something inside had been frozen.
Yamato's body was covered in frost at that moment, which cleared away the Leech Seeds, and she managed to pry open his mechanical hand, seizing the opportunity to leap up.
"This Machamp strength..."
The mechanical hand should automatically lock in this situation; a normal person wouldn't be able to break free. He couldn't help but be amazed at Yamato's monstrous physique; Kaidou's bloodline and the superhuman constitution had benefited her greatly.
"Uncle Queen, now's not the time to be distracted! Ice Wolf Hakken!"
There was no lightning sound entwining it, but it was wrapped in deadly frost. Thundering Hakken was the base, and this was a move developed from her ability.
Queen had just used Protect, and theoretically, using it again now had a high chance of failure. She knew how to remove the Leech Seeds but allowed Queen to grab her to prevent him from using Stand again.
Her plan succeeded, which was a significant breakthrough for her as she had successfully struck Queen's true form.
But the next moment, Queen's braid suddenly released an unknown powder at her face, and then Queen grabbed her again with another hand.
"No way..."
This time, she inhaled the powder, and a feeling of weakness immediately surged in. The feedback in her hands told her she had solidly hit Queen's head, but she hadn't expected the strike to be ineffective.
"It did hit, and it was pretty painful, but Miss Yamato, you seem to forget that I also have Haki."
Queen's face became completely black, showing the effect of Haki Defense. The result already announced her defeat, so Queen tossed her into a nearby sandpit and then sprayed an antidote.
"Uncle Queen, is your Armament Haki that strong?"
"...Yeah. Maybe. After all, there are things one is forced to do."
Seeing Yamato's admiration for his Armament Haki, he wasn't pleased at all. Instead, his expression turned quite melancholic.
"Let's leave it at that for today. Let's continue in a few days."
Queen lit a cigar and left, and at that moment, the faces of Kaidou, King, Shaina, Setsuna, and several high-level officials from the Hundred Beasts Pirates flashed through his mind.
Ordinary people's Haki comes from life-and-death struggles on the battlefield, but Queen was different. His prowess in Haki was largely thanks to his people; to counteract their beatings, he had come to this point.
He wasn't the strongest, but he was sure that no one had learned advanced Haki techniques more unluckily than him.