'Maybe… I can turn them against each other.'
With that thought, Kong steadied himself on the rain-slick deck of his flagship and tightened his grip on his halberd. Then he burst forward. With a powerful leap and a series of rapid Moonwalk steps, he closed the distance to the airborne Zechs in a blur.
This time, he drew out even more power, nearly forty percent, and swung his halberd again.
The attack wasn't aimed at Zechs' ship or Linlin's vessel, so Zechs chose to evade instead of blocking. The crescent air blade tore past where he had been moments earlier.
Since he had already moved out of its path, the slash missed him completely and tore into the ocean instead, carving a deep gash across the surface that quickly disappeared as the water rushed back in.
But Kong wasn't finished.
The moment Zechs shifted his position, Kong closed in and caught him off guard with a brutal kick to the stomach, striking with the force of a cannonball that seemed to explode.
'Kong Kick!!!!'
Boom!
The impact exploded with a thunderous crack.
Zechs was sent flying backward through the heavy rain, straight toward Linlin, who was riding Zeus and closing in on one of the remaining warships.
He twisted midair, spreading his wings to slow himself, but the momentum still carried him into her. The impact nearly knocked both of them off Zeus.
Reacting instantly, Zechs grabbed onto the cloud homie, while Linlin seized his whip-like tail to keep herself from falling.
For a moment, her feet dipped into the seawater, forcing her to jerk them up immediately.
"Bastard!" she snapped. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to drown me?!"
"Hahaha… I didn't exactly have control when that monkey sent me flying," Zechs replied with an awkward laugh.
He tightened his tail, lifting Linlin back onto Zeus before climbing up beside her.
Once he steadied himself, he couldn't help but cough. "Ahem!"
"You… are you alright?" Linlin asked, a hint of concern in her voice when she noticed a thin line of blood at the corner of his mouth.
"That one actually hurt a lot," he muttered, feeling intense pain in his stomach as his expression tinged with irritation.
Zechs, having taken that kick head-on, had definitely felt the full force of it.
The kick itself wasn't the real problem.
The problem was the technique behind it.
At the moment of impact, Kong had forced his Haki to flow directly into Zechs' body and detonated it from within, causing severe internal damage.
This was an advanced application of Armament Haki, Internal Destruction. Against a technique like that, even the Steel Balloon physique had its limits. Despite possessing Linlin's near-iron defense, Zechs had still taken internal damage. He couldn't help coughing, his body momentarily weakened by the blow.
Linlin noticed immediately. She used her sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips and said, patting his shoulder, "Zechs, you rest for a bit. Focus on destroying the remaining warships. I'll handle that bastard Kong."
In her mind, she was the stronger of the two. She believed she had the better chance of holding him off compared to Zechs.
Zechs wanted to argue that fighting Kong solo wasn't a good idea, even for her.
But the sharp pain twisting through his stomach made it hard to speak.
And before he could say anything, Kong was already upon them, closing the distance with rapid Moonwalk steps.
Kong had seen the moment Linlin wiped the blood from Zechs' mouth with her sleeve. He let out a snort. "How touching. Such a tender scene between pirates. I've got to admit, I almost feel like wanting to vomit blood. Looks like the two of you really are planning to get married, huh?"
Linlin shot him a cold glare. "Got a problem with that, you monkey bastard?"
At the same time, she immediately barked an order to Zeus. "Attack him!"
"Hai, Mama!!!" The cloud homie rumbled and unleashed a burst of lightning toward Kong.
Kong avoided the lightning strike with a quick step, then raised his halberd and swung it down on Linlin, who met his attack head-on with her Sword.
Ding!
The weapons collided, but she held the blow firmly in place, her posture steady and effortless.
Kong continued casually shaking his head, "Problem? Not really, I'm just a bit curious about something, that's all."
"Curious?" Linlin raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was curious about.
Kong flicked his eyes between Linlin and Zechs before leaping back and said, "Let's say you do get married. How's that going to work? Your crews will merge, right? One big, happy pirate family?"
Linlin's eyes narrowed. That was exactly what she had in mind, but she hadn't expected him to bring it up so directly.
"So what's it to you?" she snorted. "Don't tell me you're planning to officiate the wedding. Shall I send you an invitation and add you to the guest list? I am afraid you won't really have the courage to step foot on my island."
"No, no, not needed," Kong replied mockingly. "I'd much rather spend my time on Banana Island than get involved with your lot."
He looked at them with open disdain, then continued, voice casual but pointed. "But there is one thing I'm wondering… Who's going to be the captain after the wedding?"
"The captain after the wedding?" murmured both Linlin and Zechs upon hearing his question.
"That's right…" nodded Kang. His gaze settled on Linlin, and he added. "Not just the captain… but also the subordinate. If I have to make a guess… the Captain would be Asmodeus Zechs and the subordinate would be you, Charlotte Linlin, isn't that right? You're the woman, after all. Women are supposed to support their husbands. So naturally, you'd be the one backing him, supporting him silently as his loyal subordinate while he reigns over the combined forces as the captain."
He paused, noticing the scowl forming on her face, and smiled faintly as he continued, "Or… wait. Is it going to be you, Asmodeus Zechs? The weaker of the two is going to surrender. You are weaker than your wife, right? Considering that you pirates follow the stronger person, it only makes sense for Charlotte Linlin to be the captain and for you to be the subordinate… Although you'd be mocked and laughed for it in the Pirate world as someone who is hiding behind his wife, this is how things are in the Pirate World. The strong lead. The weak submit, isn't that right?"
The words hung heavy in the storm-lashed air, designed to sting. Kong watched closely, hoping to spark the discord he'd planned.
Linlin's fists clenched, her orange-brown eyes flashing with irritation, "Me? Subordinate?"
Zechs felt a similar twinge. He himself is unwilling to be anyone's subordinate, let alone Linlin's, whom he plans to dominate thoroughly.
Faced with Kong's probing, both of them answered at the same time, their voices overlapping perfectly. "I'm not going to be anyone's subordinate!"
Kong blinked, caught off guard for a brief moment. Then he let out a low chuckle and shook his head. "Neither of you is going to the subordinate? Then what? You're both going to be captains?"
His tone turned dry. "That's impossible. A pirate crew can't have two captains. One mountain can't have two peaks, and one crew can't have two leaders… It's going to lead to a lot of conflict and might even cause the entire crew to fall apart."
His gaze sharpened as he said in a suggestive voice, "One of you has to yield to the other. That's the only way it works."
Linlin fell silent, her gaze lowering slightly as the rain streamed down her face.
Kong's words had struck deeper than she wanted to admit.
'Of course I'll remain the captain,' she told herself. 'Zechs should be the one to yield. I'm clearly the stronger one…'
But the problem was that the stubborn bastard wasn't agreeing.
If anything, he seemed to be doing the opposite.
She almost wanted to curse about it. Not only had Zechs refused to submit, but he had been actively pushing things in the other direction. Whether it was that ridiculous "game" from yesterday that she ended up losing, or their fight before, which sort of ended with her completely restrained by his tail and at his mercy. Both times, she had ended up losing, even though she was technically stronger.
Even though she is stronger than him, this bastard still has his ways of making her helpless… and that infuriated her.
"Tch!" She clicked her tongue, having been reminded of all that.
At this rate…
She might actually be the one forced to yield to him, and that was something she absolutely did not want.
Sensing the shift in Linlin's mood, Zechs immediately grew alert. Breaking the silence, he glanced at her and said, "Linlin… this is something we should talk about later."
"Yeah… there's a lot we need to talk about," she replied with a slow nod.
Her expression hardened as she looked back at Kong. "This bastard is just trying to stir trouble between us. Even if we end up settling things later with a battle, I'm not letting some Marine take advantage of it."
Zechs let out a quiet breath of relief. 'Good… she's not an idiot.'
For a moment, he had been worried that Linlin might take the bait and turn on him right then and there.
With a relieved expression, Zechs turned his gaze back to Kong. "Haa… finished with your little scheme? You don't actually think we're fools, do you?"
Kong clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face as his plan fell apart before it could take effect. "Tch… sharp ones."
He reassessed the situation once more, retreat and deal with the inevitable outrage of the Celestial Dragon, or go all out and end this here.
The answer was obvious… Leaving without Linlin in chains would be a massive headache.
No choice… It was time to get serious.
"Alright," Kong muttered as he stepped back toward the figurehead of his ship. He lowered his halberd, letting it strike the deck with a heavy thud, then slowly spread his hands. "If you won't make this easy…" his voice hardened, "…then I have no choice but to get serious."
With that, he began fully activating his Devil Fruit power.
The moment Zechs noticed, he forced himself forward, trying to interrupt the transformation. He wasn't the type to stand around and let an enemy power up; only an idiot would allow that.
But the internal damage from earlier slowed him down. The pain in his body made his movements sluggish. Even so, he gritted his teeth, pushed through it, and unleashed a flying slash toward Kong.
Linlin reacted at the same time, commanding Zeus to strike. A bolt of lightning tore through the storm and crashed down toward the Admiral.
But neither the slash nor the lightning reached him.
Kong beat his chest with both fists and released a thunderous roar infused with powerful Haki. The shockwave exploded outward like a blast, tearing through the incoming attacks and scattering them into nothing.
At the same time, his body began to change.
His already massive muscles swelled and rippled further. His frame expanded, growing larger and larger. The red hide that had begun to spread across his body thickened and erupted over most of his skin save for his muscular chest and his abs.
A long red tail grew behind him, and his hair lengthened, rising into wild, spiky strands.
His size expanded dramatically as well.
What had once been a three-meter-tall human now stood as a towering six-meter humanoid, his entire body covered in thick red hide, and a white, flame-like scarf of smoke formed around his neck, resembling a Hagoromo.
In his transformed state, Kong radiated raw, violent power.
The sheer presence of the transformation sent chills through the air as even the storm seemingly intensified around him.
The Marines, especially the Admirals, almost always possess some of the most powerful Devil Fruits in the world.
And this was Kong, a man who would go on to become Fleet Admiral and later the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government.
There was no way someone like him would have an ordinary Devil Fruit.
His Devil Fruit is obviously not simple. It's a Zoan Devil Fruit, specifically the Saru Saru no Mi, Mythical Type, Model: Ōzaru.
"Ōzaru… the Great Ape," Zechs muttered under his breath. "No wonder they call him 'King' Kong. Does he come from Skull Island??" Then he couldn't help complaining inwardly. 'Miss System… did you seriously throw me into an S-Class mission right from the start?'
[Host, relax. This quest is B-Class at best,] Miss System replied calmly.
Zechs' lips twitched. 'If this is B-Class... I don't even want to know what S-Class looks like.'
But he shook off the thought, refocusing on the quest objectives: escape the siege and protect Linlin. 'Escape's impossible right now with the main mast broken... and protecting Linlin means dealing with this Super Saiyan 4 ripoff. He doesn't look like he's backing down.'
'Tch... I wish we had something like Coup de Burst on the ship...' he thought bitterly, feeling that the current situation was really bad.
With no miracle coming to save him, Zechs forced himself to focus. 'Guess there's no choice… I'll have to face him head-on, either make him back off or bring him down.'
At the same time, Kong reached down and picked up his halberd again.
In his human-beast form that was as tall as six meters and extremely bulky, the weapon looked less like a Halberd and more like a massive battle axe in his grip.
Holding it firmly, he looked at Zechs and Linlin with a cold smile.
Then he moved.
The red monkey figurehead of his ship cracked under the force of his step as he lunged forward with earth-shaking speed, his feet kicking the air, "This ends here."
"Yeah, it will!" Linlin roared, raising her sword. "Because you're the one dying today!"
Zechs didn't say anything, but raised his blade as well and spread his wings.
The next moment, the two pirates moved together, charging in unison to clash head-on with the Admiral.
Zechs darted in with quick, agile strikes, his blade flashing through the rain.
At the same time, Linlin attacked from range, commanding Zeus and Prometheus to unleash bursts of lightning and fire while pressing in with her sword, forcing Kong to split his attention.
Even so, the two of them were being pushed back.
In his awakened human-beast form, Kong's power had multiplied several times over. Every swing of his weapon tore through the air, sending out shockwaves strong enough to nearly knock them out of the sky.
Zechs managed to block a glancing strike, but even that was enough to send a violent tremor through his body, his bones rattling despite the defense of the Steel Balloon Physique.
Linlin held up better. With the support of Zeus and Prometheus, she managed to match Kong's strength for a brief moment. But then Kong twisted the shaft of his weapon and struck her with a brutal backhand, sending her flying across the stormy waves atop Zeus.
"Damn you, bastard!!!" she roared, fury blazing as she charged back in.
Zechs moved with her, coordinating his attacks alongside hers.
They fought relentlessly, refusing to give ground. Alone, either one of them would have been crushed under Kong's assault. Together, they managed to hold on, even if barely. Zechs' speed complemented Linlin's overwhelming power, forcing Kong into constant blocks, counters, and defensive movements.
But they still couldn't land any decisive blows.
Kong's massive frame and thick red fur absorbed their attacks like armor. Slashes, lightning, and flames that would have devastated most opponents barely slowed him down.
Watching this, Zechs was reminded of Topman Warcury, whose defensive power was even superior to Kaido's.
For a moment, he couldn't help thinking, 'Even if Kong's durability isn't at Warcury's level, it's probably close to Kaido's.'
And because neither Zechs nor Linlin currently had the means to hurt that kind of defense, the battle settled into a brutal stalemate.
Despite being at a clear disadvantage and unable to seriously damage Kong, the situation hadn't completely collapsed…
Unlike Zechs and Linlin, Kong had to expend additional effort just to maintain his position in the air. That constant strain was the only thing allowing them to hold the line, even if just barely.
But both Zechs and Linlin understood the reality.
A stalemate wasn't good for them.
The longer the fight dragged on, the worse their situation would become.
Below them, their ships were still locked in combat against Kong's flagship and the remaining Marine warship, where a Rear Admiral had taken command of the assault. Cannon fire continued to pound the decks, and unless they escaped soon or dealt with Kong directly, there was no telling when more Marine reinforcements would arrive.
After all, the Marines had forces stationed across the seas. Their numbers weren't limited in any practical sense.
If the fight dragged on long enough, they would just keep coming.
The situation was turning dire.
'If this Admiral were a woman... things wouldn't have been so troublesome...' Zechs thought, dodging a sweeping axe strike as he recalled many of the racial traits tailored to overwhelm women. But Kong? A man? No way, he didn't swing that way.
[Host, anything to stay alive...] Miss System suggested with a sinister smile, amused at the prospect of some yaoi action.
Zechs didn't even bother responding, focusing instead on countering Kong's relentless attacks. But another heavy blow pushed him back, forcing a retreat.
Panting lightly, Zechs glanced at Linlin. "This can't keep going… none of our attacks are getting through him."
Linlin gave a short nod. One of her arms was still numb from their last clash, and she could feel the strain building as her breathing grew heavier.
For a moment, she wasn't sure how to approach the fight anymore. Kong's transformed body was like a wall of muscle and fur, shrugging off everything they threw at him.
Zechs' mind raced until he thought of something.
"Linlin… your body is far stronger than that sword. And honestly, your swordsmanship isn't anything special. Why not fight him with your fists and feet instead of relying on a blade?"
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We didn't reach the PS goal... but ahem, let's try again. New PS goal is to reach 120 PS within the next 24 hours. You guys, please help me reach it!!!
And don't forget to leave comments and reviews to keep me motivated.
Of course, if the readers wish, they can certainly read up to 20 advanced Chapters on p-a-t-r-e-o-n: Knockturn_Alley