"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?"
Her swordplay was crude, lacking refinement or proper technique.
The weapon itself wasn't even a named blade, just a well-made iron sword, nothing special. On top of that, she wasn't even used to fighting with a weapon of that size. Her original sword had been enormous, nearly five meters long. But after shrinking her body, she had simply picked up an ordinary replacement.
And now it was just that, an ordinary sword.
With a weapon like this, and with her mastery over Haki not being that good at this age, there was very little chance she could cut through someone like Kong.
In Zechs' view, she was far better suited to fighting in a way that matched her true strength, brutal close-quarters combat, relying on overwhelming physical power with fists and kicks rather than a blade.
Honestly, he felt that he himself should adopt a similar style now that he also possesses the Steel Balloon Physique.
But he had spent more than a decade training in swordsmanship and had come this far through that path. Naturally, he intended to stick with it, rather than suddenly switching to a brawling style he had little experience with.
"Use my fists and kicks…?" Linlin murmured, her gaze lingering on the sword in her hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, she gave a small nod. "Alright… let's try it."
She slid the blade back into the sheath at her waist.
The next moment, she coated both arms in Armament Haki. Her eyes narrowed as they locked onto Kong's massive form, and then she ordered the cloud homie, "Let's go, Zeus…"
"Yes, Mama…" Zeus nodded and launched forward, cutting through the downpour like a blur and closing the distance in an instant.
As she charged toward Kong, Linlin also expanded her body, growing from 1.8 meters to nearly seven meters tall, larger even than him. The increased size would give her an advantage in close combat, and she intended to use it to the fullest.
Watching her grow in size as she closed the distance, a completely different concern crossed Zechs' mind. 'Her clothes aren't going to tear, right?'
Miss System gave him a side glance. [Host… is that really what you should be worried about right now?]
'Of course it is. It's extremely important,' Zechs replied firmly. 'If that bastard Kong sees anything he shouldn't, I'll gouge his eyes out, and have Pudding-chan erase his memories afterward. Linlin's body isn't for anyone else to see except me.'
Miss System decided not to comment further. Her host was clearly in full possessive Yandere mode.
Fortunately, Linlin's clothing seemed to be magical. Even after her body expanded, the fabric held together without tearing. Rather, it adjusted to her increased body size, allowing Zechs to breathe a sigh of relief, 'Looks like she had taken measures towards this from the start.'
Meanwhile, Zeus had already reached Kong, and Linlin threw a heavy punch straight at him.
As expected, Kong moved to intercept it with the shaft of his halberd.
But Linlin had anticipated that, and a grin spread across her face.
Unlike a swordsman, who would need to maneuver around the weapon with feints or additional strikes, a brawler had a much simpler, cruder way to deal with it, and Linlin immediately put that advantage to use.
She directly seized the shaft of the weapon, wrenched it aside with her monstrous strength, and stepped in. Her other fist was already coming forward with full force. "Let me land a proper hit, you bastard!"
Boom!
Her punch slammed into Kong's face, the impact exploding outward and sending shockwaves rippling through the rain.
"Gah—!" The Admiral grunted as the sheer force drove him backward. He skidded through the air with rapid Moonwalk steps to stabilize himself, holding his ground (air?).
But Linlin didn't give him a moment to recover; the next set of punches was already coming.
From the side, Zechs watched closely. 'She's putting more into it now… and it's working. Good.'
Linlin's attacks accelerated into a relentless barrage, Haki-coated hooks and straight punches crashing toward Kong one after another. Each strike boomed like thunder.
While none of them truly broke through his defenses, the pressure on him had clearly increased.
Of course, Linlin wasn't satisfied with that alone. She clicked her tongue and leaped back, narrowly avoiding a sweeping strike from Kong's axe.
"Tch… what the hell is that damn hide of his made of…" she muttered, shaking her slightly numb fist while glaring at him. "This isn't working… I need something more that can work on his hide."
Zechs, rain streaming down his face, nodded and, only after a moment of thinking, made another suggestion, "Then add fire. Try burning through the hide with flames and high temperature," and then moved to intercept Kong.
Hearing his suggestions, Linlin's eyes lit up. "Prometheus!"
"Hai, Mama!!"
The sun homie surged forward. Linlin grabbed it and, after briefly explaining her intent, broke it into four sections. The fragments reshaped themselves and wrapped around her fists and feet like blazing gauntlets and greaves.
Sizzle… sizzle…
Flames roared to life despite the heavy rain, hissing violently as thick steam rose into the air. Fire clung tightly to her Haki-coated limbs, surrounding them in intense, searing heat.
"Much better… now let's roast this monkey," she said as she pushed off Zeus.
With Prometheus wrapped around her, she no longer needed Zeus to stay airborne. The flames themselves kept her aloft. Using that momentum, she shot forward like a rocket, her blazing fists carving bright trails through the storm.
Sensing Linlin's approach, Zechs smirked and immediately shifted aside.
The next instant, Linlin's burning fist drove forward.
"Die, Kong!"
Boom!
The impact rang loudly, and the extremely hot fire generated by Prometheus ignited patches of Kong's red fur, and the sharp stench of burned hair spread through the salty air.
Sizzle!
"Gah!" Kong swatted at the flames, his expression tightening in pain.
But he didn't have time to react further. The moment the first punch landed, a relentless series of follow-up strikes, punches, and kicks came crashing toward him.
'Damn… that heat's no joke.'
To Kong, it didn't feel like ordinary fire.
It felt like magma, no, something even hotter than magma.
The heat was so intense, so relentless, that it felt as if it was searing straight through his defenses and driving him to the edge, forcing his movements to grow sharper and more cautious as he twisted and dodged with the agility of a great ape, his massive frame bending and turning unnaturally in midair.
But Linlin stayed right on him.
Now that she could maneuver freely in the air without relying on Zeus, her offensive pressure had increased dramatically. Even when Kong tried to pull back and create distance, she chased him down and forced him back. And when she couldn't close the gap in a heartbeat, she hurled blazing fists of fire at him from range.
Under the constant barrage of heat and flames, his thick hide began to scorch.
To avoid being burned further, Kong had no choice but to coat his entire body in Armament Haki.
And that kind of full-body defense was going to drain his stamina fast.
Zechs observed Kong being pushed back with satisfaction. 'She's got him on the defensive now...'
But he didn't cheer up yet because he knew that perhaps even this wouldn't really be enough to truly break through Kong's defense.
"If I want to break through his defense…" Zechs murmured, tightening his grip on his sword as his mind raced. 'It has to be Conqueror's Haki infusion.'
Only something on that level could damage someone like Kong..
Very few people in the world could use this ability. But among true top-tier fighters, it was almost a requirement.
'I should be able to do it too,' he told himself. 'If I can't even manage this… how the hell am I supposed to become the Harem King?'
Miss System couldn't help but complain, [Host… what are you, the Oppai Dragon?]
'Miss System, don't compare me to him,' Zechs replied confidently. 'I'm much better than that guy.'
[Oh? And how exactly are you better? Because from what I can see, the two of you are pretty much the same, clamoring to be the Harem Ki–]
Before she could finish, Zechs cut her off.
'I'm better because, unlike that wannabe Harem King, I've actually gotten laid. Many times.'
[…] Miss System had no response to that.
In this particular matter, her host did have a point. Unlike the so-called Oppai Dragon, who was still a virgin despite having dozens of women around him, Zechs had already been with plenty of women. The count was definitely several hundred.
And even though he considers most of these women as just flings and not serious harem members, he is still much better than the Oppai Dragon, who is just a wannabe Harem-King.
"Fufu…" Chuckling to himself, Zechs pushed the thought aside and refocused.
His goal hadn't changed.
He was going to become the Harem King.
To become the Harem King, Zechs understood one thing clearly: he had to be overwhelmingly strong.
Strong enough to stand above anyone. Stronger than any man, any woman, any beast.
Only with that kind of power would he be able to choose the women he wanted for his harem freely and keep them bound without caring about the objections, resistance, or opinions of women themselves or anyone else.
'If I want to be the Harem King… Aside from mastering the usage of a cock, I also need to master ACOC.'
With such a thought, he steadied his breathing and concentrated, trying to guide the overwhelming will of conquering all women into the sword.
In fact, this wasn't his first attempt.
Ever since awakening Conqueror's Haki, he had been trying to infuse it into his blade. Sometimes he succeeded. Most of the time, he failed.
But his inconsistency was understandable. After all, infusing Conqueror's Haki was no simple feat.
Still, those few successful attempts meant he already understood the sensation and knew what he was trying to reach.
Now, under intense pressure, with the situation growing desperate, he forced himself to reach that state again.
Drawing out Conqueror's Haki wasn't the difficult part. That came easily, erupting from him in a powerful surge.
The real challenge was the infusion.
"Focus… guide it into the blade…" he murmured.
They said true growth happened in battle, under pressure, at the edge of desperation. And today would be no different.
Gritting his teeth, he reined in the wild surge of Haki. Instead of letting it explode outward as a wide-area shockwave to decapacitate NPCs, he suppressed it, tightening the flow like closing a valve to increase the pressure. Then he guided that concentrated force along the length of his sword, trying to layer it over his existing Armament coating.
It wasn't easy. The process demanded every ounce of his focus. If Linlin hadn't been keeping Kong occupied, his concentration would have broken long ago.
But today seemed to be his lucky day.
Clenching his jaw, he repeated his resolve like a mantra, 'To become the Harem King! To become the Harem King! To become the Harem King!'
Then—
Black lightning flickered faintly along the edge of his blade.
A slow grin spread across his face, 'Got it.'
Without hesitation, he shifted his focus back to the battle and surged forward, "Linlin, move aside!!!"
Linlin, mid-swing, startled at his shout and leaped aside. And Zechs used that moment to thrust the tip of his the ACOC infused sword toward Kong.
Kong's pupils shrank. "Th-That infusion of Haki...!"
"Fufu... as expected of an Admiral... you recognize this," Zechs chuckled, pushing forward with all his might.
'Netori Thrust!'
[Host, what kind of attack name is that? It sounds less like you're trying to kill him and more like you're trying to cuck him…] Miss System said dryly, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the ridiculous name.
'If that happens, I wouldn't complain,' Zechs replied with a smirk. 'I hope Kong gets cucked. And if it's not by me, then I hope it's by a Celestial Dragon.'
Then another thought crossed his mind. 'Or… there's a third option. I become a Celestial Dragon myself and cuck him. Wouldn't that be even more interesting?'
Miss System went quiet, clearly reconsidering whether it was worth responding to that line of thinking at all.
Meanwhile, Zechs' Netori Thrust had already been released.
Boom!
A deafening explosion tore through the air, and red-black lightning crackled all around as the thrust connected, or rather… it didn't seem to connect at all.
Linlin noticed it immediately, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "Huh? The tip of his blade… It's not even touching Kong… so what the hell is happening?"
She couldn't make sense of it.
And yet, the effect was unmistakable.
The scene was similar to when Kozuki Oden was struck by Roger's Divine Departure, blood spilling as he was blown away by an overwhelming force.
Kong experienced something much the same.
The difference was that this wasn't a slash, but a thrust. Even so, the impact was anything but minor. The invisible force slammed into him, forcing blood from his mouth as he was hurled backward like a cannonball.
Bang! Thud! Thud!
His body crashed into the red monkey figurehead of his own battleship, smashing straight through it and continuing forward without stopping. Wood splintered and exploded apart as he was driven across the deck, carving a destructive path before finally slamming into the main mast.
The massive pillar shuddered violently, groaning under the impact as cracks spread through it, threatening to snap.
Zechs gasped, steadying himself mid-air. "Haah... haah... did it work?"
Infusing Conqueror's Haki was tiring, and his arms trembled from the effort.
Linlin hovered nearby, her eyes wide. "Hey… what the hell did you just do? How did you blast him away like that?"
She was genuinely shocked as she had never seen a technique like that before, and for the first time in a long while, she felt something unfamiliar.
Linlin had always been the overwhelming one, the strongest presence. But just now, she had clearly seen it, 'That attack from Zechs… was stronger than anything I could produce.'
Zechs didn't have time to answer Linlin; the wreckage suddenly shifted.
Wood splintered, and debris fell aside as Kong rose from the shattered section of the deck. A fresh wound had been carved across his chest, blood slowly seeping from the deep gash.
He touched the injury and immediately hissed in pain.
He, who was generally not used to getting injured in his Human-Beast Form, was injured. This realization and this pain twisted his expression with fury as his gaze locked onto Zechs.
"Damn brat… You can even coat your blade with Conqueror's Haki?" His eyes narrowed. "How the hell did you even know that was possible?"
The ability was rare, even among the few who possessed Conqueror's Haki. That power alone was already a one-in-a-million gift, and only a handful of those chosen few could wield it in this advanced form.
Now that Zechs had demonstrated it, his threat level rose sharply in Kong's eyes.
At this moment, Asmodeus Zechs was no longer just a pirate with a 600 million berry bounty. He had become something far more dangerous, dangerous enough for even an Admiral to treat him with full caution.
Zechs smirked despite the fatigue weighing on him. "Why don't you just stay down? Or better yet, retreat. If you leave now… we don't have to keep doing this."
Kong let out a short snort and straightened his posture, "How the hell am I supposed to stay down?" His gaze hardened. "Especially now, with a threat like you standing right in front of me."
He rolled his shoulders, tightening his grip on his weapon, "I hate trouble. But as an Admiral… it's my job to eliminate threats like you, Asmodeus Zechs."
The moment Zechs revealed his ability to infuse Conqueror's Haki, Kong's priorities shifted.
Originally, Charlotte Linlin had been the main target. If he had managed to capture her, he would have been satisfied retreating afterward, not caring about Asmodeus Zechs at all.
But now, in Kong's eyes, Linlin mattered less. Zechs had become the bigger threat, the one that needed to be taken down first.
As if sensing the shift in Kongs' intent, Zechs' lips twitched, 'Did I just shoot myself in the foot?'
Even so, he didn't regret it. He had grown stronger, and that alone made it worth it.
Of course, just because Zechs didn't mind didn't mean Linlin felt the same. She was clearly annoyed. "Hey… hey… are you ignoring me?" she snapped, irritation flashing across her face.
Kong's focus being entirely on Zechs grated on her nerves. At the same time, her thoughts drifted back to what she had just witnessed.
'He said something about infusing Conqueror's Haki… Can it really be used like Armament?'
Curiosity sparked, and without hesitation, she attempted to do it.
Focusing her will, she drew out her Conqueror's Haki and wrapped it around her arms like invisible gauntlets, layering it over her Armament and blending it with Prometheus' flames.
Instantly, black lightning crackled around her blazing fists.
Her eyes lit up as she threw her head back and laughed, "Mama… mama… so it really works like this? Conqueror's Haki can be infused, too? I never knew that… but… this doesn't seem difficult at all."
Hearing what Linlin's said… Zechs' expression shrank, 'This… she… The fuck!!!'
He was speechless and didn't even know what to say as he watched her master one of the most difficult abilities in the world so easily.
'Is this… is this what a genius is like?' he couldn't help but think.
He'd practiced relentlessly to master the infusion of Conqueror's Haki, succeeding only sporadically, and only managed to do it under a desperate situation. Yet Linlin nailed it instantly, and that too in her first casual attempt.
'Oda really didn't do her justice... She's one of the greatest monsters in the sea. If not for all that eating and getting pregnant for decades... she'd have conquered the seas on her own.'
Kong's face was even more horrified. Now it wasn't just one ACOC user, but two. 'This... this is bad.'
If earlier he was just very vigilant, now he felt a little afraid.
While Kong was afraid, Zechs grinned, "Well then, Linlin... let's jump him together..."
Linlin nodded, bumping her fiery fists together with a manic Frieza-like laugh. "Mama... mama, yeah! Let's crush this monkey!"
With that, the two of them moved at the same time, surging forward and charging straight at Kong.
Linlin struck first.
Her blazing fist, wrapped in Prometheus' flames and infused with Conqueror's Haki, came crashing down.
'Linlin's Fiery Fist!'
Boom!
A deafening explosion ripped through the storm, fire scattering in every direction.
Kong had, of course, raised his fists to block the attack, bracing himself against Linlin's strike. But even with his defense, the sheer force behind her punch drove him backward through the rain.
Zechs followed immediately, not giving him a moment to recover. His blade, coated in Conqueror's Haki, thrust forward with lethal precision.
'Netori Thrust!'
BOOM!
The second impact struck before Kong could stabilize himself. And even if he had tried to defend himself, hit by two advanced Conqueror's Haki attacks at once, he was blasted away again.
This time, however, he wasn't thrown toward a ship.
He was hurled toward the open sea.
His massive form plummeted through the rain, falling straight toward the ocean below.
"Admiral Kong!!!"
"Admiral Kong!!!"
"Admiral Kong!!!"
The Marines aboard the two warships shouted in panic as they watched their Admiral being blasted toward the water.
The pirates aboard Zechs' battered, half-collapsing ship and Linlin's vessel erupted in cheers.
"It's over! It's over!"
"The Admiral's going to drown!"
"He's going to drown!!!"
While Marines were worried and Pirates were cheering, Kong himself, while being thrown into the ocean, cursed under his breath, "Damn it… damn it… damn it…"
It was supposed to be a straightforward mission: capture Charlotte Linlin for the crime she committed, shackle her with chains, and deliver her to the Holy Land. That was it. After that, he could have just made his way to the Banana Island and enjoyed himself all he wanted, tasting more than 2000 varieties of Bananas.
How the hell had it escalated into this?
Why the hell did Charlotte Linlin and Asmodeus Zechs have to decide to marry suddenly?
If not for them suddenly deciding to marry, would he still have to go through this?
Now, instead of carrying out a simple mission, he was jumped by two pirates, both monstrously strong, and both capable of using advanced Conqueror's Haki.
For a brief, bitter moment, he wanted to complain to the Fleet Admiral.
This wasn't what he had signed up for!!!
And where the hell is that damn Sengoku?!
Did he stop by somewhere to herd his pet goat? Or could it be that he is buying Rice Crackers or something?
But no matter how many times he wanted to complain… it seemed already too late to complain.
The force of the impact from Linlin's Fiery Punch and Zechs' Netori Thrust had sent him flying at such speed that he couldn't regain control. No matter how he adjusted his footing with Moonwalk, he couldn't stop the momentum.
He was going to fall into the ocean that was churning violently as towering waves crashed against one another in the raging storm.
If he fell into that sea… then being a Devil Fruit user… There would be no saving him.
He would drown and sink to the bottom of the sea.
"Well… that might still be better than having to explain this to that World Noble and hearing his tantrum…" he muttered, a bitter sigh escaping him as, for a fleeting second, he accepted what seemed like his end.
'If only… I could have had one more Banana before dying…'
At the thought of Banana, his mind snapped awake.
No…
His eyes widened with fierce determination, "I can't die here, I still have the Banana Festival to attend!!!!"
"Those two thousand varieties of bananas… If I don't taste them all, then what the hell was my life for? For the sake of those bananas, I refuse to die here!!!!" Roaring with sudden resolve, Kong subconsciously unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki and did something that stunned everyone watching.
The long red tail he had kept tightly coiled around his waist, so it wouldn't be grabbed or exploited by Linlin or Zechs, suddenly snapped free.
It uncoiled in an instant, then it began to spin, faster and faster.
Like a helicopter's propeller, the tail whirled violently, generating enough force to counter his fall. The sudden propulsion slowed his descent, halted it entirely, then pushed him upward.
Instead of crashing into the sea, Kong hovered just above the waves and breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew… I was almost a goner there."
"Oh… thank goodness… Admiral Kong is alright!"
"Yeah… I thought he was done for!"
The Marines broke into relieved cheers as they watched their Admiral save himself.
The pirates, on the other hand, tensed up again. "That damn Admiral… just go down already, will you?!"
Zechs and Linlin saw it as well and clicked their tongues in irritation.
Linlin, in particular, reacted immediately. She hurled several blazing Fire Fists toward Kong, trying to blast him back into the ocean.
As the flaming strikes closed in, Kong kept himself suspended midair with his spinning tail and began pounding his chest with both fists.
Thump! Thump! THUMP!
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
Each thunderous blow unleashed a Haki-infused soundwave that tore through the rain. The roaring soundwaves slammed head-on into Linlin's Fire Fists, detonating them midair in violent explosions that lit up the stormy sky.
Fiery explosions lit up the storm-darkened sky, thunder and flame blending into a chaotic spectacle.
After launching several more attacks and seeing that Kong still wasn't going down, Linlin clicked her tongue in frustration and stopped throwing fiery punches.
That brief pause gave Kong the opening he needed.
Without relying on Moonwalk, he spun his tail even faster, generating enough force to lift himself higher. Suspended purely by the propelling rotation of his tail, he rose steadily back into the air, rain lashing against his massive frame as he regained full altitude, then he glared at Zechs and Linlin.
Zechs and Linlin also stared at him, more specifically, at the red tail spinning behind him like a propeller.
For a brief moment, even they were taken aback by his method of propelling himself.
Kong noticed their stares and smirked.
"Didn't you know?" he said smugly. "Back in the Age of Gods, when ships and navigation didn't exist… this is how the Great Apes used to travel from one island to another."
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Come on guys, what's going on... we ain't reaching the PS goals at all... Help me reach the PS goals to stay motivated and keep churning out chapters.
New PS goal is to reach 170 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