...
"Although there are still subtle differences between the Demon Brain's simulated battles and actual combat, it seems I'm adapting quite well so far."
Allen bounced on his toes, feeling the unprecedented power surging through his legs, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.
Then, he turned his gaze toward the clock tower, which was billowing with dust and smoke.
There was no doubt that Kid had great potential. In the first half of the Grand Line, Kid's strength could even be considered incredibly formidable.
Relying solely on Devil Fruit abilities and physical combat, Allen's advantage over Kid wasn't exaggeratedly huge.
Unfortunately for Kid, the dominance of two types of Haki at this stage was simply too overwhelming.
Especially Observation Haki. Allen already held the advantage in speed, and coupled with the suppression from his Observation Haki, it practically guaranteed that Kid had no chance of winning.
In Allen's eyes, the outcome of the battle had been predetermined from the very beginning. It was merely a matter of seeing how long Kid could last against him.
However.
"You really have some strong willpower. Are you still going to stand up even knowing you have no chance of winning?"
Allen looked into the clock tower with an amused expression.
Through the hole smashed into the wall, Kid's figure gradually emerged from the dust.
His clothes were torn to shreds, making him look incredibly battered. His bloodied head and face painted an even more miserable picture. Clutching his shoulder, with one arm hanging limply, he limped out.
"You bastard... Are you kidding me... *Cough, cough*... To say I have no chance of winning..."
Kid's voice was hoarse and broken. He looked like a spent force, at the very end of his rope, but his fierce eyes remained as untamed and rebellious as ever.
"Is that so? I thought you were going to say you'd rather die than admit defeat."
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up slightly.
He liked Kid's arrogance. It wasn't the stubbornness of refusing to give up until faced with grim reality, but rather the sheer audacity to smash through a brick wall and never look back, carrying his convictions to the bitter end even if it killed him.
It was a pride that wouldn't bend in the slightest, even if his body was crushed into a ball or flattened into a pancake.
"As a pirate crew, I've always felt that missing a stubborn idiot on board makes it feel like something is lacking. Hey, Kid."
Allen grinned, his gaze fixed on Kid's eyes. With a tone that was both teasing and somewhat serious, he said,
"After this fight is over, after I beat you half to death, join my crew."
Hearing this, Kid's eyes widened in momentary shock before quickly turning to fury. His face twisted savagely as he squeezed a low growl through his teeth,
"You bastard...! Are you trying to humiliate me?!"
"Hahahaha! You really blew up, huh? Although I knew this would be the result, I was actually being serious. Whatever, just pretend you didn't hear what I just said."
Allen laughed heartily, then his expression turned serious. He raised his wrist, and Armament Haki slowly coated his fist.
"As expected, this is the only language you can understand."
"Heh, even if you taught me a hundred times, I'd never learn how to spell the word 'submit'."
Kid sneered coldly. Raising his trembling arm, he unleashed his magnetism at full power, attracting all nearby weapons to fly toward him. Even the massive hands of the clock tower broke off under the immense strain and plummeted down.
"Punk Rotten!!"
A massive amount of metal continuously twisted, deformed, and then combined. Under the pull of magnetic forces, it formed into three clusters of mechanical constructs floating in the air.
In the center was a giant, ferocious skull covered in steel spikes, flanked by a pair of mechanical arms. Kid jumped into the cockpit atop the skull, relying on his magnetism to simultaneously control the three floating mechanical constructs.
Facing this hideous mechanical demon created by Kid, not a single ripple of emotion appeared in Allen's eyes.
Its crude appearance made it obvious that this was a newly developed technique. Let alone the fact that he couldn't even apply Haki to it, no matter how powerful it was, without Observation Haki to lock onto a target, it was completely meaningless if it couldn't hit anything.
In front of Allen, that pile of junk was really no different from flying scrap metal.
But when it came to flying...
Allen tore off his black shirt, unfurling two pairs of translucent wings from his back. At the same time, his pupils turned green. If one were to look closely, they would find that his eyes were densely packed with over two thousand tiny ommatidia.
In terms of flight capabilities, a dragonfly's endurance and cruising speed weren't considered outstanding. However, in close-quarters aerial combat, the dragonfly was the undisputed king.
The ultimate dynamic vision granted by its compound eyes, combined with its ability to hover, fly backward, pivot, and execute instantaneous bursts of acceleration and sudden stops, gave it the perfect flight skills to perform aerial artistry in confined spaces.
*Bzzzt—!*
The two pairs of dragonfly wings vibrated at a high frequency, emitting a deafening buzz. Allen's figure suddenly accelerated, leaving behind an afterimage that slowly faded away.
By the time Kid reacted, he was shocked to discover that Allen had already appeared in another location entirely.
It felt just like trying to catch a flying dragonfly as a child—one second your eyes were locked onto it, and the next second, you suddenly lost your target.
However, what Allen displayed was far more terrifying than that!
Immediately after, Allen's figure flickered continuously. Kid gritted his teeth, his bloodshot eyes wide open as he constantly tried to track his movements, but he couldn't even distinguish the real body from the afterimages.
Before he could even think of a way to counter...
*Bzzzt—!*
The deafening buzz rang in his ears, and then abruptly stopped.
A shadow loomed over him. Kid swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his forehead, and he violently whipped his head around!
Only to see Allen already standing next to the cockpit, a fierce glint in his eyes as a massive iron fist smashed down with blinding speed!
*Bang!!*
The punch sent Kid's blood flying from his nose. His eyes rolled back as his head snapped backward. Grinning savagely, Allen grabbed him by his red hair, hoisted him out of the cockpit, and delivered a violent, sweeping kick with his powerful locust leg!
*Bang!!*
Before Kid could even regain his senses from the previous punch, he was viciously kicked away, crashing heavily into the square below!
The floating magnetic demon, having lost its controller, began to free-fall toward the ground. Standing atop it, Allen bent his knees and exploded with tremendous force, launching himself in pursuit.
What followed was a scene of escalating brutality.
*Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!*
Kid was beaten like a ragdoll, his body ricocheting up, down, left, and right through the air. Every time before he could even hit the ground, Allen would instantly blink to his landing spot, unleashing a frenzied barrage of punches and kicks.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Kid's eyes gradually rolled back. He had almost completely lost consciousness and the will to resist, left with no choice but to let the relentless attacks rain down on his body.
"Kid!!"
Upon witnessing this scene, the chaotic brawl in the square practically ground to a halt, everyone's eyes drawn to the sky.
Killer and the others shouted into the air, their voices filled with disbelief and anxiety.
Some covered their mouths, their faces deathly pale. Those with weaker stomachs squeezed their eyes shut, completely terrified to watch the brutal spectacle.
Killer clenched his fists tightly, his heart tormented by an agonizing struggle.
He knew Kid's willpower, and he knew that Kid would never allow what he was about to do.
But...
If he didn't do this, Kid really might be beaten to death!
At that thought, Killer gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, and roared toward the sky:
"We surrender!!"
"Stop fighting! We surrender!!"