Since Shiki's garden was completely ruined, the second round of the banquet was arranged in Kaido's palace below.
Kaido was very gleeful about this, gloating, "Show off now, Shiki, you idiot, keep showing off!"
However, the banquet was, of course, not the main focus. Everyone was more eager to see what kind of abilities King, the freshly awakened Mythical Zoan user, possessed.
So, a certain fellow bravely stepped forward, offering himself to test King's evolution.
"Go, Bullet!" Roa yelled, waving his arms and straining his voice. "Force out all of King's abilities!"
"Yes, Boss!"
While responding earnestly to Roa, Bullet's gaze toward King grew increasingly aggressive. He clearly saw the intense fighting spirit in King's eyes.
Hmph, you're impatient too?
A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit is indeed extraordinary, but if you think that's enough to surpass me, that's just a pipe dream. King, let me snap you back to reality!
"Then," Roa took a deep breath, "begin."
!
The next instant, King's unusually broad black wings flapped, and the youth transformed into a black afterimage, swiftly darting towards Bullet.
"His speed has increased a lot." Dylan couldn't help but comment. "King hasn't even entered speed mode yet, has he?"
"It's the wind." Shiki, sitting beside Roa, leisurely sipping from a few small dishes and watching the two youngsters spar with interest, stated calmly. "The wind is accelerating that kid."
Just this ability alone makes it worth the price,Roa thought. Wind and fire, an exquisite elemental combination.
"Come on, King!" Facing the approaching birdman, Bullet clenched his right fist and delivered a powerful blow!
Both tacitly agreed not to use Haki, just fist against fist!
A shockwave erupted, sending dust flying across the plaza.
A figure was sent flying backward.
Bullet landed awkwardly, staggering back two steps before gritting his teeth and steadying himself.
"Indeed, it wasn't an illusion," King clenched his fists with delight. "Strength, that's what increased the most!"
The Lunarian race also possesses extraordinary strength, but it was still no match for Bullet's inherent monstrous power. Now, with his new abilities, he could use overwhelming force to send Bullet flying!
"The second ability is monstrous strength, then?" Roa nodded slightly.
Zoan types generally increase strength, but the exact amount depends on the quality of the fruit and any inherent abilities it grants. Clearly, the monstrous strength granted by the Tengu is extraordinary.
"Why doesn't King transform into his beast form?" Doflamingo was somewhat confused. "That form should have more power!"
"What foolishness are you spouting?" Shiki scoffed. "The Human-Human Fruit series is different. There's no distinction between beast form and hybrid form."
Indeed! For Chopper, becoming fully human is his beast form, but what about other humans who ate the Human-Human Fruit? For example, Nika Luffy, he also has no distinction between beast form and hybrid form.
"Don't get cocky, King!" Bullet was annoyed at being suppressed in his own strong suit. He countered with a mercury sphere over twenty meters in diameter.
King raised his right hand, and a gust of wind suddenly transformed into a massive tornado, colliding with the mercury sphere like a white dragon.
The violent wind instantly ripped the mercury sphere apart, sending mercury splashing everywhere. But it wasn't enough; mercury was too heavy.
So King extended his left hand.
Boom!
Searing flames also surged out like a fire dragon, and in the next instant, they merged with the strong wind, transforming into an incredibly violent fire tornado that directly swallowed the mercury sphere.
Hiss!
The mercury continuously evaporated, and mercury vapor spread out.
"Hey, that stuff's poisonous, right?" Shiki twitched his mouth.
"Don't worry about it." Roa waved his hand, and another strong gust of wind arose, blowing all the mercury vapor away.
King's counterattack continued. Bringing his hands together, the furious wind in his right hand mixed with the flames in his left. He pushed his hands forward, and immense, fiery wind blades roared out, raining down like a storm onto the area filled with mercury vapor.
"Mercury Heavy Cannon Barrage!"
Giant mercury spheres continuously slammed out, constantly colliding with the scorching and sharp blades of fire, further increasing the concentration of mercury vapor.
"Is that all you've got, King!" Bullet shot into the sky, his lower body accelerating with steam jets, launching himself like a missile towards King. His right fist rapidly expanded, and with a downward swing, a colossal sphere nearly thirty meters in diameter crashed down. This time, the sphere was imbued with Haki.
Facing Bullet's merciless full-power attack, King showed no intention of dodging whatsoever. It wouldn't hurt him anyway. He might as well experiment with his new ability. His hand was already on the hilt of the Ame no Habakiri at his waist. King slowly exhaled.
It's not an illusion; this ability can even—
"Slash!"
Swoosh!
Gathering fire and wind, a colossal crimson slash suddenly shot into the sky, directly colliding with the falling mercury meteor. The massive sphere abruptly shuddered, its descent momentarily slowed.
"What?" Bullet was greatly mistaken.
But what surprised him even more was yet to come. Although very slowly, King's slash indeed tore through the Haki defense on the mercury sphere, and then, in an instant, cut the entire sphere in half.
Boom! Boom!
The two halves of the sphere crashed to the ground, shaking the entire plaza.
King, meanwhile, had flapped his wings and soared up, directly pouncing on Bullet.
"Flying slash?" Kaido narrowed his eyes. "But it feels a bit off."
"Before today, King's swordsmanship couldn't do that." Roa said, "King's slashes have become stronger."
In Japanese folklore, aren't there many samurai who learned swordsmanship from Tengu? From that perspective, it's not surprising that this ability can enhance slashes.
"Boom!"
In the sky, Bullet's pitch-black mercury heavy punch collided with King's sword, entwined with wind and fire. Accompanied by a powerful shockwave, King was once again pushed back. After using his ability, Bullet's fist became incredibly heavy. And what was even more unbelievable was his unreasonable Armament Haki!
"What was that?" Bullet looked at his fist in shock; it had a small wound on it. It penetrated his Haki, cut through the huge mercury mass covering his fist, and even wounded him? By King's power alone, it shouldn't have been enough!
"It seems to be a power that can make slashes stronger." King came soaring in with flapping wings.
"How many abilities do you have!" Even Bullet, with his usual calm demeanor, was somewhat annoyed. He conjured an even larger mercury fist and smashed it down.
"This is the last one for now," King said.
And then.
"Huh?" Bullet's eyes suddenly widened.
He's gone!
"He disappeared!" Doflamingo wiped his goggles, confirming he wasn't imagining things; he truly saw King vanish into thin air.
"It's invisibility," Roa said. It's akin to the Kamikakushi (spirited away) from Japanese legends, he thought. However, for him, who possessed the ability to perceive emotions, it was meaningless.
"His presence has also become much weaker," Shiki suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. Guys whose Observation Haki isn't up to par wouldn't be able to detect him at all."
And Bullet was one of those whose Observation Haki wasn't up to par. While exceptionally talented in Armament Haki, his talent in Observation Haki was merely passable, much stronger than average people, but still far from the realm of true masters.
"Bastard! Where did you go?!" Bullet looked around, but saw nothing.
"Alright then! Let me show you my power!"
A large amount of mercury suddenly surged from his body, and in the next moment, it fell to the ground, churning and overflowing. Then it suddenly began to take shape.
A few seconds later, a colossal mercury giant, over fifty meters tall, stood proudly on the plaza!
Clang!
It even produced a substantial sound. The surface of the mercury giant's body was suddenly covered with a layer of black Haki.
"What?" Shiki was greatly astonished. "What's wrong with this kid? Is his Armament Haki normal?"
Such a quantity! And this kid is the same age as Roa!
"That kid is also a monster," Kaido snorted, a hint of envy in his tone. These subordinates of Roa's, they're truly subordinates. Even the least impressive one, Doflamingo, at least possessed Conqueror's Haki!
The invisible King also felt a headache. Bullet's most troublesome aspect was his Armament Haki, impossibly strong! But he had to try.
Wings flapping, he flew at full speed. In an instant, several not-so-shallow gashes appeared on the mercury giant's back. But they were only not-so-shallow; they were still far from wounding Bullet inside. Moreover, these gashes were instantly repaired in the next moment.
"How long are you going to hide!" Being passively attacked annoyed Bullet. In the next instant, a large amount of mercury vapor poured out from the giant's body, instantly filling the entire space.
Although King wasn't afraid of high temperatures, the surging mercury vapor finally revealed his position. A massive mercury heavy punch slammed down directly.
"Too slow." After easily dodging the punch, King infused his blade with intersecting fire and wind, then swung out a giant slash almost as large as the giant's body itself.
"Hahahaha!" Bullet fearlessly swung his fist to meet it, his fist expanding further, and his Haki became almost gleaming black.
Boom!
Roa squinted. "That's probably it, a truly remarkable Devil Fruit ability." It allowed King, who was originally a step behind Bullet, to possess strength capable of contending with Bullet. Although Bullet couldn't originally harm King defensively, now, it truly felt like an evenly matched fight.
Among the three cadres who came as guests with Shiki, the weakest, Trickster Max, looked somewhat melancholic. These two youngsters were already almost as strong as him, and he was two or three times their age.
"I'm very satisfied!" Roa nodded, looking at Shiki. "Then, Uncle Shiki, you'll have to hurry up."
"You don't need to tell me that," Shiki said casually. "I'm more anxious than you are." He then glanced at Bullet and King, who were clashing loudly in the plaza. "Bring those two brats along too."
Bullet and King's level, even when placed in the Rocks Pirates six years ago, would have qualified them to be apprentices.
"That's a different price, then. If I'm a Mythical Zoan, Bullet and King should at least be Ancient Zoans, right?"
"You damn brat, don't go too far!"
In short, the Flying Pirates temporarily stayed above Wano Country, waiting for the Roger Pirates to show themselves, while also tidying up their lair.
Meanwhile, in the North Blue, Flevance.
This white town, known for its beauty and prosperity, was now in utter chaos. Countless citizens poured into the streets, charging towards the royal palace under the leadership of certain individuals.
Caught off guard, the royal family hid in the palace, filled with unimaginable terror.
"Where did they get these weapons?! They're more refined than the Royal Army's!"
"The army has defected too! The palace gates are about to be breached!"
"What's happening? What in the world is happening?! How did those commoners find out the truth?!"
"Damn it! Those commoners all deserve to die! Wouldn't it be better for them to just quietly mine for us and then die?!"
Screams, shouts, and curses filled the royal palace, a scene of utter pandemonium.
It was at this moment that, with a thunderous roar, and with the help of the defected army, the rioting crowd finally broke through the palace gates and stormed into the magnificent palace.
A man quickly ran onto the city walls, roaring hoarsely, "Fellow citizens! This is not a riot, nor is it a rebellion! This is our revenge!"
"The royal family doesn't want us to live, and the World Government wants us to die! They pushed us into hell!"
"We, our children, everyone in this country, no longer have a future!"
Tears streamed down his face. Below, amidst the rioting crowd, a chorus of cries of pain and angry roars erupted.
"They want us to die silently, but we cannot grant them their wish!"
The man on the city wall roared, "Revenge against the royal family! Revenge against the World Government! Revenge against all who don't want us to live!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
Hoarse roars echoed throughout the entire country. This nation had fallen into complete chaos, and soon, this chaos would begin to spread across the entire North Blue.
I don't have many sections left to translate right now, so I'll switch to one section per day. If more sections become available, I'll go back to translating two sections a day.