Onigashima, the back mountain area.
As the dust settled, a white-haired girl lay sprawled at the center of the explosion, covered in severe wounds, clearly heavily injured.
Yet, she remained conscious.
"Oww, damn it, I lost again!"
Yamato gritted her teeth and rolled over, panting for a while before struggling to her feet. Before she could steady herself, countless pirates emerged from all sides.
She'd been found!
The pirates licked their blades, their grins unnervingly "friendly."
"Well, well, Princess Yamato."
"Be a dear and surrender quietly."
"We wouldn't want you getting hurt, now would we?"
Faced with their threats, Yamato tightened her grip on her spiked club without hesitation, glaring back fiercely.
"I won't let you catch me!"
She knew exactly what awaited her if she were captured—
Starvation!
But right now, her entire body ached, and her stamina was nearly depleted. Taking down so many pirates was nothing short of a pipe dream.
She had to carve a path through them.
Grrrrr—
Her stomach loudly voiced its protest.
"I'm starving! So hungry!"
Yamato's eyes glowed red as her desperation for food and fear of hunger gradually awakened her ferocity.
Fight!
"Get out of my way!"
With a roar, she charged forward, lunging into the crowd. Her spiked club swung wildly, sending over a dozen pirates flying!
"Waaaahhh!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dust clouds erupted as explosions rang out incessantly. The battlefield descended into chaos in an instant, with pirates screaming as they were launched into the air.
Unstoppable!
However, her already dwindling stamina was rapidly depleting. Her strength and reflexes visibly declined.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, the earth trembled!
"An earthquake?"
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
Just as the pirates froze in confusion, the deafening roar of a beast erupted.
"Out of the way, you trash!"
A Spinosaurus—a creature that should have existed only in ancient times—appeared, dwarfing even the surrounding buildings. It charged recklessly, paying no heed to the pirates in its path.
"Waaah! It's Lord Page One!"
"Move! We'll get crushed!"
"Damn it!"
The pirates scattered in terror. Being trampled by a Spinosaurus wasn't just about getting injured—
It was fatal.
The Spinosaurus opened its massive jaws and barreled toward Yamato.
"It's Page One!"
Yamato's heart sank at the sight of the charging dinosaur. She knew all too well the power and endurance of an Ancient Zoan user.
If she got entangled with him, it was over.
She had to end this fast!
Haaah—
Taking a deep breath, Yamato tightened her grip on her spiked club, channeling all her remaining Conqueror Haki into its surface.
Black lightning crackled along the weapon.
In the next instant, she vanished like a bolt of thunder, unleashing the move she'd secretly learned from that bastard father of hers!
"Thunder—clap!"
Almost instantaneously, the spiked club, wreathed in black lightning, appeared beside the Spinosaurus' head. The sheer terror of its aura made the dinosaur's pupils shrink violently.
No time to dodge!
"Trigram!!!"
BOOM!!!
With an ear-splitting crash, the spiked club smashed brutally into the Spinosaurus' jaw, shattering its mandible and dozens of fangs in a single blow!
A point-blank finisher!
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
The Spinosaurus howled in agony, its massive body collapsing sideways uncontrollably, kicking up a storm of dust.
The pirates were stunned.
"Lord Page One!"
"So strong! She took down Lord Page One with just one strike!"
"Of course! She's the child of a demon, after all!"
For a moment, the pirates were too intimidated to step forward.
Yamato stood at the center of the battlefield, quietly recovering her stamina. If any pirates charged at her now, she wouldn't have the strength to fight back.
Damn it!
So tired! So hungry!
I really want some sashimi~ slurp!
As the dust settled, the Spinosaurus had vanished, leaving only a young man half-kneeling on the ground, wearing a black-and-white mask.
The Beasts Pirates' Headliner—Page One!
"Cough! Cough!"
Page One clutched his cheek, coughing up blood. Half his face was stained crimson, clearly severely injured, making his subordinates shudder in fear.
Taking a hit like that to the head—just imagining it was terrifying. The fact that their superior was still conscious was nothing short of miraculous.
Just how tough are Ancient Zoans?!
A subordinate cautiously asked, "Lord Page One, you seem badly hurt. Should we call the medics?"
"No need! It doesn't hurt at all!"
Page One could barely stand, but he stubbornly refused to show weakness, his gaze darkening as he glared at Yamato.
"Even after taking such heavy injuries, she still has this much fighting power left…"
She's strong!
He wasn't even sure he could win against her!
Suddenly, the hairs on Page One's neck stood on end. His sharp instincts screamed at him to flee from an impending danger.
But it was too late.
A shadow loomed over him.
"Peeeeegiiiiii!!!"
Slender hands wrapped around his neck from behind, and then the full weight of the assailant crashed onto him, slamming him face-first into the ground.
Oh no—it's her!
"Pegiiii, I missed you so much!"
Ulti sat on Page One's back, gripping his neck with both hands as she shook him up and down excitedly, smashing his head into the ground over and over.
She found her little brother! So happy!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Cracks rapidly spread across the ground.
Page One's head kept smashing into the dirt, his consciousness fading. Already badly injured, he was now suffering even more damage.
"H-Help…"
The young man weakly lifted his head, spotting Gurd nearby. Desperate, he reached out a trembling hand for aid—Gurd was the only one who could stop Ulti's rampage.
The look of despair in his eyes, the desperate grasp for hope—it was truly heartbreaking.
Gurd turned his head away and began whistling nonchalantly.
Whistle~ Whistle~ Whistle~
Nothing to see here. JPG
As Ulti's trusted right-hand man, he could pull her off—but he had no intention of getting involved in his superior's family affairs.
Who knew if she'd turn on him next?
"Gurd, you bastard!"
Page One fell into despair, his outstretched hand dropping limply to the ground. Soon after, tiny X-eyed ghosts floated out of his mouth.
He passed away peacefully.
"Pegiii?"
Noticing the lack of resistance, Ulti paused her shaking. When she realized her brother had lost consciousness, her fury erupted.
"You bastards! Who did this to you?!"
You did!
Gurd silently retorted.
"I know!"
Ulti glared furiously at Yamato. "Yamato! It was you, wasn't it?! How dare you knock Pegi out?! I'll avenge him!"
"Hah?! You're the one who knocked him out, you idiot!"
Yamato looked utterly baffled, unwilling to take the blame, while also pointing fingers at Ulti: "If you were gentler with Page One, he wouldn't be hiding from you all the time!"
"Bullshit! I'm the gentlest person in the world to Page One!"
Ulti exploded with rage, leaping up as her upper body and legs arched backward, her smooth forehead coated in a layer of pitch-black Conqueror Haki.
"Die! I'll never forgive anyone who bullies Page One!"
At this sight, many of the surrounding pirates gasped in shock.
"It's Ulti-sama's Headbutt!"
Rumors said Ulti-sama's Headbutt was as terrifying as a cannon!
Yamato's expression turned grave. She planted her right foot firmly into the ground, gripping her spiked club with both hands and swinging it upward with all her might.
Almost simultaneously, Ulti's Headbutt appeared before her eyes.
"CLANG!!!"
The headbutt and spiked club collided violently, producing a metallic screech, followed by a powerful shockwave that blasted everything around them away.
"WAAAHHH!!!"
Pirates screamed as they were sent flying.
Gurd stood his ground against the shockwave, feet rooted like a tree, even catching Page One mid-air as he was blown away.
His solemn gaze turned toward the battlefield.
So strong!
His own physique was robust—he could crush boulders bare-handed—but within the Beasts Pirates, he was merely a decently strong grunt.
Barring any surprises, at best, he could rise to become an ordinary Headliner. With luck, he might even serve as a sidekick to the two formidable women before him.
Fortunately, he was a transmigrator—with cheats.
Gurd instinctively touched his belly, feeling the tiny life residing within, and couldn't help but smirk.
At the center of the battlefield.
"Heavy!"
Yamato's feet sank into the ground as the tremendous impact caused her wounds to burst open, blood seeping out.
Every inch of her body ached!
"Hah! Looks like Kaido-sama really gave you a beating. Serves you right for always thinking about rebelling against him!"
Ulti sneered, pressing harder against Yamato's spiked club with her forehead, a trickle of blood running down between her brows.
Damn it, this hurts!
Her Conqueror Haki had been shattered!
The next moment, the two separated.
Ulti reached down under her skirt, pulling out a long spiked club, and charged at Yamato again: "Give up! I won't give you time to rest!"
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?!"
Yamato's temper flared too.
"CLANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!"
Their spiked clubs clashed violently, sparks flying.
In the distance, the pirates regrouped.
Gurd watched the two women brawl while keeping an eye on the surrounding pirates.
Only a few Headliners were present.
Capturing Yamato wasn't a major merit—most high-ranking officers couldn't be bothered. Only the lower-ranked Headliners would join the fray.
Now that Ulti had stepped in, even if other Headliners wanted the credit, they'd have to think twice. After all, the girl was a Devil Fruit user, destined to become a high-ranking officer in the Beasts Pirates.
Offending Ulti for a minor merit wasn't worth it.
Perfect!
Gurd curled his lips.
Hehehe, once the two women exhausted themselves, it would be his time to strike. The fruits of victory would be his to pluck.
As for whether his superior could win.
No chance.
Ulti was strong, but she was only 17—her physical skills and Haki were mediocre at best. Yamato, on the other hand, was at least Calamity-level. Even severely injured, she wouldn't lose to Ulti in a direct fight.
Thus, the advantage was his!
"Big Bro Gurd!"
Just as Gurd was contemplating the smooth combo moves he'd use against Yamato later, four pirates gathered around him, each holding flags and paper fans with hearts—cheering paraphernalia.
Like Gurd, they were all Ulti's direct subordinates and had arrived at the back mountain long ago, eagerly awaiting Ulti and Gurd's arrival.
"Lady Ulti is fighting!"
"Now is the time for us to shine!"
"Ulti Fan Club, assemble!"
"Big Bro Gurd, let's get started!"
The four were brimming with excitement, striking poses so cringeworthy they could rival the Ginyu Force from Dragon Ball, surrounding Gurd at the center.
Their flamboyant antics immediately drew bewildered stares from most of the pirates.
"..."
Gurd remained silent for a full thirty seconds.
If he recalled correctly, this Ulti Fan Club was something he had founded—and he was even its first president. Normally, no one was more enthusiastic about organizing cheer events than him.
The sins of his past self!
With a sigh, Gurd silently raised one leg w
hile lifting both arms, striking a pose perfectly in sync with his comrades.
＼(`Δ')／
"Brothers, are you ready?"
"YEAH!!!"
The four roared in unison.
"Follow my lead—one, two—"
Gurd widened his eyes fiercely, leading his four underlings in a spirited chant.
"Lady Ulti is peerless in the world!"
"Lady Ulti is brilliant beyond compare!!"
"Lady Ulti is drop-dead gorgeous!!!"
Their booming slogans echoed across the back mountain!
(End of Chapter)