The second battle between Luo Xia and Queen the Plague began.
"Wind Coming Fist!"
Queen struck first, going all out from the very beginning, transforming into his strongest Brachiosaurus Modified Beast-man form.
His five Mechanical Claws gathered into a fist, launching a relentless storm of attacks against the unprepared Luo Xia.
Under this barrage of strikes, the sumo ring beneath their feet shattered into pieces in an instant.
Only after a full five minutes did Queen the Plague finally relent and step back.
"Done? Then it's my turn."
A calm voice emerged from the dust-covered center of the ring.
Whoosh!
A slender figure shot out from the swirling dust.
Slap!
Same move, same result—Luo Xia delivered a resounding slap to the Brachiosaurus-man Queen's face, sending him flying dozens of meters.
For the next several hours, their battle fell into the exact same pattern as the day before.
There was no high-level exchange of techniques between masters—this calamitous fight had once again been turned into a turn-based game by Luo Xia.
Queen unleashed a flurry of dazzling, flashy ultimate moves, going all out like a raging tiger.
Meanwhile, Luo Xia relied on just one move from start to finish—a single, devastating slap that worked like a charm every time.
Each strike landed squarely on Queen's face, leaving him with a twisted mouth and swollen eyes.
His head, which had only just recovered, was once again swollen like a pig's.
"W-Wait… something's not right here?" Queen felt dizzy, but he still realized something was off.
He had lasted an hour longer today than yesterday—in theory, Luo Xia should have been the first to collapse from exhaustion.
But… what was going on? Luo Xia showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
This wasn't right!
Something was seriously wrong!
"Alright, you're a great opponent, and I'd love to keep fighting, but I just remembered I have unfinished business. So let's call it a draw again today—we'll settle this another time." Queen called for a halt once more.
"Fine." Luo Xia agreed just as readily as before.
"Another draw?"
The onlooking Beasts Pirates exchanged bewildered glances, finding these two battles utterly bizarre.
"Wahhh! Big bro, you're amazing!" Page One shouted excitedly.
He had thought Luo Xia, still recovering from his injuries, would be at a disadvantage against Queen today. To his surprise, his big bro had managed another draw.
"Even while grievously injured, he didn't retreat a single step! From now on, big bro is my idol!" Page One quickly supported Luo Xia, who was "barely able to stand," and helped him leave step by step.
"Page One, let me carry him," Black Maria suggested.
"Be gentle with him," Page One reminded.
The Twenty-Eight Foot Man, Black Maria, took Luo Xia from Page One's arms, cradling him against her ample bosom as a pillow.
Luo Xia remained expressionless, closing his eyes to rest. Seeing this, Black Maria grew bolder, her slender fingers tracing over his body inch by inch, brushing off traces of explosive residue.
"This guy is definitely faking it!" Black Maria uncovered the truth.
...
That night.
A bruised and battered Queen silently packed his belongings, reflecting on the battle in his mind.
"Lord Queen, you were so close to winning! Why did you call it off again?"
"Even if you were trying to save face for Lord Kaido, you didn't have to do it twice!"
"That arrogant bastard couldn't even walk properly—he had to be carried by Maria!"
"Dammit, just thinking about it makes me angry. I also want to bury my head in Lady Maria's... and take deep breaths!"
The members of the Plague Faction chattered noisily.
"Shut up, all of you! You're giving me a headache!" Queen bellowed.
Despite the noise, his subordinates' words gave him some inspiration.
He compared the two battles with Luo Xia and realized that today, they had gone straight into the fight.
But yesterday, Luo Xia had been blasted by the Explosive Collar before fighting him. Even though he hadn't seen any wounds, Queen refused to believe Luo Xia could have emerged completely unscathed from such a massive explosion.
That's it!
This must be the difference!
If Luo Xia had been blasted today too, he definitely... probably would have won... right?
He would have won!!!
Just then.
"Lord King."
Footsteps approached outside, and King the Conflagration pushed the door open and strode in.
"King, what are you doing here?" Queen struggled to open his swollen eyes, glaring sideways at King.
"I'm here to tell you to pack your things and get the hell back to Udon. You're an embarrassment," King the Conflagration said.
"What did you say?" Queen flew into a rage. "King, you coward, what right do you have to criticize me? At least I fought that guy to a standstill... no, I've already figured out the problem—next time, I'll definitely beat him! Meanwhile, I heard all about it—that brat jumped right in your face and mocked you, and you didn't even dare to fight back. And you have the nerve to talk about me?"
"Idiot!" King shook his head, refusing to engage further.
The onlooker sees more of the game.
Having secretly observed both battles, King the Conflagration knew full well that Luo Xia had been toying with Queen the entire time.
If Luo Xia had truly fought seriously, Queen's fate wouldn't have been much better than Jack's.
Still, they had been colleagues for years, so he had come to offer a warning out of goodwill—only to be snapped at in return.
King the Conflagration was never one for patience, and now, he decided to wash his hands of the matter.
On the other hand, King's provocation only fueled Queen's determination to prove himself by defeating Luo Xia.
...
...
In the blink of an eye, the third day arrived.
As promised, Luo Xia and Queen the Plague faced off for their third battle.
"Fire!"
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The moment Luo Xia stepped onto the battlefield, cannons from all directions roared to life.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of shells rained down on Luo Xia, triggering a chain of massive explosions.
"Damn it, Queen, have you no shame? Absolutely none at all?" Page One fumed, cursing loudly.
"Muhahaha! Today, you won't be leaving here alive! Take this—Brachiosaurus Bomb!" Queen the Plague descended from the sky.
This time, he meticulously recreated every step from their first battle.
Soon, the critical third hour arrived.
"Hurry up and fall already. Stop pretending," Queen the Plague rubbed his claws together, his face full of anticipation.
Luo Xia remained silent, simply feeding him his favorite—slap after slap.
Four hours.
Five hours.
Queen was dumbfounded.
Queen was stunned.
"Huh? Don't you have anything else to do today?" Luo Xia asked.
"Oh, right, right! I just remembered—I have things to do! A draw! Today's another draw!" Queen quickly seized the opportunity to back down.
And so, their third battle ended inconclusively once more.
Only when Black Maria, carrying Luo Xia in her arms, had completely disappeared into the distance did Queen finally relax.
Queen the Plague collapsed onto the ground, his head throbbing with unbearable pain. After enduring thousands of slaps over three consecutive days, even his Ancient Zoan-enhanced body couldn't take it anymore. His brain felt thoroughly scrambled, and he was certain over a hundred bones had been broken.
"Lord Queen, why stop now? You were so close to winning!" a pirate tentatively asked.
"Win? Win my ass!" Queen slurred angrily. "Get the Brachiosaurus Ship ready now!"
Without even packing his belongings, Queen immediately turned tail and fled.
Once might be coincidence, twice could be chance, but after three consecutive times, if Queen still hadn't caught on, he'd truly deserve King's "idiot" remark.
By now, Queen had completely figured it out—he'd been played by Luo Xia all along.
Every time he called for a break, Luo Xia would suddenly appear exhausted, deliberately giving him hope that just a little more effort would bring victory. Bit by bit, Luo Xia had strung him along, tormenting him...
This was Queen's own signature move, the very technique he'd used to torture Wano Country's samurai in Udon Prison. Never had he imagi
ned someone would one day use it against him.
"Damn it, that bastard's truly inhuman, treating me like one of those Wano samurai!" Queen cursed vehemently.
"Where the hell did Kaido dig up such a monster? If I can't beat him, I'll avoid him! Screw this, goodbye—no, good riddance!"