Udon, Prisoner Quarry.
"Huh?"
"Wha—what the—?!"
"Y-Yamato-sama!"
"Why is Yamato-sama here in Udon?!"
"Yamato-sama escaped again! Quick—go to Oni Island and inform Lord Kaido!!!"
The cries and clamor of the Beast Pirates rose and fell in waves.
"YAMATO!!!"
A furious shriek echoed from the corridor as Ulti, transformed into her Pachycephalosaurus form, charged toward Yamato in three quick strides, launching a Rocket Headbutt.
"Whoa—Ulti-sama is here too?!" The Beast Pirates gasped again.
"Ulti, you already lost. Are you trying to cheat?" Yamato blocked Ulti's headbutt with her Spiked Club.
"You used four legs, while I only used two! So my time should be halved—meaning I won!" Ulti argued unreasonably.
"That's not how it works! I protest!" Yamato retorted.
"Protest denied!"
As the two women remained locked in their standoff, another thunderous set of footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Page One, in his Spinosaurus Form, strode in with Luo Xia seated on his back.
"Oooohhh! A d-dinosaur?!"
The nearby samurai prisoners gasped in terror.
"That's Page One-sama… and the one riding on his back is…"
The members of the Plague Faction who recognized Luo Xia suddenly froze, their mouths hanging open like strangled ducks, unable to utter another word.
"Luo… Xia? Could it be…?" Head Jailer Babanuki's eyes widened as he guessed Luo Xia's identity.
"That's the legendary… monster rookie! The Vice-Captain candidate personally acknowledged by Lord Kaido!" Deputy Jailer Daifugo said gravely.
"The man who defeated All-Star Jack-sama on his second day in the crew and slapped Queen-sama over a thousand times!" Deputy Jailer Dopon sucked in a sharp breath.
"Luo Xia-sama is even younger and more handsome than I imagined~" Solitaire, the only female among the deputy jailers, brightened up.
As the overseers of Udon, Babanuki and his team were stationed in the quarry year-round.
Though they hadn't been to Oni Island in nearly two months, they had long heard of Luo Xia's legendary exploits.
A man with a mysterious and powerful Devil Fruit ability, who stood unmoved even when All-Star Jack, in his Ancient Zoan Mammoth form, attacked him—unable to leave so much as a scratch.
A battle maniac who loved fighting so much that he grew restless if he didn't brawl daily—so much so that he even faked a performance to keep Queen around, beating him up for three straight days.
The man who openly defied Lord Kaido's ironclad rule by releasing Yamato-sama, then made a Real Man's Agreement with Kaido to quell his wrath—a 200-day challenge.
After enduring nearly fifty brutal strikes from Lord Kaido on the first day, he still showed up on time the next day, battling him in the Dome Battle until the sky itself cracked…
Each and every one of these feats was enough to shock anyone to death.
Though there was no official announcement yet, everyone in the Beasts Pirates knew that, given time, once Luo Xia had enough seniority, his rise to Vice-Captain was all but guaranteed.
"Could it be that Luo Xia-sama is the one Lord Kaido sent to assist in managing Udon, and Yamato-sama and the others just tagged along? That must be it…"
Head Jailer Babanuki and the others nodded in understanding, then simultaneously turned their gazes toward Queen the Plague.
At that moment, Queen had his back to the crowd, cursing into a tiny Den Den Mushi.
As a mad scientist, Queen was no fool. On the contrary, his mind was sharp as a tack.
Though stationed at Udon, he kept a close eye on the happenings at Oni Island, routinely having his subordinates report updates while he gleefully watched the drama unfold.
Especially after Kaido left, when he heard reports that Luo Xia had turned his attention toward King, Queen couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
But his joy didn't last long. Before he knew it, Luo Xia was dispatched to his territory under the pretense of "assisting with management."
Assisting?
This was clearly just passing the buck.
Couldn't handle Luo Xia yourself, so you dump him on me? As if I can handle him any better?
Within minutes, Queen had cursed King's ancestors eighteen generations back.
King, however, remained unfazed, calmly enjoying Queen's furious, impotent outbursts.
"If you've got time to bark at me like a dog, you'd be better off figuring out how to deal with this!" King the Conflagration said smugly.
Queen the Plague was about to continue his tirade when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his rear. With a yelp, he jumped three feet in the air.
Turning around, he saw Page One in his Spinosaurus Form, strutting around with his nose practically pointing at the sky.
In the past, Queen would have beaten Page One senseless to remind him of the hierarchy among the All-Stars.
But now... Queen slowly lowered his raised hand, his lips twitching as he spotted Luo Xia sitting casually on Page One's back.
"Kaido sent me to take charge of Udon. From now on, I'm in command here. Any objections?" Luo Xia said coolly.
"What did you say?" Queen's eyes bulged.
The message he'd received clearly stated that Luo Xia was here to assist him with management.
But according to Luo Xia, he was here to take over, reducing Queen—the self-proclaimed king of Udon—to second-in-command?
For Queen, who had long ruled Udon with an iron fist, this was unacceptable.
He could admit that Luo Xia might be stronger than him, but he absolutely refused to let Luo Xia trample all over his authority.
"Don't joke around! Even King said you're here to assist!"
"Udon has always been Queen's territory—stay in your lane!"
"You're supposed to be Queen's subordinate—know your place!"
The Plague Faction pirates couldn't help but shout in protest.
Luo Xia remained unmoved, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
But Page One, Luo Xia's number-one underling, wasn't about to let it slide.
"Do you even know who you're talking to? How dare you disrespect my boss!"
In his Spinosaurus Form, Page One charged like a raging boar, sending the jeering pirates flying with cries of pain.
"Your answer?" Luo Xia asked, watching Queen's shifting expression.
Queen stayed silent. If he backed down now, his years of authority within the Beasts would crumble, and the prisoners would mock him behind his back.
But if he didn't submit... Well, worst case, they'd just fight again. If he could drag it out for hours like last time and end in a draw, he could still save face.
With that thought, Queen lifted his chin defiantly.
"Good. That's the spirit!" Luo Xia grinned.
"Last time, I let my guard down. Don't think you can catch me off guard again!" Queen blustered.
Without another word, he struck first, transforming into his Brachiosaurus Hybrid Form and firing a laser blast.
Luo Xia casually reached out, letting the laser dot explode harmlessly in his palm.
Without hesitation, he strode forward, wrapping his arms around the brontosaurus' neck and executing a powerful shoulder throw, slamming it heavily to the ground.
But that wasn't all. Luo Xia's left fist and right palm, wreathed in the Fire Dragon's Flame, unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks from both sides. The storm-like assault sent Queen scurrying for cover, utterly defenseless.
Queen had initially believed the gap between himself and Luo Xia wasn't that significant—that as long as he played it safe, he could easily drag the fight out for hours.
Only now did he realize how gravely mistaken he was. The rumors from over half a month ago were true—Luo Xia had indeed clashed with Kaido to the point of... splitting the heavens.
Boom!
Rumble—!
The massive brontosaurus body toppled like a collapsing mountain, crashing to the ground in defeat.
Queen the Plague, one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars, had been utterly crushed!!!
At that moment, the vast Udon fell into dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.