"Urk!"
After the second blast, even Queen couldn't help but grit his teeth, his pupils bloodshot!
Pain…
So painful!
In terms of sheer power, it was a terrifying attack that could have broken the foreleg bones of a Sauropod.
And now, this attack exploded once again on his torso!
In that moment, Queen felt his internal organs trembling, as if he had been hit by countless cannonballs simultaneously, or as if he had taken a punch directly from his captain, Kaido of the Beasts Pirates!
Such an evaluation was quite remarkable indeed.
That was equivalent to a punch from Kaido of the Beasts Pirates, one of the Four Emperors!
In the New World, there were probably few who would dare to face such an attack head-on.
But…
That was just a "tool" after all.
A flicker of coldness crossed Queen's eyes.
…
All things in the world are ultimately "balanced."
Not equal, but "balanced."
To gain something, one always has to pay a certain "price."
If you want treasure, you need to go through difficult journeys, possess great strength, and have an unyielding will.
If you want to gain great power, you need to undergo the most arduous training and practice.
What about "born strong"?
Of course, there are such people.
For instance, the current Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin, known as Big Mom.
She is a typical example of someone "born strong."
As a child, she was able to accidentally kill a Giant elder hero with her own strength, unintentionally.
For someone like her, does "getting stronger" come without a price?
Of course not.
Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom, is far less mature in her mindset, strategy, and way of acting compared to the other three Four Emperors!
Throughout history, one can indeed find many so-called "born strong" individuals.
Similarly, we can also find many people who "stumble upon treasure while walking" or "get promoted and rich for no reason."
But such people are also not ordinary.
They each possess something different from others.
And the "born stronger" someone is, the more obvious their "abnormality" becomes.
Those "abnormal" points are the prices these naturally strong individuals pay to achieve what they do.
— This is balance.
…
What kind of person is Dalton?
He is a good person.
A beloved captain of the guard, and now a beloved king.
But in any case, he is definitely not someone "born strong."
He had the ability to protect the Drum Kingdom from foreign invasion in the first half of the Grand Line, but that was all.
Facing strong enemies from the New World, Dalton's strength was completely insufficient.
Therefore, if he wanted to gain the strength to fight against the enemies of the New World, Dalton had to pay a certain price.
But first, he had to choose the "method" to obtain this power.
That was to use a "tool."
— That is, the shellfish from Skypiea!
…
After Skypiea officially joined the Four Seas Alliance, Skypiea's specialty shellfish became a special commodity, undergoing large-scale trade with the Four Seas Alliance.
Of course, the trade of shellfish was not unchecked growth.
The power possessed by this special tool was undoubtedly extremely great.
This is why Crocodile, upon first encountering the shellfish, immediately saw it as a crucial component of the "powerful military force" he craved!
"Shellfish" possess the potential to arm an army, capable of exponentially increasing the strength of an army!
This applies to soldiers, and it applies to Dalton as well!
…
Of course, Queen was not very familiar with the detailed classification of Skypiea's shellfish.
Before Skypiea joined the Four Seas Alliance, a few shellfish were also circulated in the Blue Sea.
Among them, the most widely used were functional shells like "Tone Shells" or "Light Shells," while combat shells were extremely rare.
Therefore, although Queen saw the shell in Dalton's hand and immediately identified it as coming from Skypiea, he couldn't immediately distinguish the type and function of this shell.
But Queen knew that to gain certain "power" through a "tool," one must inevitably pay a certain "price."
Such a powerful impact would not only inflict strong damage on the enemy but also subject the user to immense backlash!
In other words, the shell in Dalton's hand was essentially a "bomb"!
Dalton, holding the bomb, rushed to Queen's side and pulled him in to self-destruct together!
The damage from self-destruction would be almost equal for both of them.
It was a terrifying device for mutual destruction!
…
Mutual destruction?
Upon thinking this, Queen gritted his teeth in anger.
How dare a mere ordinary Zoan Devil Fruit user try to go down with me!
A powerful attack?
It only broke one of my legs, what are you bragging about!
I will take the next blow from your damn shell head-on, and then I will crush you, you wild ox, into the ground!
Die for me!
Queen charged forward, taking the second blast head-on.
To be honest, the power of the "Repel" was not to be underestimated.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Queen still grimaced in pain, bloodshot filling the whites of his eyes.
Huff… huff…
It hurts so much!
I will make you, you wild ox, hurt just as much!
Queen adjusted his body, preparing to stomp on Dalton again, but he didn't expect that yet again—the third impact exploded towards his torso once more!
Boom!
The third Repel blast!
This Repel blast was beyond Queen's expectation; he hadn't thought Dalton could use such a terrifying impact twice in a row!
Why?!
Doesn't this wild ox fear death?!
Queen thought to himself, but the massive body of the Sauropod involuntarily retreated, eventually flying backward!
"Uwaaah!"
Accompanied by Queen's scream, both he and Dalton struggled to break free, and both crashed heavily to the ground!
…
The progress of the battle, through messengers and Den Den Mushi, reached Ryan Rowan in Alabasta.
Upon hearing that Dalton had single-handedly held off "Queen the Plague," Rowan's brow furrowed.
And upon hearing that "Queen the Plague" chose to continue to grapple with Dalton, Rowan's brow furrowed even deeper!
The messenger couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Lord Ancestor, why not deploy troops quickly to support Mr. Dalton and the others?"
Rowan paused, then suddenly retorted with a question.
This question made the messenger's hair stand on end, a chill running through his body.
"When did you mistakenly believe that the only enemies were the Beasts Pirates?"
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