Chapter 162: Tea Party Invitation
Only by first defeating an opponent could proper discussions take place. Fortunately, Boros rather liked this custom—especially when the opponent was not weak.
Compared to those aliens who, upon seeing him, couldn't wait to kneel and beg for mercy, someone like Kaido, a "hard-headed brute," suited Boros's tastes far more.
"Emperor Sword: Broken Blade!"
Before Boros could finish speaking, Charlotte Linlin, having at least grasped the situation somewhat, didn't bother mocking Kaido's unreliability anymore. Instead, she swung her great flaming saber, Napoleon, slashing down toward Boros.
Up until now, Big Mom still hadn't figured out Boros's true identity. But compared to this mysterious stranger, Kaido—an "old acquaintance"—was far more trustworthy.
Charlotte Linlin could grant objects souls, turning them into Homies with various powers to assist her in battle.
Boros instinctively prepared to take the strike head-on, but halfway through extending his arm, he suddenly stopped. His figure flickered, and at the very last moment, he narrowly dodged the saber's slash.
As the dominator of the universe, Boros was not born this strong. His current power was the result of his own growth.
After arriving in the world of pirates, Boros did not simply coast on his old strength. Nor did he scorn everything of this native planet, despite being strong enough to crush the vast majority of its inhabitants.
Observation Haki, Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki—even Devil Fruit powers—Boros learned and mastered these abilities during his battles with Kaido.
Although Boros's Haki had not yet reached its peak, it was already proving useful against Kaido.
Of course, this was mainly because this world had produced a powerhouse like Kizaru. Otherwise, Boros wouldn't feel compelled to learn every ability he encountered.
So far, the Haki and Devil Fruit powers that interested him most were those possessed by Kizaru.
"Roaring Thunder: Eight Trigrams!"
Kaido gripped his kanabo with both hands and smashed it toward Boros, his face—now covered in dragon scales—twisted in a ferocious snarl.
That damned one-eyed monster grew stronger after every clash. When they first met, Boros couldn't even use Haki. Now he was dodging Linlin's attacks with Observation Haki!
Boros tried once again to use Observation Haki to sense Kaido's movements. But his skill wasn't yet refined—good enough against King and Queen, perhaps, but when facing a top-tier powerhouse like Kaido, he had to risk frequent mistakes.
Boom!
Failing to dodge, Boros—whose figure seemed almost "slender" compared to Kaido—was blasted away like a baseball, sent crashing into the ruins of the collapsed throne platform.
"Linlin! Use that move!"
Having landed a hit, Kaido roared, urging Charlotte Linlin to strike together. Otherwise, once the one-eyed monster recovered, finding such an opportunity again would be nearly impossible.
After being beaten for so long, Kaido had gradually picked up on Boros's habits. Perhaps in order to savor the thrill of battle, Boros never went all out from the start. Only by seizing this chance could they possibly defeat him!
"Are you serious?"
Linlin, who had been holding her ground, looked incredulous. She admitted the one-eyed monster was strong—but right now, two Emperors of the Sea were fighting side by side! Even Whitebeard never had such an advantage.
"Quit yapping! Do it now!"
Kaido nearly couldn't hold himself back from smashing Big Mom with his club. If this had been before they encountered the one-eyed monster, he would've fought her on the spot.
If it weren't for the fact that he simply couldn't beat Boros alone, why else would he have teamed up with her?
"Tch! Next time something this shameful happens, don't come looking for me! Take this!"
Charlotte Linlin's brows furrowed as she let out a fierce shout, but still raised her broadsword high.
"Conqueror's Sea!"
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin stood side by side, weapons raised, and swung down at the ruins of the throne platform, unleashing a terrifying shockwave powerful enough to shatter everything in its path.
That strike carried the ambition of two Emperors of the Sea, sworn to annihilate any enemy daring to stand in their way!
The unparalleled shockwave tore through the temple, blasting straight through the warship's interior until it was finally stopped at the armor layer.
Even so, the heavily damaged ship sank several more meters in altitude. Fortunately, the space pirates in the control room were experienced; if it had been rookies piloting, they'd have probably crashed into the sea headfirst.
"Roar! Heat Breath!"
But even after being beaten senseless countless times by Boros, and knowing just how terrifying that cyclopean monster was, Kaido had no intention of stopping. His body swelled rapidly, transforming into a massive azure dragon hundreds of meters long, coiling within the center of the temple before unleashing a scorching blast toward where Boros had landed.
In an instant, blazing dragonfire consumed most of the temple. Even Charlotte Linlin had to curse and retreat behind him to avoid getting caught in that madman's attack.
The flames were so hot they could melt solid rock. The area covered by the inferno turned into a molten hellscape, yet Kaido still didn't dare let his guard down. He inhaled sharply again.
"Destructive Winds!"
Countless blades of wind spewed from the azure dragon's mouth, screaming through the air and cutting into the molten ruins of the temple.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Magma splattered everywhere, and the once-solid stone floor was torn apart into rubble under the relentless slicing winds. Even the massive temple pillars were cut down one after another until they collapsed.
The vast temple began to tremble, threatening to collapse entirely. Charlotte Linlin had no choice but to grab hold of Kaido's dragon horn to stop the raging beast from going any further.
She still wanted to claim this enormous warship for herself, but if Kaido kept rampaging like this, even if they won, all they'd have left would be a pile of wreckage.
"Mamamama! Quit going berserk! That thing might already be dead!"
Linlin shouted angrily. She admitted the one-eyed monster's oppressive aura had been unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
But no matter how strong the enemy, even Whitebeard would've lost half his life if he had taken their joint Conqueror's Sea head-on.
And on top of that, Kaido was relentlessly piling on attacks, practically tearing the entire ship to pieces.
"You don't get it! That monster could never die that easily! Let go of me, Linlin!"
Kaido had already been traumatized by Boros. He forcefully shook off Charlotte Linlin's hand, took a deep breath, and prepared to unleash another blast, determined to completely annihilate that damned one-eyed monster.
The Three Sweet Commanders and the Beast Pirates' officers, who had long since fled outside the temple, felt the tremors coming from within. All of them had the sensation of facing down a natural disaster.
That terrifying noise, along with the crushing pressure weighing down on everyone's hearts, forced each of them to recall their most horrifying past experiences.
King remembered the annihilation of his people.
Katakuri recalled the first time he saw his mother erupt into her feeding frenzy.
Cracker trembled inside his biscuit armor, not even daring to imagine what memory had surfaced in his mind.
As for the Beast Pirates' Shinuchi, they were utterly paralyzed with fear. It was an instinctive terror from the body itself.
But when they thought about the three figures currently battling inside the temple—two Yonko, plus a "monster" capable of effortlessly suppressing a Yonko—that overwhelming pressure didn't seem so hard to understand.
"Just who is that man?"
Katakuri, forcing down his unease, grabbed King by the collar and shouted.
His greatest pride—his Observation Haki that could glimpse the future—had completely failed against Boros.
It wasn't that Boros had used an advanced "Observation-Killing" technique to suppress him. Rather, Boros's very existence generated an effect akin to "Observation-Killing."
"…He claims to be Boros, captain of the Dark Matter Pirates from outer space. We don't know if it's true or not. But with Boss Boros's personality and power, there's no reason for him to lie."
King slapped away Katakuri's hands. Yet, considering the man would soon become a "comrade" too, he still answered Katakuri's question.
From initial wariness, to shock, and finally to numb acceptance—King's mindset toward Boros had been shifting nonstop.
When he first encountered Boros, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the Beast Pirates and Kaido himself would be reduced to another man's subordinates. And not only that—this man even intended to bring the Big Mom Pirates under his banner as well.
"The Beasts really submitted to that man? What on earth is your goal?"
Katakuri's expression was full of disbelief. As the face of the Big Mom Pirates, he had dealt with the Beasts plenty of times before.
In his impression, King had always been ice-cold and arrogant, never acknowledging anyone but Kaido.
And now he was calling some mysterious outsider "Boss"? This was far too absurd!
"Won't be long before you're the same… Oi, Katakuri—Beasts plus Big Mom… don't you think that kind of power could overturn the world?"
King sneered. Back then, plenty in the Beast Pirates had resisted Boss Boros. But now, aside from the especially thick-headed—cough, especially stubborn—Kaido himself, everyone else had resigned themselves.
No matter how you looked at it, the Big Mom Pirates would be no exception. King didn't believe Big Mom was any stronger than Kaido.
But just as he was about to mock further, a sudden thought struck him—one he had never considered before.
If Boss Boros could defeat Kaido just like before, and at the same time bring down Charlotte Linlin as well… then it was entirely possible to subjugate both Yonko crews.
With Boss Boros's strength, plus two Yonko at his side, and with the Beasts and the Big Mom Pirates as their wings—such a force could not only challenge the Marines, but even topple the World Government itself!
If that happened… then perhaps the grudge of the Lunarian race could finally…
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