"Moses, I think the Navy seems pretty decent."
Walking down the street, Yamato turned her head slightly to look at Moses beside her as she spoke.
Moses chuckled lightly. "If Kaido heard that, he'd definitely beat you with his spiked club again."
Yamato rolled her eyes at Moses in response.
Sighing, Moses met her gaze and said,
"Yamato, don't jump to conclusions about anything so quickly. Some things are one-sided. You'll understand once you've seen more of the world."
"But Garp and Kuzan are a bit of an exception in the Navy. Not everyone is like them."
"Out there, just being known as Kaido's daughter would be enough for the Navy to label you as a potential pirate—even if you're still underage and don't have a bounty yet."
"Is that so?"
Yamato nodded thoughtfully. "Guess I can't let people know my identity so casually from now on."
"Right. Being a pirate has no future. We should live freely in this world—why let something as trivial as a pirate label define us?"
"Yeah, you're right. We should live freely. To hell with pirates."
Chatting idly, they snacked on street food as they made their way back to the hotel.
After playing cards with Ulti and Ushiwakamaru for a while, Moses turned in early.
The next day.
After replenishing his energy with a hearty meal, Moses timed it just right to enter the arena backstage with Yamato and Ulti.
The host, Nanta, was already hyping up the crowd with an electrifying opening speech.
The moment the clock struck—
[Now, let's welcome the two finalists of today's world-class tournament! A Bao & Lao G!]
Amidst the deafening roar of the crowd—
Moses and Lao G stepped onto the fighting platform from opposite floating bridges.
Scanning the surroundings, Moses' Observation Haki detected the presence of Garp, Kuzan, and Bogart.
Looking up, he spotted the three of them sitting in a row atop the highest wall of the spectator stands. Moses gave them an exasperated look and muttered,
"Would've been better if they just came with me. They could've watched up close with Yamato and the others."
But then again—
Their vantage point probably gave them a clear enough view.
Meanwhile, seeing Moses glance around without paying him any attention, Lao G, standing twenty meters away, frowned.
"Kid, I'm Lao G of the Donquixote Family. We—"
Moses turned to him, raising a hand to cut off whatever recruitment pitch or threat was coming next. Calmly, he said,
"My goal is the Muscle Fruit. If you don't want it, you can surrender and leave now. Save the rest of your words."
Lao G nodded at Moses. As the host's introduction echoed, he replied coolly,
"This Devil Fruit is important to me. I won't back down. And I don't hold back, kid. You should forfeit."
"Save the trash talk. And don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're old. If you can't take it, jump off the platform early."
[The finals of the World Fighting Championship—BEGIN NOW!]
The moment the host's booming announcement ended—
Lao G let out a low growl of "G," his feet moving so fast they left afterimages as his entire body transformed into a blur of black, charging toward Moses with a gust of wind.
His hands clenched into C-shaped seals, resembling tiger claws, as he swung his arms rapidly toward Moses.
"GGGGGG!"
A series of sharp, continuous roars erupted from his mouth.
Like a hundred hands striking at once, countless fist shadows howled as they rained down on Moses from all directions.
A glint of crimson flashed in Moses' eyes.
Observation Haki flowed around his body.
Like a feather, Moses dodged continuously across the arena in response to Lao G's relentless assault.
Seeing that his high-speed barrage couldn't land a hit, a fierce glint flashed in Lao G's eyes. His left foot stomped forward abruptly, and his right leg swung like a battle-axe, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle—a wide-range attack.
Moses predicted the move in advance. Suddenly bending backward, he lifted his leg and delivered a precise side kick to Lao G's ankle.
Boom!
The brutal force of their kicks collided.
Amid the gust of wind, Lao G flipped backward to retreat.
Moses pushed off the ground with his left hand, his waist twisting as he straightened his stance.
Using the unique penetrating Sense Perception of his Observation Haki, he analyzed Lao G's Earth Lord Fist—a qi-based martial art.
A trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
Moses thought to himself:
"So-called qi techniques are nothing more than storing daily energy within the flesh through methods akin to Life Return, reserved for emergencies."
Lao G stared at Moses, disbelief in his eyes. "Observation Haki again? Just like that girl yesterday?"
"Heh."
With a light chuckle, his Breath rising and falling, Moses gathered Haki beneath his feet, erupting into a surge of air currents—whoosh! His figure abruptly appeared right before Lao G.
Dark-red flames ignited on his fists, the searing heat compressed and concentrated at his knuckles as he threw a devastating punch straight at Lao G's chest.
Lao G frowned—another elemental attack. Annoying. His C-shaped hand seals swung out with a howl.
In the next instant, their fists collided at blinding speed.
BOOM!
Moses' dark-red Armament Haki flames exploded alongside the gale-force winds of Lao G's punch.
A terrifying shockwave erupted between them.
The two separated instantly, forced backward.
Lao G's feet carved deep grooves into the ground as he skidded.
Moses, light as a feather, had wisps of cool wind swirling around him, drifting effortlessly.
The moment his feet touched down, his toes pressed against the ground, gathering his full strength before unleashing it.
Crack! The ground fractured into a web of fissures.
Dark flames solidified around Moses' fists as he reappeared before Lao G in a flash.
His figure flickered rapidly around Lao G—punch after punch after punch.
Lao G spun, fists lashing out to block, but the scorching heat seared his body, forcing him to channel Armament Haki into his hands.
A deep, obsidian hue spread inch by inch.
"GGGGGGG!"
He roared continuously.
Fists and kicks flew. Gale-force winds howled.
Within mere inches of each other, the two clashed at extreme speeds.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Punches traded for kicks.
Blocks countered with strikes.
Before long,
Large patches of burns covered Lao G's body, dark-red flames still clinging to the wounds.
"Brat, this is a martial arts tournament. Got the guts to fight without flames?"
Lao G roared in frustration, the searing pain in his body making him increasingly irritable.
His attacks grew even more ferocious.
Moses calmly used Observation Haki to predict each of his strikes, utterly indifferent to his words.
Every time Lao G swung, Moses met it with a flaming fist.
The Haki condensed within his body flowed into his fists, transforming into flames that compressed and accumulated. Each collision triggered a violent eruption of Haki-infused fire.
Every punch and kick carried formidable force.
The two clashed in an exceptionally intense battle.
Time passed slowly.
An hour later.
Clang! Their right legs collided once more, the tremendous recoil sending both of them staggering backward.
Breathing slightly heavily, Moses felt the strain of his depleted Haki, his body fatigued, the dark-red flames in his hands now extinguished.
Qi Circulation Throughout the Body.
With each rise and fall of his Breath, Moses adjusted his condition.
Opposite him, Lao G was in a similar state. Due to the clinging nature of Moses' flames, he had been forced to expend large amounts of Haki to disperse them.
His body bore extensive burns.
His lips were cracked, his eyes gleaming with a crimson light, an aura of agitation radiating from his entire being.
Once his Breath steadied, Moses suddenly moved, appearing right before Lao G, his fists wreathed in sparse black-red arcs of electricity.
Scant but present.
He threw a punch.
Lao G countered with a furious roar, "Damn brat playing with fire! Die!"
Boom! A dull impact echoed.
The two separated briefly—only for Moses to charge again immediately.
Wrapped in those sparse black-red arcs, he relentlessly exchanged blows with Lao G. Tiny, almost imperceptible waves of Conqueror's Haki Shock acted upon Lao G's consciousness, continuously stoking his anger—subtle yet persistent, like a festering wound.
Lao G grew increasingly furious that he couldn't defeat a mere brat after so long, an inexplicable rage swelling within him.
As time passed, this fury accumulated, growing more intense. His attacks gradually became wilder, his low growls continuous as their fists clashed again and again.
"Raaaaaah!!!"
At one point, Lao G suddenly punched Moses back, stomped the ground hard, and leaped into the air, spinning rapidly before crashing down onto the arena with a thunderous impact.
Shattered stones flew in all directions.
A fist-sized rock shot toward Moses, who caught it with a cold expression.
.
Thick Armament Haki coiled around it, followed by Conqueror's Haki, enveloping the stone in black-red arcs.
Lao G suddenly looked up at Moses, his eyes tinged with crimson, and let out a furious "G!" before kicking off the ground like an arrow, his body rigid as he lunged headfirst at Moses.
A red gleam flashed in Moses' eyes as he predicted the movement the moment it began. He stepped back into a bow stance, his right arm pulling back, gripping the Haki-infused black-red stone tightly.
At the moment he charged forward, his right hand suddenly flung out—Boom! An explosion erupted. Under the terrifying force, the rock shattered the instant it struck Lao G's head.
Overwhelmed by the surging impact, Lao G was sent tumbling sideways from the blast. With a swift movement, Moses dashed forward at incredible speed, appearing behind Lao G in the blink of an eye.
As his left foot landed, he twisted his entire body, gathering strength before delivering a powerful kick with his right foot.
Boom! The strike landed squarely on the back of Lao G's head.
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a ring-shaped shockwave, Lao G's body spun wildly, trailing spiraling air currents as Moses sent him flying.
Lao G, his eyes rolling back slightly, plummeted with a splash outside the arena and into the water.
Lao G—out.
Defeat.
Moses exhaled lightly, a trace of exhaustion flickering in his eyes.
At that moment, the stadium erupted into a deafening, synchronized chant.
"Champion! Champion! Champion!"
"A Bao! A Bao! A Bao!"
"Fighting! Champion!!!"
Like a roaring mountain, like a surging tide—
Thunderous applause!
Moses' expression remained unchanged.
Then, a head with a swollen lump on the back emerged from the water. Lao G turned, floating in the water with a sullen look as he glared at Moses.
"This match was my loss. But that Devil Fruit is very important to me. Could you part with it? The Donquixote Family will offer you a satisfactory reward in return."
"Such as? A Logia-Type? A Mythical Zoan? Or some other special Paramecia-Type?"
Moses watched him with amusement. Lao G's face stiffened—those were things he couldn't casually promise.
Some lines couldn't be crossed.
Seeing his silence, Moses said flatly,
"Then sorry. I gave my terms, and you can't meet them. No deal."
"Can't you make an exception?"
Moses ignored him, turning instead toward the host's platform where the kingdom's crown prince stood.
Noticing Moses' gaze, Nanta's lips curled slightly as he gestured for him to come up. In response, Moses bent his legs, gathering strength—Bang!
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, Moses shot toward Nanta's private booth, soaring dozens of meters into the air in an instant. Then, with explosive bursts, he kicked off the air itself—Moon Walk—before landing gracefully at Nanta's location.
Planting his feet on the booth's windowsill, Moses leaped inside and addressed the man in his late twenties directly:
"The champion's prize."
Nanta smiled. "Contestant A Bao, no need to rush. Your prize is right there."
He pointed to an open treasure chest beside him, inside of which lay a pale, crescent-shaped Devil Fruit resembling a flexed arm.
Appraisal
[Paramecia-Type. Muscle Fruit (A)]
Moses' lips curled into a faint smile. "Can I take it now?"
"By all means. You're the champion—this Devil Fruit is already yours."
Nanta's tone was genial, entirely unbothered by Moses' blunt demand. This was the privilege of the strong.
Having hosted world-class fighting tournaments for so long, they knew better than to test the patience of certain monsters—their authority meant nothing to them.
Thus, they avoided unnecessary provocations.
After all, history had taught them bloody lessons.
When dealing with these powerful savages, the best approach was to remain friendly.
Best to be straightforward.
Perhaps we could even gain a powerful ally.
"Mr. A Bao, since you've won this year's World-Class Fighting Championship, would you be interested in joining our Fisk Kingdom? Our nation can offer you a viscount title with land grants. You could establish your own family, and even marriage with the royal family isn't out of the question. What do you think?"
Nanta looked at the surprisingly young Moses before her, her words dripping with temptation.
Moses smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "No need for those things. I've already gotten what I wanted, so we'll take our leave now." He stepped forward to close the treasure chest, then exited through the private passageway of the VIP box, leaving behind a helpless-looking host Nanta.
Soon after, he found Yamato and the others in the spectator area.
Yamato curiously pinched Moses's arm and asked, "Why don't you have any burn marks on your arms today? Yesterday after using that flame technique, you still had them."
"My body has adapted, so it's no longer affected," Moses explained with a light laugh.
Yamato smacked her lips and put away the bandages she was holding, making Moses look somewhat exasperated.
At this moment, Ulti asked curiously, "Moses, is that the Muscle Fruit inside the treasure chest?"
Moses handed her the chest. Ulti took it, opened it, and squeezed the fruit in her hand. "It looks so strange," she said while flexing her biceps. Yamato also leaned in to look, equally curious: "It does look weird. Devil Fruits are truly amazing."
As they heard host Nanta outside loudly announcing the official closing declaration of this year's World-Class Fighting Championship, Moses looked at the two girls. "Let's go too. We should leave before the crowd disperses to avoid getting stuck in the rush later." Both nodded in agreement, and the three departed.
Not long after, they encountered Garp's group on the street outside. Moses smiled and said, "Let's go rest upstairs together. There are still a few people coming later. We'll leave after I check out." Garp curled his lip but didn't refuse. The group went to room 502 in the hotel, where Moses poured tea for the three newcomers. The six of them sat on the sofa chatting.
Bogart looked Moses up and down with admiration, noting how calm and quiet he appeared now, completely different from the wild intensity he'd shown in the arena earlier. After examining Moses, his curious gaze turned to the two girls with demon horns, a glint flashing briefly in his eyes.
Ulti looked at Bogart and curled her lip. "Your stare is so lecherous. Why are you constantly ogling a young lady like me?"
Moses couldn't help but burst out laughing. He gently knocked Ulti on the head with his fist and said, "Don't say that. Uncle Bogart is actually a very good person." Ulti blinked, then apologized to Bogart.
Bogart's face turned red with embarrassment—he hadn't expected this girl to be so bold. Yet seeing how obedient she became under Moses's influence, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy. How does this kid have such good luck with women while I've remained a bachelor all these years?
Ulti noticed this expression and gave him a strange look, mentally labeling him as "Moses's weird uncle" in her mind.
As they continued chatting, Moses introduced Yamato to Bogart and Ulti to Garp's group. After everyone became acquainted...
Moses opened the treasure chest and took out the Muscle Fruit, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the living room. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity, wondering what Moses intended to do.
"Paramecia-Type Muscle Fruit—an exceptionally rare Devil Fruit. After consuming it, the user gains the ability to freely manipulate their own flesh, while their body transforms into a special muscular state. This means even bones, organs, and the brain will take on muscular properties. For those dedicated to martial arts, it's a supreme treasure beyond their wildest dreams."
With a smile, Moses looked around at the gathered crowd before handing the Devil Fruit to Garp, who sat directly across the table.
"Grandpa, are you interested in it?"
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