Next Bonus, 100!!
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Having teleported to the Gran Tesoro, Jin boarded a ship Katakuri had prepared for him.
Galette, volunteering for the mission, decided to accompany him to Elbaf.
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In the Underworld, the second battle between Jin and Loki began.
After more than a month of recovery, Loki's injuries had fully healed. He was in peak condition. And having learned his lesson from their first fight, he was confident he could win this time.
He believed he could finally defeat Jin.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunder and flames raged, a world-ending power that tore through the Underworld for three straight days.
The roar of explosions was deafening.
Shockwaves ripped across the sky.
The entire Underworld trembled.
Jarul, Road, and the other giants could only watch in awe.
Loki was defeated. Again.
He was knocked from the sky, his form reverting to normal as he crashed into the frozen earth. The impact, like an earthquake, sent fissures spreading out in all directions.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Jin hovered in the sky above him.
His hair whipped around his face, his gaze as sharp and brilliant as a blade.
His powerful form radiated an overwhelming pressure.
"So, Loki," Jin said. "Do you yield?"
Loki was as stubborn as ever. Though he was in too much pain to stand, he still managed to shout, "Dammit... I just... made a mistake..."
Jin wasn't angry. "Alright," he said calmly. "I'll give you another chance."
'If you won't yield, I'll just beat you until you do.' He didn't think Loki's pride could withstand another defeat.
And besides, Loki was a good sparring partner.
A perfect test subject for his new moves, his new skills, his new fruits.
And most importantly, he was tough. Jin didn't have to worry about accidentally killing him.
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The Moby Dick.
After Whitebeard had personally appeared and driven off the invaders, his territory had finally returned to a state of peace.
"It's so peaceful all of a sudden," Vista commented. "I'm not used to it."
Marco was flipping through an issue of Entertainment Weekly.
The other commanders were all lounging around, bored.
Ace, leaning against the ship's rail, suddenly remembered something. "Hey, that guy you were all talking about before... Oden..."
"Eh?" Thatch said. "Still thinking about him, Ace?"
"Yeah," Ace replied. "He was the last commander of the second division. And now, I've inherited his position. You said he was 'borrowed' by someone, and that's why the position was open. Why didn't he ever come back?"
Marco glanced at the old man, who was sunbathing nearby. "Since you really want to know, I'll tell you. He was killed."
"What?" Ace said, shocked. "Who did it?"
"One of the Four Emperors," Izo said, his voice grim. "Kaido."
Ace jumped from the rail, his voice filled with anger. "Him? Then why haven't we avenged Oden?"
"Wano is a closed country," Izo explained. "It has no contact with the outside world."
"Wano?" Ace said, surprised. Then it all clicked. "After I visited Shanks, before I joined the crew, I tried to go there. I made a promise to a little girl named O-Tama..."
"We didn't even find out about Lord Oden's death until years after it happened," Izo said.
"We considered invading Wano a few times," Marco added, "but by then, it was too late. And if our crew makes a move... there's no telling what would happen. Can you even imagine the number of casualties?"
"Then I'll go by myself!" Ace declared.
"Hey!"
Whitebeard suddenly stood up. He threw a punch at Ace, his voice booming with anger. "The man who even Kozuki Oden couldn't defeat—you think you can beat him?? Don't be so arrogant, Ace!"
A large bump appeared on Ace's head, and he collapsed to the deck.
The other commanders were all stunned. They had rarely seen the old man so angry.
Was it because of Oden's death? Or Ace's arrogance? Or both?
"Gyahahaha..." Teach, leaning against a barrel of grog, laughed. "Lord Oden was really something else, wasn't he? Taking the head of a big shot like that... it's a tempting thought, isn't it, Commander Ace?"
"Shut up, Teach," Marco said.
Ace wasn't unconscious. He lay on the deck, gritting his teeth. Dammit... if I don't get stronger... I won't even be able to keep my promises.
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Wano!
"Thunder Bagua!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The island trembled, and a cloud of dust and smoke shot into the sky.
"Lady Yamato got beaten again."
"She lost?"
"What do you expect? Governor-General Kaido is invincible."
The members of the Beasts Pirates were used to it.
"One big idiot, and one little idiot," Ulti said, her voice dripping with venom. She wore a pink mask, and her long hair was a mix of blue and pink. She looked cute, but her words were sharp. "Like father, like son."
"Now, now, Ulti," Black Maria said, lounging nearby. She was a tall, incredibly beautiful woman, her every movement exuding a seductive charm. "That's not very nice."
"Hey, by the way, have you seen Page One?"
Page One was Ulti's younger brother. She may have looked cute, but Ulti was a super-protective sister with a very short temper. Her favorite pastime was "tormenting" her brother, which was why he was always hiding from her.
"I haven't," Black Maria replied.
"I'll go find him," Ulti said, stomping off.
After dealing with his family matters, Kaido returned to the main hall. King, Queen, and Jack, the three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, were all gathered there. They were the most competent of his subordinates.
The Flying Six? They were either too young, too weak, or hadn't even joined yet.
And the SMILEs? Caesar had only just returned to Punk Hazard. The artificial Devil Fruits were still a long way off.
In other words, Kaido had spent the last seventeen or eighteen years in Wano accumulating capital, which he then invested in Doflamingo and Caesar, leading to a massive boom in his power.
The fact that the three All-Stars were gathered meant that they were about to discuss something important.
Jack held up a Den Den Mushi. A familiar voice came from the speaker.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo.
Kaido took a swig of his drink. "Joker. What's your plan? Spit it out."
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