Yamato gradually mastered ways to deal with Kaidou, but as the saying goes, "old ginger is hotter," and if Kaidou doesn't act recklessly, Yamato may never be able to surpass his "Heart Eye" technique in this lifetime.
She gained temporary safety, but still couldn't root out the problem.
From Kaidou's gaze, it was clear he had already thought of a new approach.
On the other side, compared to the tug-of-war between Jack and Elizabeth, who are defender and sniper/assassin, the battle between Babanuki and Maria on the Shanchuan battlefield was much more straightforward.
Although she didn't have the Fishman Race's bloodline or inherit Kaidou's talents, she was a contemporary of Yamato and Jack, and being the oldest, her powerful strength wasn't her aspiration, but rather an indispensable part of achieving her goals.
She wanted to be by Kaidou's side, but there was no place for the weak beside Kaidou. Whether it was flattery or begging, it wouldn't gain Kaidou's attention; only strength would earn his respect.
For this reason, Maria embarked on a path of rigorous training and was now testing the results.
The mountain and river terrain was the main arena chosen by Babanuki. At this time, the Udon Mine had been handed over to the Pokemon left there for guarding. Unless something extremely unusual happened, nothing was expected to go wrong.
Even if something did happen, they weren't afraid. Back when the Hundred Beasts were not yet fully formed, they managed to take over a relatively complete Wano Kuni.
The Hundred Beasts had become even stronger now, but Wano Kuni had long lost its strongest force. If someone tried to stir up trouble, it would be a good chance for a thorough purge.
"Spiders really are troublesome creatures."
Due to the rigidity problem, Babanuki once again undid his transformation. This was his weakness, as Slaking's characteristic wasn't easy to overcome, and this trait was the source of their Machamp power. Only a few could break this restriction.
In the initial phase, Slaking's power was formidable, and those who defeated it mostly exploited this weakness. However, Maria had grown even more troublesome now.
Every step Babanuki took consumed a large amount of energy. Shanchuan used to be his home turf, and the rocks on the ground could be used as his attacks, but now Maria had modified this environment.
A large amount of webbing condensed on the ground, while fine and transparent webs connected the rocks. A single strand wasn't frightening, but when thousands upon thousands adhered together, they exerted unimaginable strength.
A large volume of webs shot out from Maria's hands. Seizing the break during Babanuki's ability cooldown, she intended to intensify her attack.
Boom!
A clap of thunder rolled across the sky. What was once clear weather was now shrouded by dark clouds.
Not long after, torrential rain began to pour down. The stickiness of Maria's webs was gradually diminishing under the influence of rain and sand, reducing their binding force on Babanuki.
"Hahaha, Maria, it seems your luck isn't so good."
As rain fell upon him, Babanuki's cooldown period ended, his muscles began to swell, and his body was once again covered in fur. Using Slaking's strength, he broke free from the mass of webs.
With the decrease in stickiness, the process was much easier for him now.
"Not necessarily, Babanuki Uncle, maybe you're the one with bad luck."
Galvantulas are akin to cave spiders, and their strong webs were always great aids in hunting. The most critical part was, their webs could conduct electricity.
This was the uncertainty caused by the terrain's luck factor. The rain greatly reduced the web's stickiness, giving Babanuki more room to move, but it also allowed the lightning to strike with better effect.
"Maria's Thunderstorm!"
A vast amount of electricity surged from Maria's body, the dazzling lightning encompassing almost the entire area. Thunder from the clouds also began to converge on the field, enveloping Babanuki in rain and bolts.
Under the cover of lightning, Maria began to close in on Babanuki. Simply relying on electricity wasn't enough to take him down, so she intended to use this opportunity to deliver the final blow, with her fingernails secreting a purple toxin that formed two venom-coated weapons.
"Cross Poison!"
Compared to Babanuki, she had one greater advantage—her physique. Her impressive height gave a longer reach, which could offer more power advantages when the strength gap wasn't overwhelmingly large.
Against a powerhouse opponent like Babanuki, Maria's size could indeed be significantly helpful.
With lightning beneath her feet, her Cross Poison weapons danced incessantly, but Babanuki also made his move. Before exhausting his energy, he unleashed his long-prepared Payback.
The accumulated damage inflicted considerable harm, but under the thunderstorm, Babanuki ultimately succumbed and went with Maria to the nearby medical center.
Seeing there was no chance of victory for the opponent, they decisively chose to forfeit. They perfectly practiced Kaidou's philosophy, transforming into drowning ghosts, attempting to drag their opponent down with them.
Though it was more about venting emotions, during positional rotations, the medical center employed fast-acting treatments.
Arceus's Life Dew had long been prepared, and as long as one hadn't died, spending some time ensured recovery, which is why they dared to go all out.
After simple treatment, they would return to the arena to defend or strive for new positions.
Apart from Jack and Elizabeth's extended battle, many other fights had already been decided. Babanuki even saw Mandfeish appear, though only to send off the injured.
"Babanuki? You lost?"
"Ah... it's just bad luck, I suppose, but these young ones are getting stronger."
"Isn't that a good thing? The closer it gets me to retirement."
"Mandfeish old brother, if I'm not mistaken, you said that when we first joined the Hundred Beasts, but now you're already a High-Level Official."
"Yes, it's kind of nostalgic talking about those early days."
At the start, he was just an ordinary pirate forced into sailing by circumstances. Maybe due to a bit of good fortune, he became one of the first recruits by Kaidou.
His goals were simple back then, hoping to work for a few years after understanding the Hundred Beasts system, then live quietly.
Then luck favored him, gaining skills and abilities consecutively, becoming a small official. Originally quite satisfied, and then luck led him to find a plate, skyrocketing his career.
Originally, he had a chance to choose a more leisurely post, as many of his peers who survived made such choices.
But by then, he had met Rushaka and heard that High-Level Officials enjoyed better retirement benefits, and every family member got extra perks, so he embarked on a new round of striving...