On the merchant ship belonging to the Red Clover Merchant Guild…
"What's happening? Why was that pirate ship destroyed?"
"Was that a shockwave?"
"The other ship is turning tail and fleeing!"
"That ability to manipulate metal... It's definitely the Captain of the Kid Pirates, Eustass Kid!"
The group of sailors watched tensely. Despite having the protection of the Chris Pirates' flag, they rarely witnessed such a high-level naval battle.
"That man is..." Suddenly, the merchant captain standing on the deck peered through his telescope. His eyes widened as he spotted a figure in the sky, and he shouted in a mix of shock and joy, "His Majesty! It's His Majesty the King!"
The shout was like a detonator. Everyone on board was electrified.
"It's true! It's King Aeridar!"
"Thank heavens! His Majesty has come to save us!"
"Crush them! Long live King Aeridar!"
"The Kid Pirates are nothing! His Majesty can wipe them out with a wave of his hand!"
…
"What a heavy kick..."
Kid knelt on the metal bridge, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and dripping steadily onto the cold iron below.
"With strength like this, you actually thought you could pull Red-Haired Shanks off his throne as a Yonko? Are you joking?" Aeridar approached Kid step by step, his voice dripping with merciless mockery. "Even with one arm, Shanks sits firmly atop the New World. Did you truly think a bunch of rookies could shake him? You're a fool."
Suddenly, Aeridar's pace faltered. He launched himself vertically into the air. Almost simultaneously, two sharp blades erupted from the bridge exactly where he had been standing, stabbing into the empty air.
"I forgot to mention," Aeridar said, raising an eyebrow with an easy shrug. "My Observation Haki has reached the level of Future Sight. Every move you make is clear to me long before you execute it."
In the next breath, Aeridar muttered to himself as if mocking a thought, "Heh~ Stop joking around. Future Sight? How is that possible!"
A second later, Kid looked up with a sneer and uttered the exact same words, "Heh~ Stop joking around. Future Sight? How is that possible!"
The words had barely left Kid's lips when he froze. He stared at Aeridar in absolute horror, his eyes trembling.
Seeing the expression on Kid's face, Aeridar smirked playfully. "It seems I hit the nail on the head."
Kid opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
"Captain Kid!"
"Protect the Captain!"
"Get him! Slaughter that guy!"
At that moment, the demon-costumed Wire brandished his trident and charged forward with a group of subordinates, forming a protective circle around Kid.
"Honestly, you lot really have no sense of the situation." Aeridar watched the group rushing toward their deaths and cracked his neck with an irritated sigh. "Let me show you the meaning of overwhelming power."
Aeridar raised his arm, his fingers clenching into a tight fist as his muscles bulged. He threw a sudden, violent punch forward.
"Impact Wave!!!"
In an instant, a terrifying concussive force combined with raw physical power slammed into the atmosphere. The surrounding air turned chaotic as it was compressed into a visible, circular shockwave that exploded outward with reckless abandon.
"Oh no!"
Through the gaps in his crew's formation, Kid saw the tidal wave of impact rushing toward them, and his face paled instantly.
RUMBLE—!
The translucent white shockwave engulfed everyone on the metal bridge. The intensely compressed air carried a devastating destructive force, shattering the bones of nearly everyone it touched and sending them flying while they sprayed mists of blood.
The pirate ship's superstructure was caught in the path of the wave and utterly erased. Tall masts and cabin rooms were shredded by the force. The terrifying wind pressure nearly capsized the entire vessel, while the sea surged in response, whipping up waves over ten meters high.
"Everyone..."
Three heavily cracked shields stood before Kid. He watched with a pained heart as his subordinates were swept into the sea.
"Cap... Captain... run... we aren't... ready yet... cough..."
Wire sat on the deck, bleeding from his eyes, nose, and ears. He leaned against a shield, his trident broken into seven or eight pieces scattered around him.
"I... Wire..."
Kid ground his teeth so hard they felt like they might break. Wire's words pierced his heart like a blade. If it weren't for his stubborn insistence on raiding a Chris Pirates merchant ship, this tragedy would never have happened.
Pop~
The air shimmered, and Aeridar appeared directly behind Kid, his voice a soft whisper: "Run? Are you dreaming?"
"GOLDEN RING AERIDAR!!!"
Kid forced himself up, spitting out each word of Aeridar's name with eyes full of manic hatred.
"Sigh~ Just go to sleep."
Aeridar replied dismissively, throwing a punch toward Kid's back.
Creek—Creek—
Suddenly, the structure of the metal bridge beneath Kid shifted. An 18-pound cannon barrel swung upright, positioning itself as a shield. Aeridar's fist slammed directly into the iron tube.
BOOM—!
The punch, loaded with immense power, punched a hole clean through the thick barrel, but the sacrifice of the metal successfully blunted the strike.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Kid let out a roar of pure hatred. Massive purple electrical arcs danced around him as his magnetic field expanded to its limit.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Every metal object on the nearby pirate ship went into a frenzy. Cannons smashed through the decks and took to the sky.
"Hmm?!"
Aeridar turned his head. Above the pirate ship behind them, countless metal objects hovered, forming a dense, black cloud of jagged iron.
"Die, Golden Ring Aeridar!!" Kid shrieked. His magnetism had formed a localized field, controlling the metallic mass like a Metal Storm, launching it in a dense, lethal swarm toward Aeridar.
"Well~ that is quite a sight."
Aeridar turned back leisurely, seemingly ignoring the thousands of projectiles screaming toward his back.
"RAAAGH—!"
Suddenly, Aeridar opened his mouth and unleashed a roar. The sound waves were packed with concussive force, creating an ultrasonic-like ripple that tore through the air.
"Aaargh!"
Kid clutched his ears in agony, falling to his knees as his eardrums felt like they were bursting.
The incoming metal storm lost its guidance. The projectiles screeched to a halt about five meters from Aeridar before plummeting into the sea, sending up a forest of water columns.
Crr-ack—BANG—!
A hairline fracture appeared on the 18-pound cannon barrel, which then disintegrated into a cloud of shrapnel. Simultaneously, Kid's body felt as though it had been struck by a sledgehammer. The intense sonic impact sent him tumbling backward.
"Cough, cough~"
Ten seconds later, Aeridar fell silent. He coughed twice uncomfortably, muttering, "That move is really hard on the throat."
Not far away, Kid lay on the bridge, bleeding from his seven orifices. He had lost consciousness from the sheer pain.
Rumble... rumble... rumble...
The entire metal bridge began to vibrate violently. Metal objects began sliding off into the sea. With Kid unconscious, the magnetic bond holding the makeshift structure together had vanished. The bridge was collapsing.
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