He swelled into a golden giant fifty to sixty meters tall. Seas of liquid gold gathered to him, crowning him like an emperor descended to the mortal world.
"Creed, you're not getting away today. If you surrender, I might consider sparing those two crew members of yours."
Gild Tesoro's thunderous voice rolled as one vast hand reached for Creed. At the same time, the surrounding gold twisted into great thorned brambles that lashed down to engulf him.
His strongest strike: Golden Divine Punishment!
With the Gold-Gold Fruit awakened, his confidence soared. "That six-billion-belly bounty ends here today, Creed!"
The entire King of Gold Hotel trembled and began to collapse beneath the pressure. Massive stones tumbled down, dust billowed, and only then did the crowds below realize a battle raged in the skies above.
"Out of my way."
Creed ignored Tesoro's assault and swept out a single slash.
Annihilation—Dark.
The blade-light went pitch-black. A hundred thousand specters roared; hell itself yawned open and swallowed Tesoro and his surging tides of gold.
Boom!
A heartbeat of stillness—then a heaven-rending detonation. A majestic sword beam speared skyward, and the golden giant shattered within it.
"Impossible! How can I not even take a single sword from you?!"
"No! You can't be the one center stage at the end—I, Gild Tesoro, am the true lead! Only I can laugh last! I refuse to exit now…"
He howled, unwilling, blood spraying as he plummeted. Life or death unknown.
"Good. The nuisance is gone. So—are you coming one by one, or are the Three Disasters coming together?"
Only then did Creed turn to face Drought Jack, speaking lightly.
Earlier, he had already flicked his fingers to fire several laser beams, forcing back Jack's charge. Jack and Tesoro had attacked in tandem, yet Creed proved absurdly overwhelming, taking the advantage with every casual motion.
"He got stronger—again—already?! One sword to put down the Golden Emperor! Even in the New World, Tesoro ranks among the top. I'd need effort to subdue him…"
Watching Tesoro fall while he could do nothing, Jack bellowed like a maddened elephant, his roar shaking the entire Gran Tesoro.
"Clown Jack… looks like you still haven't grown."
A weary sigh drifted up as a massive, round-bellied hulk vaulted from below. Two drooping mustaches hung from his lip, a long braid trailed behind his head, and "queen" was inked on his right arm above the Beasts Pirates emblem. Suspenders strained over his torso.
Plague Queen!
A terrifying monster worth 1,320,000,000 belly.
The instant he appeared, gray-black vapor welled and spread, radiating a wicked, clammy chill.
Up in the sky, fire flared to life. A furnace-hot pressure fell like a lid, turning the very air into a kiln.
The newcomer wore black, his face hidden by goggles and mask. Black wings stretched behind him, flames curling around his body as he drifted down, curiosity in his gaze as he looked at Creed.
Wildfire—King!
The eldest and strongest of the Three Disasters.
His Devil Fruit was a Zoan of the Ancient species—the Pteranodon form, a branch of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit.
The Three Disasters had arrived.
"Beasts Kaido's three calling cards, all for me? I'm flattered," Creed said—though there was no tension in him, only the spark of excitement.
So Tesoro had been bait; these three were the true masterminds tonight.
He didn't dare take them lightly. All three had awakened their fruits to a degree, and King in particular had reached SSSS-class comprehensive strength—on a tier with Creed himself.
Honestly, three-on-one would be real pressure.
"Our captain wants to see you. Come with us," King said coolly.
Jack immediately barked, "Big bro, that's not what we agreed on before we came!"
"Shut it, you idiot," Queen snapped.
If bringing down Tesoro had cost Creed real effort, they would have forced him to Kaido. But one stroke had left the Golden Emperor broken, life or death unknown; even King had to admit to a prickle of caution.
Even so, with Jack's fleet ruined and the artificial Devil Fruit factory destroyed, the grudges ran deep. Whether Creed agreed or not, dragging him to Kaido was still on the table.
"Three against one isn't exactly heroic."
A red streak lanced up from below; in a blink, a figure alit on the top deck—umbrella-blade in hand.
Red the Aloof.
His arrival eased the weight on Creed's shoulders. Queen could be his.
"And if I refuse?" Creed's sword intent locked onto King—and Jack nearby. Queen he left to Red.
"Then don't blame us for being rude," King said. Fire danced in his eyes; the flames cloaking him crackled higher.
"Frankly, the three of you aren't enough to move me. If Kaido won't come in person, color me disappointed."
Creed gave Rinne a casual shake and laughed.
"Hah. Provocation won't work on us," Jack snorted, very pleased with himself for "seeing through the ploy."
Ruuumble—
A heavy, grinding roar rose from below. Golden cables shot up like grapnels, hooking into the beams.
Boom!
A colossal figure vaulted onto the roof.
Gild Tesoro.
Though Creed had badly maimed him, an awakened fruit—and a home ground of gold—meant he wouldn't go down that easily.
"Creed!"
Howling at the culprit, Tesoro drove a golden giant forward again—this time not bare and gleaming but clad in a tailored suit of golden armor.
Specially forged, monstrously durable.
Golden Bind!
Golden Karma Flames!
Golden Divine Fire!
Golden Divine Punishment!
In a heartbeat he unleashed a storm—Laser Radiance! Liquid-Gold Cords! Molten Gold Fist!—and then his very strongest blow!
Blind fury wrenched a peak beyond any he'd touched before—surpassing every past self.
"Mammoth Charge!"
At the same instant, Jack shifted into full mammoth and thundered in—a strike fast as lightning.
Boom—boom—boom—!
At last, they truly linked up—combining for an impact greater than the sum of two.
(End of Chapter)
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