The moment the Governor-General's heavy voice fell silent, the atmosphere on Ancient Island shifted. The air grew thick with anticipation. The hundreds of pirates surrounding the clearing immediately moved back, creating a wide, empty circle. With looks of intense interest and bloodlust in their eyes, they cleared the battlefield for the two young officers.
This particular patch of land had changed drastically over the last few months. What was once a dense, ancient forest had been flattened into a barren plain, the result of three months of destructive cultivation and training by the Beasts Pirates. Now, it served as a perfect, desolate arena.
On one side stood Page One, the youngest member of the fearsome Tobi Roppo. On the other stood X Drake, the Captain of the Fifth Division and a member of the "Worst Generation." They faced each other from a distance, the tension between them palpable.
Above them, the sky was a chaotic swirl of darkness. Thunder rolled like war drums, and purple lightning flashed, casting jagged shadows across the plain. Strong winds howled across the open land, kicking up dust and debris. The only steady light came from the ominous flame clouds generated by Kaido, which bathed the ground below in an eerie, flickering orange glow.
The first grand brawl had officially begun.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Page One stood relaxed, his hands in his pockets. He was dressed in his signature white and green suit, with a distinctive bucket hat covering his purple hair and a mask obscuring the lower half of his face. He looked coldly at the man who had dared to challenge him.
"I'll give you a chance to make the first move," Page One said, his tone chilling and dripping with arrogance. "Go ahead. Because once I make my move, you won't have a chance to attack at all."
Across the field, Drake's brows furrowed tightly. He let out a silent sigh, lowering his gaze to the ground for a brief second.
The executives of the Beasts Pirates are truly arrogant, Drake thought to himself. But their arrogance is my opportunity.
Drake certainly hadn't chosen Page One as his opponent at random. This was a calculated move. As an undercover spy for the Marines, the most critical rule of survival was to know yourself and your enemy. He had spent his time gathering intelligence, combining the Marine Headquarters' secret files on the Beasts Pirates with his own observations during his time on the island. Every piece of data confirmed one thing: Page One was the most suitable stepping stone for his ascent.
Drake ran through his tactical assessment one last time.
He absolutely could not challenge the "Four Calamities." That was a death sentence. There was simply no possibility of winning against monsters of that caliber. King the Conflagration and the newly appointed "Lightning Disaster," Eneru, were completely out of the question. Those two possessed combat power that could directly contend with the Three Admirals of the Marines. As for Jack the Drought, his sheer durability, formidable reputation, and massive bounty indicated that he was far beyond Drake's current limit.
That left the Tobi Roppo, the Flying Six.
Drake had quickly ruled out the three women of the group. While he might have a better statistical chance of winning against them, it was a matter of optics. As a man, defeating a woman wouldn't make him look particularly impressive or dominating in front of Kaido. It might even look weak.
That left the three men of the Tobi Roppo as the best targets.
Among them, Who's-Who was the most dangerous. Drake knew the man's history. Who's-Who was a former member of CP9, a traitor to the Government who was rumored to be a genius of the "Rokushiki" martial arts style, equal to the legendary Rob Lucci. Fighting a master of the Six Powers who also possessed an Ancient Zoan fruit was too high a risk.
Then there was Sasaki. Drake didn't know Sasaki well enough. He lacked data on the man's specific fighting style and limits, and without intel, he couldn't be absolutely confident of victory.
But Page One was different.
The reason Drake had confidence in winning this fight came down to a single factor: experience. Page One was undeniably a combat genius, a prodigy of the Beasts Pirates, but he was too young. Drake was thirty-one years old, a former Rear Admiral who had seen the hell of the Grand Line. Page One was only eighteen.
Even if the kid was talented, Drake refused to believe that he, a man with nearly double the life experience and battle-hardening, would lose to a teenager.
With his resolve hardened, Drake didn't hesitate any longer. He looked up, his eyes sharp.
"Is that so?" Drake shouted over the wind. "Then I won't be polite!"
As Drake's voice fell, his body began to undergo a terrifying metamorphosis. His muscles swelled and snapped, expanding rapidly. His skin turned a deep, reptilian green and hardened into scales. His face elongated into a massive snout filled with razor-sharp teeth.
"ROAR!!!"
In an instant, the human X Drake vanished. In his place stood a green-skinned Allosaurus, over eight meters tall. He looked like a small, moving mountain, a predator from the ancient past resurrected in the present. He let out a deafening roar that shook the air, charging straight toward Page One with heavy, thundering steps.
Seeing this primal display, the eyes of the spectators lit up.
"Interesting," Who's-Who commented, watching from the sidelines with a smirk. "He has an ability very similar to Little Pei's."
"The Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Model: Allosaurus," Who's-Who continued, analyzing the form. "It really suits the theme of our Beasts Pirates. He fits right in."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ground trembled violently. Drake caused a localized earthquake with every step he took. He closed the distance in seconds, a green blur of muscle and violence.
When he reached Page One, who was standing still and looked tiny at less than two meters tall, Drake didn't hold back. He lifted his massive, thick dinosaur leg high into the air. With the full weight of his transformation and the momentum of his charge, he stomped down, aiming to crush the Tobi Roppo member into paste.
Page One didn't dodge. He didn't even flinch. He merely raised his right hand casually above his head.
Seeing this, Drake frowned internally.
He couldn't understand where Page One got this insane confidence. This stomp was devastating; it was an attack that even the World Government's cyborg Pacifistas couldn't withstand without being crushed. But Drake had no intention of showing mercy. His nearly three-ton body, combined with his speed, transformed into immense kinetic energy as his foot slammed down.
But the moment he made contact, Drake felt something was wrong.
What?!
The sensation was all wrong. He felt as if he wasn't stepping on a person of flesh and blood, but on an indestructible mountain of solid rock.
No matter how hard he pushed, no matter how much force he applied, his giant dinosaur foot simply couldn't press down any further. The attack had been stopped cold.
"How is that possible?!" Drake thought, shock flooding his mind.
And just then, from beneath the shadow of his dinosaur foot, Page One's cold voice drifted up.
"Since you've made your move, now it's my turn!"
"ROAR!"
Accompanied by a dinosaur roar that rivaled Drake's own, an irresistible force suddenly erupted from beneath his foot. It was like a volcano exploding. Drake's three-ton body was effortlessly pushed aside and thrown off balance.
In the space where the human had stood, a new monster appeared. Page One transformed instantly. He became a Spinosaurus with tough brown skin and a massive sail running down his spine. His body was significantly larger and bulkier than Drake's Allosaurus form, and a tuft of purple hair remained on his reptilian head.
Instantly, two ancient dragons stood opposite each other on the battlefield, dominating the landscape!
This sight piqued the interest of everyone watching, especially the other Captains. A battle between two Ancient Zoans was a rare spectacle, a clash of pure physical might.
However, Page One, who had just activated his Devil Fruit ability, didn't pause to pose.
"I told you," the Spinosaurus growled, his voice deep and vibrating in his chest. "Once I make my move, you won't have a chance!"
"What!!!"
Drake was startled. Before he could regain his balance, he saw Page One charging toward him. The speed was incredible for such a massive creature, far faster than Drake had anticipated.
It's too late! Drake realized with horror. I can't dodge this!
The distance was zero. There was only one option left to him. He had to rely on his Marine training.
"Tekkai (Iron Body)!!!"
Drake instinctively activated the defensive technique of the Rokushiki style. He locked his muscles, making his body as hard as iron to withstand the blow.
And just as he hardened his defenses, Page One's massive dinosaur shoulder crashed into him like a runaway train.
BOOM!
At that moment, Drake's mind went blank.
The force was overwhelming. It was an incredibly immense power, far beyond anything Drake could currently generate. He felt a sharp, agonizing pain shoot through every inch of his body. His internal organs shook violently, and a mouthful of fresh blood uncontrollably surged up his throat.
Fortunately, Drake's quick reaction to activate Tekkai had saved his life. The technique neutralized most of the lethal impact, preventing his bones from shattering completely.
He managed to suppress the surging blood, swallowing it back down as his consciousness gradually returned. He tried to steady himself.
But the fight wasn't over.
As Drake struggled to find his footing, he saw the Spinosaurus spin with terrifying agility. A thick, muscular dinosaur tail whipped through the air, aiming directly for him.
BOOM!!!
This time, Drake finally lost control.
He couldn't hold it back. Blood gushed from his throat, spraying into the air. His three-ton Allosaurus body was lifted off the ground and sent flying across the plain by the sheer force of the tail whip. He crashed into the earth, rolling violently before coming to a stop. The damage was too great; he instantly reverted from his beast form back to his human form, lying defeated in the dirt.
"!!!"
The scene stunned everyone watching the battle.
The newly joined Supernovas, Basil Hawkins and Urouge the Mad Monk, stared in disbelief. As members of the "Worst Generation," they had their own pride and confidence. They knew that compared to the Four Emperors of the New World, their strength was like the light of a firefly compared to the bright moon. They accepted that the Calamities were monsters from a different dimension.
But the Tobi Roppo? They expected a gap, but they didn't expect this.
Even among the elite officers, the difference shouldn't be this huge. Drake was a Supernova, a captain with a bounty over 200 million Berries, yet he had been instantly defeated in a single encounter.
And the most terrifying part? The opponent hadn't even used Haki. It was pure physical dominance.
Was it that the Supernovas were too weak? Or were the monsters of the New World simply that terrifying?
It wasn't just the rookie captains who were surprised. Doflamingo, the Warlord of the Sea who had been watching from the side, was also taken aback. Unlike the fledgling youngsters, Doflamingo profoundly understood the power structure of the seas. He knew the true strength of the Tobi Roppo.
The bounties assigned by the Marines were just numbers; they didn't always reflect true combat ability. But watching this display of raw power, Doflamingo had to admit something he hadn't expected.
The young Spinosaurus in front of him, Page One, actually emitted a pressure that made even him feel slightly on edge.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse