Chapter 374: Scáthach vs. Quinn
The Pteranodon's legs slammed into the ground, and its wings extended as it charged toward Esdeath. The dense fireballs rained down like a storm.
"Clang, clang, clang."
Esdeath swung her Western sword, sending continuous sword energy that intertwined into an impenetrable wind wall, knocking all the fireballs aimed at her away.
Crimson fireballs and pure white freezing air collided with each other in countless attacks. Fire and ice merged, with the fire extinguishing due to the cold and the ice melting due to the heat.
Amidst the vast wave of red and white clashes, the Toothless Pteranodon, transformed from King, spread its wings and fiercely struck at Esdeath.
"Absolute Zero!"
Esdeath spread her palm, and her delicate, snow-white hand suddenly released a freezing aura cold enough to stop Who's-Whocules from moving.
The freezing air enveloped half of King's body in an instant, ruthlessly releasing extreme cold. A faint, icy blue frost covered half of his body, and the flames burning on him were immediately extinguished halfway.
"…!!" King glared angrily, his body exploding into flames. The icy blue frost became transparent and eventually began to melt and evaporate.
"Your body's endurance is strong." Esdeath smiled. "But next time, I won't go easy on you!"
"I won't be frozen by you again!" King shouted, his body flipping in mid-air as his flame-wrapped katana swung down with full force.
"Fire Dragon Emperor!"
A dragon-shaped inferno surged from the tip of his katana, its fiery mouth wide open, and the raging flames, like solidified lava, bit toward the enemy.
Esdeath used her ice-enwrapped blade to slash at the dragon's head, and after a defiant dragon roar, the flame dragon exploded.
"I'm asking you again, would you like to join us?" Esdeath coaxed. "It would be such a shame for the last surviving member of the Lunaria to die like this."
"Don't get too smug—!" Abel swung his massive samurai sword, the dazzling red flame on the blade almost filling Esdeath's entire vision. "Kaido is the man who can become the 'Pirate King'!"
"Pirate King?" Esdeath sneered at the title. "We didn't come to Wano to compete with Kaido for this meaningless title!"
The ice sword and fire blade collided violently, sending up white steam.
The katana blade showed small serrations again and squeezed tightly onto the Western sword.
"Here comes this move again?" Esdeath scoffed. "Do you want to see who has more strength?!"
King: "…!"
Esdeath pushed King's large body backward, and as King's boots scraped the ground, deep trenches were carved out. Then, Esdeath sent him flying with a single strike of her sword.
In mid-air, the flames that were burning on King's body suddenly extinguished. In Esdeath's view, a dark afterimage was left, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared behind her. He raised his katana and slashed down viciously, the sharp blade scraping across Esdeath's back, making a screeching sound.
"Using ice to block the slash?" King swung his sword again, targeting the areas Esdeath's ice armor didn't cover.
Esdeath anticipated his attack, evading with a swift twist of her slender waist. The sword wrapped in freezing energy struck like a venomous snake, flashing past and leaving a deep, bone-deep wound on King's chest and abdomen.
"Puhah...!" King spat blood and retreated, his body reigniting in flames.
"By now, you should have already envisioned how you'll look when you're defeated?" Esdeath's smile widened confidently. "Come on, join us, and let the Lunaria race shine with its former glory!"
"...I refuse." King coldly replied. "I am a top figure of the Beast Pirates! Kaido's right-hand man!"
"As a living creature, you lowly humans can never defeat me!" King flew high into the air and transformed into the Toothless Pteranodon. "I acknowledge you as a powerful woman, and I will remember you in my memory!"
"Then let me engrave the gap in our power deeply into your body." Esdeath charged at King, her Western sword crackling with lightning, and the red-white electric arcs shattered the solid ground beneath them. "If you can still survive this!"
King's flames ignited to their fullest, and a surging heatwave rushed toward Esdeath. "Guardian Fire Dragon Emperor!"
Using gravity to accelerate to its maximum, King transformed back into his human form and swung his katana with all his might. A massive fire dragon shot out from the blade, roaring as it charged straight for Esdeath.
"Cold Thunder Flow Slash!"
The freezing air cut off the heatwave, and the thunder shattered the flames. The gigantic fire dragon was split in two by Esdeath.
"What...?!" King was shocked. "Is this the same Conqueror's Haki as Kaido?!"
Esdeath calmly replied, "It's over."
"Clang!" The katana was severed by the Western sword, and the flames dissipated in the frost. The ruins on the ground were the only proof of how intense the battle had been.
"Kaido... brother..." King murmured.
Kaido laughed loudly: "You thought I'd be Joy Boy, the world I want to create is the one you're expecting?"
King: "Legends are just that—legends. At this point, I no longer desire anything. My life is yours. If you want to become the strongest, then I cannot lose either!"
Black wings broke in the sky, and the former "God's Kingdom" citizens fell from the sky like fallen angels, crashing to the ground.
Esdeath glanced in King's direction. "Even the Lunaria race, plus the ancient species, wouldn't easily wake up after that hit..." She then looked up at the thunderstorm above the skull. "Now's the time to clean up the Beast Pirates' members."
...
"What are you here for?" Eric asked with some exasperation. "Challenging Kaido, only to be knocked down by one of his blows?"
"I—I'm Yamato! Kaido's son!" Yamato said. "Do you want to team up with me and defeat that bull-headed gorilla?"
"Team up with you?" Eric looked her up and down. "Your strength will just get in the way, right? By the way, why are you fighting against your own father?"
"I want to become 'Kozuki Oden'! But I can't get 'freedom', all because of this!" Yamato showed the shackles on her wrists. "If it weren't for these shackles, I wouldn't have been knocked away by Kaido in one blow!"
"Those are shackles for slaves, right?"
"Exactly." Yamato tugged at the shackles. "Since I was eight, I've been imprisoned on this island."
"If I leave this island, they'll explode!" Yamato said uncertainly. "To be honest, I think it's a lie! What kind of parents would kill their own children?!"
Eric pointed at Kaido. "Here's one."
"You don't think I'm lying, do you, Yamato?" Kaido said coldly. "You can try if you want."
"..." Yamato gritted her teeth, her expression shifting between uncertainty and anger.
"Since it's like this..." Eric extended his hands and reached for the collar on Yamato's wrist. "Destroy it, and you'll get 'freedom'!"
"Crack!"
Eric , who had already learned internal destruction, smashed the shackles with a single grab.
Yamato was stunned. "It's off!"
Eric swung his arm forcefully, throwing the shackles far away.
"You see..." Yamato said with a relieved expression. "It was all a lie..."
"Boom——!"
Before Yamato could finish Speaking, the collar exploded violently.
"Ugh...!" Her previously relaxed expression was instantly drenched with tears, and Yamato, her face full of rage, said, "This damn bull-headed gorilla—"
"Actually really wants to kill me!"
Eric slapped Yamato on the shoulder. "Stay out of this. Watch how I deal with Kaido."
"No—" Yamato immediately transformed into her hybrid human-animal form, her body covered in white fur, her mouth growing sharp teeth. Yamato growled, "The one who's taking down Kaido, count me in!"
...
Quinn's wild laughter echoed throughout the Rabbit Bowl Excavation Site, as he unleashed his full firepower in his human-animal form. "Can't stop?! Wind Strike!"
His left arm turned into a three-clawed steel fist, his right hand wielded a giant steel blade, and his mechanical iron claws on his tail joined in, launching a three-pronged attack against Scáthach with a storm of blows!
"This is the power of modification technology!" Quinn mocked loudly. "Unstoppable and absolutely powerful. This is why I'm called the top figure!"
With the ancient species plus a modified body, Quinn's superhuman strength attacked, but Scáthach blocked every strike effortlessly, her expression calm.
"…!!" Quinn suddenly opened his mouth, gathering a beam of starlight, and shot out a yellow laser.
Scáthach tilted her head to dodge, saying calmly, "Foolish. Those who try to rely on technology to enhance their strength and become powerful have already lost the moment the battle begins."
"Huh?!" Quinn exploded with rage. "Let me show you my scientific power!"
Quinn stepped back from the fight, shouting at his subordinates, "All of you, come together! Take her down!"
"Oh!"
Quinn's subordinates roared as they charged toward Scáthach .
Scáthach flipped the magic spear in her hand, transforming it into a crimson lightning bolt. In just a few moments, she cut down all of Quinn's subordinates.
"..." Quinn, who had just loaded the ice ghost plague bullet and was preparing to shoot, silently put down his Gatling gun.
"You wanted to use the Ice Ghost Plague Bullet, right?" Scáthach 's eyes flashed with red light. "By cutting down your subordinates first, there's no need to fear your plague bullets."
"I can turn you into an ice ghost!" Quinn suddenly raised his gun and fired, launching a barrage of ice ghost virus-infused bullets at Scáthach .
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Scáthach used her Observation Haki to the fullest, either aiming, deflecting, or blocking. Her sharp shooting created a nearly impenetrable defense, and countless plague bullets were effortlessly shot down.
"Don't underestimate me, bastard!" Quinn bit through his cigar, furiously charging at Scáthach . "Even without the Ice Ghost, I can still win!"
"Is that so?" Scáthach turned her gun's tip, bending her knees and storing up strength in her legs like a spring, before suddenly pushing off the ground and charging at Quinn.
In an instant, the earth cracked open, and Scáthach 's figure transformed into a purple-red lightning bolt. The speed she unleashed was beyond imagination, especially beyond Quinn's.
The gun blade, aimed straight at Quinn, sent out a sharp whistle. Before the magic spear even reached him, Quinn, startled, quickly swung his blade to block, only to have his weapon pierced by Scáthach 's spear.
"Crack!"
The sharp tip of the spear pierced through the massive blade, and the ice ghost virus-infused spear plunged into Quinn's abdomen.
"Ah!"
Quinn screamed in agony, his tail rising high, and the three-pronged steel claw on it gathered black light. "Black—Light Fire!"
The light cannon suddenly fired, exploding the spot where Scáthach stood, sending a heatwave toward Quinn, but it couldn't warm his increasingly cold body.
Scáthach , switching positions with her shadow to dodge the laser attack, pointed at Quinn's wound from afar. "You're infected with the Ice Ghost."
"Damn…!" Quinn pulled out the antidote he carried and swallowed it. "To think you used my own virus against me—!"
"Alright, continue." Scáthach calmly said, her armored boots once again crushing the ground. She moved rapidly between them, her God Slayer Magic Spear heading straight for Quinn.
The massive force passed through Quinn's giant beastly body, and a deep red blood hole marked the center of his chest. Quinn let out a terrible scream before crashing into the rock wall behind him.
"You're not dead yet, get up."
"You bastard—!" Having consumed the ancient species of the animal system, Quinn wouldn't fall from one strike by Scáthach . With the toughness of the ancient species, Quinn struggled to rise, transforming into his armadillo dragon form in just moments. A huge armadillo dragon stood on the battlefield.
"Then let me show you the power of a ruler who has dominated for over a hundred million years!" Quinn lowered his neck, stretched his tail, and his entire body became stiff.
Scáthach took her stance. "Ready to use your trump card?"
"Arm Snake Dragon!" Quinn roared, and his armadillo dragon body turned into a cannon, launching its middle body outward.
"?!" Scáthach , caught off guard by the sudden change, was bound by Quinn's "Arm Snake", as if entangled by a giant snake.
Quinn confidently introduced, "No matter how skilled they are in Haki, their bones and organs will be crushed under this pressure!"
"You'll be crushed to death by me!" Quinn began to laugh maniacally.
Scáthach replied calmly, "Is that so."
"Mm?!" Quinn turned his head toward the outside, surprised to see Scáthach , who should have been trapped inside the Arm Snake, standing there unharmed. "How did you get out?!"
The answer came in the form of lightning-fast stabs. In just one second, Scáthach stabbed out dozens of times, creating multiple blood-soaked holes in Quinn's arm snake.
At that moment, the snake's legs launched missiles from each side. Quinn screamed, then suddenly yelled, "Arm Dragon!"
A rocket was launched, charging straight toward Scáthach .
"Boom!"
Scáthach raised her right arm and hurled her magic spear, blasting the rocket mid-air.
Quinn, dragging his battered snake body back, transformed into his human-animal form and gritted his teeth. "Spark! QUEEN!"
The eyes of the modified beast suddenly gleamed with red fire, and in an instant, countless light beams shot out from his eyes, turning everything in their path into ruins!
Scáthach quickly dodged the attacks as she charged toward Quinn, and the light beam rain followed her closely.
Before she could get close, Quinn's body was wrapped in blue electric arcs, and his long neck stretched again. The iron head, now carrying a strong current, suddenly slammed into Scáthach . "Charge! QUEEN!"
"Clang!"
Scáthach raised her gun to block, and the blue electricity surged through her weapon and into her body.
"How's this?!" Quinn laughed joyously. "Doesn't the feeling of lightning hurt?"
"Your electricity doesn't even compare to one percent of Eric 's." Scáthach calmly replied.
"What did you say?!" Quinn furiously frowned, his mechanical left arm suddenly extending, and the three-pronged iron claw lunged at Scáthach . "Twist—QUEEN!"
Scáthach looked at the iron claw coming at her, holding her gun with both hands, and the Haki-wrapped gun tip headed straight for the center of the iron claw.
"Crack—!"
The sound of steel Breaking rang out, and the mechanical claw shattered into pieces.
"Ugh—!" Quinn screamed in agony. "My hand—!"
Scáthach stood in front of Quinn, her long spear pointed at his head, and she said in a calm tone, "It's over."
(END CHAPTER)
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