"Did you find what you were looking for?"
Ochoku, suppressed by the surging torrent, was struck again by Kaidou, shattering both his shoulder armor and the shoulder beneath it. The Thundering Hakken under Sword Dance made Kaidou's attack far exceed what Ochoku could bear.
Every time a new Plate is obtained, Arceus gains various strange powers: the sea of fire released in the laboratory, the bizarre ability to interfere with emotions earlier, and now control over water. Kaidou had already noticed this.
Upon seeing the seawater under Arceus's control, he knew Arceus had just about accomplished his goal.
"Yeah, this guy actually created a space inside him, no wonder we couldn't find it before."
"Then we should handle other matters. Let's deal with the people here first."
"Deal with them? I thought you wanted to recruit them as subordinates. They're pirates from the New World; their strength should be much greater than those from the Four Seas and Paradise."
Though Kaidou talked about recruiting subordinates, the Hundred Beasts Pirates remained largely the same. Queen complained daily, urging for quick recruitment.
But Kaidou always refused, claiming there were none worth considering. In their eyes, those people's courage didn't even compare to Olga, an intern.
Now that most of John's subordinates were dead, Kaidou wasn't even tempted by the remaining men of Ochoku and Silver Axe.
"Uh... no, as long as we know about it, that's fine. There's too much treasure, we can't possibly take it all. If news leaks, it'll be too troublesome.
Besides, these people are their confidants; recruiting them won't be easy. Although it's a pity, we'll have to leave it for another time. King! Queen! Shaina! Get ready to retreat!"
Saying this, Kaidou transformed again into the massive form of the Cyan Dragon, eyeing the rock wall above.
"If I blast open the top, you should be able to control the incoming seawater, right?"
Kaidou didn't want to flood the area below after creating a passageway. Though he had horns, he wasn't a fighting fish by blood.
"Don't worry, it's just seawater, and above isn't the entire sea, but are we really leaving these people to their fate?"
"You're right; we can't underestimate these guys' vitality."
By this time, Shaina and the others had also shaken off their opponents. As Zoan-type Ability Users against already exhausted foes, they had a clear physical advantage.
"Maximum Cycle... Thunderous Boom!"
The incoming seawater combined with Kaidou's released lightning, filling the underground cavern with thunderous light. The armor on Ochoku and Silver Axe, meant to increase their defense power, became a burden in such conditions.
Especially for Silver Axe, already severely injured, he was submerged by the currents, and under Kaidou's lightning, became one with his armor, making removal arduous.
"Stop... stop... stop... Kaidou... big brother."
After Kaidou's thunderous end, most enemies within the cavern lost the ability to resist. Incidentally, an innocent victim appeared among them—Queen.
The later inflow of seawater was under Arceus's control, but the earlier wasn't. Shaina and King could use their fire-controlling abilities to evaporate water and stay dry, but Queen lacked this ability.
So, his braided hair got wet. Although they had retreated under Kaidou's body, outside the main range of the lightning, Queen still got hit.
The resistance from being a Modified Person and Zoan ability prevented any critical harm but marked him as the most injured due to friendly fire.
"You look better this way." Shaina squatted beside the charred Queen, poking to see if he was intact.
"You woman... I've told you it wasn't my decision. Don't put all the blame on me. I know a few MASD members; what if I tell you their locations, and you can settle scores with them?"
Queen needed to resolve this issue. Transferring hostility seemed best; if Shaina hated former researchers so much, let her target others.
Like Vinsmoke Judge, whom Queen had disliked for ages.
Another voice chimed in.
"You bastards..." In the electrically charged water, Ochoku rose, sword in hand. His once-long mustache now resembled a fried octopus, his shattered shoulder armor and bloodied face looking miserable.
Struck twice on the head by the Sword Dance-boosted Kaidou, he survived only because of his stubborn vitality.
"Such a tenacious life force indeed, you old bastard, but you'd better die here."
Kaidou liked recruiting powerful warriors, but not just anyone. People from Rocks's ship had their own ambitions; they wouldn't willingly follow others.
Hence, he had no interest in Ochoku.
"Just an intern... kid, don't think gaining power lets you do whatever you want! Tooth Crush Assault!" The giant sword wreathed in Haki cut through the surrounding seawater, as Ochoku's attack resounded throughout the cavern.
"But in terms of Haki, you're still no match for me. Rising Dragon: Flame Hakken!"
The dragon's head, wreathed in flames and stronger Haki, collided with Ochoku. His final strike failed to stop Kaidou, instead submerging him in the rising waters after a fierce explosion.
Ochoku's last words resonated with Kaidou; despite continuous Haki training, talent mattered too. Some could reach in hours what others couldn't in a lifetime.
"Get ready to break out."
"Wait, big brother Kaidou, with so much treasure here, letting seawater in is a waste."
Faced with the towering treasure, Queen hesitated. Handling the crew's finances wasn't easy; as the Hundred Beasts Pirates' acting treasurer, his personal coffers were depleted, needing assets urgently.
"It's just treasure; let it stay here for now, retrieve the most valuable items for now."
Without John's spatial powers, only they knew the treasure's location, a natural treasure vault.
They were treasure-seeking, carrying durable bags. Queen hoisted two large sacks of treasure, ready to retreat.
Then Arceus fired a Hyper Beam, shattering the rock layer above. Water cascaded down into the cavern below under gravity's pull....