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Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions echoed. On the deck, Wald's figure flickered, leaving afterimages due to his high-speed movement.
He attacked Kaido from all directions. Kaido stood unmoving in the center of the deck, accurately predicting Wald's attack paths.
After more than half an hour of continuous attacks, Wald hadn't even touched a corner of Kaido's body.
Wald was panting like a bull. His 20x speed and strength failing to achieve anything left him feeling utterly defeated: "Damn it! Why do you seem to see through my attacks?"
Wald's strength had rapidly increased after gaining his powers. Kaido chuckled: "Observation Haki. When cultivated to a profound level, one can even see a few brief seconds into the future."
"Observation Haki?"
More than two months had passed since Wald was defeated by Kaido. During that time, Kaido had told Wald about the three types of Haki.
In private, Wald had secretly explored and trained, but even now, he had only barely touched the threshold of Armament Haki, and it was still inconsistent.
"It seems I don't have the makings of a king."
Wald sighed deeply, lying on the deck, looking at Kaido: "Where are we going this time?"
"Winter Island, Snow Country."
Kaido gazed into the distant horizon, his eyes filled with emotion.
He still had the Mythical Zoan Hellhound form of the Dog-Dog Fruit, which he had snatched from God Valley, in his arms. Kaido intended to give it to King.
Although the Ancient Zoan Pteranodon was not weak, compared to the Mythical Zoan Hellhound, it was still more than a notch inferior.
In his previous life, he had met King about three years later. At that time, Kaido had no power base and wandered the seas alone, often plundering Marine warships because he was hungry.
One such instance led him to a secret base of the World Government, where one of the test subjects was Abel (King).
Kaido broke free from his shackles, caused havoc in the experimental base, and rescued Abel.
Now that everything was starting over, Kaido had no intention of meeting King three years later and then re-establishing a pirate crew.
Three and a half years were enough for him to do many things.
Winter Island was his first target.
Winter Island, true to its name, was perpetually cold all year round, with continuous snow-capped mountains. Despite its vastness, it was rarely trodden upon due to its harsh environment.
However, Winter Island was rich in mineral resources, possessing not only energy resources but also iron ore specifically for firearms and cannonballs.
Half a month later, Kaido and his crew arrived at Winter Island.
Looking out, it was a vast expanse of white, as if they had entered another world.
"What a marvelous world. The weather is clear on this side, yet snow is fluttering on the other."
Wald exclaimed. This was precisely the charm of the boundless sea; you could never predict its wonders and dangers.
As the large ship gradually approached Winter Island, the temperature plummeted rapidly, and heavy snow fell. Looking up, it was a vast expanse of white, as if covered by a thick fog.
"Pirates! There are pirates! Immediately notify Sir Krol!"
The man on lookout at the shore, dressed in thick cotton clothes, shouted to his subordinate.
Winter Island's climate was peculiar, and few people ventured into this forbidden zone. Pirates couldn't possibly be unaware of the island's harshness. From this stance, they were clearly targeting Winter Island.
He had his companions unholster their firearms and prepare to shoot at any moment, while also shouting loudly: "These are the residents of Winter Island! Pirates, if you come any closer, don't blame us for being impolite!"
"Captain, what should we do?" Gairam asked.
"Why are you panicking?! Gairam! Charge through!"
Wald sneered. Gairam steered the ship, while Sebastian gripped two spiked sledgehammers, a look of arrogant amusement on his face.
Seeing that Wald and his crew ignored their warnings, the Winter Island soldiers hardened their resolve. Under their Captain's command, firearms and cannonballs began to fire at the approaching ship.
Wald laughed heartily, completely unafraid, letting the cannonballs blast.
Cannonballs exploded in front of the bow, raising waves several feet high.
As the large ship drew closer to the shore, Wald suddenly exerted force, leaping high into the air, and quickly landed on the shore.
His burly figure, amplified by gravitational acceleration, landed with a sound like an exploding cannonball.
"Safe landing!"
Wald chuckled.
The Winter Island soldiers' faces changed dramatically, and they hastily adjusted their firearms. Meanwhile, Wald moved swiftly, like a wolf entering a flock of sheep, beginning a one-sided beating!
He was quick-witted, weaving through the soldiers, snatching firearms from their hands, and pulling the trigger: "Twenty-fold scattershot!"
A strange power attached itself to the bullets. The moment they left the barrel, the bullets rapidly expanded, becoming the size of cannonballs in the blink of an eye, sending soldiers sprawling.
In just about ten seconds, the squad of more than twenty people was completely wiped out.
Kaido and his group docked and disembarked. He walked at the very front, Sebastian draped a haori coat over him, and Wald walked to Kaido's left, a triumphant expression on his face: "How was that, Kaido?"
"As expected of you, Wald!"
Kaido praised generously: "I believe you will become even stronger soon!"
"Of course!" Wald laughed: "I'm your right-hand man, after all!"
They advanced steadily, their pace unhurried. The sprawling snow-capped mountains resembled jade dragons, and the rock formations were jagged.
In the distance, a white town came into view.
Tall spires, rows of buildings, and a group of soldiers currently guarded the city gate, their eyes glaring with anger, ready for battle.
Knight Commander Krol, with golden hair and a mustache like two sharp swords, dressed in Viking attire, holding an axe, looked furiously at the invaders and said: "Pirates, this is not where you belong. It's not too late to leave now!"
Kaido sneered: "See, Wald, they think numbers can defeat us."
"It certainly looks that way."
Wald grinned, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit, watching the group of soldiers rubbing their fists: "However, this many people can barely be considered an appetizer."
Binjack asked with some concern: "Are you sure, Wald?"
"Of course, brother! I'm invincible now!"
Wald stretched his muscles, producing cracking sounds, then his gaze sharpened, and his aura suddenly changed.
With a whoosh, Wald shot out like an arrow. A piercing roar echoed as he lunged left and right, treating Krol's squad as nothing, easily breaking their weapons and bones with a flick of his hand!
The weapons and stones he snatched, under the effect of his multiplying ability, increased in power and momentum dozens of times, like a berserk killing machine sweeping across the entire area, leaving behind large splashes of blood and corpses. The scene was utterly brutal and bloody!
Gairam also swung his sledgehammer, smashing the ground into dozens of cubes. He struck the cubes, and they scattered the crowd like runaway wild horses, embedding them into the walls.
In just a few minutes, the two had slaughtered nearly five hundred soldiers, leaving them wailing on the ground.
"Krol... let's surrender!"
An old man with a head full of white hair and a gaunt figure walked out, surrounded by guards.
He had a perpetually worried expression, as if he could be blown over by the wind at any moment, and his forehead was covered in wrinkles.
"Your Majesty...!"
Krol lay on the ground, watching with difficulty as the King announced their surrender. At this moment, he felt deep self-reproach for his incompetence.
Kaido laughed, shouldering his spiked club: "A good realization, Henry XI, you will not regret your decision today!"
"Everyone, this will be our temporary base from now on!"
"From here, we will forge the strongest pirate crew in the entire world!"