Chapter 65: The True Hurricane Dragon King!
Three days had passed since the Joint Fleet of Marine Headquarters and the South Blue Branch launched their siege on Tutmos Kingdom.
Looking towards the interior of the Island from the sea, one could clearly see that in the distant central Zone, the yellowish Sandstorm no longer reigned supreme. A patch of Green Gale, seemingly representing vitality, was now contending with it.
As for the Desert Battlefields along the four coastal sides, the brutal Melee Combat had come to a temporary halt with the Marines' retreat back to their Warships. Only the yellow sand soaked with Blood, the ground littered with severed limbs and broken bodies, dried Remains, cracked axes, and snapped Blades silently testified to everything that had happened before.
On the Marines' side, Rear Admiral Aven had ordered the Whole Army to temporarily withdraw from the Battlefield about a day ago.
This was because the Military Strength of the Slave Guard Legion was simply too vast. Those young adults wearing Green Collars around their Necks truly surged out from Underground in an endless stream, while their own troop numbers were fixed, and their Physical Ability and condition were constantly declining.
Actually, at first, Rear Admiral Aven hadn't even considered retreating.
But after the ten Headquarters Officers who had accompanied Dragon on his raid on Shabak City returned via the Underground Rail Car and brought back Detailed Information, they finally gained a concrete understanding of the Slave Guard Legion's Situation.
One, behind the enemy lines—or rather, underground—there were tens of thousands more young adults ready to join the battle at any Time!
Two, they were restricted by the Pet-Pet Fruit Ability. Their Bodies could exert their maximum Strength, and they would absolutely not flee during combat unless they received a new Order from King Taklamakan!
Three, Rear Admiral Dorag did not collapse upon contact with King Taklamakan. Instead, he managed to hold him off and was currently engaged in a fierce battle with him!
Based on these points, Rear Admiral Aven ultimately decided to retreat to the Warships. If they continued fighting, their side would simply be worn down to death, leading to the Whole Army being annihilated.
The final result was the current Situation.
The main Marine Troops fought as they retreated, returning to the Warships to rest, treat their wounds, and recover their condition. Meanwhile, the Slave Guard Legion found themselves in a state of confusion.
This was because the Order they had received upon arrival was to fully prevent the Marine invasion, hold out until the King sent a new Order, and then leave the Island together by Ship.
But now the Marines had retreated, and their opponents were gone. So, they could only choose to return to the Trenches to await orders, guarding against the Marines' next attack and waiting for the new Order to arrive.
As for returning to the Underground Space beneath Shabak City, that was impossible.
Before receiving the retreat Order, this action would conflict with the previous Order, essentially being seen as 'unauthorized escape' by the Pet-Pet Fruit Ability, and the Green Light Ring around their Necks would directly prohibit them from doing so.
Thus, these tens of thousands of Slave Guard Legion members were essentially confined within the range of the Surrounding Battlefields by the Pet-Pet Fruit Ability.
Truly, made by the Pet-Pet Fruit, and broken by the Pet-Pet Fruit!
As for a new Order, it wouldn't be coming anytime soon, because King Taklamakan was currently busy.
"Huff—huff—"
Heavy and rapid Breathing made the chest cavity inside his Body feel like an old bellows. Every Time it inhaled a breath of air, it fueled the rage within him, making it burn even fiercer.
"Why, why can you still move?!"
This Slave King of the Underworld was currently half-kneeling on the back of the 'Sand King' high in the High Altitude. His bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at Dragon in the distance. He could no longer suppress his anger and had become hysterical.
His biggest changes were probably the fact that half of the Golden Mask on his face was shattered, his White Robe was stained with Blood, and his Right Hand, which held the Golden Scepter, was trembling.
King Taklamakan remembered very clearly that over these three days, relying on the Strength of the 'Sand King' and his own superior Haki, he had knocked Dragon down three times.
But every Time he thought the battle was over and he was about to gain a Logia User Slave, this bastard would inexplicably open his eyes, stand up, and attack him again.
Once, his Green Light Ring was less than a meter away from Dragon's Neck!
That wasn't even the worst of it. Why did this guy burst out with various kinds of Strength every Time he got up, becoming more and more troublesome and difficult to defeat!
"Cough cough, I told you, Justice will definitely triumph over Evil. Your fate is already sealed, which is to be personally captured by me and thrown into Impel Down."
Dragon, maintaining his Element Transformation, floated in the World of Wind, struggling to utter every word. At this moment, he truly looked utterly miserable and wretched.
His Coat of Justice was largely damaged, his Green Suit on his upper Body was nowhere to be seen, his bare chest was covered in bruises, his face was pale, his forehead dripped with cold sweat, looking utterly disheveled as if he could lose Consciousness at any moment.
However, dark green electric arcs occasionally flickered across his Body, and his Gaze was incredibly bright and resolute!
"Stop spouting nonsense! What kind of damn Justice and Evil?!" King Taklamakan didn't want to hear any of that.
"The first Time you fell, you Awakened Conqueror's Haki!"
"The second Time you fell, your Armament Haki was already on par with mine!"
"And this third Time you fell, you motherf*cker Awakened your Devil Fruit Ability?!"
The Slave King of the Underworld roared with the utmost fury while looking at the sky, which was filled with Green Gale as far as the eye could see. He was so angry that his whole Body was trembling.
"Are you done or not?!"
Conqueror's Haki.
This was the Ability he had always dreamed of. It was laughable to think that he had been a Slave King in the Underworld for decades, yet he lacked the Conqueror's Haki that proved one's Aptitude as a King.
And now, this kid actually demonstrated right in front of him what it meant to Awaken Conqueror's Haki on the spot. He lay on the ground, opened his eyes, and boom, he had it!
Uncontrollable envy, jealousy, and extreme hatred...
That would have been fine, after all, newly Awakened Conqueror's Haki was like a gentle breeze to King Taklamakan. Aside from affecting his Mindset, it couldn't cause any real impact.
But the second Time he fell, after getting up, this kid's Armament Haki was actually evenly matched with his own!
At that moment, he had only one thought in his Heart: Is this even possible?
The most outrageous thing was this third Time, which happened just ten minutes ago. Dragon did another 'sit-up', and good heavens, the entire Climate turned into a Hurricane. The Strength of the Wind was so Strong that it pushed back his Sandstorm repeatedly. It had only just managed to stabilize.
Although the 'Sand King' was the native Sandstorm of this Island, the Awakening of a Logia System Devil Fruit Ability could permanently change the Climate of an Island.
If this weren't a Desert Island, where the appearance of Gale itself would stir up yellow sand to form a Sandstorm, the 'Sand King' would have 'died' on the spot.
Because the Pet-Pet Fruit's Awakening Ability was to turn a Sandstorm into a Pet, the 'Sand King's form was merely a Manifestation-like existence.
So, if the Sandstorm itself disappeared due to Climate change, there would naturally be no so-called Manifestation or Incarnation, effectively resolving the logic of the Pet-Pet Fruit Ability from its root.
For example, if Sakazuki came over and turned the entire Island into an Active Volcano Island, melting all the Sand Sea into scorched earth or something...
Facing King Taklamakan's frantic roar and questioning, Dragon's mouth curved slightly, and a Smile appeared on his usually indifferent face. He said, "Now, the battle is finally fair, isn't it?"
[Whoosh whoosh whoosh—]
As soon as the words fell, within the endless Gale, a lifelike long green dragon with shimmering scales slowly emerged. It let out a high-pitched Dragon Roar, its majestic long Body swimming through the air, looking down at the 'Sand King' opposite it.
"This is the true Hurricane Dragon King!"
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(End of this chapter)