The flash of the blade was like lightning, arriving instantly. The frigid edge of the sword tore through the thick scales of the Dragonian, and blood sprayed out immediately.
"Roar!"
The Dragonian roared in pain, a long, narrow wound already etched into its body.
Bowen struck a successful blow and immediately retreated with a flash.
But the next sight left him dumbfounded.
The long, narrow wound on the Dragonian's body healed rapidly. A gash nearly a meter long completely sealed up in just two or three breaths, and even the surface scales returned to normal.
"Impossible!" Bowen could hardly believe his eyes. "What kind of monster is this?"
"Roar!"
Although the wound was gone, the Dragonian still felt the severe pain from the slash. It roared wildly, pushed off the ground, and its massive body shot forward. Its claws were already sweeping out, leaving only a deep, cracked footprint behind.
"Oh no!"
Bowen was startled, and before he could react, the monster had flashed like lightning and was upon him. The sharp right claw seemed to tear through the air, letting out a sharp screech. The ferocious aura caused Bowen's expression to change drastically, and he quickly raised his blade to block.
Clang!
Metal clashed, sparks erupted, and five eight-inch-long claws pressed firmly onto the front of Bowen's defense. He felt a fierce, crushing force slam into him. Bowen's arms shuddered violently, his face turning crimson, and his body was involuntarily driven backward, his feet dragging two long grooves several meters deep in the ground.
Failing to connect, the Dragonian immediately withdrew its right claw, but its left claw followed up instantly with a swing.
Clang!
With another metallic clang, this time under the Dragonian's terrifying brute strength, Bowen couldn't even hold onto his sword. The web between his thumb and forefinger tore, and the long blade clattered to the ground.
"I'm finished!"
As the sword dropped, Bowen was wide open.
"Roar!"
The Dragonian roared in fury, twisting its waist and sweeping out its long, thick tail. The tail completely transformed into a black blur, savagely striking Bowen's body.
Bang!
With a dull, heavy sound, Bowen's chest caved in. He vomited a large mouthful of blood and was sent rapidly flying backward. He smashed into a large rock several dozen meters away, shattering it and raising a massive cloud of dust. Most of his body was buried beneath the rubble.
"Captain Bowen!"
"Boss!"
Dozens of pirates cried out in alarm.
The defeat of one pirate captain was insignificant. However, facing the powerful humanoid biological weapon Dragonian, several masters, including captains and first mates from the three countries and other pirate crews, had already been defeated.
Some were bitten to death, some were torn to shreds, some were stabbed to death, and many were wounded or crippled. But not a single person had been able to completely kill one of the three Dragonians.
The flaw of the humanoid biological weapon Dragonian was obvious: it lacked long-range attacks and relied only on its incredible strength, solid defense, and animalistic instincts to fight. However, its greatest advantage was its terrifying hyper-regeneration ability; aside from decapitation, there was no part of its body that could not regenerate.
Although more than one master on the battlefield could breach the Dragonian's tough scales, they were all dragged down and defeated by the creature's relentless recovery, often resorting to a mutual defeat where the Dragonian quickly bounced back.
Of course, the so-called "severe injury" would heal in just two, three, or four breaths, causing no real impediment.
"We won!"
Niji looked at the Germa 66 soldiers pressing the attack and curled his lip. "Ten tons of gold! That was too easy to earn!"
Indeed, in this world where personal strength reigns supreme, the power of those ordinary kingdoms is negligible. Furthermore, while Germa 66 displayed overwhelming superiority against these regular nations, they would be completely insignificant when facing top-tier pirates like Aeridar or Big Mom.
Even the heavily fortified Wano Country, which was full of masters and possessed strong military power, was forced to continuously retreat in the face of the pressure from the Yonko, Kaido of the Beasts. If Whitebeard hadn't died now, and the Beasts Pirates weren't busy seizing territory, Kaido, with his temper, would likely have invaded Wano Country soon enough. [1]
Oliver lay lazily on the ground, his eyes half-closed. "Let's wrap it up quickly! The Captain is waiting for us to return!"
…
New World, Whole Cake Island, Cacao Island.
"Life or X!!!"
Blood-red eyes resembled those of a fearsome beast, and a voice of immense, terrifying authority boomed out, seemingly a trial striking directly at the soul. The blood-red eyes transformed into an eerie, swirling pattern of concentric rings.
"Life or X, huh..."
Aeridar looked directly at the massive figure on the throne and let out a deep, low laugh. "Heh heh heh~ Don't try to scare me, Big Mom!"
"Mamamama~ You've gotten stronger, Golden Ring!" Charlotte Linlin, the Yonko and Captain of the Big Mom Pirates, the Queen of Totto Land, was wearing a large pink dress and a pink bicorne hat. Her colossal body leaned forward, her eyes returned to normal, and she opened her cavernous mouth. "Have you considered my proposal?"
"A proposal?"
"Mhm... the Human Gigantification experiment!"
"You've truly presented me with a difficult problem, Big Mom." Aeridar scratched his head, frowning. "Even the World Government couldn't successfully research it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to recruit the giants of Elbaf."
"Name your price. I'll agree to any condition, even if it requires me to help you take down Blackbeard so you can claim the Yonko title!" Charlotte Linlin seemed a bit displeased.
"I'm not interested in the Yonko position. All that killing and fighting lacks any technical finesse." Aeridar spread his hands.
"Mamamama" Charlotte Linlin laughed loudly. "Is that supposed to be a joke coming from you? Mama-mama"
"I can help you research the Human Gigantification experiment, and it just so happens that I'm interested in learning the secret to the giants' long lifespan." Aeridar stared at Big Mom. "However, there are no free lunches in this world. You need to pay an adequate price."
"What do you need?" A bloodshot intensity surged in Charlotte Linlin's eyes.
"I need your daughter's ability," Aeridar grinned, pointing a finger at the three-eyed girl standing nearby.
"Me?" The three-eyed girl pointed at herself in astonishment.
She was a lovely maiden with three round, ruby-colored eyes. She had shallow brown wavy hair tied in a single ponytail, and her figure was undeniably voluptuous.
"Pudding's ability?" Charlotte Linlin also looked at her daughter with some surprise.
"That's right, Charlotte Family's 35th daughter, Charlotte Pudding, a Paramecia user of the Memory-Memory Fruit! I require Miss Pudding's help with some of my experiments." A hint of greed flashed in Aeridar's eyes as he spoke in a low tone. "The rare Three-Eye Tribe... what beautiful eyes!"
In an instant, Pudding's lovely eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk.
"He said... my eyes... beautiful?!"
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