Brrring — brrring…
On Onigashima, Luo Xing's Den Den Mushi rang. He watched Queen and King, who had just consumed the Dragon-class Monster Cells and were undergoing transformation, and picked up.
"Lord—something big is happening!" Page One's voice sounded anxious through the line.
Luo Xing's expression remained calm. "Don't panic. Tell me slowly."
Page One reported, "Our scouts say Marine Admiral Akainu Sakazuki is leading five Navy warships into the New World. Their course is headed straight for Dressrosa."
Luo Xing's eyes flashed. Akainu again? The same magma Admiral who had wounded Jack during the raid on the Heavenly Tribute — and now he's coming for Dressrosa. It made sense: of the three Admirals, Aokiji is lazy in his own way, Kizaru is the oily old fox; only Akainu pursues pirates with absolute zeal. How would the Beast Pirates handle him? Akainu's strength was fearsome.
If this were before, Luo Xing might have had to ask his father-in-law Kaido to take the field personally. Not anymore. Luo Xing glanced at the massive Jack and at King and Queen who were still finishing their evolutions, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.
"Page One, don't worry. Don't go out looking for trouble in Dressrosa. Sit tight and wait — I'll send help soon."
He hung up.
Jack had returned to human form when he heard the news. His fists clenched and he snarled, "Akainu again? Perfect timing — I want revenge for that day!"
Jack had never forgotten that humiliating defeat; it was the one moment in his life he could not stand. He'd struck back afterward, smashing several Navy outposts, but had always avoided facing Akainu directly. Now, with a Dragon-class Cell in him and strength surging, he wanted Akainu to know the might of Jack the Great!
"Lord, let me go support Dressrosa!" Jack demanded.
Luo Xing didn't refuse; he agreed at once. "Of course you'll go. It'll also be a test of your current strength. Queen and King, you'll go as well."
Akainu was a true Admiral — his magma powers were among the most destructive known. Even with a Dragon-class Cell, Jack might not be able to beat him alone; better to send the three All-Stars together. Three Dragon-class monsters: even Akainu would have to be careful.
Queen and King were in the middle of their own transformations — each had grown to over ten meters in height. Queen's changes were the most obvious: the fat he used to carry had become hard, chiseled muscle. If you didn't know better you'd think he'd had some surgical overhaul. King's change was subtler: a pair of black dragon horns sprouted on his brow and his pterosaur wings grew larger.
When Luo Xing gave the order, Queen flexed and bragged, "No problem — I'll smash Akainu into the dirt!"
Queen's shamelessness aside, the Dragon-class Cells hadn't just amp'd their strength — they changed them fundamentally. King, steadier and calmer, vowed politely, "Lord, rest assured. We will make sure the Navy returns empty-handed!"
Luo Xing smiled faintly. "You're confident. Tell me what abilities you got."
Queen puffed up and struck a pose, joking at first, "The biggest gain is… I'm handsome now! I'll charm millions of girls!"
Luo Xing kicked him. "Shut up."
Queen sobered up and instead demonstrated properly. In a blur he was beside Jack, and then — with one hand — lifted the thousand-ton Jack high overhead. Luo Xing gaped: Queen's speed and power had skyrocketed.
Luo Xing felt a twinge of envy; he almost wanted to try a Dragon-class Cell himself. But he restrained the thought — there were so many beautiful women and adventures across the seas he still planned to rescue; he couldn't afford to become some monstrous shape. For their happiness, he held back.
King stepped forward. He didn't bother with teasing — the black horns on his forehead crackled with electricity. He unleashed a lightning bolt that shattered a distant mountain. Clearly, King had gained the power of lightning.
Luo Xing nodded. "Your Devil Fruit powers have undoubtedly evolved to Mythical Zoan—Phantom Beast types."
"Jack used to be an Ancient Zoan Mammoth — now call him Mammoth Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Adamant Mammoth."
"Queen used to be an Ancient Sauropod — call him Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Berserk Sauropod."
"King used to be an Ancient Pterosaur — now Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Thunder Pterosaur."
Luo Xing approached the three men and spoke gravely: "You three are the strongest champions of my Beast Pirates. You must show the Navy what we're capable of. Make sure they never dare besiege us lightly again."
King, Queen, and Jack all fell to one knee in unison and shouted, "We obey, Lord!"
Dressrosa. Page One stared at the now-silent Den Den Mushi after the call, bewildered. Luo Xing said he'd send reinforcements — who could he possibly mean? The only person who seemed able to handle a Marine Admiral was Kaido himself. Page One couldn't imagine that any Beast Pirates under Luo Xing's command could match an Admiral's strength — not even King.
By dawn the next day a huge pterosaur — so large it shadowed the sky — circled over Dressrosa.
"Is that… King?!" people cried.
The enormous beast attracted everyone's attention. Fuzz-Fu, who guarded the SMILE factory, stared in disbelief; King's aura was far more powerful than before. He felt breathless.
"Could it be… King ate a Monster Cell too?" Fuzz-Fu thought. That was the only explanation — only Luo Xing's inventions could cause such a dramatic surge.
He didn't hesitate: wings spread, he flew to the Dressrosa harbor. Page One and Ulti arrived at the same time. The pterosaur descended; on one of its huge talons it held an entire warship.
The massive silhouette on the deck was unmistakable — Queen and Jack. But wait — Queen looked… slim? Fuzz-Fu, Page One and Ulti gawked in utter disbelief.
King set the warship down at the harbor and reverted to human form. He asked Fuzz-Fu, "How far is Akainu?"
Fuzz-Fu swallowed, eyes glued to the towering figure of King. "Less than two hours until he reaches Dressrosa's waters."
King folded his arms. "Then we'll wait here."
His tone was calm as if addressing a minor errand, not a Marine Admiral. Two heavy thuds sounded as Queen and Jack leapt down from the ship. Queen paraded his new muscles to Ulti. Jack stared at the horizon, voice icy: "This time I'll make Akainu a dead dog."
Page One was stunned. He circled King, Queen and Jack, and then asked, dumbfounded, "Did you guys eat higher-grade Monster Cells? Have your fruits gone to Mythical Zoan?"
They confirmed it. Page One felt as though a thunderbolt struck him — he'd been the only one of the Beast Pirates to hastily take a lower-level Tiger-class Monster Cell earlier; now the All-Stars had ascended. Regret and envy flooded him.
Looking at the terrifying Mythical Zoan auras surrounding King, Queen, Jack, Fuzz-Fu, and even Ulti, Page One's eyes filled with red-hot envy.
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