Chapter 176: Mechanism Monster vs. Mechanism Monster

On Dongdao.

Another battle also began at this moment.

"Beast King's Ace - Scorching Disaster, Ash?!"

Gao Wen slowly drew Guanshi Zhengzong, gazing intently at the towering figure before him with wings on his back and flames wrapping his entire body, his battle intent surging in his heart.

Yet he also held a thread of doubt.

By all rights, at this time the Beasts Pirates should still be gathering strength in Wano Country, waiting for the day to launch an assault on One Piece.

As the head of the Beasts' three Aces, Scorching Disaster is a core figure within the Beasts second only to Kaido; there is no way he should appear here.

"I am such a small figure; what merit do I have to attract your attention?!"

Scorching Disaster said nothing, merely looking down on Gao Wen from above. His eyes held neither sorrow nor joy, only an unspeakable calm and dominance, as he spoke lightly:

"That fellow Hanafuda was, after all, a member of the Beasts; a few years ago he even fought endlessly with Jack. Though he ultimately suffered a miserable defeat, he was still a man of the Beasts; there is no reason for him to die in the hands of outsiders."

"However, Big Brother Kaido's order to me is to take him alive, so you have two choices: either die, or drop the blade in your hand and come with me!"

Gao Wen paused, then immediately showed a look of understanding.

Hanafuda's habit of scouring everywhere for Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruits matched perfectly with the true situation that nearly all of the Beasts' high command are Ancient Zoans.

As for Scorching Disaster's recruitment, that was even more a matter of course.

Kaido has a penchant for scouring everywhere for talent; this was revealed many times in the original work.

Whether it was Kid, Apoo, or Drake, after defeating them Kaido never dealt the killing blow directly; instead, he took them back to Wano Country, seeking the moment to completely subdue them.

To some extent, this has even become a perverted game.

Given the potential Gao Wen has displayed so far, catching Kaido's eye is the most normal thing in the world.

It is just that being someone's hired thug is something Gao Wen could never accept under any circumstances.

Thus, the answer to Scorching Disaster was only a ruthless, extreme slash, and Gao Wen's indifferent voice:

"I am quite curious; what kind of taste would it be to slay a rare race once called gods?!"

Scorching Disaster's pupils shrank abruptly; his greatest secret had been exposed, making it impossible to maintain the lofty aura he had held moments before.

So much so that the aura he radiated grew ever more violent, like a demon crawling out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

He lowered his head, looking down at Gao Wen, his eyes filled with crimson blood vessels:

"Are you in such a hurry to seek death?!"

"Although Big Brother Kaido's order was for me to take you alive, half-dead is still alive!"

The words fell.

Flames around Scorching Disaster surged, intertwining with one another to weave into a fire dragon that swept toward Gao Wen.

Boom—!

The intense heat of the flames scorched the earth; the accumulated snow did not even have time to melt before it directly vaporized.

Steam rose.

At this moment, even Gao Wen's expression changed slightly.

He knew Scorching Disaster had a past as an experimental subject of the World Government.

And as a Lunarian who almost possesses immortality, what kind of treatment Scorching Disaster suffered in the laboratory is something one could figure out even with one's toes.

This guy...

Among the opponents I have faced, he is probably the strongest, aside from Hawk Eyes!

Even Fujitora, who has not yet reached his peak at this moment, might not be his match; Zephyr, whose peak has long passed, is far inferior.

Moreover, the Lunarian race's so-called perverted innate ability makes Scorching Disaster, even among opponents of the same level, the most troublesome kind.

"The so-called... mechanism monster?!"

"But I am also a mechanism monster!"

Gao Wen licked his lips, a surge of battle intent rising in his eyes.

Since Fujitora left, he had not fought any opponents of the same level; the improvement in his Conqueror's Haki could be described as minuscule.

Scorching Disaster can absolutely take my Conqueror's Haki to the next level!

Clack!

With this thought, Gao Wen suddenly tightened his grip on Guanssi Zhengzong in his hand; black Armament Haki instantly wrapped around the blade.

Sss—!

Gao Wen raised his hand and swung the blade; a sword energy shot forth from his hand, instantly blowing the oncoming fire dragon apart.

Crimson firelight brushed his face, licking at Gao Wen's skin, yet Scorching Disaster's long blade emerged from the flames in the next instant, a horizontal slash aimed directly at the head on Gao Wen's neck.

Scorching Disaster's voice at this moment was even colder than a block of ice:

"If you cannot withstand an attack of this level, you are not worthy of Big Brother Kaido's regard!"

Scorching Disaster raised his head.

Yet he did not see even a shred of surprise or shock on Gao Wen's face.

In the next instant, his ears received Gao Wen's indifferent voice:

"Using fire as a feint, while the true killing move is the slash hidden within the flames?!"

"How could these little tricks possibly deceive these eyes of mine?!"

Gao Wen swung his blade, steadily blocking Scorching Disaster's surprise slash...

Clang!

A deafening explosion rang through the air; terrifying force rushed down toward the ground beneath the two, causing the earth to instantly shatter, collapsing several meters deep and spreading cracks in all directions.

In the snow, the ferocious Raban was directly stunned by the aftereffects of the two's attack, dragging his family and fleeing for his life in all directions.

Amidst such terrifying impact, Gao Wen's figure did not waver even a bit; only his golden hair was blown by the dissipating force, revealing a pair of eyes bright enough to frighten people.

Whoosh—!

The cold wind howled, whipping up a thousand piles of snow.

At this moment, King even produced the illusion of being completely seen through.

And this feeling was not unfamiliar to him; he had experienced it before on the subordinate of another Yonko-level figure.

"Observation Haki that predicts the future? You've mastered Katakuri's move?!"

"I don't know whose exclusive move this is!"

Gao Wen smiled faintly, exerted force in his hand, and directly flicked King's long sword aside.

Only at this moment did he realize a problem.

Among the active Yonko commanders' deputies, barring Beckman whose depth was still unknown, every single one of the other three was a mechanic monster.

Katakuri's Observation Haki that predicts the future, Phoenix Marco's infinite health bar, and before Gao Wen, the Disaster King possessed an absolute defense that was extremely difficult to breach.

"Let's test how the flesh quality is!"

Gao Wen stomped heavily with his foot, shattering the earth, gaining in return terrifying speed.

With the dual buffs of Shaosi and Godspeed, Gao Wen at this moment, speaking purely of speed, was already among the very top tier in this world.

If one didn't count Devil Fruit users, he even had hopes of competing for the title of the fastest existence!

The result this speed brought in combat was that when Gao Wen rushed before King, the latter could only barely block with his blade in front of him.

Pity that Gao Wen had already seen through King's movements; his long sword smoothly changed technique, turning a slash into a thrust, precisely hitting King's chest.

Clang!

After a piercing explosive sound, King was directly slashed dozens of meters outward by this move of Gao Wen's, crashing into the stone wall and collapsing it outright.

Boom—!

The falling rocks kicked up bursts of snowflakes.

Gao Wen, however, looked down at the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand; the blade emitted a trembling sound, yet there was not a single trace of blood.

"Didn't break the defense?!"

"No!"

In the distance.

King raised his hand, lifted the giant rock off his body, and stepped out from within it step by step. The clothes on his chest had been sliced open by Gao Wen's earlier strike, revealing a robust chest, in the center of which a large red circle was clearly visible.

"Of course the defense was broken."

King patted his chest with his hand, a tone of mockery permeating his voice:

"I'm even feeling a little pain!"

"How does this count as breaking the defense..."

Gao Wen was momentarily speechless.

He truly realized just how troublesome the man Zoro faced in Wano Country really was.

The Lunarian race's naturally perverted physique was simply a bug; unless opponents of the same level seized the gap when their flames extinguished to kill them quickly, victory was nearly impossible.

But here came the key problem...

People can fly.

After the flames behind a Lunarian extinguish, their body's defensive capability decreases, but their speed skyrockets.

!

Combined with the ability to manipulate flames, they trade damage head-on when hard, and whittle down enemies from range when fast, highlighting a complete lack of shame.

"Do you understand now?!"

Boom—!

Boom—!

Boom—!

Amidst a series of muffled footsteps, King slowly walked toward Gao Wen.

With every step he took, his entire aura grew stronger by a degree, his whole body filled with an extremely domineering presence.

King spoke with certainty:

"Biologically speaking, you simply cannot defeat me!"

Looking at Gao Wen before him, however, a feeling of cherishing talent rose in his heart:

"Having comprehended Observation Haki sufficient to predict the future, adding this swordsmanship and your Devil Fruit ability, in terms of pure combat power, you are definitely above that brat Jack."

"I'll give you one last chance to join the Beasts; if you bow your head now, I can authorize Mshuru to stop on that side."

"Otherwise, in the coming battle, I will not hold back."

Gao Wen shook his head.

He had gone through untold hardships and devised countless schemes, not to go to the New World and become someone's underling.

"That is truly a pity."

King let out a long sigh, yet the blade in his hand held back nothing, carrying the momentum to split mountains and sever peaks as he slashed toward Gao Wen.

Clang!

Gao Wen swung his blade to respond, yet he only felt the force transmitting from the Guanshi Zhengzong blade was more than double what it was before, shaking him until his Hukou was trembling.

He stomped heavily with his foot, wanting to rely on speed to escape.

But the moment he moved, the flames behind King instantly extinguished, switching to speed form and sticking to him again.

The switching between the two forms was fluid and silky, making Gao Wen fight with extreme discomfort.

King's height exceeded six meters, yet his sword moves were not bound by form; at times they were broad and sweeping, at times smooth and rounded like flowing water, and his strikes were ruthless to the extreme.

Plus the switching between two forms, King relied on his racial talent to completely ignore Gao Wen's attacks, trading damage for damage, which was his most conventional move.

"Anyway, if you slash me, you can't break my defense; but if I slash you, you'll get hurt!"

For a moment.

Gao Wen was also forced to retreat continuously by Jin's dense barrage of attacks; even wielding the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hands, he was hard-pressed to cope, and numerous wounds had already appeared on his body.

"Troublesome!"

Gao Wen sighed inwardly.

The next instant, a blade grew larger and larger in his field of vision, sending him flying dozens of meters along with his sword, to the point that his landing spot was exactly where Jin had fallen earlier.

Boom!

The earth trembled, and snowflakes danced across the sky.

Jin lowered his eyes to glance at the blood on his blade, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smile:

"Oh my~"

"Didn't hit, did I?!"

"Of course it hit, you bastard!"

Gao Wen's voice came from the ruins in the distance.

He slowly stood up, allowing Jin to see his wretched state clearly.

An exaggerated wound stretched from Gao Wen's right shoulder all the way down to his abdomen, with copious blood oozing out; through the curled flesh, one could even see the bones inside.

"That was truly dangerous!"

Gao Wen's lips split into a ferocious and sinister grin:

"Isn't it just a mechanic-based monster? Isn't it just trading injury for injury?!"

"Then let's play!"

As soon as the words landed.

A layer of fine dragon scales appeared on Gao Wen's body surface, fierce spikes extended from the joints of his limbs, wings unfolded on his back, and the dragon horns on his head connected to form a crown-like shape—this was precisely...

Fourth Form—Demon Man Form!

Pale blue leyline energy surged up from beneath Gao Wen's feet, replenishing his consumed stamina.

The fierce wound on his chest healed completely in an instant, and his stamina and combat power once again reached their peak state.

It could be said that from this moment on, until the leyline energy beneath Gao Wen's feet was exhausted, he would be an absolute fighting machine that could not be injured, could not die, and would not tire!

Moreover, several days ago, Gao Wen had already sensed that while the leyline energy on Dongdao was not abundant, it was by no means barren.

After all, even under conditions of year-round heavy snow, this place could still nurture so many trees and creatures; a region with scarce leyline energy could absolutely not achieve this.

Furthermore, the area of East Island was vast, stretching for hundreds of kilometers in every direction.

Even if Gao Wen went all out, the time required to drain all the leyline energy here would be measured in months, or even years, at the very least.

No one could sustain combat for that long!

"You..."

Jin's brows furrowed slightly; how could he possibly fail to notice Gao Wen's abnormal state?

"Leaving aside this abnormal Zoan posture, just this regenerative ability alone... is this the reason Kaido Brother insisted we must obtain that Devil Fruit no matter what?!"

"Interesting..."

"Then let me see whether racial talent surpasses all, or whether the power of the Devil Fruit is greater!"

In Jin's eyes, intense fighting spirit surged for the first time, simply because the Gao Wen of this moment made even him feel danger.

Swish!

He waved the long blade in his hand, and flames erupted behind him, rising like the sun.

Up to this point in the battle, he had not even utilized his own Ancient Zoan abilities.

Obviously, in a duel between experts, he relied more on the Lunarian race's absurdly shameless innate abilities.

Born with the Mera Mera no Mi that cannot undergo elementalization, plus the ability to switch between defense and speed forms, and lacking the flaw of being unable to swim that comes with Devil Fruits.

The Lunarian race's innate talents were purely broken monsters no matter where they were placed.

This gave Jin absolute confidence!

Boom!

The sun exploded.

The flames enveloping Jin's entire body surged again, directly engulfing him along with the long blade in his hand.

Surging heat waves swept in all directions, melting the snow and causing the trees to spontaneously combust.

Amidst the churning flames surrounding Jin, a fire dragon emerged, its claws fierce, carrying an overbearing aura that devoured everything as it attacked Gao Wen...

"Fire Dragon Emperor - Scorching Hundred Beasts!"

Jin roared.

The fire dragon in the high sky exploded in an instant, transforming into countless beasts of various shapes—tigers, leopards, dragons, wolves... devouring everything in the vicinity!

(End of Chapter)