How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 433 The Drum of Liberation! Nika finally appears!
As Ah Jin’s deep voice rang out, the bone armor that completely enveloped him shattered inch by inch, revealing the true body hidden within.

However, its appearance was not what everyone had expected. It was not Ah Jin's physical body, but a monster whose entire body was covered with black spikes!

Ferocious and malevolent!
The sky was clear and blue, the clouds having long since been dispersed by the successive battles.

The dazzling golden light shone in the arena, and also on Ajin, whose entire body was covered in jet-black bone armor!
It also carries an indescribable, chilling connotation!

"This guy... what kind of monster is this guy under Knight Gawain's command?!"

"Luffy went to such lengths, even using his trump card, Gear Fourth Snake Man, and he didn't even leave a single scratch?!"

Chambord Islands.

Xia Qi leaned against the bar, looking at the straw hat that A Jin had grabbed with one hand on the projected screen, her eyes filled with extreme surprise.

With Rayleigh and Jabba joining forces and undergoing nearly three months of special training, coupled with the Straw Hat's own powerful potential derived from the D, his combat strength is now vastly different from what it used to be.

It wasn't even far from Rayleigh!
But at this moment, facing Akin, he was completely suppressed!
“Rayleigh…”

Xia Qi couldn't help but turn her head to look at Rayleigh:

"If you were to face that guy..."

"A new era..."

Lei Li's hand holding the wine flask paused slightly, his eyes filled with an extremely complex expression:

"There are no ships that can carry us old relics anymore, Britannias... is not my stage."

Although Rayleigh did not respond directly, Xia Qi could see the desolation in his eyes.

She couldn't help but recall the scene from two years ago when Gawain and his group had just arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

At that time, Captain Gawain already possessed combat power comparable to the Four Emperors, but his crew was still a long way from reaching the top.

To achieve this, Roger's pirate crew spent more than a decade, going through countless battles and encountering numerous powerful opponents.

Among them, the most outstanding figures, such as Shiki, Whitebeard, and Rocks, are so great that the World Government would have to deal with each one with caution.

Meanwhile, for newcomers like Gin, Zoro, and Sanji to achieve the same level, it took them...

Only two years.

Furthermore, at this point, Akin's combat power has already surpassed Rayleigh's!
Xia Qi's heart tightened:
"Won't Luffy be in danger?!"

Rayleigh shook his head:

"If Gin had used his full strength from the beginning, Luffy would have been defeated in that instant."

"What he's doing now is less about fighting Luffy and more about..."

talking.

Rayleigh paused, his gaze falling on the projected image, but the image of Gawain echoed in his mind.

"You know about Nika's existence... So you must have seen it, right? One Piece and the future of this world!"

"They're also trying to draw out Nika's power?!"

"No!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh denied his guess:

"Knight Gawain would never do such a thing!!"

"If he wants to get something, he does it with the knife in his hand, not with a destined savior."

"so……"

As his thoughts grew increasingly complex, Rayleigh gradually began to understand what Gawain truly wanted.

His eyes held astonishment, surprise, and a kind of pride that he once possessed but which had been worn away by the passage of time!
"So whether it's the legendary Nika, the current Four Emperors, or the legends of the last era, they are all just seeds for the martial arts tournament!"

"What you really want is an opponent!"

"A powerful opponent that excites you!"

"To be invincible in this world, you create an existence that can rival you!?"

"What arrogance!"

After a word of praise, Rayleigh downed the strong liquor in the flask in one gulp. The liquor, sharp as a knife, sliced ​​down his throat, giving his gradually withering body a renewed glow!
In a state of hazy intoxication.

Rayleigh seemed to have returned to that magnificent adventure from twenty years ago!
……

Rewind to a few minutes ago.

Ajin, clad in jet-black bone armor, casually tossed his straw hat toward the distant wall, smashing it into a large crater. Then, step by step, he walked toward the straw hat with an unparalleled sense of oppression.

boom--!
boom--!
boom--!
Footsteps echoed like restless drumbeats in the quiet arena.

Even everyone's heartbeats seemed to be affected, suddenly speeding up as if they were about to jump out of their mouths!
"That posture..."

"Three Bones - Six Heavenly Demon Kings!"

Barrett leaned against the windowsill, looking down at Akin in the midst of the battlefield.

As one of Gao Wen's top scroll kings, he had fought against A Jin more than ten times, so he naturally knew A Jin well.

But seeing Ah Jin reveal his final trump card, he was also surprised.

"When Ajin used this move before, it didn't have this kind of momentum. Is he hiding a trump card?!"

"They're coming for me!"

Barrett smiled slightly, crossed his arms, his posture casual yet exuding immense confidence.
"However, this should end the fight and put an end to this farce."

Kaido and the others standing nearby made the same judgment as Bullet.

Seeing this, Sabo and Kidd couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

The Straw Hats being defeated is one thing, but if they lose their lives here...

not worth!
"I won't lose!"

A defiant voice echoed from the distant ruins.

Straw Hat raised his hand to push away the rubble that was pressing down on him. He was covered in blood, but his eyes were even more determined than before.

His fists clenched tighter, and the Conqueror's Haki born from his will became even more turbulent, to the point that even the simple act of raising his hand caused crimson lightning to flash around him!

"call……"

He exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Straw Hat stomped on the floor, defying the overwhelming force of Akin's attack, and unleashed all his power to strike at Akin!

"Rubber Hydra!"

Straw Hat's fists slammed forward, squeezing out every last bit of power from his body!

He had reasons not to lose: a joking promise to Kidd, his own pursuit of One Piece, and a premonition that he didn't know why he had.

If you back down here, you will lose the right to go further and ascend the throne.

"what--!"

With a roar, Straw Hat's fists created countless afterimages in the air, moving so fast that even Observation Haki couldn't detect them.

Even those powerful individuals who have mastered Observation Haki, capable of foreseeing the future, find it difficult to evade, because...

fast!
It's faster than the speed of nerve conduction, faster than the time it takes to think!

Among the various abilities derived from Observation Haki, predicting the future is undoubtedly one of the most powerful, but just like the food chain, there is no absolutely invincible ability.

Even if you can see the future, it's all in vain if your body can't react in time!

In the Straw Hat's view, this move, like the bone spear in Arkin's two-bone form, can only be taken head-on.

just.

Akin's perception of form (or clairvoyance) has also been cultivated to an extremely high level.

Akin has already mastered the combat skills that can be improved through rigorous training to an extremely high level.

He has mastered Armament Haki similar to Zephyr, and his Observation Haki has also awakened the same combat instincts as Zephyr!

No self-study is required.

No need to perceive it.

The body will instinctively react to any danger that comes its way!

Even amidst a flurry of punches, Akin's speed did not slow down in the slightest.

He slightly turned his body, and the straw hat's super-fast fist grazed past his body. He stopped in his tracks, and the straw hat's fist landed right in front of him...

So, amidst the Straw Hat's relentless onslaught, Akin remained calm and approached the Straw Hat as if strolling leisurely!

The players in the stands were all dumbfounded!

"How could this be... how could this be?!"

Kidd was completely unable to comprehend the scene before him.

"Luffy……"

Sabo gripped the hose tightly, only to find it incredibly slippery. He put it down and realized it was sweat from his own palms!

What's even more deadly is that this time Sabo really saw killing intent in Akin, naked and undisguised killing intent!
Sabo frowned, pondering how likely he was to save the Straw Hat, but the answer made his heart skip a beat.

Even with himself included... he was no match for the demon Akin.

This guy is a genuine King-level general, without any exaggeration, and his qualifications are off the charts!
"Luffy!"

On the battlefield, Gin ignored Straw Hat's relentless attacks and arrived before him, his eyes indifferent yet resolute.

"If we can't take it one step further, we die!"

"Ten fingers piercing a bullet!"

Akin pointed a finger at Straw Hat's heart, and to the latter's astonishment, a jet-black bone bullet pierced Straw Hat's heart!

puff--!
A blood lotus blooms on the back of a straw hat.

Straw Hat's attack suddenly froze, but he still stubbornly swung his fist, smashing it into Kin's face, but he had already lost all his strength.

His body slumped down like a deflated balloon, still trembling with resentment.

The rubber fruit's highly elastic properties allow it to shrink the through-and-through wound left by Arkin, but it still cannot change the fact that the heart is perforated.

As the straw hat's life force continued to wane, his consciousness gradually blurred, and the last thing he saw was Akin's complex expression.

Pity?!
Boring?!
Or something else...

In short, he could see nothing at all, except for the familiar sound of drums gradually rising in his ears!

……

The arena fell silent for a good ten seconds before everyone seemed to wake from a dream and exclaimed in surprise!

"This battle...it ended like this?"

"The strongest newcomer of the evil era was killed by the monsters of the new world before he could realize his potential."

"No!"

"It's not that the Straw Hat is too weak; quite the opposite, he's very strong, stronger than anyone could imagine!"

"Aside from the world's top elites, he is undoubtedly at the pinnacle. It's just a pity that the opponent he encountered was a monster capable of competing for the strongest throne, even in this martial arts tournament!"

"after all……"

"Gintoki is the first champion of the martial arts tournament!"

The scene was almost boiling over, with everyone freely expressing their enthusiasm.

The formidable players in the stands slowly withdrew their gazes.

It's perfectly normal for people to die in martial arts tournaments; during the preliminary rounds, more than 20% of the contestants died on the field.

just.

The player who was eliminated in the quarterfinals was a highly anticipated superstar, which was still hard for many to accept.

"straw hat……"

Kidd stood there, frozen, his fists clenched.

Sabo, standing on the windowsill with red eyes, was about to jump towards the distant stadium when Redfield held him down firmly.

Redfield had already figured out the connection between the straw hat and Sabo.

The reason for taking action now is to save Sabo's life.

After all, Barrett was still standing aside, and Britannias had countless powerful figures who had not yet made a move.

Even just around the arena, he sensed several unseen auras that made him somewhat wary.

Sabo's move at this moment will only lead to his death!
But at that moment, Redfield seemed to hear the sound of drums, the sound of drums beating like a heartbeat.

"Did you hear that?! A strange sound?!"

"Don't stop me!"

Worried about his younger brother, Sabo paid no attention to anything else in the distance; all he felt was hatred, hatred, and more hatred. This pain made him want nothing more than to beat Gin, who had killed the Straw Hat!

But when faced with Redfield, he couldn't even struggle before being pinned against the wall. At that moment, Sabo heard a burst of rapid drumbeats.

"Listen carefully!"

"That was the stirring of the liberation drums after eight hundred years!"

Redfield's eyes widened in surprise as he recalled the forbidden existence he had glimpsed in ancient history, causing his voice to tremble slightly.
"There really is... such a thing?!"

"I understand, I understand everything!"

"Why did Roger gamble everything on the Age of Exploration, yet leave Rayleigh and others to guard key routes? It turns out he was just waiting for this guy!"

"Eight hundred years ago, it saved the world from fire and water, but ultimately disappeared without a trace, representing the existence of freedom!"

"Sun God - Nika!"

"I mean, why did I feel from the beginning that the Straw Hat's abilities had gone beyond the realm of rubber, and that it could even do things like turning in mid-air?"

"There is no such thing as a rubber fruit, or rather, what the Straw Hat ate was never a rubber fruit, but rather..."

"Human-Human Fruit - Mythical Zoan - Nika Mode!"

"The sun god who brings liberation!"

Redfield's extremely excited voice made Sabo pause slightly.

He didn't know what Nika was, but he did know that the dense, drum-like sound in his ears was getting louder and louder!
boom--!
boom--!
boom--!
From low to high, from small to large, it finally exploded in the ears of everyone who was watching the battle!

The crowd looked around and finally focused their attention on the straw hat, which was covered in blood, in the middle of the battlefield.

At this moment, the earth around the straw hat rippled like water, creating wave after wave of waves.

The audience members looked bewildered and could only barely hold on to the handrails to avoid being thrown high into the air, but a few unlucky ones still fell and got injured.

"what happened?!"

"There's still a twist in this battle!?"

"The straw hat is dead, what can he do? Resurrect?!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

(End of this chapter)