"You bastard!!"
"Whitebeard, this was supposed to be a spar between me and Ares! Why the hell are you interfering?!"
Golden Lion Shiki roared in fury.
Out of the corner of his eye, he had already spotted Whitebeard charging toward them in giant strides. Whitebeard's voice was so loud that even from hundreds of meters away, it was still rumbling painfully in Shiki's ears.
Shiki bellowed out a reminder, "Don't forget, today is an odd-numbered day! According to our agreement, Ares is mine today!!"
"Even-numbered days are yours!"
But Shiki's heart suddenly tightened.
Whitebeard had no intention of stopping.
"Gurararara… Forget about our little agreements! My fists are itching for a fight I just want to have some fun with Ares!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, completely ignoring Shiki's protests, his sharp gaze locked squarely on Ares as the wind howled past his ears.
The distance between them rapidly shrank.
"Damn it!!"
Shiki was so furious his veins nearly burst. He cursed at the top of his lungs, "You're cheating!!"
His heart was full of righteous indignation. This white-haired bastard had shamelessly ignored their agreement it was blatant cheating.
But Whitebeard didn't hear a single word. As he closed in on Ares, he roared out, "Ares, heads up!!"
He raised his massive arm, muscles bulging, and threw a thunderous punch straight at Ares.
Ares wasn't about to back down. He swung his blood-red arm to meet Whitebeard's fist head-on.
Boom!
The muffled collision rang out like rolling thunder.
The shockwave at the point of impact blasted out in all directions, roaring winds whipping at Whitebeard's clothes and his golden hair.
"Gurararara… You've gotten stronger!" Whitebeard's eyes flashed with delight, his booming laughter echoing across the field.
He could clearly feel it through that one punch, he knew Ares' strength and technique had grown.
One punch after another.
Their fists blurred into dozens of afterimages right before them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground-shaking impacts thundered without pause.
Shiki, who had stepped aside, glared daggers at Whitebeard, his face twisted with frustration as he furiously bit down on his cigar. "You bastard! Fine! Don't blame me when I steal your time tomorrow!!"
He angrily sheathed Sakura-Ten and Koku-Ten back at his waist.
As Ares traded blows with Whitebeard flesh meeting flesh he grew more and more excited. His blood was boiling in his veins.
That faint sting in his nerves, the crashing force shaking through his body it was exhilarating!
This was a battle between two iron-bodied warriors!
It was like the perfect back massage: painful, but irresistibly satisfying and addictive!
"Awesome!!!"
Ares laughed wildly. This was pure catharsis a full-body, overwhelming pleasure!
It was the ultimate thrill, far surpassing the satisfaction of clashing against Shiki's sheathed blades.
This was real joy.
"Gurararara… This isn't enough!!" Whitebeard bellowed, egging Ares on. "You're still holding back. Give me everything you've got! Show me your true strength!!"
The tempo of their fight ramped up again. Both fighters unleashed even more vicious kicks.
The power of their legs far surpassed that of their fists, making their battle even more intense and exhilarating.
Even Rocks, watching from the sidelines, was getting fired up. His blood was boiling as he rasped excitedly, "I really want to jump in there too, but Ares is still too weak for me right now."
He didn't step in, not because he wasn't tempted, but because it would ruin Whitebeard's fun and frankly, Ares' current level still wasn't worthy of facing Rocks yet.
"There'll be a chance soon. At Ares' growth rate, he'll probably be able to spar with you soon enough." Wang Zhi narrowed his eyes and smiled.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. He had witnessed Ares' rapid growth with his own eyes. But the moment he recalled Ares' insane, self-destructive training methods, Wang Zhi shuddered.
That kind of brutal training wasn't something just anyone could endure.
Pirates had to be ready to fight at all times. If you got injured while training, it could cost you your life in a real battle.
Not everyone had Ares' physical gifts to support that kind of madness.
The battle between Ares and Whitebeard raged on.
No one called for a break. No one paused. They fought continuously for several hours.
Finally, Ares collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud, gulping down air as if he couldn't breathe fast enough, his mind racing with just one thought:
"That was the most exhilarating fight I've ever had."
His entire body was drenched in sweat, clinging to his bulging muscles, glistening along every deep-cut line across his frame.
Under the sunlight.
Beads of sweat shimmered on his bronzed muscles, reflecting the golden rays of the sun.
If Charlotte Linlin had been here, she might not have been able to resist herself!
Whitebeard's face, neck, and any exposed skin were also covered in sweat. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he looked down at Ares and said,
"Your fighting technique and body control have improved a lot!!"
"But don't slack off. You're still far from catching up to the real monsters."
It wasn't that he didn't want to praise Ares more it was that he was worried too much praise would make the kid arrogant.
So, he shamelessly gave him a 99 out of 100.
In truth, after hours of brutal fighting, Whitebeard was completely stunned inside.
It had only been about ten days since they last fought, but Ares' reaction speed, explosive power, combat awareness, and sensory acuity had all skyrocketed across the board.
Logically… seeing significant progress in just one area would already be impressive.
But Ares' progress was outrageous he was improving in everything, all at once!
It was an absurd, unreasonable kind of talent!
Whitebeard turned and walked toward Rocks and the others. He didn't offer Ares a hand. The kid could rest there for a while.
As Whitebeard approached.
"You bastard! Today was supposed to be my turn to train Ares!" Shiki glared at him like he wanted to tear him apart, grinding his teeth.
Whitebeard raised his head proudly and chuckled, "After sailing for over ten days, things were getting a bit boring. Sparring with Ares was a refreshing thrill."
He casually strolled over to his naginata, Murakumogiri, and yanked it from the ground.
"Come on now, it's just one day. Let's not fight over it," Rocks stepped in to stop their bickering, then quickly changed the subject.
He turned to the figure lying on the ground.
"Ares, get up. We're heading back!"
Once Ares got up, the group started making their way back to the Skull Fortress.
That evening, a grand banquet erupted across the island.
It was a long-standing tradition of the Rocks Pirates: after receiving tributes and supplies from the islands under their control, they would throw a massive feast where everyone could participate veterans and newcomers alike.
When Ares arrived.
The Rocks Pirates' head chef, Shakky, shot twin flames from her beautiful eyes, her teeth grinding furiously.
"That damn glutton…"
"His appetite's gotten even bigger!!!"
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