Chapter 274

"You actually took advantage of Darkness's perversion! That's so low, Zyhark!" Aqua pointed at Zyhark's nose, angrily scolding him.

Though her words were directed at Zyhark, coming from Aqua, it sounded more like she was insulting Darkness.

The worst part was, if Darkness, the innocent victim in all this, heard it, she'd probably be thrilled…

As expected, perverts and fools get along well.

"It was all the Wishing Pool's decision, Aqua."

Zyhark waved his twin swords lazily, showing no interest in continuing to banter with the idiot goddess.

At least, not right now.

"So, who's next?" he asked.

At those words, intense heat surged, and Escanor, who had long been prepared, stepped forward.

Sensing his master's overwhelming fighting spirit, the golden battle axe, Rita, gleamed with brilliant light.

"Escanor, huh?" Zyhark glanced at the sun, which hadn't yet fully risen into the sky, and chuckled, "Too bad, it's not your strongest time of day."

He was well aware of Escanor's power, fueled by the Sun's Blessing. In the morning, his strength was comparable to that of an Emperor's Admiral.

Only at noon would he reach the level of an actual Emperor.

And during that one strongest minute of noon, Escanor surpassed even the highest power levels of the One Piece world.

But in a world where fights can last for days, this minute-long advantage didn't mean much.

"Even so, I want to fight you seriously and hear you say 'I surrender' with your own mouth, Zyhark," Escanor replied arrogantly, locking eyes with Zyhark. He lightly swung his golden axe, and the heatwave from it melted the ground around them.

Now was a rare moment for him, and his fighting spirit was ablaze!

"I see. Out of respect, let me show you the power I've just mastered!" Zyhark's gaze sharpened as he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki without holding back.

Crimson lightning crackled, but unlike earlier, it didn't explode outward. Instead, it gathered rapidly toward his swords, Kitetsu and Shusui, compressing into dense, destructive energy.

Golden particles floated in the air as the blades were enveloped in this concentrated power.

"Two-Sword Style: Cross Slash!"

Zyhark swung both swords, first horizontally, the strike hanging in the air as though frozen, then vertically, completing the cross before the attack shot forward.

The aftermath tore through the ground, leaving a trail of pure destruction!

Faced with this Haki-infused slash, Escanor advanced instead of retreating. Pouring all his magic into Rita, he covered its surface with scorching flames.

"Escanor's Axe!"

Boom!

The Sun Axe clashed against the Cross Slash, and in an instant, an explosion of destructive energy erupted, leveling the entire battlefield and tearing the ground apart with deep cracks.

When the dust settled, two deep trenches were revealed.

At the end of one stood Escanor, his tattered clothes barely hanging on.

"Thanks for that. It was getting hot, and I wanted to cool off a bit," he remarked, his arrogant eyes gleaming beneath his axe.

Even though it wasn't his peak time, Escanor had managed to block Zyhark's Haki-imbued strike!

"It seems you haven't been spending all your time drinking with adventurers," Zyhark said with a knowing smile.

Aqua, feeling slightly attacked, looked away and whistled, pretending it had nothing to do with her.

"Now it's my turn to attack, Zyhark," Escanor said, raising his hand as flames swirled into a small sun.

"Sword of the Cliff!"

But Zyhark didn't give him the chance to fully charge the attack. In a quick counter, he summoned several magma pillars, tearing through the ground and bombarding Escanor.

Knowing full well the difficulty of dealing with someone empowered by the sun, Zyhark didn't expect this level of attack to defeat Escanor. His real target was Aqua and the others!

If it had been a friendly duel, he wouldn't mind fighting Escanor properly, but time was running out, so he had to resort to some underhanded tactics.

Everyone would surely understand, right?

With that thought, Zyhark suddenly appeared behind Uta in a blur of speed.

"Hello, Uta. Had breakfast yet?" he asked with a gentle smile, causing Uta's eye to twitch as she realized something terrible was about to happen.

Though she knew the gap in strength between them, the stubborn redhead wasn't going down without a fight.

"Already ate!" she yelled, quickly constructing a magic circle and summoning a golden slime that lunged at Zyhark with its gaping maw.

"Impressive reaction speed. You've grown stronger with your Song Song Fruit powers, Uta," Zyhark complimented as he struck with the back of his blade.

With a single thud, both Uta and the golden slime were knocked into the Wishing Pool behind her.

Before Zyhark could relax, a shadow darted toward him, claws gleaming in the air.

"Meowth, huh? Show me your new inventions once we're back in the world of One Piece."

Zyhark effortlessly parried Meowth's claws with his sword and, with a swift motion, grabbed Meowth by the scruff and tossed him into the Wishing Pool.

As ripples spread across the surface, Meowth's voice echoed, "Such a terrible feeling, meow~!"

At the same time, a figure darted by, slashing with a long cane sword.

"Elegant Blade—Arrowtail Slash!"

Brook's blade sliced through the air, leaving a trail that struck Zyhark's chest, tearing his clothes and leaving a deep wound.

Unfortunately, for someone with defenses as strong as Zyhark's, it barely counted as a scratch.

"It's like slashing diamond. Truly, you're formidable, Zyhark. Yohohoho~!" Brook straightened his posture, waiting for the delayed effect of his strike.

However, as they passed each other, Zyhark had countered with his own Arrowtail Slash!

Boom!

Crimson lightning erupted inside Brook, sending him crashing into the Wishing Pool.

"Four down!"

Hearing steady footsteps behind him, Zyhark's eyes gleamed red as he slowly sheathed Kitetsu and Shusui.

The golden wig blew off in the wind, revealing King's gleaming bald head as he approached.

After rigorous training and multiple deaths (thanks to Aqua's connections allowing unlimited resurrections), King had finally adapted to his newfound power.

Although his body couldn't handle the backlash from a serious punch, he had grown significantly since his early days in this world.

"Congratulations, King. You've found your own path," Zyhark said, genuinely pleased.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the courage to even throw a punch like this," King admitted, his fist trembling with power.

"Everyone's seen how hard you've worked," Zyhark smiled, clenching his own fist, wrapping it with advanced Armament Haki.

"Let's do this!"

Their fists collided in a massive shockwave, clearing the already ruined battlefield of debris.

As Zyhark held off King's powerful strikes, he gave a word of advice.

"Strength determines the outcome, but skill and reaction are just as important."

King furrowed his brows, trying to grasp Zyhark's meaning. But before he could, fire erupted beneath him.

Boom!

A well-timed Sword of the Cliff blasted King into the Wishing Pool.

With all the easier-to-handle companions sent away, only Escanor and Kanna remained.

In the absence of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's mobility, they were no easy foes.

But Zyhark's approach was still as straightforward as ever—he activated his enhanced Devour ability and charged straight at them.

Electromagnetic surges, solar flares, and red lightning filled the air as endless Sword of the Cliff attacks erupted from the ground, causing massive explosions!

The three distinct figures weaved through the black smoke and mushroom clouds, engaging in an intense, high-speed battle that left the earth trembling beneath them.

Aqua, the last one standing, stood alone at the eye of the storm, completely disoriented.

"Once Escanor and Kanna are beaten, I'll be next!" she panicked.

"No, no, no, I need to figure something out! That new move of Zyhark's looks like it hurts a lot…"

Her blue eyes darted around frantically, searching for an escape.

Even though she often looked down on Zyhark, she knew full well that neither Kanna nor Escanor could beat him.

Even if she secretly buffed them, Escanor would never accept it due to his pride.

And as for Kanna...

There was no doubt her loyalty leaned toward Zyhark!

While Aqua was desperately scheming, Wiz and Vanir exchanged a glance, seeing the same exasperation in each other's eyes.

"So, what was the point of us coming here?" Vanir asked, catching a piece of debris with one hand.

"Judging by the situation in the Demon King's castle, Zyhark-sama probably… wants us to cheer him on?" Wiz hesitated, her voice as soft and gentle as ever.

"Really? Well, since we're here, I'll let you handle the cheering, and I'll launch some celebratory fireworks," Vanir chuckled, tossing a handful of exploding dolls into the sky.

Wiz: "..."

Could you please not leave the embarrassing part to me?!

Amidst Wiz's awkward cheers, Zyhark successfully defeated Kanna and Escanor, sending them back to the One Piece world.

Had it been a battle to the death, it wouldn't have ended so quickly. But since this was a friendly spar, there was no need to fight to the bitter end.

For Kanna, it was all just a game, anyway, and she hadn't been serious at all.

"So, Aqua, how do you want to 'die'?"

Zyhark approached, his face full of mischief as he looked at the terrified goddess.

"We haven't even fought yet! Don't declare victory just yet."

"Don't forget, Zyhark, in this world, I'm a goddess—a super strong Water Goddess! And you're just a lowly Demon King!"

But the moment Zyhark raised his hand, all of Aqua's forced confidence evaporated.

"No, no, no, don't hit me! I'll jump myself! Just get that Wishing Pool out, quickly!"

Her sudden surrender caught Zyhark off guard.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Goddess. It's just the two of us now. Let's take our time~"

Zyhark cracked his knuckles, grinning as he closed in on her.

S-So creepy…

Only now did Vanir and Wiz finally see a hint of the true Demon King in Zyhark.

"D-Don't come any closer! One more step, and I'll scream for help!"

"Hey! Eris! You flat-chested goddess, get out here and help me!"

Meanwhile, in the afterlife...

Eris, who was busy handling the normal duties of guiding heroes, jumped in shock as Aqua's voice echoed in her mind, causing her divine aura to crumble.

How did that voice even reach here?!

"Uh, Goddess Eris, what was that?" the deceased, dressed in a black and green tracksuit, asked nervously. "I thought I heard something about… flat-chested?"

"T-That was your imagination, Satou Kazuma! Now, please choose your reincarnation item!" Eris frantically waved her hands, her face flushed red.

Reincarnation item?

Looking at the perfect goddess before him, Kazuma grinned mischievously.

...

Back in the One Piece World—Shadow Island

"So, you're planning to lock me up in a dungeon and interrogate me? You're going to use all sorts of cruel torture techniques?"

"Are you even planning to strip my knight's armor off piece by piece in front of everyone?!"

"Even if that's the case, you pirates will never make me submit! I will never surrender easily!"

Moriah, who was covered in bandages, rubbed his temples in frustration as he looked at the strange woman before him.

All he had done was tell his men to throw her in the dungeon, and yet she had somehow managed to create this whole elaborate scenario in her head.

Recently, the Marines had been attacking Shadow Island more frequently, and that scoundrel Doflamingo had taken advantage of Moriah's weakened state to steal his territory.

Now, with this woman adding to his troubles, it was definitely not a good situation.

At that moment, the sound of explosions echoed from outside the castle.

"Not good! Lord Moriah, Doflamingo and his crew have broken through the final line of defense!"

A subordinate rushed in, his face full of panic. He was the captain of a New World pirate crew who had sought refuge with Moriah, after being egged on by Zyhark.

"What?!" Moriah's face went pale with shock.

Before he could react, pink feathers filled the air.

Standing behind the pirate, on his broad back, was none other than Doflamingo himself!

"Fufufufu! It's over, Moriah!"

(End of Chapter)