As everyone knows, getting beaten up can make you stronger

Listening to Isuka's words, Who's-Who hesitated for a moment. His faith is already quite easily shaken, and moreover, he was a pragmatist.

During his time in prison, he had prayed to Nika after hearing the legend, but it didn't do much for him. After breaking out, he abandoned the idea of faith altogether and joined the Beasts Pirates simply for survival.

Regardless of why he defected, he remained a stain on the Cipher Pol. But he found a suitable umbrella for protection, and the outdated information he held wasn't worth the World Government sending agents after him.

In terms of value, Who's-Who wasn't as important as Queen, so he wasn't as restricted. After finding a backer, he could still move freely outside.

But that didn't mean the World Government would let him off the hook. They might not send someone specifically after him, but they'd take the opportunity to eliminate him if one arose.

That's why Who's-Who pursued strength—it was the best way to protect himself. No matter how strong his backer was, his own power was more crucial.

Even an ordinary prison guard, given the right circumstances, could shake Who's-Who's faith, not to mention the professionals in Wano Country.

Under Misu's influence, Who's-Who experienced a kind of baptism of faith and saw the pragmatism of the Arceus Cult.

Though he wasn't a fanatic, he did desire higher status. After all, high-ranking officers can not only easily gain more rewards from Arceus but also wield more authority.

Before, Isuka had challenged him. Now it was his turn to challenge others.

He didn't even consider challenging for the No.0 or No.1 spot. Although those positions weren't at the calamity-level of power, at their full-strength, their combat abilities are not inferior to the current calamities.

So his mindset was completely different from Jack's. He was content to climb up step by step.

Since Isuka had already reached her limits, even though she had recovered from her injuries, she didn't challenge further, merely waiting for someone who might challenge her.

Who's-Who, on the other hand, had found his new opponent—Sasaki.

Sasaki was simply a die-hard Kaido fan, loyal only to Kaido. Although the Arceus faction didn't like him much, they never targeted him. He had everything he needed and got everything he wanted.

Currently, his work area is still the Udon Quarry. It wasn't that anyone restricted him; he had voluntarily applied to stay there, using the Pokémon at the quarry to temper his strength.

Over the years, he even developed a bond with Aggron, transforming their relationship from that of a mere training partner to one akin to good brothers.

By battling these heavy Pokémon, Sasaki continued to improve his power.

It's well known that in the Beasts Pirates, taking beatings is an essential way to grow stronger. The current high-ranking officers may look glamorous now, but in their youth, they all went through "training" from different people.

Sasaki, after joining the Beasts Pirates, eventually went down this irreversible path as well.

Ultimately, he relied on Bastiodon's ability to rise to a single-digit Number.

…

The terrain they chose was again mountain, but this time, Who's-Who experienced a completely different fighting style.

It was unlike his fight with Isuka, who hadn't taken his attacks head-on, except for the near-suicidal final move.

Thinking about it now, he found Isuka's reckless approach a bit hard to accept. If they weren't in an arena, the best-case scenario for using that move would have been a Pyrrhic victory.

Under her high-temperature overload state, her steel exoskeleton had become quite fragile, and when she detonated Hyper Beam at close range, both her hands temporarily lost their combat ability.

That move was effective if it knocked out the enemy. But if the enemy could still move, it would cause huge trouble.

That kind of strategy can only work in a competition. Who's-Who didn't like it because he wasn't the type to risk his life for a mission.

But, in his current situation, Who's-Who realized he had no choice but give it his all, because he has no way out.

After learning that secret, if he fell back into the hands of the World Government, his fate would be sealed.

He had made enemies on both sides of the law, so surviving in these seas would be difficult. As for hiding away, he didn't want to live a destitute life, working to make ends meet. Though life as a secret agent was tough, he had never lacked material comforts, so he was already used to that way of life.

"You... looking down on me, huh?!"

Boom!

With a loud bang, Sasaki, in his Bastiodon form, raised his forelegs and stomped down on Who's-Who. During the battle, the opponent was actually distracted, which clearly shows a lack of respect for him.

The ground cracked, but Who's-Who, snapping back to attention, narrowly dodged the attack.

"Are all Fish-Men this..direct?"

Sasaki's fighting style had come to resemble Jack's—relying on his powerful defense and brute strength to fight. The difference was that Sasaki wasn't as strong as Jack, nor was his defense comparable to Jack.

Queen's Tropius form came with a "second brain," allowing him to pull off ridiculous self-modifications like the Brachio Launcher and the Brachiosnakeus.

But Arceus only kept the Triceratops' horns for Bastiodon, giving Sasaki more offensive options, while the original neck-protecting bone frill was removed.

Without that bone frill, Sasaki couldn't pull off the kind of strange maneuvers like Heliceratops.

Who's-Who held a certain prejudice against the Fish-Men. Cipher Pol agents were selected from children at a young age, a stage when they were more easily molded.

In the education he received, the history of the Fish-Men was essentially one of slavery.

To him, the Fish-Men were somewhat inferior, and even in the original timeline during the Onigashima battle, he looked down on Jinbe's race.

He had originally wanted to call Sasaki brainless, but after some thought, he swallowed the words.

Jack, Sasaki, Rusalka, Mandrell's daughter—there are quite a few Fish-Men and Merfolk who have joined or are related in some way to the Beasts Pirates. Even Mandrell had practically become a Fish-Man himself.

He could say things like that in front of an enemy, but if he said it in front of his own people, he'd probably face some serious consequences down the road.

"Isn't it fine if it is useful? If you're so capable, then stop dodging! Triceratops Bulldoze!"

Most Zoan Users preferred to fight in their Human-Beast forms, but Sasaki was different. He enjoyed fighting in his Beast Form. After his Bulldoze missed, his body gleamed with a metallic shine, reinforcing his defense further using Iron Defense.

Afterwards, the dragon horns on his forehead were enveloped by Haki, and the razor-sharp point aimed at Who's-Who as he charged. Just moments ago, his opponent had been an agile warrior, but now he had transformed into a rampaging bull, and one with immense defense at that.

Seeing his Fang Pistol blocked by Sasaki's shield-like body, Who's-Who drew the weapon from his waist; he will need to change his fighting style.

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