Chapter 151

"""A treasure chest...?!!!""" From the Coconut Seal, many pirates shouted out urgently.

One treasure chest sat atop the pillar of water that continuously shot out toward the sky.

"Look at the Emperors!!" One pirate shouted with fear as he stared up at the sky.

And in accordance with such a pirate's fear, two fearful beings were seen to be flying toward the rising treasure chest. One was a huge and long azure-coloured dragon, while the other was a huge cloud that was crackling madly.

"Kaidou!!!! That fruit is mine!!!!" Linlin, having noticed Kaidou's dragon form rising upward next to her, screamed madly.

"You old hag!!! Get your eyes off of my fruit!!!!" Kaidou simultaneously shouted with bloodshot eyes as he continued to travel toward the treasure chest.

From afar, Issho was calmly standing on top of his warship.

"Hm... has the fruit appeared?" Issho asked in a casual manner. Although he had a good mastery over the Observation Haki, he seemed to be prone to asking the others as a habit that stemmed from his lack of vision.

"Admiral Issho... it's a treasure chest. We are unable to confirm if it's a devil fruit even!" T-Bone quickly responded as he unsheathed his sword, "Shall we pursue after it as well?"

Issho grimaced while speaking up, "Perhaps, after..."

*CLANG*

Issho's sword clashed against Jozu's diamond-turned fist, who suddenly appeared from the dark.

"these ones are dealt with."

"You marines won't even get a chance to do so!" Jozu boldly claimed as his fist struggled against Issho's sword.

"Yahoo!! Let's have some fun, boys!!!" The other members of the crew dropped down from the dark as well, ready to engage within the enemy ships.

"The succeeding pirate crew of the Whitebeard pirates... Phoenix pirates." Issho spoke up, "We were expecting you here!"

Jozu faked a grin as he continued to struggle against Issho's sword, which was gradually becoming heavier for him to defend against.

'Marco, hurry—'

*BOOOM*

Issho and Jozu both flinched upon hearing the booming sound from nowhere. Turning to the source of the sound, Jozu's eyes widened,

'The Grimheart pirates...!'

"Grimheart has made his appearance!" Issho immediately shouted, "Hold your ground and wait for the second unit! They will locate the Grimheart pirates' flying ship to cut off their escape route, before joining us to acquire the fruit as well!"

Meanwhile,

"Juggernaut... Blast!!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Kaidou and Linlin, who were flying upward to seize the treasure chest, found themselves rocketing back to the ground all of a sudden.

Although dark, the bright light from the Coconut Seal managed them to catch glimpse of one man who was floating on top of the sky with his eyes glowing in golden-colour.

Linlin shouted in realization, "You brat... you must be that Grimheart—"

*BOOOOOOM*

Kaidou and Linlin crashed into the ground, giving a rise to a cloud of dust that covered the view.

"Mama!" Katakuri's eyes narrowed as he looked at his fallen mother. Then, his eyes flashed in red, indicating the use of his Observation Haki, before he tilted his head to the side.

*ZOOM*

Immediately after, Carina suddenly appeared on sight with her left hand, which was holding onto a Haki-imbued knife, outstretched toward where Katakuri's head previously lied.

"You're not going anywhere, Charlotte Katakuri." Carina smiled confidently as she flipped her knife while retracting her left arm back, "That treasure chest is ours."

Katakuri clicked his tongue, "Phantom."

Nearby,

"Huuuh?!! Who do you think you are?!!!" Queen snarled with the veins popping out of his forehead, as he raised his arm in an attempt to defend against the Haki-imbued fist belonging to Dan, who just arrived as well.

However, contrary to Queen's belief that he will be able to dodge Dan's strike,

*PAZZZZZZZ*

Dan's fist suddenly transformed into lightning before electrocuting Queen, who was caught off guard.

"100 Million Volt: Electromaniac!!"

"Yawwww!!!" Queen screamed as his body twitched from the intense burst of lightning.

However, contrary to Queen's reaction, Dan quickly moved back to dodge Queen's powerful punch.

*BOOOOM*

'What's with that body of his?!' Dan narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he lowered his body, readying for a tough fight.

On the other hand, Alfred was seen at a high point in the sky, using geppo to reach the treasure chest.

"Wororororo!!! So you are that infamous Grimheart!!!" From the cloud of smoke, Kaidou's boisterous laugh boomed across the whole island. Then,

*BOOOOOM*

two Emperors both shot out simultaneously toward Rowan with murderous eyes.

"Grimheart!!!!!" Linlin shrieked, "Where is Farul?!!!!"

However, before Linlin could reach Rowan,

"Undying Thistle!"

*BOOOM*

Marco, who came flying in his Phoenix form, intercepted Linlin. Subsequently, Ace, who was seen to be on Marco's back, waved at Rowan from below.

"Hey Rowan, what do you think of teaming up again?" Ace asked cheekily, to which Rowan couldn't help but chuckle,

"What about that treasure chest then?"

"As long as the enemies don't get it, we're good!" Ace jumped off from Marco's back and clenched his fist, before falling toward Linlin who was seen with an annoyed expression on her face,

"Tekkan!!!"

*BOOOOOOM*

"...Iron Fist." Linlin, who didn't seem to be fazed by Ace's punch, growled as the veins popped off of her forehead, "Don't get in my way!!!!"

Then, Linlin swung her alive-sword, Napoleon, and slammed its blade onto Ace, sending the latter blasting sideway. However, before he has flown too far, Marco quickly extended his flame talon and caught Ace.

"Rowan, leave Big Mom to us!" Marco then placed his index and middle fingers forward at Linlin, "Bluebird!"

"Hah?!" Linlin exclaimed in confusion at the sight of a large ball of yellow-green flame shooting toward her. Then, it pushed her off of Zeus, which subsequently resulted in her plummeting back to the ground.

"MARCOOO!!!!!!"

*BOOOM*

"Worororo!!! Now this is going to be fun, isn't it?" On the other hand, Kaidou, not even paying a single bit of attention to Linlin, Marco, and Ace, grinned excitedly while staring at Rowan.

Rowan cracked his knuckle and momentarily turned his head up to check that Alfred managed to attain the chest in a quick span of time.

"I doubt it." Rowan replied impassively.

Then, Kaidou's gigantic body shot upward toward Rowan, with his opened mouth glowing up from the intense gathering of flame.

Rowan had to block this attack no matter what. Directly above, Alfred was trying to get away from the crossfire as he could, but Kaidou's attack, from what he predicted through the use of his Observation Haki, had an incredible range and scale.

'Kaidou of the Beast... let's see how strong you are!'

At the next moment, Rowan quickly took out the bullets from his pocket and sped them up through the use of his bounce; all in a span of a second. What cost him almost a minute in the past now only took that much time for preparation.

Then, both Rowan and Kaidou attacked at the same time toward one another.

"Entropic Blast!!"

"Blast Breath!!!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

As two Emperors collided in the air, the whole sky brightened up in red. Kaidou's flame was being repelled against Rowan's laser-beam-like blast, and no one seemed to be winning in particular.

Subsequently, the light abruptly died down. Rowan, vanishing from Kaidou's proximity, suddenly held Alfred with one of his arms to get the latter to safety. However, with Kaidou's attention on him, Rowan couldn't afford to get to Prominence either.

'Carina on Katakuri, and Dan on Queen. Alfred got the chest, however...'

"Running away in the middle of a fight, Grimheart?!!!" Kaidou's voice boomed out as he, still in the dragon form, flew his way toward Rowan and Alfred domineeringly.

"Captain Rowan. We don't have much time, so please listen." Alfred stated with sharpened eyes, "I checked what was in the treasure chest. It wasn't the Tremor Tremor fruit, but it indeed was a devil fruit, an unknown kind."

"I see." Rowan, using his 'Sonic Step,' swiftly evaded Kaidou's incredibly fast-paced chase over and over, "Listen, Alfred. From what I sensed, our Prominence is getting attacked right now. You won't be able to cross the sea now occupied by the Marine and return to Prominence safely. Therefore, I'm throwing you down to that island and signalling the crew to come over."

Alfred nodded understandingly, "Copy that, captain."

"Then... go!"

Rowan threw Alfred downward with his full strength, sending the latter flying to the island at a dangerous speed.

As Alfred gritted his teeth while operating geppo to his maximum, in an attempt to stop himself from crashing into the ground,

*BOOOOOOOM*

Rowan found his body being knocked up by Kaidou's body slam.

However, Rowan didn't seem to be hurt. Instead, flipping his body, Rowan's whole body began to light up in golden-colour, indicating the utilization of the emission of Armament Haki.

"You better be sorry for keeping me waiting, Grimheart!" Kaidou snorted in his dragon form, producing a spark of flame that came out from his nostrils.

'Assuming that everything will be fast-paced... I don't have to care about long-term consequences right now. If so,'

*Ba-Bump*

Rowan's heart began to beat vigorously as his whole body emitted steam; he activated 'Grimheart' that can last for an hour at max.

'Strength, endurance, speed, reflex, fruit mastery, and Haki...' Rowan felt a cold sweat dripping down from his back. Kaidou was a well-rounded being. With the exception of speed, reflex, and perhaps Haki, Kaidou was superior in all the other qualities than Rowan—

'Hold on, it isn't that bad then.'

Kaidou, at an incredible speed, coiled up his body around Rowan, who quickly used his enhanced physical prowess to escape from the latter's grasp. Then,

"Dragon Twister!!!"

Several tornadoes made their appearances around Rowan and spun in a destructive manner.

"Bounce... Impact!"

*BOOOOOOOM*

Rowan blasted a huge burst of bounce from all over his body at once, causing those twisters to be destroyed singlehandedly. Immediately after,

*SWOOSHSWOOSHSWOOSH*

he was forced to use his superb reflex to dodge the fast wind blades that Kaidou generated consecutively.

"Wororororo!!! Not bad, Grimheart!"

Without any moment to take a breather, Kaidou, who suddenly changed back to his human form, appeared behind Rowan while holding onto his weapon, Hassaikai. However, Rowan managed to see the future once again; the future further than what Kaidou was able to see.

""Juggernaut Drive!!! / Thunder Bellow Bagua!!!!""

Abruptly twisting his body, Rowan slammed his fist against Kaidou's outstretched Hassaikai.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The air around exploded in stress as two techniques clashed against one another. With both of their attacks infused by the Conqueror's Haki,

*PAZZZZZZZZZZ*

the black lightning wildly crackled around, and the sky above them split in half. Even during the dark night where the glowing platform of the Coconut Seal was the only source of light, such a sight was vivid in everyone's eyes.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

However, this wasn't the end of Rowan's attack. 'Drive.' It was a name that Rowan used to classify his attacks. If 'Blast' only used convergence, 'Drive' used convergence and consecutive bounce simultaneously.

"OHO?!!" Kaidou grinned in excitement as he felt another blast from Rowan's fist, which caused him to lose his momentum and begin to fall downward.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Kaidou, who was unable to fly in his human form, changed his body to a dragon form once again.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The blasting forces didn't seize. It continued to pummel him down. And yet, Kaidou seemed to be enjoying such a challenge.

"Hah...! You got to be kidding me, right?" Rowan couldn't help but chuckle as he gazed down.

Kaidou managed to withstand his attack, although a sliver of blood trickled from his mouth.

'Shanks was prone at Haki. Big Mom over there has an incredible fruit power. Kaidou... his endurance is off the chart—'

"Stop thinking in the middle of the battle, Grimheart!!!!"

Then, Rowan found himself in a trouble with Kaidou's large mouth opened in front of him.

'When did he get above me?!'

It was one of Rowan's bad habits. Relying on his incredible reflex, he tended to think a lot in midst of a battle. Now, he was paying the price for it.

"Blast Breath!!!!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Rowan was sent blasting down to the ground without any control. Within a millisecond,

*BOOOOOOOM*

Rowan crashed into the ruins where Kaidou and Linlin previously crashed into, creating another round of dust.

"And now that we're standing on the ground..." Kaidou, dropping all the way from high up in the sky to the ground in a human-beast form now, stated excitedly as he placed his Hassaikai on his shoulder. "Show me what you truly are capable of, Grimheart!! Then, after beating you up, I shall retrieve the Tremor Tremor fruit for myself!"

*CLANGCLANGCLANG*

Carina and Katakuri were seen to be combating at a fast pace where barely anything could be seen.

*BOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOM*

Dan and Queen too were fighting scarily. Each and every blow of theirs was a heavy hit.

"Give me the fruit!!!"

"That fruit is mine!!!!"

Alfred was seen to be facing off against the hoards of pirates all at once.

"LIFE... OR FRUIT?!!!!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Marco and Ace were seen to be struggling against Linlin's wild thrash.

In midst of this chaos, as the dust cleared, Rowan was seen to be standing with his clothes tattered.

Silently, while locking his eyes onto Kaidou, Rowan raised hand up.

*BOOMBOBOOMBOBOOMBOOM*

"Whatever you say, sky worm."