Chapter 1226: Ghost Princess and the Reunited ASL

Although the axe fangs of the Haxorus are actually teeth, their hardness has long surpassed conventional metal. As battles progress, the axe fangs of the Haxorus become even sharper.

The axe blades on Ulti’s arms are weapons derived from these axe fangs. In her Human-Beast Form, these fangs fixed to the upper jaw have more room to demonstrate their power.

This is part of the power granted by Arceus. In the Zoan-type Fruit, such transformations are quite reasonable. After all, in the original timeline, Sasaki’s triceratops could use its bone armor as a propeller to spin, and King could use his face as a slingshot, claiming it was an ancient pterosaur’s hunting method.

Sometimes, the Zoan Fruit’s power can be even more conceptually unbelievable than the Paramecia-type.

Clang! Clang!

Accompanied by two crisp sounds, the swing momentum of Bastille’s Shark-Slaying Blade was instantly interrupted by Ulti, even leaving two notches on the blade.

“How is this possible?! I was using Haki…”

Through the holes in his mask, Bastille could clearly see the damage on his weapon.

His Shark-Slaying Blade may not be a Famed Sword, but it was a refined weapon crafted by the Navy Logistics Department, strong enough to handle the situations in the New World with Haki’s enhancement.

If it were a high-intensity battle, that would be one thing, but his weapon had broken down after just one confrontation.

Actually, it wasn’t only him. Ulti was a bit dissatisfied too.

“Tch, didn’t slice through directly? The Headquarter Vice Admiral really has some skill.”

The collision of her axe fangs was far stronger than the blade. Just like King, she was a weapon destroyer, though King would use a shark-toothed blade to snatch weapons directly, while Ulti simply destroyed them.

Failing to shatter Bastille’s Shark-Slaying Blade in one strike didn’t affect the subsequent attack. Ulti and Page One didn’t have the obsession with one-on-one battles and didn’t mind taking on two at once.

The moment Bastille’s weapon was deflected by Ulti, Page One had already moved, leveraging his Fruit Ability, and in Beast Form, he had completed a reversal in size with Bastille.

Other than not performing Dragon Dance, the combat attributes of Garchomp were well-rounded, having advantages in both melee and ranged battles, speed, and defense.

Using his fins as sharp axes, Page One swung his arms at Bastille with powerful force, causing him to step back two paces, thus thoroughly falling into Page One’s rhythm.

Under his continuous assaults, Bastille could only barely defend, with no chance to strike back.

The surrounding contestants were also affected, frequently being knocked off the stage by the shockwaves.

Though he now assisted Fujitora and had decent combat power, Bastille’s greatest asset wasn’t his individual martial skill, but his command and leadership abilities.

The troops under his command were the most spirited force within the Navy, and with his leading by example and fair treatment of subordinates, many Navy soldiers fought fearlessly.

Fujitora’s Observation Haki was outstanding, so losing his eyesight didn’t affect his movement, but everyday inconveniences meant Bastille handled the military’s chores and affairs.

He was the most capable of commanding among the fighters, and the best at fighting among the commanders. When he encountered troublesome enemies alone, his shortcomings appeared, even more so when facing a 1v2.

“Peji, duck! Guillotine!”

Bastille was quickly forced to the edge of the field by Page One and found no advantage in their grappling, giving Ulti the perfect opportunity.

Upon Ulti’s shout, Page One urgently lowered his head, allowing Ulti to leap out from behind him. The axe blades in her hands glowed bright white as she slashed towards Bastille with a clamping posture.

Guillotine, one of the moves mastered by Haxorus, had a very low hit rate and required long buildup before activation. But hitting the opponent would cause significant damage.

In the game, hitting a Pokémon of a lower Level could result in a one-hit KO with this special skill, but reality isn’t a game and lacks Level and HP restrictions.

Guillotine is merely a highly powerful attack.

Being suppressed by Page One, Bastille had long become a sitting target. Under Ulti’s attack, a deep X-shaped scar appeared on Bastille’s chest, and most of the arena was left desolated by the aftershock.

“Now you know my power, fool. You thought you could mess with my little Peji?”

“Sis, you’ve learned to hold back. I thought you’d take him out directly.”

“…”

Ulti suddenly fell silent. Seeing her expression, Page One seemed to understand. It wasn’t that his sister learned restraint, but that she got carried away and hadn’t noticed yet.

To avoid an awkward situation, Page One stomped the ground with one foot, completely destroying the remaining stage. Only he and Ulti were left hovering above.

“Zone G contest over! Winners are Ulti and Page One! Due to the stage being destroyed again, there is a 15-minute intermission. Please be patient. Rescue team! Get to work, don’t let those folks die here, it would trouble His Majesty the King!”

The extent of stage damage this time was worse than last time; Page One’s earthquake nearly obliterated the foundation. Without Pika’s ability to manipulate rocks conveniently, rebuilding the stage would be a huge task.

…

During the arena’s reconstruction, it was Gatz’s job to fill the time. Though there were no matches now, Gatz wasn’t just sitting idle but chatting with people off-stage.

“Seven matches have concluded, and among the fourteen advancing contestants, four are members of the Hundred Beasts Pirates. As the strongest pirate crew on the sea today, they seem determined to secure victory. How should others respond to their blades? Will the Hundred Beasts prove their title as the strongest, or will the Whitebeard Pirates revive their glory? Will the mysterious Ryder seize the fruit, or will General Katakuri forge a new unbeaten legend? Today’s arena is too exciting; I can’t imagine what the finals will be like. But before that, let’s finish the matches in Zone H first. This is the last match of the day and also hides today’s top seeded player. The last contestant from the Hundred Beasts Pirates, the Hundred Beasts Princess – Ghost Princess! Yamato!”

With the arena repaired, the matches in Zone H began on time.

“There is no doubt, Zone H is truly a group of death. Unlike the other seven groups where two candidates advance, in Zone H there’s only one slot for others. It’s not something we arranged, but the power of Ghost Princess, with a bounty of 2.963 billion Belly, being the fourth most in the Hundred Beasts Pirates, her strength is undeniable. Let’s have a three-second moment of silence for her opponents.”

Gatz praised Yamato extensively in the introduction, with data on paper giving him answers instead of any instructions.

Whether it’s the bounty, the record, or her status, Yamato is undoubtedly the most extravagant.

Moreover, besides her, there’s only one other noteworthy contestant in Zone H.

“Oh my, today’s Dressrosa is really bustling with excitement; there’s another special contestant in Zone H whose strength may not match Ghost Princess, but whose identity is… Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff, Sabo!”

…

Pop.

The sound of a snot bubble bursting in the audience, Luffy and Ace simultaneously opened their eyes.

The Monkey Family inherited ability, falling asleep anytime and anywhere, whether during a fight or a meal, even while drinking water, they can instantly fall asleep.

Perhaps from spending time with Garp and being with Luffy for too long, Ace also caught this bad habit.

The 15-minute rest was tedious for the two, so they started replenishing their energy.

Gatz’s loud voice couldn’t wake them until the word Sabo appeared.

This word seemed to hit a switch in their nerves, instantly waking both up.

“Sabo… Ace, I dreamt of Sabo; I heard someone shouting his name…”

From excitement to loss, Luffy suddenly remembered that his other brother, Sabo, had died long ago, killed by the Heavenly Celestial Dragon’s cannon fire while at sea.

“I also… If he were still alive, then he would…”

Pop! Pop!

Another two dull sounds, but this time not breaking but heavy objects hitting heads, Hera floated low in the air, and both arms were already entangled with Haki.

Without doing so, it really couldn’t handle these two idiots, one flame man, one rubber man; physical blunt strikes were quite challenging.

“Hera!”

Hera looked helplessly, then pointed to the arena below, and on the stage, wearing a suit and hat, and holding a water pipe, Sabo waved back.

A flame-shaped scar was an imprint from the cannon shot, now akin to childhood, but proportionally enlarged.

“Yo! Long time no see, Ace, Luffy! You both seem to be doing great!”

“Sabo?!”

“Living Sabo?!”

Ace and Luffy exchanged a glance, then simultaneously punched each other. With the Armament Haki enhancing the hit, both gained a black eye but couldn’t stop their mouths from grinning.

They then planned to rush to the arena but were stopped by Marco holding each back.

“Calm down, you two! The match isn’t over yet! Whatever it is, wait until it’s done; do you know him well? He’s a rising star in the Revolutionary Army, recently emerging on The Sea. No one expected the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff to be such a young person.”

Marco threw away his pineapple leaf; though he eats pineapples without peeling, he hasn’t taken to gnawing on leaves. By observing Ace and Luffy’s behavior, their relationship seemed quite unusual.

“Of course, he’s my brother! I always knew Sabo was still alive.”

“Who cried for days back then?”

“Same as you, Ace! I saw you crying even harder than me!”