The battlefield fell into silence.
A charred trench stretched across the land, flames billowing from its depths as the soil at the bottom melted into scorching magma.
The sheer destructive power rivaled even Kaido's Heat Breath!
The Pirates stared at Groudon, bathed in the radiant beam, unable to snap out of their daze. Even the All-Stars and Flying Six were left breathless in shock.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
One thing was certain—Gurd's ability had to be a Mythical Zoan. Only a Mythical Zoan could grant both transformation and unique powers simultaneously.
"Gulp!"
Who's Who swallowed hard, erasing all thoughts of challenging Gurd from his mind. Had he known Gurd was this terrifying, he wouldn't have dared provoke him even with a hundred times the courage.
Right now, he even felt a little aggrieved.
If Gurd had shown this kind of power earlier, would he have been so blind as to pick a fight?
The most shocked were Ulti and Page One.
Ulti tugged at her younger brother, her mind blank.
"Pagey, is that really Gurd?"
"It... it has to be!"
The two had always believed they knew Gurd best, having spent the most time with him. Yet now, he seemed almost unrecognizable.
This was no joke—Gurd was ridiculously strong!
Not far away, King's expression was grave.
"Queen, Jack is about to lose."
"..."
No response.
King frowned and turned to Queen.
"Queen?"
"..."
Queen bit his lip hard, sweat dripping from his entire body. Sensing King's questioning gaze, he shakily wiped his forehead.
He was scared out of his wits!
Thank goodness Gurd hadn't challenged him!
That terrifying destructive force was ten times more devastating than his Laser Beam. If he'd been hit, he would've been roasted alive.
At the center of the battlefield, the mammoth Jack swayed unsteadily, half his body charred and smoking, one of his beloved tusks broken.
As Groudon Gurd approached, Jack weakly dropped to his knees, his massive form rapidly shrinking back into his human shape.
He could no longer maintain his transformation.
His hands fumbled around, searching for his sword.
"Boom!"
Gurd's massive red foot pressed down on Jack's chest, pinning him firmly to the ground. Then, his jaws opened once more, aiming directly at Jack's head beneath him.
"Bzzz—Bzzz—Bzzz—"
Blinding light gathered again.
Jack's pupils shrank—for the first time, he tasted death.
A roar echoed from the sky.
"That's enough, Gurd!"
"BOOM!!!"
The searing beam erupted once more!
As the light faded, Jack turned his head with difficulty, spotting the bottomless pit of molten rock beside him. His eyes trembled again in shock.
"Gulp!"
A small splash of magma erupted from the hole, splattering onto his face.
The searing pain made him realize the horrifying power of that beam—a force capable of melting even the earth itself.
"Scared you, didn't I, Jacky-boy?"
Gurd reverted to his human form, grinning as he hopped off Jack, then waved up at the azure dragon in the sky.
"Sorry, Boss Kaido, I couldn't pull back that last attack."
"Worororo, I know!"
Kaido stared down at Gurd.
His Observation Haki had already foreseen what would happen, which was why he hadn't intervened.
Gurd still knew his limits.
But more importantly—
Kaido frowned, glancing up at the clear sky. The moment Gurd transformed into his full form, the clouds Kaido had created had vanished.
Even the Flame Clouds were no exception.
He almost fell from the sky just now!
What kind of ability does this kid have? It's so bizarre!
"Worororo, back to Oni Island!"
"Yes!"
The Beasts Pirates marched away in grand formation.
Half a day later, in the grand banquet hall of Oni Island.
Gurd stood beside Kaido, aligning himself with King and Queen without waiting for any announcement, already considering himself an All-Star.
No one objected.
Even King and Queen silently acquiesced to Gurd's actions. In fact, Queen was internally debating whether he or Gurd should rank second.
Mooooo~~~
Foolish little brother Jack, how could you lose like this!
Kaido sat in the main seat, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
"Any objections to this outcome?"
"None."
The officers answered in unison.
Who would object? Gurd had defeated Jack head-on, with overwhelming superiority—no room for doubt!
They were thoroughly convinced!
"Worororo, excellent!"
Kaido stood up and declared solemnly, "Spread the word: from this moment on, Gurd is promoted to All-Star of the Beasts Pirates!"
"Yes, Boss Kaido!"
The officers responded, then turned to Gurd.
"Congratulations, Lord Gurd!"
"Hmm."
Gurd nodded faintly, crossing his arms and flexing his muscles subtly.
Take a good look at these glorious muscles!
Heh~ hehehe~~
Kaido turned his gaze to Jack, who was covered in bandages and exuded a feeble aura.
"As for Jack, demote him to Fly—"
"Wait a moment, Boss Kaido."
Gurd interrupted Kaido.
"Big Brother Kaido, I don't think Jack needs to be demoted to the Flying Six. The Whitebeard Pirates have over a dozen division commanders, Big Mom has the Four Sweet Commanders—our Beasts Pirates can also have four All-Stars!"
The gap in strength between the All-Stars and the Flying Six was vast. Demoting Jack would be a waste of his talents, especially since Jack's strength was undeniable.
No special abilities, no refined combat techniques or Conqueror Haki—just pure power and endurance.
A true stats monster.
If Gurd hadn't activated his transformation, defeating Jack wouldn't have been easy. It likely would've turned into a battle of attrition to see who collapsed first.
You could say Jack was the gatekeeper of the 1-billion-berry club!
And most importantly, if Jack stepped down as an All-Star, wouldn't his workload fall onto Gurd's shoulders?
No way in hell!
Jack was the vanguard of the Beasts, the first to tackle any problem the Headliners couldn't handle—especially overseas operations.
Overworked and underappreciated!
Without Jack leading the charge, King had to guard Oni Island and wouldn't take on the role, and Queen was even less likely.
That left only Gurd.
"Four All-Stars?"
The officers exchanged glances.
Well... that didn't seem unreasonable.
Kaido pondered for a moment, then looked at King and Queen.
Both remained silent, tacitly approving Gurd's suggestion. After all, when it came to bullying little brother Jack, they were united.
The problem was, Jack had lost.
Not in some playful game during the Fire Festival, but in a direct battle. For the Beasts Pirates—
Failure was a sin!
This was what gave Kaido pause.
"Gurd, give me one more reason!"
"Big Brother Kaido."
Gurd raised his chin and spoke coolly.
"Losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of."
"..."
The officers gasped in awe!
As expected of Lord Gurd, effortlessly saying what they could never hope to utter in their lifetimes—so unbelievably cool!
"Wororororo!!!"
"Fine, we'll do it your way!"
Kaido laughed heartily.
Gurd's audacious personality was something he found increasingly endearing.
"Also, Gurd, I did promise you a special surprise gift once you became an All-Star!"
A surprise gift?
Gurd's eyes lit up.
Quick, quick, hit me with a Devil Fruit!
Other treasures would work too!
Failing that, money would be just fine!
Kaido glanced around and declared with a booming laugh.
"Listen up, all of you!"
"I'm going to marry my daughter Yamato to Gurd!"
"Eh?!!!"
The officers were stunned, their jaws dropping in unison before they all turned to Gurd with looks of envy and jealousy.
The smile slowly faded from Gurd's face.
What?
Yamato?
This is... the surprise gift?!
(End of Chapter)