"Wororororo!"
"What a complete buzzkill. I'm going to find Orochi for another drink."
With Kaido transforming into a dragon and flying away, the farce came to an end. The executives, no longer in the mood for drinking, dispersed one after another.
Gurd was just about to slip away when an enraged girl blocked his path.
Ulti grabbed Gurd by the collar, screaming furiously.
"Are you an idiot or what?!"
"Do you even realize how dangerous that was? If those Devil Fruits had been real, you'd be dead by now!"
"Idiot! Moron! Imbecile!"
"..."
Gurd's face darkened.
Seriously, tsunderes are so outdated.
Even after her tirade, Ulti still wasn't satisfied.
"Page One, beat him up for me!"
"Huh? Why don't you do it yourself?!"
Page One looked utterly reluctant.
Sure, he wanted to punch Gurd, but only if it was his own decision—not because his sister ordered him to.
Already fuming, Ulti immediately redirected her anger toward her little brother, gripping his neck with both hands.
"You little brat, I'm your sister, damn it!"
"Let go, let go!"
Page One struggled desperately.
Tragically, he wasn't as strong as his sister.
Just then, Gurd's large hand grabbed Ulti by the back of her collar, lifting her up like a chick.
"Huh?"
Both siblings turned their heads in unison.
What the hell?
Page One froze for a second before hurriedly signaling with his eyes.
Are you trying to get yourself killed? Hurry up and run while I'm holding her back!
Though he was furious at Gurd for throwing him under the bus—making his life a living hell lately—when it came to dealing with his sister, he'd rather stand on the same side as Gurd.
After all, Gurd would always find ways to help him escape Ulti's harassment. Over time, they'd developed an unspoken understanding.
Gurd chuckled as he set Ulti down, then cracked his knuckles in invitation.
"Page One, let's head to the back mountain."
"Huh?!"
Page One was even more confused.
The boy glanced at his sister, then at Gurd, then back at his sister, then at Gurd again.
Rage!
Are you out of your damn mind?!
She's the one giving you trouble, so why the hell are you challenging me to a fight?!
Gurd, seeing the boy's thoughts, calmly replied.
"I can't bring myself to hit your sister."
"..."
Bullshit!
Others might not know what kind of guy you are, but I sure as hell do!
Page One's face flushed with anger, ready to expose Gurd's true nature. But seeing his sister beside him, practically glowing with delight, he swallowed his words.
Fine, fine! You think I'm an easy target, huh?!
Today, I'll show you the true power of an Ancient Zoan!
"Let's go!"
Soon after, the three arrived at the back mountain.
"Go, Page One! Go, Page One!"
"Go, Gurd! Go, Gurd!"
Ulti happily bounced around, cheering for her brother one moment and Gurd the next, completely unsure whose side she was on.
Page One snorted coldly and stripped off his shirt.
He was getting serious.
"Gurd, I don't know where you got this confidence from, but today I won't hold back. I'm going all out!"
"Bring it on!"
Gurd grinned and hurled his greatsword, embedding it into a distant boulder. Then he leaned forward, curling both fingers in a taunting gesture.
A blatantly dismissive provocation.
The boy froze for a second before his eyes burned red.
Other than dealing with his sister, when had he ever been treated like this?!
"You bastard!"
Page One roared, kicking off the ground and charging at Gurd, his fist coated in Armament Haki Infusion aimed straight for Gurd's face!
"Smack!"
The punch was caught effortlessly in Gurd's palm!
"Is that all you've got?"
Gurd sneered, gripping Page One's fist and yanking it backward with tremendous force, slamming the boy's body hard onto the ground behind him.
"Boom!"
The youth landed on his back, shattering the solid earth beneath him. His cheeks puffed out as he spat a mouthful of blood.
"Page One!!!"
Ulti cried out in distress. Had it been anyone else hurting her little brother, she would have flown into a rage long ago. But Gurd was also one of her people, and this was an arranged fight—not a true life-or-death battle.
"Page One, you can do it!"
The girl cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. But no one paid her any attention.
Page One pushed off the ground with his hands, using his core strength to propel himself backward in a series of rapid backflips to create distance.
"I underestimated him!"
The boy wiped the blood from his lips, his expression growing more serious.
"His strength has increased again!"
Though carelessness played a part, he could clearly feel Gurd's enhanced power from that earlier tug-of-war.
How much time had even passed?
Damn it, who's the real Zoan user here?!
He was the one with the Ancient Zoan, so why was Gurd's physical growth outpacing his own? Was there anything more absurd than this?
This was bad.
In his human form, he couldn't win.
"ROAR!!!"
With a furious bellow, the boy transformed into a massive Spinosaurus and charged again, his gaping maw snapping toward Gurd.
"Now we're talking!"
Gurd's eyes burned with excitement as he spread his arms wide.
In all their previous fights, Page One had never used his transformation. This time, he'd finally experience the might of an Ancient Zoan.
At the last possible moment before the Spinosaurus's jaws clamped down on him, Gurd's hands shot out—one seizing the upper jaw, the other the lower.
"So heavy!"
Gurd's face twisted with strain as veins bulged across his entire body. His thick arms trembled as they struggled to hold the beast's mouth open.
Yet against the terrifying bite force and raw power of an Ancient Zoan, the distance between his arms steadily decreased. His body was being pushed back uncontrollably.
"Thud!"
His back slammed against a boulder.
The next instant, the Spinosaurus's jaws came crashing down.
"CRASH!"
The rock shattered into pieces.
The dinosaur lifted its head, mouth filled with pulverized stone fragments—the hard boulder crumbling like tofu under that bite force.
Its massive pupils darted around, searching for Gurd's whereabouts.
During that biting motion, he'd sensed Gurd evading the attack. The man was now hiding somewhere in the dust cloud.
"Whoosh!"
The swirling dust suddenly parted.
Gurd leaped out, appearing beside the dinosaur's head.
"I've already fallen for that attack once!"
Page One snorted, swiftly twisting his body sideways to dodge while simultaneously whipping his enormous tail toward Gurd.
Fangs and tail—these were his two deadliest weapons in dinosaur form.
"BOOM!"
The air cracked with a sonic boom.
Gurd only saw a black blur before being sent flying uncontrollably. His body tumbled across the terrain, smashing through over a dozen giant rocks before finally stopping.
A dust cloud stretched nearly a hundred meters!
After half a minute of recovery,
Gurd shoved the boulder pinning him aside and wiped blood from his lips. His battle-hungry gaze grew even more intense.
Truly worthy of an Ancient Zoan!
Its strength completely overwhelmed him. While slightly sluggish in speed, the massive body combined with that flexible tail could deliver lightning-fast explosive strikes.
"Gurd!!!"
Ulti couldn't help but cry out again from the sidelines.
Seeing her brother injured pained her heart.
Gurd was injured, and she would feel sad too.
"Waaah!"
Ulti knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
"Page One and Gurd actually risked their lives in a duel for me. If either of you died, what would I do?"
"Nobody did it for you!!!"
Gurd and Page One both turned their heads and roared in unison.
Gurd averted his gaze, his fighting spirit erupting.
This battle was to test his newly acquired power. Staying with the Beasts Pirates meant he would face plenty of high-stakes battles—he couldn't rely on substitutes every time.
"Though this power isn't complete yet, it should be enough. Let me see just how strong you really are, Groudon!"
(End of Chapter)