Powerful Haki is the result of getting tortured by teammates

"Thunder Bagua!"

Yamato raised Takeru high and smashed it down on Queen's head. Although it hit the target, Queen's expression didn't change at all. Queen who was hit didn't use Haki, instead he simply dispersed under that blow.

"Damn it! Uncle Queen, can't you fight me head-on?"

"No can do, Miss Yamato. Both Lord Arceus and Boss Kaido want me to fight at full strength, and this is my way of fighting. The enemy won't give you a chance to choose how to fight."

After the clone dispersed, Queen's main body appeared. In his Human-Beast form, four large leaves behind him shimmered in the sunlight, indicating his Synthesis was absorbing sunlight from the sky to restore his stamina.

At this moment, Queen also exhibited the typical characteristics of a Zoan User— as long as one blow doesn't kill me, I can slowly wear you down to death. Although he and Yamato belonged to the Zoan type, and Yamato was even a more advanced Mythical Zoan, attacks that couldn't hit his main body were ineffective no matter how strong they were.

Under Synthesis, the stamina consumed by Queen to create a Substitute was quickly recovered.

"Ah! I hate this kind of fighting style. Larvitar, are you rested yet?"

"Larvitarrr!"

Now, she can have Larvitar help. Then, Larvitar's stubby little hands frantically slid across the ground, sending a large amount of dust floating into the sky. This dust cloud, influenced by Larvitar's power, covered a small portion of the sky, which was their battlefield.

Although it hasn't reached adulthood yet and couldn't create massive sandstorms like Tyranitar with a mere gesture by relying on its ability, it could still actively release Sandstorm.

Regular Sandstorm is an indiscriminate area attack, but Larvitar's Sandstorm doesn't function in the same way because it's pointless.

For a newborn only a few months old, being able to release Sandstorm is already quite a stretch. The damage caused by the sandstorm did not affect Queen as it couldn't even force his HP to decrease by 1. All it had to do was to block the sunlight from the sky and reduce Queen's recovery speed.

But due to its limited stamina, it would need to rest again soon.

Larvitar's presence was akin to a special auxiliary pet; Queen couldn't attack it, or Larvitar would have left long ago.

The blocking of the sunlight interrupted Queen's Synthesis, but Queen didn't rush to change back the weather. He had much more battle experience than Yamato and was much more cunning and treacherous. He had many ways to deal with different situations.

Suddenly, the tip of Queen's tail split open, and several specially made small shells were fired out again. As soon as these shells touched the ground, they emitted a loud whoosh sound. Hearing this familiar sound, Yamato quickly leaped backward; she had already experienced Queen's custom weapons before.

After all, it was a friendly fight, and Queen didn't use those models specifically designed to torture people. Instead, he released anesthetics or direct damage-kind Plague Bullets. However, just as Yamato's feet were about to touch the ground, several plants entwined around her ankles.

"This time it's Leech Seed, Miss Yamato. I have more than one way to regain my stamina."

Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Synthesis, using medicines—he had many ways to recover his stamina, each with different applications. Giga Drain was used for offense, Synthesis for normal use, and Leech Seed for setting traps.

Because Leech Seed itself was a seed, it can have an unusually long delayed effect. In complex battlefields, Queen could even leave behind a large number of seeds without anyone noticing.

Then, he used Protect to block Yamato's Namuji Glacier Fang, while his left arm emitted mechanical sounds.

Winch Queen!

Queen's modified left arm extended rapidly. Leech Seed wasn't just about sapping the opponent's stamina; it also had the effect of restraining the enemy's movements.

The flying claw shot towards Yamato in order to grab her.

But Yamato didn't choose to dodge, instead she allowed Queen to grab her. But after Queen pulled Yamato closer, he sensed something unusual.

The stamina from Leech Seed had suddenly disappeared, followed by a slight stiffness in his mechanical hand, as if some parts inside had frozen.

At this moment, Yamato's body was covered in frost. The cold had destroyed the Leech Seeds, allowing Yamato to forcibly break free from his mechanical hand and leap away.

"This monstrous strength..."

His mechanical hand would automatically lock in this situation, and a normal person would definitely not be able to break free. He couldn't help but sigh at Yamato's monstrous physique, which was greatly helped by Kaido's bloodline and her Super Rookie's physique.

"Uncle Queen, now is not the time to be distracted! Ice Wolf Bagua!"

There was no sound of thunder, but instead, there was a deadly chill entwined. Thunder Bagua served as the foundation, and this move, tailored to her own style, had been developed based on her ability.

Queen had just used Protect, so theoretically, there was a high chance of it failing if he used it again. She had a way to remove Leech Seed before, but she allowed him to grab her so that she could prevent Queen from using Substitute again.

Her plan succeeded; this was a huge breakthrough for her because she had successfully hit Queen's main body.

But the next moment, Queen's braid suddenly released an unknown powder towards her face, and then his other hand grabbed her again.

"No way..."

This time she inhaled the powder, and her body suddenly felt weak. The feedback she received from her hand just now was definitely her hitting Queen's head, but she didn't expect it to have no effect.

"It did hit me, and it hurts quite a bit, but Miss Yamato, you seem to have forgotten that I can also use Haki."

Queen's face turned pitch black, showing that he was using Haki to defend it. With her defeat sealed, Queen tossed her into a nearby sandpit, and then proceeded to spray antidote over her.

"Uncle Queen, is your Armament Haki strong?"

"...Ah, perhaps. After all, there are things one must do."

Seeing Yamato admiring his Armament Haki, he felt no joy whatsoever; instead, her expression grew incredibly weary.

"Let's end it here for today. We'll continue in a few days."

Queen lit a cigar and left. At that moment, the faces of Kaido, King, Shayna, Setsuna, and several high-ranking officers of Beasts Pirates appeared in his mind.

Most people learn Haki on the battlefield during life and death battles. But Queen was different; his Haki was at such a high-level largely due to his own people. In order to withstand the beatings from his own people, he had no choice but to come this far.

He wasn't the strongest, but he dared to say with certainty that no one had to follow a more unfortunate path in order to master advanced Haki than him.

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