Chapter 91: 090. Laying It Bare!

"Bear Cub, hand me the bat."

Moses spoke to the panda beside him.

Nodding, Bear Cub pulled the baseball bat from his mouth and passed it to Moses.

Gripping the hefty, well-balanced bat, Moses turned his head and noticed another tagalong—the girl who had overeaten earlier.

"What? You here to pick a fight?"

Yamato frowned as she eyed the baseball bat in Moses' hand, which looked similar to her own spiked club. She cut straight to the point:

"Kaido isn't a good man. I suggest you leave this place. Also, if you become his 'son,' he'll slap explosive shackles on you the moment you displease him."

Her voice carried a hidden bitterness, and a trace of deep-seated resentment flickered in her eyes. To prove she wasn't lying, she even showed the shackles around her wrist.

Moses glanced at her indifferently.

"Who are you?"

Yamato's eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity to persuade him. Her heart leapt with hope as she quickly replied,

"I'm Kaido's son. My name is Yamato. I aim to become a man like Kozuki Oden."

This one's an idiot.

Moses thought to himself.

Just then, a mocking laugh rang out as Ulti openly taunted her:

"Are you stupid or something? You're clearly a girl—you can't become a man. And Kozuki Oden? Who the hell is that?"

Yamato froze, then scowled, glaring at Ulti with irritation.

"I wasn't talking to you. Shut your mouth, or I'll beat you up."

After snapping at Ulti, she turned back to Moses, her eyes brimming with anticipation. Earlier in the banquet hall, she had vaguely overheard King's words—that this guy was strong, possibly on par with her. So, to prevent Kaido from gaining another powerful subordinate, she decided to either drive him away or win him over.

Just like what Oden's journal described—conquering evildoers and turning them to her side.

Moses: "Not interested."

"Alright, got it. I'll defeat you first, then you'll follow me."

Yamato nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Then, bending her knees slightly, she kicked off the ground—

Boom!

In an instant, she turned into a blur, swinging her spiked club in a wide arc aimed straight at Moses' head.

Watching her approach, Moses reacted at the last second—his bat striking her forehead with a heavy thwack before her attack could land.

Thud!

A dull impact echoed.

Yamato's vision swam as she stared blankly at Moses, now inches away. A sharp pain radiated from her forehead—this wasn't how things went in the journal she'd read. Then, her eyes rolled back, a massive lump swelling on her head as she crumpled to the ground.

Clang!

Her spiked club slipped from her grip and clattered onto the floor.

Moses looked down at the unconscious Yamato.

「Appraisal」

Combat Rating: C-

He also detected the Devil Fruit ability she possessed.

[Zoan-type. Inu Inu Fruit. Mythical Creature Type. Great-mouthed True God Form]

A high-tier Mythical Zoan.

Potentially capable of rivaling Kuzan.

A few minutes later, Yamato, still sprawled on the ground, let out a soft groan—"Mmm~"—before clutching the lump on her forehead and staggering to her feet.

Dazed, she spotted the trio and the panda sitting on a reef by the shore. Reaching up to touch the swollen bump, she winced sharply from the pain.

Picking up her spiked club, Yamato trudged toward them. Once close, she asked in confusion:

"Why didn't you kill me?"

Moses glanced at her coolly.

"Were you trying to kill me earlier?"

"No, no, I didn't want to kill you. I just wanted to drive you away or make you my underling," Yamato waved her hands repeatedly, but then her shoulders slumped, her face full of frustration:

"But why are you so strong? King clearly said you and I were about the same in strength."

Moses raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back his sarcasm: "You and your father really are cut from the same cloth—both quick to throw punches like uncivilized gorillas."

Yamato's face flushed red, momentarily speechless.

She couldn't argue, after all—she had just done exactly that.

Glancing at the Seastone shackles on her wrists, Yamato sighed helplessly, "It's all because of these things. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lost so easily."

Ulti, hearing this, curled her lip. "What, just two shackles? Are they that heavy? At least come up with a better excuse."

Yamato snapped angrily:

"You don't know anything! These shackles are made of Seastone. With them on, I can barely use half my strength. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lost!"

Hearing this, Ulti asked curiously:

"You're a Devil Fruit user?"

Yamato nodded, her expression sullen:

"I've been wearing these for almost six years. At first, I couldn't even move a finger. It took me a long time just to regain basic mobility.

Even now, my body still feels sluggish."

Ulti looked puzzled—she didn't understand the restraining effects of Seastone on Devil Fruit users.

Moses narrowed his eyes and beckoned Yamato over. Though confused, Yamato sensed no hostility and, considering Moses hadn't harmed her earlier, she approached. Moses turned to Bear Cub:

"Get me a small piece of metal."

Bear Cub blinked, reached into his mouth, and pulled out a thin sliver of metal.

Small, potentially useful items like this were usually split among Moses, Crow Dabao, or stored inside Bear Cub's stomach for easy access.

Right now, Moses didn't have any such trinkets on him, but with Bear Cub nearby, it didn't matter.

Grabbing the shackle on Yamato's right wrist, Moses inserted the metal piece into the keyhole. Click. With a twist, the lock mechanism rattled, and within seconds, it popped open.

Then the left one.

A few seconds later, Yamato stared dumbfounded at Moses, then at her now-free, pale wrists. Tears rapidly welled up in her eyes.

It was gratitude.

At that moment, Moses picked up his baseball bat and stood, looking at Yamato. "I'll make sure you lose without any excuses. So—has your stamina recovered?"

Yamato looked up at Moses, dazed and blinking stupidly, then nodded, sniffled, and stood up. At nearly 175 cm tall, she slightly towered over Moses' 155 cm frame:

"You said it yourself. Don't start crying when I beat you up later."

She leapt back, her expression sharpening as her body suddenly transformed. Smooth white fur covered her skin, her head taking on the appearance of a canine Mink, though with a pair of red oni horns curving upward from her temples. A fluffy, gradient-white tail sprouted from her back, matching her hair color. Her legs bent backward, her feet planted firmly on the ground.

Sharp claws extended from her fingers.

Her eyes turned ice-blue, her mouth filled with jagged fangs.

His body released waves of chilling air.

His height also surpassed two meters directly.

Strength Evaluation: C+

Witnessing this semi-beast transformation that resembled a second-stage metamorphosis, a flash of surprise crossed Moses' eyes.

The next second, Yamato shouted "Here I come!" as her feet kicked off the ground, her body suddenly appearing before Moses. Her spiked club, carrying a wisp of frost, came whistling down toward him.

Moses gripped the baton with both hands, swinging it in a full arc to meet the attack.

Clang! Clang-clang-clang!

Sparks flew in all directions as the iron clubs in their hands became blurs, striking toward each other with fierce momentum.

Their movements were incredibly agile, rapidly colliding and separating.

Waves of air rippled between them.

The piercing clang of metal resounded everywhere.

But Moses' strikes were both powerful and skillful, and soon Yamato began to falter in comparison.

Suddenly, after blocking one of Moses' blows, Yamato leaped back. However, she quickly gathered icy-blue energy in her mouth, and within less than a second, a blast of frost breath shot toward Moses' chest.

With steady breaths, Moses charged straight forward, swinging his baton to shatter the breath attack and closing in on Yamato. Yet, the biting cold frost crept from the club's surface toward his grip.

Disguise.

Adjusting his breathing rhythm to synchronize with the ice, he drew the surrounding frost Yamato had created, gathering it onto his baton.

Ice-enchanted baseball bat.

Once in close range, Moses' arms bulged as he swung the bat, now imbued with freezing energy. With a powerful strike, he knocked aside Yamato's incoming spiked club, then twisted his wrist to bring the bat down squarely on her forehead.

Yamato's expression flickered with shock—she hadn't expected Moses to be this relentless. Her ice-blue eyes then sharpened as she unleashed her Conqueror's Haki, a surging wave of Conqueror's Haki Shock expanding outward. She held her spiked club at her waist, gathering strength.

In the blink of an eye, Moses felt a breeze brush past his face, but his bat descended toward her forehead without hesitation.

Thud! A dull impact echoed.

Another solid hit landed squarely on her head.

Yamato's eyes rolled back once more, her thoughts before unconsciousness filled with confusion.

She collapsed limply to the ground.

Her semi-beast features faded away.

Moses smirked, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He turned and walked over to Ulti and the others, glancing at the unconscious siblings and Bear Cub.

Picking up two sets of shackles from the ground, he returned to Yamato and clamped them back onto her wrists.

...

A short while later.

Yamato sat up dazedly, rubbing the two perfectly symmetrical lumps on her head, utterly bewildered. Then she noticed the shackles on her wrists.

"Was it... an illusion?"

She turned to Moses, then to the lingering chill in the air. The cold seeped into her fragmented thoughts, bringing clarity.

Staring at the unconscious Bear Cub and the others, she muttered, "What happened to them? Why are they asleep?"

Moses tilted his head. "Memory loss? No way, I didn't hit them that hard."

Yamato blinked blankly at him before raising her shackled hands. Seeing this, Moses grinned.

"Not sure why Kaido put these on you, but since he didn't take them off, I figured I shouldn't overstep.

Yeah, after knocking you out again, I put them back on.

Happy?"

Yamato's expression twisted in outrage. Gnashing her teeth, she picked up her spiked club and stormed off without another word.

Moses watched her go before hoisting the unconscious Bear Cub and the others over his shoulder, carrying them back.

...

The next day.

Early in the morning,

Someone came to lead Moses and the others to a strange rocky canyon on Oni Island, a training ground for the Beast Pirates.

As soon as they arrived, they spotted several familiar faces already there, including Yamato.

The moment Yamato saw Moses approaching, her expression immediately turned furious.

Moses ignored her.

"Ara~, they're finally here," Black Maria giggled behind her hand, then glanced at the burly blond youth beside her.

"Jack, aren't you going to greet him? Didn't you say yesterday that he showed no respect to your big brother Kaido and that you'd teach him a lesson?"

The blond youth named Jack gave her an impassive sidelong glance before ignoring her as well.

Black Maria didn't seem bothered, merely smiling in response.

At that moment, King, who had been waiting there, spoke up now that everyone had arrived:

"Lord Kaido hasn't woken up yet, so I'll be leading your training this morning."

He pointed to a stack of heavy metal armor nearby. "Everyone, put these on. We're starting with weighted running—no stopping until I say so."

Moses, adhering to the principle of "when in Rome," didn't make a fuss and obediently went to put on the heavy armor. It only covered the upper body, but the weight was substantial.

Running his fingers over the patterns on the armor's surface, Moses noted that the forging quality was rather ordinary, but the material was exceptionally fine.

It was made from Sake Iron Ore, a specialty of Wano.

Moses was familiar with this ore. When forging weapons for Marine Headquarters, a batch of Sake Iron Ore had been used—even the ordinary grade was considered C-class in quality.

This type of iron ore possessed incredible hardness and compatibility, allowing it to be forged alongside any other iron ore. Even an average blacksmith could produce at least a fine-quality weapon with it.

King also donned the armor.

Then, under his lead, the group began sprinting through the canyon.

An hour later,

Only Moses, Yamato, and Jack remained behind King.

After another lap around the canyon, they returned to the starting point.

King called for a halt.

His gaze flickered past Moses before settling on Yamato and Jack, both panting heavily.

"Pathetic, Jack. Is this all you've got? With this level, what makes you think you're fit to be an All-Star in the future?"

He didn't criticize Yamato—not because of her status, but because, wearing seastone cuffs and weighted armor, her performance was already impressive.

Moses watched expressionlessly as King lectured them.

Then, after waiting another ten or so minutes, Bear Cub, Ulti, Page One, and Black Maria finally caught up.

A few minutes later, King announced:

"Next training session—unarmed combat. Take off your armor. All of you will attack me together."

Moses and the others complied.

King glanced at Moses, satisfaction flashing in his eyes at his current performance.

"Begin."

At King's command,

Yamato and the others clenched their fists and charged at him.

Moses took a deep breath, his eyes turning eerily calm. Qi Circulation Throughout the Body, strength surged into his legs as he forcefully pushed off the ground—his figure "whooshed" through the air, abruptly appearing ten meters away, right behind Jack.

Leaping up, he gathered all his strength into his right fist and delivered a vicious punch to the back of Jack's head. A dull "thud!" echoed as Jack's expression froze instantly before he face-planted into the ground, knocked out cold.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Moses darted forward at blinding speed, closing the distance to Black Maria in a single breath. He launched an uppercut at her chin, sending her five-meter-tall body airborne in a parabolic arc. Her eyes rolled back mid-flight before she crashed heavily to the ground with a loud "boom!"

All of this happened within the span of two breaths.

Landing again, Moses locked onto his next target—Yamato. He swung a kick at her, but with a "bang!" she reacted in time, blocking with her arms. Even so, the force sent her skidding backward.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Yamato snapped, but Moses was already upon her again, unleashing a relentless flurry of punches and kicks. Seizing an opening, he wrapped an arm around her neck, yanking her down as his right knee drove upward into her abdomen. A muffled impact later, Yamato's pretty face twisted in pain before her consciousness faded, leaving her limp on the ground.

Moses then swept past Ulti and Page One, delivering swift chops to their necks, watching as they crumpled face-first.

Now, his gaze settled on King, standing ten meters away—today without his helmet, revealing his true appearance: white hair, handsome features, and brown skin.

"The game of pretend is over, King. Shall we fight?"

King nodded. In the next instant, shallow footprints marked the ground as he appeared before Moses, lashing out with a whip-like kick.

A crimson gleam flickered deep in Moses' eyes.

Through Spirit-Flesh Convergence, he controlled his body to anticipate the attack and countered with a kick of his own.

Boom! Boom!

Their legs collided, forcing both back. Moses wasn't surprised that King only retreated two meters while he himself was pushed back ten. Without hesitation, Moses charged again.

Iron Body.

His blood flow accelerated, muscles in his fists coiling instantly to match the hardness of steel. In the blink of an eye, the two clashed.

Four fists blurred into afterimages as they traded brutal, bone-shaking blows.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

They dismantled each other's techniques, exchanging high-speed strikes.

Though his physical prowess still fell short of King's, Moses' mastery of technique and Bestowed Abilities was nothing to scoff at. His fists and legs, hardened by Iron Body, moved with undiminished agility under Qi Circulation Throughout the Body and Spirit-Flesh Convergence, his defense rivaling King's own.

Ten minutes later—

Moses sidestepped King's kick and drove a punch toward his chest. King swatted his arm aside and retaliated with a knee strike. Moses pressed down on the knee, using the momentum to flip forward, spinning into a kick aimed at King's face.

King dodged with Observation Haki, leaning back while his right hand shot out to grab Moses' calf. But Moses, reading King's every move with his own Observation Haki, manipulated the air currents with Disguise, twisting mid-air to plant his other foot against King's arm and propel himself backward.

Landing smoothly, Moses didn't press the attack. Instead, he calmly watched King before drawing Cold Dew from his waist and flicking it toward him.

The shortsword carried little force, and King caught it effortlessly—the blade barely the size of his palm.

A look of confusion appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Moses said:

"A Good Skillful Blade, forged by me."

"What do you mean?" King was puzzled. "What are you trying to say?"

"Your guidance in cultivation isn't very useful to me. I enjoy Forging, and that's why I came here."

"Do you have any manuals on Forging techniques for Great Grade Blades or higher?"

"As a condition, I can forge famous blades for you." Moses looked at him and spoke word by word:

"That sword of yours is just an ordinary Good Skillful Blade, isn't it?"

Moses wasn't lying. The fluctuations in Breath frequency were so obvious in his eyes that he could sense them even with his eyes closed.

"You're a swordmaster, aren't you? You should be able to tell that my Cold Dew is of better quality than your blade?"

King's brows furrowed tightly, filled with disbelief.

Moses waved to Bear Cub, who was watching from the side. "Throw him the baseball bat."

Three seconds later,

King caught the baseball bat that was thrown at him, narrowing his eyes.

"Another Good Skillful Blade quality."

(End of chapter)