Queen isn't a fool.
As the smartest man in the Beasts Pirates, how could he suddenly challenge a major figure without complete preparation?
The fact that Kane was learning Haki from King was no secret to him.
"Little Kane, now let me, your great master, inspect the fruits of your Haki training! Muhahahahaha!"
Queen, confident of victory, laughed maniacally.
Do all members of the Beasts Pirates have a penchant for being mentors?
Is this what they call 'the preferences of those above are intensely followed by those below'?
Kane was speechless.
But Kane had precisely this intention.
Queen was a rare, large punching bag; while his attack power was limited, he was especially durable.
Otherwise, he would have long since transformed into Rayquaza's human-beast form.
Kane clenched his fists, King's teachings echoing in his mind.
"A fist without conviction is weak and powerless, and Haki is the same!"
Kane, of course, understood the essence of Haki perfectly.
Aura, killing intent, fighting spirit... when manipulating these invisible sensations, willpower can transform into a weapon.
But it's easier said than done.
In this regard, someone like Yamato actually possessed a unique advantage.
However, I can't fall too far behind!
"Consecutive Normal Punches!"
Kane's arms blurred into a continuous afterimage, his fists raining down on Queen.
Feeling the harmless force on his abdomen, Queen also realized why Kane wasn't using his abilities.
"Damn it, he's really treating me as a whetstone," Queen roared in anger.
His body suddenly swelled and transformed; in the blink of an eye, a ferocious, orange Brachiosaurus-human appeared in his place.
"So you like throwing punches, huh? Then I'll play with you to your heart's content!"
"Wind Flow Fist!"
Queen's mechanical right arm, along with the mechanical claw on top of his head, suddenly contracted to gather power, then unleashed a torrent of attacks towards Kane at a speed that tore through the air.
Bang, bang, bang, bang—
The dull thuds of punches connecting with flesh instantly merged into one continuous sound.
In just a few rounds, Kane's fists began to split and bleed.
At the same time, Queen, leveraging the generational advantage of Observation Haki, precisely tore open Kane's defensive gaps, slamming his fists heavily onto his body.
Soon, Kane was overwhelmed by Queen's Armament Haki-covered fists, completely falling apart.
It hurts so much! It feels like every bone in my body is wailing.
Blood seeped from the corner of Kane's mouth, his consciousness began to blur under the heavy blows, and the taut muscles in his arms trembled uncontrollably.
His punching motions became slower and slower, almost driven by instinct alone.
"Lord Kane!" Komurasaki couldn't help but exclaim, crystal tears rolling down her cheeks.
She never imagined that Kane would go to such lengths for her, even though they had only just met.
Lord Kane, am I really that important to you?
Leaving aside Komurasaki, who was lost in her own thoughts, Konami hastily sought help from Yamato: "Miss Yamato, please save Lord Kane, Lord Queen is about to beat him to death."
Yamato looked bewildered: "What foolishness are you talking about? Kane is clearly doing fine."
Huh? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
Konami looked at Kane, who was constantly spitting blood in the arena, then at the serious-faced Yamato, and fell into self-doubt.
But what Yamato said was perfectly correct.
On the battlefield, Queen, who seemingly held a massive advantage, had a grim expression, while Kane, who was continuously taking heavy damage, had eyes that grew brighter and brighter.
"Almost, just a little bit more!"
Kane forced himself to stay alert, desperately squeezing out his body's potential; he could feel a profound and mysterious power gradually emerging from within him.
Queen felt the increasingly heavy punches from his opponent and instinctively thought, "Damn it, there can't really be a genius who breaks through during a fight, can there?"
"No, no, no, it can't be. I'm a scientist, I must believe in science."
Queen quickly shook his head, casting that absurd thought out of his mind.
But seeing Kane become more energetic the more he was hit, he knew he couldn't drag this out any longer, otherwise, he would be the one making a fool of himself.
"I'm not playing with you anymore."
Queen abruptly withdrew his fist, his massive body leaping backward to create distance.
"Sparkling Queen!"
His eyes suddenly glowed with a dangerous red light, and the next second, countless explosive light beams shot out from his eyes, precisely covering the area where Kane was.
Boom, boom, boom!
Deafening explosions swept across the entire arena, and smoke and debris shot into the sky.
But Queen was still not satisfied; light began to emanate from the claws of his mechanical prosthetic limbs and from his mouth.
"The farce is over."
"Black Spark!"
Two laser beams shot fiercely towards Kane.
Boom!
A giant mushroom cloud rose into the air!
"K-Kane-sama!" Komurasaki felt as if struck by lightning, an intense panic gripping her heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"Lord Queen!!!" Queen's fan club cheered again, as if Queen had already won the duel.
They completely failed to notice that their idol was watching the depths of the smoke with a solemn expression.
Yamato was the same.
The next instant, a smile bloomed on Yamato's face, while Queen's expression turned bitter.
"Well, it really is a matter of conviction."
Kane's calm voice, tinged with joy, echoed from within the smoke, an invisible ripple quietly dissipating from his body.
Just now, as he was about to lose consciousness from Queen's repeated heavy blows, he suddenly remembered his vow—in this life, he would always be the one standing!
How could he fall for a mere Queen?
With this conviction, he finally, for the first time, clearly felt the power contained within his body.
Armament Haki!
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Queen."
Kane no longer suppressed his power, transforming into a Dragon-Human, he smiled indifferently, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "I'll use my last bit of stamina to show you the fruits of my learning."
The power of Haki was once again mobilized by him; although he couldn't yet cover his body with a visible layer of pitch-black armor, it was already enough.
Under the effect of Haki, Kane's entire body became even harder.
"Extreme Speed!"
The tall Dragon-Human instantly vanished from his spot, leaving only a distorted ripple in the air.
What? I can't see him at all!
Queen was shocked, frantically activating his Observation Haki, trying to catch Kane's figure.
But it was in vain.
Bang!
A dull, heart-stopping thud.
Kane's figure appeared as if teleported, crashing straight into Queen.
The Extreme Speed brought extreme impact force.
"Ugh!"
Queen's eyes instantly bulged, even popping through his ridiculous sunglasses.
Even though he had covered himself with Armament Haki beforehand, he was still knocked unconscious for a brief moment, sent flying dozens of meters away.
The dumbfounded referee pirate, looking at the rapidly changing battle before him, came to his senses and raised his hand, shouting: "Lord Queen is out of bounds! Lord Kane wins this duel!"
"No!" Queen's fan club cried as if they had lost a parent.