THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

"Bring it on."

Ulti's eyes widened in disbelief. She shouted angrily:

"How dare you throw away your sword! Do you look down on me that much?"

Her face flushed with rage. "You've done it now! I'm going to make you regret this!"

A fierce, domineering aura erupted from Ulti as she transformed into her strongest hybrid human-beast form.

Not stopping there, she coated her dragon claws and forehead with Armament Haki, significantly boosting her attack and defense.

It had to be said—Ulti was leagues above Page One. No wonder he couldn't control his unruly sister.

"Watch out!"

With a sharp cry, Ulti launched her attack, her dragon claws gleaming ominously.

Alastor didn't flinch. He met her assault head-on, using only his fists.

"You're not even going to use Armament Haki?" Ulti sneered mid-attack. "I've heard your skin is absurdly tough—supposedly tougher than some Zoan users. Let's see if that's true!"

Ulti increased the strength in her dragon claws, bringing them down hard on Alastor.

Clang!

The clash between Ulti's pitch-black claws and Alastor's bare fists sent sparks flying, like two pieces of metal colliding. The sheer force of the impact forced both combatants to take several steps back.

A thin line of blood appeared on Alastor's knuckles.

[The host has received minor damage. Defense +5.]

"Hah! Is that all?" Ulti smirked, raising her chin in triumph.

Alastor smiled faintly but didn't reply. Instead, he moved into an offensive stance.

With a sharp stomp, he activated Soru (Shave) to close the distance in an instant.

"So fast!" Ulti gasped as he appeared behind her and delivered a powerful punch to her back.

The impact sent her flying three meters before she crashed into the ground.

Yet, Ulti quickly rose to her feet, seemingly unharmed. Her ancient Zoan Pachycephalosaurus form not only provided immense defense but also incredible vitality and recovery abilities.

"That's all you've got? I'm disappointed." She sneered, brushing off the attack. "And Pay Pay is an idiot for calling you 'Big Brother'!"

The mention of her brother reignited Ulti's fury. She channeled a concentrated dose of Armament Haki to her forehead and charged at Alastor with breakneck speed.

"Headbutt Cannon!"

Her signature move struck Alastor squarely, drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.

But Alastor merely grinned, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.

"Not bad, Headbutt Sister."

"Headbutt Sister?!" Ulti's face turned red with anger. "How dare you give me such a stupid nickname!"

Enraged, Ulti launched an even more ferocious onslaught. In her hybrid form, her entire body became a weapon—her claws, tail, and forehead each capable of dealing significant damage.

Alastor, however, continued to fight with only his physical body.

Before long, bloodstains marred his arms, chest, and legs, making him appear battered and worn.

"See? This is my power!" Ulti declared triumphantly, her voice dripping with smugness.

But Alastor wasn't bothered by her attacks. Instead, he frowned, dissatisfied with his own performance.

Throughout the battle, he'd struck Ulti multiple times, but the damage he inflicted was minimal. Without relying on swordsmanship or advanced Haki, his physical attacks lacked the necessary power to seriously harm someone with her defensive and regenerative capabilities.

"The problem lies in pure physical damage," Alastor mused. "Against someone with strong defenses and recovery, like an ancient Zoan user, it's far from enough."

Of course, this was partly due to his current defense level, which hovered just below 4,000 points—roughly equal to Ulti's.

He needed a way to augment his physical attacks, something beyond mere brute force.

As they clashed again, sparks flew where their hardened bodies met. The sight triggered an idea in Alastor's mind.

Friction. Sparks.

His thoughts turned to Sanji and the Diable Jambe technique.

"Sanji's flames come from rapid friction. Even with his weaker defense early on, he could create fire. That must've been due to his exoskeleton, which wasn't fully developed at the time."

With his own superior defense, Alastor reasoned that he could replicate this technique.

Entering a state of Life Return, he finely controlled the muscles in his right leg, generating rapid friction against the ground.

Chacha! Chacha!

Ulti paused mid-charge, watching in confusion.

"Hey! What are you doing? We're fighting here! Stop messing around, or I'll smash you into a pulp!"

Alastor ignored her, his focus entirely on his right leg. The intense friction caused it to heat up, turning bright red before flames erupted.

He smirked at Ulti. "Cripple me? Please do. I'm looking forward to it. Be sure to use even more force next time."

"You—! You're infuriating!" Ulti's head practically steamed with anger as she prepared her next attack.

Meanwhile, the flames on Alastor's leg intensified, accompanied by white smoke curling upward.

Ulti stomped the ground hard, creating a crater before launching herself into the air. With her body bent like a bowstring, she aimed her Haki-coated forehead at Alastor.

"Headbutt Cannon!"

Alastor leaped to meet her head-on, his burning leg arcing through the air.

When the two collided, flames and shockwaves exploded outward, lighting up the dark night like a violent firework display.

The impact sent both of them flying backward.

[The host has received moderate damage. Defense +12.]

Alastor stabilized himself midair before landing, twisting his right foot slightly to relieve the stinging pain in his sole.

Not far away, Ulti crawled out of the crater she had made upon impact. Her movements were unsteady, and she wobbled as she stood.

Although she had inflicted moderate damage on Alastor, she wasn't unscathed. Her dizziness was evident, and to make matters worse, the flames on Alastor's foot had singed some hairs on her forehead.

Ulti shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the dizziness. Once her vision cleared and she noticed the burnt patch on her forehead, her eyes turned red with rage.

"My hair! Waaaah! You bastard! Give my hair back!"

Seeing how quickly Ulti recovered, Alastor couldn't help but admire the astonishing resilience of ancient Zoan users. However, he was still dissatisfied with his own attack power.

Even though the flames on his foot had grown significantly stronger, they still lacked the destructive force he desired.

"I wonder... what if I fuse my flames with Haki?"

Determined, Alastor prepared to test his theory.

Alastor began stamping the ground rapidly, creating friction once again.

This technique bore some resemblance to the mechanics of Soru, but instead of generating speed and momentum, he used it to ignite flames.

Soon, his right foot was engulfed in intense, bright flames. The sheer heat radiating from it was evidence of its high temperature—an inevitable byproduct of such friction.

Once the flames stabilized, Alastor infused them with Armament Haki.

The process was slow but steady. As the Haki melded with the flames, their color darkened until they transformed into black flames.

Alastor observed the black flame swirling around his foot, a faint smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"That's more like it. I'll call this Magic Flame. This will serve as the foundation for developing my physical techniques."

He turned his gaze to Ulti, who was standing across from him. His lips curled into a slight smirk.

"Are you ready? I'm coming."

Ulti's eyes narrowed, and her expression shifted slightly at the sight of the ominous black flames. For a moment, it looked like she was caught off guard.

But her pride quickly took over. Being the stubborn and fiery character she was, Ulti grew more annoyed at Alastor's calm demeanor, which seemed to suggest he had everything under control.

"Come at me! You think my old lady is scared of you?" she shouted defiantly, her tone laced with irritation.

Alastor didn't bother to respond. Without wasting any time, he activated Geppo (Moonwalk), leaping into the air. The black flames on his foot glowed eerily against the dark night sky.

"Demon Flame Flying Kick!"

Descending with immense force, he aimed a devastating kick toward Ulti.

Though enraged, Ulti wasn't foolish. She could tell that this attack was extraordinary.

Refusing to back down, she concentrated all of her Armament Haki on her hardest point—her forehead—and countered with her signature move.

"Super Headbutt Cannon!"

Zzzzt!

The collision unleashed a violent shockwave, accompanied by sparks and bursts of black flame. The sheer force carved a massive crater into the ground.

Ulti was sent crashing into the crater, leaving her dazed.

"It hurts! My head! You bastard, why are your feet so ridiculously hard?"

Despite her complaints, Ulti clawed her way out of the pit. This time, it took her over a minute to shake off the dizziness.

However, Ulti was as stubborn as ever. The moment she regained her bearings, she launched herself at Alastor again.

"Don't think you can beat me with just some fancy physical tricks! My old lady's body isn't made of paper!"

Her fierce determination burned even brighter as she charged, ready to continue the fight.

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