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  The massive steel arm, uhe one formed by Kid's Mag-Mag Fruit, was seamless.

  Arthur's steel arm was pletely fused, every part—fist, wrist, elbow—identical to a normal arm.

  The unified iron fist met jao's Hasshoke Move!!

  "BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!"

  Arthur's all-out strike smmed against jao's—Drill-less Dragon; Drill-less Nail.

  At that moment, the air in all dires was forced out. The space betweewo seemed to briefly bee a vacuum.

  The cracks in the ground spread outwards. This small isnd began to split apart, and rge amounts of seawater poured in through the fissures.

  The expelled air currents swept up the tents where the Happō Navy was statiohe ground, as if trampled by a bulldozer, was pletely fttened.

  "Aaaah!!"

  jao's face was monstrous. He began to roar. Immense pradually increased, about to crush Arthur into pieces.

  Arthur's face was flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead. He stubbornly resisted the Hasshoke Move—"Drill-less Dragon; Drill-less Nail."

  Uhe watchful eyes of the crowd—jao's inally bald—rounded head was uedly forced by the heavy pressure of the iron fist to extend into a t, pointed e.

  His inally sunken drill head had been forced back out by Arthur's punch!

  "...."

  ——

  The two separated at a touch, each retreating over a hundred yards.

  At this moment—

  jao's face was incredibly expressive. Various expressions of disbelief and joy were iwined. He reached out with his massive arm to touch his pointed head, then ughed maniacally...

  "Hiyahohohoho!"

  "My drill head—it's back! Hiyahohoho!!"

  He ughed and cried at the same time. His upturned, graying whiskers all drooped down, and he once again resembled his inal, kind old man appearance.

  "The Leader's drill head?"

  "Father's drill head—it's back!!"

  The thousands of Happō Navy observers suddenly opeheir mouths wide, their eyes bulging, showing expressions of shod joy.

  "This punine helped this guy out of a bad situation?" Arthur's steel arm fell to the ground, his expression stunned.

  "Hiyahoho!!" jao was pletely insane, ughing for several minutes.

  Suddenly, he wiped away his tears. He k on the ground, His pointed head directly pierced the ground. His tone was full of gratitude.

  "Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, I am grateful to you... Please accept my gratitude!"

  "Hmm?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, pletely unprepared for this turn of events.

  He had killed dozens, perhaps hundreds—of the Happō Navy soldiers. Logically, it should have been a situation of irrecible hatred. He never expected this.

  "What gratitude?"

  "u!" jao's tears couldn't stop flowing. Don Cai helped him up. "Please accept my gratitude. You have allowed me tain my drill head. I must repay this great kindness."

  "You're still so young. Iure, you'll surely bee one of the Yonkō."

  "A Yonkō shouldn't ck followers. Please allow the Happō Navy to join your and, to follow you—"

  He looked at Arthur with anticipation.

  jao directed all his hatred farp to gratitude for Arthur.

  "Huh?..." Arthur was shocked. He hadn't expected this reversal.

  Although he would definitely form a pirate crew iure to ehe New World, he hadn't even finished building his own [Thor] yet.

  He hadn't thought about recruiting subordinates...

  "Joining my and wait for now. I'll sider f a pirate crew iure!"

  Arthur didn't explicitly refuse. Iure—to quer the New World and occupy territory, manpower was essential.

  He had even sidered learning from Bckbeard and recruiting subordinates from Impel Down.

  But thehought that all the people in Impel Down were ambitious individuals. It would be difficult to make them truly submit.

  "Good!" Seeing that Arthur hadn't explicitly refused, jao didn't dwell oopic. He turned his head and roared at the thousands of surviving Happō Navy members, "Meurn to the ship and have a ba!!"

  "Oohhh!!!!!" The Happō Navy shouted excitedly.

  ——

  On the sea, dozens of Kano try warships were lined up.

  The people on them were singing and dang, drinking wine in rge bowls, ai in rge mouthfuls.

  The atmosphere was lively.

  Arthur held a rge bowl, drinkiily. At his table were jao—Don Cai—and other Happō Navy leaders.

  "jao—this time I came at the request of the heir to the Vira Kingdom, Puros—to drive out the Happō Navy. If there are no problems, have the Kano try give up chasing the New Vira Kingdom, okay?"

  Arthur, as a man of his word—couldn't fet his inal iion. After all, he had accepted payment and not delivering would damage his reputation.

  "Hiyahohoho!" jao held a wine gss in one hand and stroked his newly regained pointed head with the hing.

  "This is a small matter. As long as I say the word—the Kano try will immediately revoke the order to hunt down the Vira Kingdom. e, let's drink!"

  "That's for the best!" Arthur nodded in satisfa and began to pete with the others in drinking.

  Gsses ked, toasts were exged.

  "KANPAI!"

  "KANPAI!!"

  ——

  A feast went from day to night. The Happō Navy fleet began to return to the Kano try.

  Seeing that the time was right, Arthur immediately asked jao about the trainihod for [Armament Hak.

  "jao, I see that you, and Don Cai—all know Armament Haki. you teach me?" He asked brightly, his eyes shining.

  Asking for help humbly wasn't a shameful thing. If he didn't open his mouth to ask, he would waste a lot of precious time.

  "Hiyahohoho, no wonder you didn't use Armament Haki when fighting me. You haven't lear yet!" jao ughed. "Armament Haki is very simple. I'll demonstrate it for you now."

  He stood up, swaying drunkenly, to demonstrate for Arthur.

  Armament Haki—like [Observation Hak, ower that could be developed and improved through training. In fact, the principle of release was very simple.

  It was different from the innate or ied [queror's Hak. Those with [Armament Hak could greatly enhaheir individual defense and attack power, ag like an invisible armor.

  It could even enhaack power and ter Devil Fruit users, even toug the bodies of "Logia" fruit users.

  Besides c the body, [Armament Hak could even be ed around ons to enhaheir attack power.

  The prerequisite for developing [Armament Hak hysical strength.

  A child whose body had not yet reached its peak could train it, but those who knew [Armament Hak would each a child.

  Forced training would not only ihe body, but it would also hinder future growth. It was not worth the loss.

  Iron Fist Garp—one of the world's top Armament Haki users—a monster with top-tier strength, khis—so he didn't teach Luffy and Ace from a young age, first letting the two grow.

  This [Hak trainihod was to accelerate the flow of one's blood, releasing energy from within, and ing it around one's body, causing the body to harden.

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