Shrouded by the red energy, Machamp’s body began to grow, expanding to around twelve meters. Compared to Dynamax Corviknight and Lapras, this size was much smaller, but more refined. Most importantly, it was the perfect size for hand-to-hand combat with Kaido.
It was neither too small to feel less challenging, nor too large to make brawling impractical.
Under Arceus’ special control, even Gigantamax’s size could be adjusted. If necessary, Machamp could even grow to the size of Oars.
This time, the evolution didn’t give Machamp extra arms. Gigantamax Machamp still had four arms, but the front sections of these arms now bore simple veins, resembling a titan. Its gold belt around its waist also grew in size along with Machamp’s transformation.
“Looks pretty good,” Kaido remarked with interest, gazing up at the towering four-armed giant, which was much taller than him. He decided to forgo his weapon and attacked Machamp bare-handed.
With three power-save belts greatly restraining his strength, Kaido’s power became more controllable. But a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse, and even with the belts suppressing him, Kaido wasn’t someone just anyone could handle.
However, Machamp firmly blocked Kaido’s punch. It wasn’t just Kaido who enjoyed fighting; Machamp’s fighting spirit was ignited when faced with a powerful foe.
With just one punch, Machamp gauged the strength of the enemy before him, especially since this man was wearing three belts.
While one arm blocked Kaido’s attack, the other three swung into action. Machamp’s four arms can be used for both offense and defense, leaving almost no blind spots in close combat.
Machamp’s arms moved so fast they seemed to leave afterimages, a capability born from its powerful muscle reflexes. It could throw countless punches in the blink of an eye, even before consciously processing the thought.
“Worororo, not bad at all. You’re qualified to be my sparring partner,” As he always did, Kaido used his body to assess the opponent’s strength to determine if they were a worthy opponent. From the looks of it, Machamp met his criteria. After all, Machamp’s body was filled with immense power.
If fully unleashed, Machamp’s strength in one arm alone could move a mountain. With all four arms together, it could deliver tremendously powerful punches.
Gigantamax Machamp’s strength had reached an astonishing level. Its arms were filled with Gigantamax energy, and each punch was equivalent to the explosion of a bomb, powerful enough to lift stranded large ships.
Though Machamp still wore its belt, Kaido was wearing three of them. The balance of power felt just right.
After exchanging blows several times, Machamp’s four arms locked Kaido into a unique position—this was a special move known as the “Vital Throw.” It is Machamp’s signature move, often used to throw its opponents.
Kaido and Machamp were thoroughly enjoying their fight, and it seemed that things would settle down for a while. Seeing this, Arceus left, though this battle shocked another observer—Saul.
The rest of the Beasts Pirates were already used to such things, but to Saul, Machamp, with its humanoid appearance, was quite special.
“Odin above, what is that…”
Odin, King of Elbaf, the kingdom of giants, was the undisputed ruler in the hearts of Giants and the strongest among them. Saul’s mention of this word revealed just how shocked he was.
Saul was a former Marine Vice Admiral and a close friend of Kuzan. Before the Ohara incident, he had been a trusted Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, with even Sengoku having assigned him missions multiple times.
So, Saul knew that the Marines had once conducted a failed human gigantification experiment. The Beasts Pirates had previously produced several giant beasts, but the significance of giant beasts and giants was entirely different.
Saul patted his head and picked up a hoe, heading toward his farm. In the past, he might have worried about these things, but now, he had come to see things more clearly and had turned into a Giant Farmer.
“Robin hasn’t been back for a while. I hope her trip is going well…”
…
At that moment, the very Robin that Saul was concerned about was on an island, gathering some secret information. Recently, her travels had been mostly smooth, and any occasional trouble was easily dealt with.
However, today wasn’t her lucky day. While investigating some secret information, she found herself caught in the middle of a battle between two pirate crews.
Robin was no helpless damsel, but just as she was about to take action, something strange happened.
“Wh-what’s going on?! I… I can’t control my body!”
“Get out of the way! Run!”
The two pirates who had been targeting Robin suddenly began fighting each other, shouting strange things as they did so. Almost all the pirates in the area fell into the same state, attacking everyone around them indiscriminately.
“Are these… strings?”
With the sunlight reflecting off them, Robin could faintly make out thin strings in the sky, some with droplets of blood hanging from them. It seemed like everything was being controlled by a large hand.
The mastermind behind it all seemed to notice that Robin had figured out what was going on, and immediately sped up the process. The rocks on the ground began to wriggle, and a large hand swiftly emerged, sweeping away all the pirates in the area.
“Fuffuffuffu, I didn’t expect to run into you here, Miss Robin. It’s been a while.”
Doflamingo slowly descended from the shattered roof, and sat down on a nearby chair. The rocks on the ground also transformed into Pica, revealing that this was their work.
“Donquixote Doflamingo? Why are you here?”
Robin’s expression didn’t change as she faced Doflamingo. He was one of the few people who knew she carried the Beasts Pirates’ flag. Knowing his personality, he would never provoke the monsters of the New World.
“Come now, no need to be so on guard. You and I, we’re practically partners now.”
This was an exaggerated boast. Doflamingo was merely an excellent dealer, and the Beasts Pirates had many such people, so they are far from being actual partners.
“As for why I’m here, I’m just fulfilling my duties as a Shichibukai. After all, we do need to take out some pirates to report back to the Marines. Of course, it’s only these guys we’re getting rid of.”
By now, Doflamingo had accumulated a long list of titles. Over the years, he had been developing his family’s underground network, and was now a well-known intermediary in the Underworld under the alias “Joker.” At the same time, he had earned the title “Heavenly Demon” as one of the Shichibukai.
As he said, the Shichibukai were established to balance the power of the pirates, so occasionally he had to eliminate a few of them. Running into Robin today was purely by chance.
“Fuffuffuffu, Miss Robin, it seems we’re fated to cross paths. After all, thanks to you, I was able to connect with the Beasts Pirates. Today, I’ve got some information I’d like to share with you. I wonder if you are interested?”
Chapter 733 The Giant’s Shock, and the Coincidental Appearance of Doflamingo
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