Three days had passed since the combined fleet of Marine Headquarters and the South Sea Branch launched their siege on the Kingdom of Tuthmose.
From the sea, looking towards the interior of the island, one could clearly see that the sky above the distant central region was no longer dominated solely by the yellowish sandstorm. Instead, a green gale, symbolizing vitality, now stood in opposition to it.
On the desert battlefields along the coastal areas, the brutal close-quarters combat had come to a halt as the Marines retreated to their warships. Only the blood-soaked sand, scattered limbs, dried corpses, broken axes, and shattered blades silently bore witness to the carnage that had unfolded.
On the Marine side, Rear Admiral Avène had ordered a temporary withdrawal from the battlefield about a day ago.
The reason was simple: the Slave Guard Legion's numbers were overwhelming. Young men wearing green collars seemed to emerge endlessly from underground, while the Marine forces were limited in number, and their stamina and condition were steadily deteriorating.
Initially, Rear Admiral Avène had not considered retreating.
However, after the ten Marine officers who had accompanied Dragon's surprise attack on Sabac City returned via the underground railcar and provided detailed intelligence, they finally gained a clearer understanding of the Slave Guard Legion's situation.
First, the enemy had tens of thousands of young men underground, ready to join the battle at any moment! Second, under the influence of the Pet-Pet Fruit's power, their bodies could unleash their maximum potential. In battle, unless they received new orders from King Taklama, they would never flee!
Third, Rear Admiral Dragon had not been instantly defeated after clashing with King Taklama. Instead, he was holding his ground and engaging in a fierce battle! Based on these points, Rear Admiral Avène ultimately decided to withdraw the fleet. Continuing the fight would only lead to their exhaustion and annihilation.
Thus, the situation had reached its current state.
The main Marine forces retreated while fighting, returning to their warships to rest, heal, and recover. Meanwhile, the Slave Guard Legion found themselves in a state of confusion.
Their initial orders had been to stop the Marine invasion at all costs and hold out until the king issued new commands, after which they would leave the island together by ship.
But now that the Marines had retreated, their opponents were gone. They had no choice but to return to their trenches and await further orders, preparing to defend against the next Marine assault.
Returning to the underground space beneath Sabac City was out of the question.
Before receiving the retreat order, such an action would conflict with their previous command. The Pet-Pet Fruit's power would interpret this as 'unauthorized desertion,' and the collars around their necks would prevent them from doing so.
In this way, the tens of thousands of Slave Guard Legion members were effectively trapped within the confines of the battlefield by the Pet-Pet Fruit's power.
Truly, the Pet-Pet Fruit was both their strength and their downfall!
As for new orders, they would not be coming anytime soon, for King Taklama was currently preoccupied.
"Hu—hu—"
Heavy and rapid breaths turned his chest into an old bellows. Each intake of air only fueled the raging fire within him.
"Why... why are you still able to move?!"
The Slave King of the underworld, now crouched on the back of the 'Sand King' high in the sky, glared at Dragon in the distance with bloodshot eyes. He could no longer contain his fury, descending into utter hysteria.
The most significant change in him was probably the shattered half of his golden mask, his white robe soaked in blood, and his right hand, which gripped the golden scepter, trembling uncontrollably.
King Taklama remembered clearly that over the past three days, he had knocked down Dragon three times, relying on the power of the 'Sand King' and his own superior Haki.
But every time he thought the battle was over and he was about to gain a Logia-type Devil Fruit user as a slave, this bastard would inexplicably open his eyes, stand up, and attack him again.
There was even one time when his green energy ring was less than a meter away from Dragon's neck!
That was bad enough, but why did this guy always seem to unleash various new powers every time he got up, becoming increasingly difficult to deal with and defeat?
"Cough, cough... I told you, justice will always triumph over evil. Your fate is already sealed—to be captured by me and sent to Impel Down," Dragon, maintaining his Elementalization, floated in the world of wind, struggling to utter each word. At this moment, he looked truly battered and miserable.
His Justice Coat was mostly damaged, his green suit jacket had completely disappeared, and his bare chest was covered in bruises. His face was pale, drenched in cold sweat, and he looked as if he could lose consciousness at any moment.
However, dark green arcs of electricity occasionally flickered across his body, and his eyes were bright and unwavering!
"Stop spouting nonsense! What kind of justice or evil are you talking about?" King Taklama didn't want to hear any of this.
"The first time you fell, you awakened Conqueror's Haki!"
"The second time you fell, your Armament Haki became equal to mine!"
"And now, the third time you fell, you've awakened your Devil Fruit ability?"
The Slave King of the underworld roared in utter fury as he gazed at the sky filled with green gales. He was so angry that his entire body was trembling.
"Are you done yet?!"
Conqueror's Haki.
This was an ability he had always dreamed of. It was almost laughable—he had been the Slave King of the underworld for decades, yet he had never been able to awaken the Conqueror's Haki that proved one's kingly qualifications.
And now, this kid had just demonstrated what it meant to awaken Conqueror's Haki on the spot, right in front of him. He fell to the ground, opened his eyes, and bam—he had it! Uncontrollable envy, jealousy, and extreme hatred surged within him. But that was fine; after all, a newly awakened Conqueror's Haki was like a gentle breeze to King Taklama—it couldn't affect him in any way except psychologically.
The second time he fell and got up, this kid's Armament Haki had become equal to his! At that moment, he had only one thought: How is this possible? And the most outrageous part was the third time, just ten minutes ago, when Dragon did another 'sit-up.' Good heavens, the entire weather had turned into a typhoon, with winds so strong that his Sandstorm was being pushed back. It had only just stabilized now.
Although the 'Sand King' was the native sandstorm of this island, the awakening ability of a Logia-type Devil Fruit could permanently alter the climate of an island.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a desert island, where strong winds naturally stirred up yellow sand into a sandstorm, the 'Sand King' would have been wiped out on the spot.
Because the awakened ability of the Pet-Pet Fruit is to turn the Sandstorm into a pet, the form of the 'Sand King' is merely a sort of avatar.
Thus, if the Sandstorm itself disappears due to climate change, naturally the so-called avatar or incarnation ceases to exist, fundamentally nullifying the logic of the Pet-Pet Fruit's ability.
For example, if Sakazuki were to come and turn the entire island into a living volcanic island, all the seas of sand would be burned into scorched earth by the lava. Facing the King Taklama's furious roars and interrogations, Dragon's lips curled slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his otherwise cold face as he said, "Now, the fight is fair, isn't it?"
[Whoosh whoosh whoosh——]
As soon as he finished speaking, amidst the endless gales, a vivid, emerald-green dragon with shimmering scales slowly emerged. It let out a high-pitched dragon's roar, its majestic long body undulating as it gazed down at the 'Sand King' opposite.
"This is the true Hurricane Dragon King!"