Whoosh!
Ares's steel-like arm instantly turned blood-red, making the Kurozumi duo's pupils shrink.
They both understood at once.
This was Ares's unique Crimson Armament, the very reason he was known across the seas as "Bloodhand" Ares!
"Crimson Armament: Vajra Ape King Fist!!"
The air itself shrieked like a wailing specter. Ripples of pressure spread outward in rings.
That tyrannical, domineering punch slammed straight into the barrier!
Boom!!!
A deafening blast erupted. The ground shook violently, like a savage earthquake had struck.
Semimaru steadied himself almost immediately and sneered.
"Baldy, it's useless!"
"Your arm must be screaming right now, huh? The harder you hit, the stronger the rebound!"
"Punch it a hundred times, a thousand times it won't break my barrier. All you'll do is cripple your own arm!!"
Kaido and Slardar stared at the flawless barrier, stunned.
"Even Ares's strength… can't break it?" Kaido couldn't believe it.
Ares was stronger than him in every way. Not just raw power, but Haki and combat skill too.
And yet the barrier still wouldn't crack.
Was it really an invincible defense?
Slardar clicked his tongue. "Not even a hairline fracture. This thing's hardness is on the level of a Supreme Grade blade!"
Both of them were shaken by the result.
Ares remained calm. Instead, he reached up and rubbed his shiny bald head, which reflected the light.
Muttering to himself, he said, "I'm starting to look a bit like Teacher Saitama…"
"But hair…"
"Isn't it something that can just grow back whenever you want?"
Higurashi mocked him at once. "Hey, Ares. You've been bald for years. Your hair isn't coming back!"
Kaido's eyes bulged as he roared like a beast, "Shut your mouth!! Bald Ares looks powerful and imposing!"
He turned to Ares and added quickly, "Big Bro Ares, don't listen to her. You look even more fierce without hair!"
But then
Kaido's eyes widened. He shouted in shock.
"Hair… your hair grew back!?"
"Huh ?!" Slardar gasped. "It really did! How the hell did you do that?!"
Right before their eyes…
Black strands sprouted from Ares's scalp and rapidly lengthened, swaying like willow branches in the wind.
Thick. Full. Luxurious.
Under Ares's control, two small clumps of hair seemed to come alive, tying the long hair at the back into a clean, sharp ponytail.
A long fringe fell in front.
It looked eerily similar to the hairstyle of the Fourth Spider Demon Sister from Black Myth: Wukong.
It added a dash of swagger and wild charm to Ares's originally hard, rugged face.
The Kurozumi duo were struck dumb.
What?
Ares had been bald for years and his hair just… grew back, like it was nothing?
And the quality
Glossy, bright, absurdly healthy.
Under the light, it even reflected a pale sheen.
Like polished steel.
Ares explained to Kaido and Slardar, "This is Life Return. A technique that lets you freely control your entire body hair, organs, everything."
"For example "
As he spoke, Ares's huge frame suddenly became slimmer, leaner.
His waist seemed to shrink, shifting from thick-backed and bear-waisted into a golden inverted triangle long limbs and a tight core.
He now had long, straight legs, like an adult version of Katakuri, just with a slightly narrower waist.
It made his muscle definition look even sharper, like something carved from stone.
Of course…
"Slim" was only in comparison to Ares's previous monstrous build.
Ares finished his point.
"Changing the body structure lowers strength…"
"But it boosts speed."
Kaido's eyes lit up. "Big Bro Ares's talent is insane! You even mastered a technique like this!"
"You can switch combat forms depending on the situation!"
"That's unbelievable!!"
He knew Ares's learning ability was terrifying.
No matter how complex or profound a fighting method was…
Once it reached Ares's hands
He'd grasp it in minutes.
Slardar laughed. "Boss Ares really is ridiculous. He even copied all my underwater combat techniques back then."
Ares continued adjusting his form. He had once sensed Life Return from Garp and Zephyr.
And the memories in his mind told him that decades later, CP9 members like Kumadori and Lucci would also use it.
They could even make their hair grow and move freely, turning it into a weapon…
Almost like a Devil Fruit ability.
For Ares, mastering it wasn't hard at all.
In minutes, he had regrown his hair.
No more shiny egghead.
Ares was the very definition of borrowing strength from every mountain and river taking a hundred schools' strengths and making them his own.
And in his hands…
Life Return would absolutely shine.
He used Life Return again, swelling his body back into a broad, towering build, tendons gleaming with power.
Then he walked back to the barrier.
Stared down by those beast-like copper-bell eyes, Semimaru's hair stood on end. "Ares, even if you get stronger, it's useless! My barrier technique is invincible!"
Ares nodded. "The defense is disgusting, I'll give you that."
"But invincible…"
"Not even close."
He raised an arm as thick as an elephant's leg.
Veins bulged like massive tree roots, grotesque and terrifying.
In the next instant
His arm snapped into a black sheen, reflecting metallic light.
Kaido and Slardar both frowned, confused.
"Is Big Bro Ares using regular Armament Haki? But Crimson Armament didn't work…"
"Boss Ares must be trying a new method…"
They watched closely.
Within Ares's arm, an invisible force surged, gathering and concentrating.
A layer of "flame" rose over the black iron arm.
It looked like flowing red sakura petals clinging to him condensed, unscattered.
It was what he had learned from Shimotsuki Kozaburo
Ryuo.
Semimaru's eyes blew wide open. Terror seized his face, and his voice stuttered.
"R-Ryuo?!"
"H-He knows Wano's Ryuo!!"
Higurashi's face turned pale. Panic erupted.
"Damn it Ares knows Ryuo, run!!"
"He's not trying to break the barrier!!"
"He's going to "
"Internal destruction!!"
Before either of them could move
Ares's fist touched the barrier.
It didn't look like a strike.
More like a gentle tap.
Thud.
"Pff !"
Semimaru's face twisted. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was blasted backward.
Crack crack crack bones fractured all across his body.
Higurashi screamed in absolute terror, begging for her life.
"Ares! Just spare us and we'll give you the fruit!!!"
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