501-505

Chapter 501: Trash, All Just Trash! 

"This, um..." 

Hearing that Kazama actually wanted them to surrender to him, Mikita and Jem grew even angrier. However, since they were currently no match for Kazama, they couldn't let their anger show on their faces. 

At that moment, Mikita's eyes darted around, and she instantly had an idea. She quickly whispered to Jem, "Since Kazama, this little brat, is being so arrogant, why don't we try the 'give a man rope enough to hang himself' trick?" 

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Jem immediately perked up, interested in Mikita's plan. 

"It's simple. Since Kazama wants to bring us under his wing and make us his subordinates, we'll agree to it! But at the same time, we'll tell him to give up his Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei techniques. If he gives them up, won't we be able to team up and defeat him?" 

"Hmm, not bad, not bad!" 

Hearing Mikita's words, Jem excitedly nodded. Then, with a forced, insincere smile, he quickly said to Kazama: "We can surrender to you, but before we do, we hope you'll fight us fair and square. If you can still defeat us this time, then we'll willingly become your subordinates!" 

"Haha!" 

Hearing Jem's proposal, Kazama immediately saw through their trick. He chuckled and said to them, "Wasn't I fighting you fair and square just now?" 

"Of course not! Your Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei are too amazing! If you can fight us bare-handed, then we'll definitely be convinced!" 

"Delusional!" 

At this point, before Kazama could even speak, the curly-haired middle-aged man on the side immediately glared at Mikita and Jem, rebuking them fiercely. 

"You two dog brats, what are you even thinking? How dare you act so brazenly in front of Young Master Kazama? I'm telling you, Young Master Kazama won't agree to your demands..." 

"I agree!" 

"What?!" 

Just as the curly-haired man was confidently asserting that Kazama wouldn't agree, to his surprise, Kazama directly accepted. 

"I say, Young Master Kazama, you really need to think twice about this!" 

At this moment, the curly-haired man quickly grabbed Kazama, constantly winking at him. 

"You have to remember, the only reason you could easily defeat these two earlier was because your Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei are incredibly powerful and amazing. So, these two were like mere children in front of you, with no outstanding abilities whatsoever." 

"But if you fight them with just hand-to-hand combat now, you'll be as good as dead! Remember, I told you before, these two are genuine Devil Fruit users! Their abilities are far stronger than ordinary people's—thousands of times stronger is no exaggeration! So, I advise you, don't fall for their trick!" 

"Old geezer, stop trying to act tough in front of us!" 

At this point, seeing the curly-haired man constantly trying to persuade Kazama, the duo worried their trick would be exposed. They quickly stopped the curly-haired man and pointed at his nose, cursing him loudly. 

"I'm telling you, you bastard dog-brat, there's a genuine gentleman's agreement between us and Young Master Kazama! You have no right, no ability, to act tough in front of us. So, now you'd better get as far away from here as possible!" 

Chapter 502: Whoops, My Bad, I'm Actually Freaking Awesome 

"What?! You two damn scumbags!" 

The curly-haired middle-aged man was furious. He hadn't even bothered with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, but there they were, pointing fingers and cursing him out. Naturally, he was seeing red. 

Just then, Kazama quickly stepped in, stopping the curly-haired man and giving him a subtle look. It was a clear message: "Don't worry, I, Kazama, have plenty of ways to wipe the floor with these two." 

The curly-haired man, though he had no idea what Kazama was planning, figured that with Kazama's incredible strength, a guy like him probably wasn't just all talk. So, he hurriedly nodded at Kazama. 

Meanwhile, when Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine saw that Kazama was really going to fight them using only hand-to-hand combat, they were absolutely overjoyed. Without a moment's hesitation, they both unleashed their signature killing moves again, rushing straight at Kazama. 

"Ten Thousand Ton Press!" 

Miss Valentine immediately activated her Kilo Kilo no Mi power, bringing down immense weight. At the same time, Mr. 5 (Gem) unleashed his ultimate explosion ability from his Bomu Bomu no Mi. 

Faced with their pincer attack, Kazama just stood his ground, completely unfazed. And, just as he'd promised them earlier, Kazama didn't use techniques like Banshō Ten'in or Shinra Tensei against them. 

"You little brat, your time is up!" 

Seeing their attacks about to land on Kazama, the pair (Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine) burst into maniacal laughter. 

Then, with a deafening BOOM! 

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine leaped out from the thick, billowing smoke. They immediately sneered towards the smoke cloud where Kazama had seemingly vanished. "You little punk! You knew we were Devil Fruit users, yet you dared to fight us with just your fists? That's just hilariously pathetic!" 

"Heh, if you ask me, this kid's head must've been kicked by a donkey! That's why he kept trying to act all tough in front of us!" Miss Valentine added with a smirk. 

"What?! How can you two be so arrogant and ruthless!" 

The curly-haired middle-aged man, actually believing that the pair had managed to kill Kazama, started yelling furiously at them. 

"Quit your yapping in front of us!" Mr. 5 shot back. "We'll deal with this little brat however we damn well please! It's not your place to stick your nose in our business here!" 

As they spoke, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine charged towards the curly-haired middle-aged man, ready to attack him. 

But they never saw it coming. Just as their attacks were about to hit the curly-haired man, Kazama appeared in a flash, blocking their path. 

"What? How is that possible?!" 

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were stunned. They had clearly seen their trump card moves hit Kazama. Yet, here he was, completely unscathed! This totally shattered their worldview and flipped their understanding of life upside down. This was the kind of thing they wouldn't even dare to dream of in the past! 

The curly-haired middle-aged man was also completely dumbfounded. More than the shock of nearly being killed by the duo, he was utterly astonished that Kazama was still alive. He had never imagined, not even for a second, that Kazama could survive that onslaught without a scratch. 

Overwhelmed, the curly-haired man quickly began to bow repeatedly towards Kazama, expressing his respect and gratitude. 

Chapter 503: Gearing Up to Mop the Floor with All of Baroque Works 

"I'm telling you, Kazama-aniki, you're just too damn awesome, too incredible! I've never seen anyone as badass and amazing as you!" 

"Heh, no need to lay on the praise so thick. Their attacks were completely useless against someone like me who's pretty much invincible!" 

"What? You freaking dare say you're invincible? I don't believe a word of it!" 

At this point, the man and woman, seeing that their trump card had failed to take Kazama down, felt utterly humiliated. So, to save face, they immediately pointed at Kazama's nose and started cursing him out. But their actions were completely different from their words. Because even though they were verbally abusing Kazama... ...their legs were already carrying them away in a desperate retreat, practically in the blink of an eye. 

This made Kazama sneer. He then immediately used his Banshō Ten'in on the two of them, yanking them right back to his side. 

"Hey, you little punk! You damn well promised us you wouldn't use Banshō Ten'in on us! Why are you going back on your word now?" 

"Don't try to act tough in front of me!" 

Before the man and woman could finish speaking, Kazama sent two slaps their way, knocking them straight to the ground. 

"Let me tell you, I, Kazama, did indeed say I wouldn't use Banshō Ten'in on you. But that was then, not now. Besides, you clearly didn't genuinely submit to me and kept trying to show off. Fine, if that's how you want to play it, then I, Kazama, will let you witness my true power!" 

As Kazama spoke, he immediately activated his Super Heavy Rock Technique. And this Super Heavy Rock Technique of Kazama's was remarkably similar in effect to Jem's Kilo-Kilo Fruit ability. However, once Kazama unleashed his Super Heavy Rock Technique, its power was even more formidable. Thus, in an instant, even the flat road surface beneath them was crushed, forming a deep crater, directly smashing Jem down beneath a pile of rubble. 

Seeing this scene, Mikita broke out in a cold sweat from sheer terror. She immediately tried to take the opportunity to escape, but unfortunately for her, Kazama had already made his move. 

"Explosion Release! C4 Karura!" 

And so, in a flash, Kazama unleashed Deidara's Explosion Release technique on Mikita. After all, back when Kazama fought Deidara in the world of Naruto, he had absorbed Deidara's Explosion Release. Therefore, Kazama was quite adept at using it. He then casually sent Mikita flying with the blast. 

However, Kazama didn't actually intend to kill Mikita; he specifically spared her life. His purpose was to have Mikita go and tip off the boss of Baroque Works. Because only then could he draw out the boss of Baroque Works and all his numerous subordinates, and then defeat them all. Moreover, Kazama had also noticed that Mikita was quite infatuated with Jem. So, Kazama figured that by trapping Jem here... ...Mikita would definitely lead all of Baroque Works' forces here to deal with him. As long as they dared to come, they would fall right into Kazama's trap. 

And just as Kazama was sitting there, waiting for the people from Baroque Works to come storming in... He suddenly saw Luffy charging towards him, which immediately left Kazama utterly bewildered. 

Chapter 504: Schooling Luffy with His Own Rubber Powers 

"Hey, Luffy, are you nuts or something? Why are you coming after me?" 

Kazama, while blocking Luffy's attacks, shot him a puzzled look. 

"Don't even try that crap with me!" Luffy yelled back. "I'm telling you, I thought of you as a big bro, a real aniki! But I never figured you'd be a bad guy! These folks in Whiskey Peak threw us such an awesome welcome party, and you dared to attack them? You even knocked them to the ground! That's just... I can't forgive that! Today, I'm gonna fight you for three thousand rounds, you got that?!" 

"What?!" 

Hearing Luffy's outburst, Kazama didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

He tried again, "Luffy, man, you're being such a blockhead. Those Whiskey Peak guys tried to drug us with knockout drops first, that's why I went after them! Besides, even if I did attack them, we've already made up! So why are you still harping on about it in front of me?" 

"Cut the excuses! I don't care if you've made up with them or not! Long story short, today, I'm fighting you for three thousand rounds!" 

Just then, that middle-aged guy with the curly hair, who was standing nearby, chimed in. 

He saw that Kazama was actually trying to help him deal with Baroque Works. 

But now, Luffy was totally misunderstanding the situation. 

So, the curly-haired man hurriedly said to Luffy, "Hey, little bro, you've got it all wrong about your buddy Kazama! It's true Kazama and us had a bit of a scuffle earlier, but he wasn't the one who started it. We attacked you guys first because we thought you were the bad guys! But we've patched things up since then, we're all good now! Please, don't go fighting amongst yourselves!" 

"Shut up!" Luffy retorted, "I'm telling you, when Luffy says he's gonna fight someone, he's gonna fight 'em!" 

As he spoke, Luffy swung his arm and knocked the curly-haired man to the ground. 

"What the—?!" 

The curly-haired man was completely floored. This Kazama... no, this Luffy seemed to have totally lost it. 

Seeing Luffy being so unreasonable, Kazama didn't hesitate. 

He threw a punch, sending Luffy sprawling to the ground. 

Then, it dawned on Kazama why Luffy was acting so crazy. 

It wasn't that Luffy really wanted to fight him. It was because Luffy had drunk way too much sake earlier. 

He was completely plastered, and that's why he was lashing out. 

A smirk played on Kazama's lips. He turned to the curly-haired man again and said, "Pops, you better step aside. I'm about to knock some sense back into Luffy!" 

"Okay, no problem!" 

Hearing Kazama, the curly-haired man scrambled to the side without a second thought. 

And just like that, in a flash, Kazama was right in front of Luffy, ready to throw down. 

"Luffy, we've fought before. You know you're no match for me. You still wanna go at it?" 

"You bet I do! Today, I'm fighting you for three thousand rounds! Gomu Gomu no Pistol! Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" 

As Luffy yelled, he started unleashing his signature rubber techniques. 

"Alright, if that's how you want it," Kazama said, "then I, Kazama, won't take advantage of you. I'll use your own powers against you! Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!" 

Saying this, Kazama also activated his rubber abilities. 

Chapter 505: Please, Protect the Princess! 

After all, Kazama had previously absorbed Luffy's abilities thanks to his special "Flame Devouring" system. So, Kazama could now also use rubber powers. What's more, Kazama's current rubber abilities were arguably even better than Luffy's, if not more so. 

"Rubber Super Laser Cannon!" Kazama yelled, unleashing his self-created move. Not long after, he sent Luffy tumbling to the ground. Then, Kazama immediately used a genjutsu on Luffy, which finally sobered him up completely. 

When Luffy snapped out of it, he instantly realized he had attacked Kazama earlier. This made Luffy incredibly embarrassed, and he hurriedly started apologizing to Kazama over and over. Because Luffy knew he had messed up. 

But Kazama just smiled and said to Luffy, "Alright, Luffy. We're both upstanding men of iron, how could I possibly blame you? You know we're good buddies, and I also know you just had a bit too much to drink and got carried away. So, you don't need to apologize to me!" 

"Everyone, please, I beg you to help us!" 

Just as Luffy and Kazama were talking, the curly-haired, middle-aged man nearby suddenly dropped to his knees right in front of Kazama with a thud. This startled Kazama, who quickly helped the middle-aged man back to his feet. 

"Hey now, Uncle, a man's knees are precious! You're older than me, how can you kneel to me? If there's something you need my help with, just say it. As long as it's something I, Kazama, can do, I will definitely do my utmost!" 

"Oh, with those words from you, young brother, I'm relieved!" Hearing Kazama's assurance, the curly-haired middle-aged man nodded happily. He then spoke to Kazama again, "Young brother Kazama, there's something you don't know. The people from Baroque Works already know we're undercover, and they also know that the princess of our Alabasta Kingdom is here. It won't be long before they send people to attack us. So, I want to ask you to protect our Princess of Alabasta, Princess Vivi, and lead her away from here. Only then can our King of Alabasta have a successor!" 

"Hmm, about that..." After listening to the curly-haired middle-aged man, Kazama immediately smiled and nodded at him. "Uncle, don't you worry. Since I'm already involved in this, I'll naturally help you. However, I won't be leading your Princess Vivi away in an escape!" 

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Hearing Kazama say he would help, but then that he wasn't willing to take Princess Vivi and flee, left the curly-haired middle-aged man completely bewildered. 

"It's simple. Because I'm going to wait right here for the people from Baroque Works to show up, and then I'll wipe them all out in one go!" 

"What? How is that even possible?" Hearing Kazama's words, the curly-haired middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat. He knew very well just how terrifyingly strong Baroque Works was. How could Kazama, all by himself, possibly be a match for an organization like Baroque Works? 

So, the curly-haired middle-aged man once again pleaded with Kazama, "Young brother Kazama, I know you're incredibly strong and amazing. But even if you're that good, how can you possibly take on Baroque Works and all their people? I really think you should hurry and get Princess Vivi out of here!"