Boom!!
Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind surged from within the dust cloud, rapidly blowing away the thick smoke to reveal the figure inside.
Baron Tamago had completed yet another evolution. His entire body was now covered in white feathers, and his physique had grown significantly more robust, his taut muscles looking as though they were forged from solid steel.
Egg-Egg Fruit, Model: Count Niwatori!
The teacup hat on Baron Tamago's head was gone, replaced by a cluster of red rooster combs. With a gloomy expression, he said,
"Even though you're a rookie, I have to commend you. Your strength is indeed quite impressive."
"In all the years I've served under Mama, very few opponents—even in the New World—have managed to see me in this form."
"And over the years, not a single person has survived my Count Niwatori form. You would be the first."
Baron Tamago said coldly.
Although his disheveled appearance made him look a bit battered, all of his injuries had completely healed during the evolution, and his aura was now several times stronger than before.
The surrounding crowd swallowed hard, their expressions grave as they stared at his Count Niwatori transformation.
Judging by the intense stalemate of his previous battle with Sanji...
It wasn't hard to deduce that Baron Tamago, having evolved once more and received a comprehensive boost in strength, now possessed the power to completely crush Sanji.
However, just as the crew thought the situation was taking a turn for the worse, Baron Tamago didn't launch another attack. Instead, he turned and walked over to where Pekoms lay on the ground.
"Let's end this battle here. If we keep fighting, I probably won't be able to leave in one piece either."
Baron Tamago said nonchalantly. He appeared to be speaking to Sanji, but his solemn gaze was fixed entirely on Allen as he continued,
"We will remember what happened today. Knowing Mama's temper, this matter absolutely will not end here. And next time, it won't just be the two of us."
"And you, curly-browed brat..."
Baron Tamago bent down, hoisted Pekoms onto his shoulder, and turned his gaze back to Sanji, saying coldly,
"Our battle isn't over either. Look forward to our next meeting."
Dropping his final warning, Baron Tamago turned and walked away.
The crew cast questioning glances at Allen, unable to hide their concern.
If they let him leave and Baron Tamago reported back to Big Mom, the next thing they faced would undoubtedly be the full invading force of the Big Mom Pirates.
However, Allen simply waved his hand, signaling them to stand down. He had no intention of stopping the man from leaving. Instead, he called out to him,
"Go back and tell that old hag to bring it on. I'll be waiting for her in the New World."
Hearing this, Baron Tamago paused, glanced back at Allen, and said flatly,
"I will pass along those exact words."
...
Soon, Baron Tamago departed with Pekoms.
"Is this really okay, Allen? Provoking one of the Four Emperors before we've even officially entered the New World..."
Nami turned to look at Allen, her eyes filled with worry as she couldn't help but probe,
"I know you're strong, but I just want to be sure—are you really confident about going to war with Big Mom?"
"Nope. There's no way I can beat her,"
Allen replied to Nami with absolute self-righteousness.
"..."
Hearing this, Nami was utterly dumbfounded. She froze in place as the surrounding atmosphere instantly plummeted.
After a moment of silence, the crew behind them finally reacted. Their jaws dropped to the floor as they screamed in shock,
"You actually can't beat her?!"
"Then aren't we dead meat?!"
"We're doomed!!"
The crew members clutched their heads and wailed in despair.
Amidst her panic, Nami rolled her eyes and glared fiercely at him.
"Then why were you acting so arrogant?! You sounded so tough, I thought you actually had a plan! Were you seriously just talking big?!"
"Yep,"
Allen nodded with a completely serious expression.
Nami grabbed Allen by the collar with both hands, aggressively pressing her forehead against his as she bared her teeth and roared,
"Yep my foot! Isn't that just asking to die?!"
"You worry too much. The sea is huge. By the time she actually finds us, who knows how long it'll be."
Allen laughed, waving his hand dismissively before pushing Nami away by her head.
Robin asked with a concerned tone,
"That may be true, but what if they target Fish-Man Island instead?"
"Then they'll just have to fend for themselves."
Allen shrugged, throwing his hands up in the air.
Robin cupped her chin, pondering for a moment. "Just abandoning them outright? I see. In that case, it really doesn't pose much of a threat to us."
Hearing this, Neptune and his sons in the distance immediately shot them a vicious glare. Lining up in a row, they bared their teeth and shouted angrily,
"We heard that, you bastards!!"
...
"Anyway! We have no desire to get involved in your conflict with the Big Mom Pirates. Don't call us cowards; you know full well that Fish-Man Island doesn't have the power to survive a war of that scale."
Neptune made his stance clear right from the start, stating firmly,
"If you don't have the strength to stand against the Big Mom Pirates, then even if you plant your flag on Fish-Man Island today, they'll just tear it down later. It's completely meaningless."
"While I do hope Fish-Man Island can develop exactly as you've envisioned, in the face of absolute power, we can only go with the flow."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, just plant my flag."
Allen said dismissively, not intending to yield a single inch.
Unable to argue with him, Neptune ultimately had no choice but to comply with his demands for the time being.
After wrapping things up, Allen didn't linger any longer, nor did he stay for a meal. With a wave of his hand, he led everyone away.
Over the past two days, the Freewill had already been fully coated by the artisans of Fish-Man Island. Allen and his crew boarded the ship, and with a single command, they immediately set sail for the New World.
He genuinely hadn't anticipated clashing with one of the Four Emperors so early on, but since it had already happened, he certainly wasn't going to show weakness.
Besides, it wasn't a big deal anyway. As long as Big Mom didn't leave Totto Land, no one else posed a threat to him—not even if all Four Sweet Commanders came at him together.
Even if Big Mom descended upon them personally, if he couldn't win, couldn't he just run? Allen had the ability to abandon the ship and fly everyone away; other than Kaido, no one could stop him from leaving.
At this point, there was only one thing he could do.
Eat well, sleep on time, and keep up with his training.
He would deal with whatever came his way. If Big Mom showed up, he'd just pack his bags and run.
Also, he needed to hurry up and find the whereabouts of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
He had already contacted Doffy the day before yesterday when they first arrived on Fish-Man Island. With Teach dead, the Dark-Dark Fruit was bound to respawn somewhere in the world.
Doffy was already an ability user, so even if he obtained the fruit, he could only give it to his subordinates. While there would be some benefit, it wouldn't be massive, considering most of his crew were already ability users anyway.
Allen had directly offered a sky-high price of ten billion Berries for his help in finding it. Doffy had verbally agreed, and although there was no guarantee he would actually sell the fruit to Allen once he found it, it was a gamble worth taking.
After all, he couldn't possibly search the entire world for it himself. That would take an eternity.
Allen didn't have any better channels either. While the Pleasure District was more professional when it came to intelligence, they were ultimately affiliated with the World Government, making them even less reliable to commission.
In comparison, Doffy at least had a shred of credibility.
Moreover, even if Doffy tried to pull a double-cross, Allen was more than capable of taking him out.
It all depended on whether Doffy was foolish enough to try something like that.