"But Zeno and Silva, in order to guarantee a one-hundred-percent chance of winning, agreed only to kill one at a time. They refused to face all four members of the KUTO Thieves simultaneously.
Because of that, the Wild Beasts suffered heavy losses, and the other leaders of Meteor City fared no better. At that moment, Ging Freecss—one of the Twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association—arrived, managing to subdue two of the KUTO members. After Zeno and Silva killed Old O, the Meteor City Elders then commissioned the Zoldycks to kill Old K as well.
In the end, the KUTO Thieves in Meteor City took a devastating blow. Old K and Old O were killed, while Old U and Old T were brought back to the Hunter Association by Ging Freecss, locked away in the Association's prison.
Back then, Ron didn't even go himself; he merely sent Hanma Baki. Because Ron and the KUTO members were on completely different levels—his strength was nowhere close, worlds apart.
But now, things had changed.
Ron could stand here, face-to-face with Old T, fully qualified to be his opponent.
Recalling the scene from back then, Ron couldn't help feeling a bit emotional.
At the time, if Ron had stood before the KUTO Thieves, they wouldn't have even spared him a glance, so weak was he in their eyes. But now, just a few years later, Ron had grown strong enough to be on the same tier as they were.
When Ron fought Hisoka in that "stop at first contact" match, he hadn't had such a deep sense of it—he'd never met Hisoka before and only knew him from the original storyline. But with the KUTO Thieves, Ron had personally witnessed how formidable they were: Hanma Baki had been helpless against any one of them. Any single member could have crushed Baki.
Now, though, it was different.
Old T noticed the damaged sword at Ron's waist—"Rotten Life Blade."
"That sword…"
He fixed his gaze on Rotten Life Blade. "So that's why. This item was forged from the Nen-materials inside one of the disasters, wasn't it? It has a familiar aura. It was crafted by our KUTO group. Never expected it to end up in the hands of a brat like you. Who on earth are you?"
Old T's expression grew somber. What happened back then was a lifelong sore spot for him. Until that incident, the KUTO Thieves had been the most notorious gang on the human continent—like today's Phantom Troupe, basically untouchable, idolized by countless figures in the underworld.
But in that event, they lost two members, the other two were captured, and their materials were seized. He himself ended up in chains, falling from the heavens to the depths of this decrepit pit. Even after all these years, Old T still brooded over it.
"Meteor City, the Hunter Association, the Zoldycks…given the chance, I'll make you pay! All of you will die!"
Old T glowered at Ron and took a step forward. A powerful aura crashed toward Ron, as if trying to crush him on the spot.
"Brat, answer me!"
Just then, an equally potent aura surged up around Ron, colliding with Old T's. Ron hardly faltered. Moreover, once a figure appeared at Ron's side, Old T's aura no longer had any impact at all.
"Natsu!"
Or rather, the brand-new version of Natsu—having fused with Hanma Baki at over ninety points of compatibility. Natsu served as the base, but Baki's strength now melded seamlessly into him. Compared to before, Natsu was taller, more robust, and exuded an even stronger presence. If he'd been a teenager previously, he now looked like a young man.
"His overall physical power has increased, he's got more fighting techniques, and some extra abilities: Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, Dragon Horn, Wing Attack, Dragon Roar… plus Whip Strike, Cockroach Dash, Triceratops Strike, Ogre-Back Mode… and a new power: Fire Dragon's Blazing Flame—where the flames in his left and right hands fuse into something beyond ordinary fire. It's far more destructive than anything Natsu had before."
Watching Natsu, Ron nodded with satisfaction. He was even stronger than before—Natsu and Baki's fusion was superior to that of Natsu and Akutagawa in overall balance. Ron could also tap into "spreadability" by promoting the Baki manga online, thus growing Natsu's strength further.
Previously, Ron had some reservations about that. But now, seeing Natsu in this state, those doubts vanished. For now, it only affected Natsu. He might have inherited Baki's power, but there wasn't much of it that significantly mattered to him—probably just Demon-Back.
Position Swap and the Scales of Gravity weren't actually Baki's own powers. As for Demon-Back, Natsu's form differed from Baki's, since Natsu always fought clothed, which Ron could control. Even if he used Demon-Back, others wouldn't see it.
That meant Ron could release the Baki manga and expose Baki's abilities without leaking any info that traced back to Natsu, or to Ron himself. It was purely advantageous.
"As for 'exposing Baki's info,' what does that have to do with Natsu?"
Old T glanced at the newly appeared Beast, momentarily startled. "A Nen Beast?"
That made him think of his former companion, Old K—indeed a prime example of a Beast-type Nen user, among the best of such users. There were few to match him.
"This aura… So young, yet possessing a Beast like that. This kid's no small deal. Must be some prodigy of the Hunter Association?"
"I recall there being four sets of Nen materials. Two fell to the Zoldycks, one to the Hunter Association, and one ended up in Meteor City. This thing he's holding must be the Association's share. Could he be linked to Ging Freecss?"
At that thought, Old T felt a chill of dread. The gap was just too big—enough to make him despair and not even dare fight back. He had never imagined someone younger than he could be so vastly superior that it felt impossible to even stand up to them.
"What's your connection to Ging Freecss?"
Ron didn't reply, prompting Old T to snort.
"Hmph!"
He let out a cold grunt.
"Splurt!"
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