In an instant, the black-haired youth appeared above the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex's head.
His right leg was raised high, enveloped in dense Armament Haki, the black leg blade gleaming coldly under the desert sun.
"Rankyaku - Ripple Slash!"
With a low shout, Shanu's right leg slashed down like a battle axe!
Whoosh!
A massive crescent-shaped slash wave roared out, its surface wreathed in spiraling ripples of energy, tearing through the air and unleashing a terrifying, ear-piercing shriek.
Hanafuda's pupils constricted.
Damn it!
You call this Rankyaku?!
It's completely different from anything he'd seen before!
A sense of foreboding rose in his heart, and he hurriedly covered his head with Armament Haki to strengthen his defense and block.
However, even though he hadn't underestimated it in the slightest, the power of this slash still far exceeded his expectations.
With a deafening boom, the shockwave from the Rankyaku clashed briefly with the Armament Haki surface before shattering and disappearing.
However, the powerful ripple energy penetrated the scales and surged into the body, causing excruciating pain throughout the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex's entire head!
"Roar!"
The Tyrannosaurus Rex roared in agony, its massive body staggering backward, carving deep furrows in the sand.
"Not bad."
Seeing this, Shanu nodded slightly, a satisfied expression on his face.
As his physical prowess increased, he could create and combine techniques with increasing freedom.
Previously, combining the internal destruction of Armament Haki with Ripple Fist had created his strongest Rokushiki technique, "Gold Ripple Dash."
Now, after continuous refinement, he had further expanded the application of Ripple Fist techniques.
No longer confined to "fist techniques," he could also apply them to "Shigan" and "Rankyaku"!
"Try this one!"
With a soft voice, Shanu's figure followed like a ghost, his hands crossed in front of his chest, faint ripples appearing at his fingertips.
"Flying Shigan - Ripple Barrage!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Dozens of finger pistol energies, wreathed in ripples, rained down like a storm amidst the Tyrannosaurus Rex's furious roar!
"The captain seems to be constantly testing the new moves he's mastered these past few days."
"Is he really using that guy as a punching bag?"
"Anyway, he's firmly in control, no need to worry."
On the ice, the crew quickly regained their composure after a brief observation. They all looked up at the giant pirate ship blocking their path.
Beneath the scarlet canvas painted with playing card jokers, a large number of pirates had already poured out of the cabins, almost filling the entire deck.
Several tall officers stood at the bow, weapons drawn, watching the scene with a sense of impending doom.
King against king, general against general. This has always been the rule on the high seas.
Boss Hanafuda, having transformed into his Tyrannosaurus Rex form and engaged in a fierce battle, naturally understood that their own battle was approaching and unavoidable.
But…
Could they win?
Gulp
A tall, imposing officer swallowed hard, and several others nearby broke out in a cold sweat.
Compared to Boss Hanafuda, who was always indifferent to bounties on outsiders,
They knew very well just how powerful the Curtainfall Pirates' officers were.
Except for that little girl with orange hair, whose combat strength was negligible…
The rest were all infamous, high-bounty powerhouses, with most having bounties exceeding 100 million Berries!
100 million Berries!
What did that mean?
In the first half of the Grand Line, these officers, even individually, would be enough to dominate a region, worthy of being called "Supernovas"!
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? You're all showing cowardice before the fight even starts!"
Jack suddenly stepped forward, complaining, "Boss Hanfuda really misjudged you cowards by appointing you as officers. He should have given me your positions!"
"Shut up, you brat!"
One of the officers roared angrily.
"You were just a dockworker last month!"
"You only got picked by Boss Hanafuda because you got lucky and got a good reward, and you dare to talk big here!"
"That's right, all talk and no action. If you're so brave, why don't you charge in first!"
"Me, charge in first?" Jack scoffed. "What's this little thing... I'll charge in first then! But don't be envious when Boss Hanafuda finishes up that kid and praises me afterwards!"
...
On the ice.
"These guys don't seem very confident; they've started arguing amongst themselves."
Kuina pointed a thumb, the gleaming blade reflecting on her calm face.
"Just a bunch of rabble; let's just charge."
"We can't be too careless either," Smoker said, cigar in hand, squinting.
"Some of the officers have bounties over 50 million Berries... the first mate's bounty is over 90 million... Hmm?"
He frowned.
Just then, from the opposite bow, a tall, burly man, completely unfamiliar to everyone, suddenly charged forward.
As he leaped from the deck, he pounded his chest with a terrifying roar.
Roar!
The next instant, the man's body rapidly deformed before everyone's astonished eyes.
His head twisted and elongated, two curved, giant tusks pierced his lips, and in an instant, he transformed into a mammoth the size of a small mountain, crashing heavily onto the ice!
Then… he sank.
Yes, he sank.
The mammoth he transformed into was incredibly heavy.
Coupled with the fact that he leaped from a great height, the ice created by Nojiko simply couldn't withstand the impact.
The moment he landed, he pierced through the ice, sinking to the bottom amidst a towering spray of water.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace. A deathly silence fell over the ice.
"...?"
Everyone stared blankly at the "powerful enemy" who had suddenly appeared and disappeared, speechless for a moment.
"An Ancient Zoan, a Mammoth Fruit user?" Even Robin looked bewildered.
"He was supposed to be a tough opponent, but..."
"Turns out he's a complete idiot."
Smoker exhaled a smoke ring, shaking his head expressionlessly.
"Never mind that guy, let's go!"
The moment his words fell, his lower body transformed into smoke, shooting towards the deck of the giant pirate ship like an arrow!
The wind whistled past his ears, and he couldn't help but grin. Facing scum who harm the innocent, being able to act whenever one wants, it feels so good!
If it were back when he was still a Marine…
Even if the Shichibukai, who have the legal right to plunder, were burning, killing, and looting right before his eyes, he couldn't do anything. If he couldn't help but intervene, he would be scolded and punished by his damn superiors.
But now?
He no longer needs to care about those damn superiors or the damn Shichibukai agreement. Being able to beat these scumbags up before there are mass casualties among the civilians is better than anything else!
Freedom, ah, what a wonderful thing!
Whoosh!
Amidst the swirling smoke, Smoker had already rushed to the deck, his arms suddenly extending, transforming into two thick smoke chains, instantly binding more than a dozen pirates who didn't have time to react.
"White Serpent - Strangulation!"
The smoke chains tightened abruptly, and the crisp sound of breaking bones rang out one after another. The dozen or so pirates instantly screamed and fell to the ground.
"Stop, you bastard!"
"How dare you charge in alone? You're so arrogant! Surround him!"
The surrounding pirates were both shocked and enraged, drawing their swords to slash, only to pass directly through the smoke.
"Damn it, how come I can't hit him!"
"Idiot, this guy is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user!"
...
"I can't let you steal all the limelight, Smoker!"
Nojiko chuckled, leaping high into the air with her Geppo technique.
She slammed her fists together in front of her chest, instantly condensing an astonishingly cold aura that rapidly spread outwards, engulfing the entire pirate ship.
"Blizzard!"
Whoosh—!
A biting wind swept through, instantly freezing the entire pirate ship in place, and a thick, solid snow wall rose around the hull.
This move effectively turned the deck into an island, blocking all escape routes for the pirates.
Suddenly, Nojiko's figure materialized in the swirling blizzard. She unleashed both fists, swirling with layers of snow, and slammed them down heavily onto the pirates below!
"Snow Fist: Ice Cone!"
Boom!
A massive explosion instantly reverberated throughout the mouth of the Santora River.
"Another Logia-type!"
The pirates' mournful cries echoed from the deck.
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!"
Nami, impatient, transformed into a firebird and soared into the sky, flames raging around her body.
...
On the ice.
Kuina, listening to the agonizing screams coming from within the ice wall, shrugged and sheathed the Wado Ichimonji.
"Looks like we don't need to lift a finger," she murmured.
"Haha, it's rare to let those two little girls have their fun," Zeff grinned.
"Let them do their thing."
"Logia-type abilities are so convenient," Robin remarked.
"Not only do they have wide-range destructive power, but just the ability to transform their bodies into elements is enough to give those without Haki a headache."
Kuina and Zeff both nodded.
This Hanafuda pirate crew, though numerous and seemingly intimidating, actually had much lower combat strength than expected.
It seemed even the officers were recruited from the first half of the Grand Line. Aside from the vice-captain currently locked in combat with Smoker, no one seemed to know Armament Haki.
They posed no threat to Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
They had originally planned to send all six, even calling Gin who was left on the ship, but now it seemed the three Logia-type users on board were more than enough.
The remaining three could just watch.
...
In the vast desert.
A group of running ducks sped along the riverbank toward the river mouth.
"Karu, please, faster, please faster!"
Vivi clung tightly to the neck of her running duck, her long blue hair flying in the hot wind. Her youthful face was covered in sand, but anxiety filled her eyes.
"Quack! Quack!"
Karu couldn't help but squawk, even though it was already giving its all.
"Your Highness," Captain Ikaram said, catching up on another running duck.
Though his expression was grave, he still tried to comfort her:
"There's only a little distance left. We'll be there after the next bend. What they've done is simply to force the royal family to meet with him sooner. We'll be able to negotiate soon, so please don't worry too much."
"…"
Vivi bit her lip, silent.
Uncle Ikaram still treated her like a child, but she knew very well that the Shichibukai Hanafuda was definitely not a kind person.
He will destroy a ship every ten minutes until the royal family met his demands...
Recalling the harsh words he uttered before hanging up the phone, her heart clenched, and she prayed silently.
Everyone, please be alright!
The running duck squad ran frantically, kicking up long clouds of dust in the desert.
They ran for an unknown amount of time.
Suddenly, Ikaram shouted:
"Your Highness, we're almost past the bend! We'll see the river mouth soon!"
Had they arrived?
Vivi opened her eyes and looked into the distance.
Then, she saw a scene she would never forget.
…
Thump!
On the sandy riverbank, two disproportionate figures collided violently, unleashing a dull thud!
"Hahaha, that was powerful!"
Shanu laughed wildly, sliding backward and carving long tracks into the sand.
The giant Tyrannosaurus Rex opposite him was also blasted back.
The battle had lasted more than an hour.
In that hour, the pure physical clashes had hardly stopped.
Shanu had used the opportunity to try out techniques he rarely used in real fights.
Many techniques were ineffective against the Tyrannosaurus Rex's powerful body, but some, those with Armament Haki disruption, broke through its defenses.
After more than an hour, Hanafuda's outer scales seemed intact, but its insides were riddled with wounds!
Shanu, on the other hand, had also taken many injuries, but with his powerful regeneration, he had already recovered.
What a perfect punching bag!
Shanu grew increasingly satisfied. If he had the time, he could fight this thing for two days straight!
Unfortunately, this was the mouth of the Sandora River, with the oasis city of Katorea across the water. Much of the city's population had gathered to watch the battle caused by the earth-shaking explosions.
"Don't disturb the peace for too long..." Shanu grinned.
"Hey, big guy. Starting to get tired of defending yourself? Your physical defense doesn't seem as strong as it was at the beginning. Now, it's time to end this!"
"Stop bragging, brat!"
The Tyrannosaurus Rex roared.
Despite his words, Hanafuda had to admit the kid's strength was far beyond expectations.
Just the fact that the kid's physical strength rivaled his without a Devil Fruit was terrifying.
Hanafuda was an Ancient Zoan Tyrannosaurus Rex user. Physically, only a few in the Beast Pirates could overpower him.
Yet here he was, overpowered by a human body.
Did this kid have some special bloodline? His physique was almost catching up to that guy Jin!
"Is that so?" Shanu laughed.
"You really think I can't handle you unless I use my trump card!"
Whoosh!
His body expanded rapidly, reaching four meters in an instant, muscles twisting like thick roots.
Whoosh!
Despite its size, his speed was terrifying, flashing across the sand like black lightning.
"Hmm?"
Hanafuda felt a chill behind him, and then.
"Up!"
Shanu grabbed the Tyrannosaurus Rex's tail, fingers digging into the black scales,
And lifted the tens-of-tons creature into the air.
"What…"
Before Hanafuda could react, the desert world spun.
His massive body drew a wide arc through the sky,
Bang!!!
The desert trembled. Sand erupted like crashing waves. A hundred meters of dunes collapsed. The Tyrannosaurus Rex's head was buried in sand, neck twisted.
"Cough..."
Hanafuda's eyes burned with rage.
"Has his strength increased...? But, if that's all, it's still.."
"Not yet!"
Shanu appeared before him, gripping the tail again.
Boom!
Boom!!
Boom!!!
He slammed the enormous beast left and right like a giant meteor hammer.
The desert shook. The river surged. Distant ships rocked violently. Sailors clung to masts, eyes wide in terror, watching the legendary creature tossed like a rag doll.
"Damn brat!"
Blood spilled from Hanafuda's jaws as he regained his senses.
He opened his maw, a blinding red light condensed between his teeth.
"Dragon Breath: Scorching Ray!"