Boom!
A blinding crimson ray erupted from Hanafuda's mouth in an instant!
The entire field of vision was instantly filled with red, and a terrifyingly high temperature rushed toward them. Wherever the ray passed, the air distorted and steamed.
Shanu hadn't expected this at all.
With his hands still gripping the dragon's tail, he had no time to dodge. He simply raised Hanafuda's tail to block, and at the same time, Armament Haki hummed, instantly coating his arms.
Sizzle—!
The crimson ray struck Hanafuda's tail. The scales carbonized and shattered instantly, exposing the tailbone beneath. The smell of burning rose with the white smoke.
"Roar!"
Hanafuda roared in agony, its thick tail twisting wildly.
Shanu's arms were sizzling from the remaining heat. Armament Haki blocked most of the damage, but his skin was scorched bright red.
So hot!
He winced, glancing at his arm where large patches of skin peeled like tartar. A familiar sensation. The heat and destructive force of this attack were comparable to Akainu's molten lava at close range.
Wait—this lizard?
How can a Tyrannosaurus Rex breathe fire like that?!
If he hadn't reacted quickly, using the tail to block, his arms would've melted down to bone.
"You like breathing fire, huh!"
Enraged, veins bulged across his arms as he held Hanafuda's tail firmly, no matter how fiercely it thrashed.
In the next instant, Shanu exerted force, lifting the Hanafuda over his head, then spinning it like a helicopter rotor, he could clearly feel it.
Since unleashing that beam, Hanafuda's aura had weakened. Under this rapid spinning torture, it grew weaker still.
Buzz!
The rotation accelerated rapidly, over a hundred revolutions in a blink.
The flower-shaped dragon's roar became intermittent wails. Its already battered tail was now nearly torn off.
"Get up there!"
Boom!
Hanafuda tore free, flung skyward by centrifugal force and inertia.
Fifty meters, one hundred meters, still rising.
Shanu looked up.
Then, his knees bent slightly, the ground exploded beneath him and he shot skyward like a cannonball!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A few flashes later, he caught up to the colossal creature. His right leg raised high, jet-black Armament Haki surging down to his calf.
"You like breathing fire? Then breathe fire again!"
Shanu grinned viciously and brought his right leg down like an executioner's axe.
"Rankyaku: Ripple Meteor!"
Thud—!!!
His kick slammed into the Rex's abdomen. Shockwaves burst outward in visible rings.
Its scales caved and shattered, its internal organs nearly displaced by the impact. Hanafuda's eyes turned bloodshot with pain. He twisted its head to bite, but Shanu blocked with his Haki. The sharp teeth scraped against Armament Haki, throwing off sparks.
"No strength left to breathe fire, but still enough to bite, huh!"
Shanu's grin widened.
It's time.
He drew back his right fist. A terrifying aura vortexed around it. His entire arm bulged as veins twisted like coiled serpents.
The final blow!
"Elbaf Spear—"
Hanafuda's eyes widened in disbelief.
Wait, this brat… He knows the same move as Kaido?!
"Wrath!!!"
Boom!
Before Hanafuda could react, the violent shockwave smashed into his abdomen.
"Roar!!!"
With a shrill scream, Hanafuda's limbs went limp and his massive body plummeted earthward, falling even faster than before.
Rumble—!!!
It hit the desert like a meteor. Sand erupted in a towering plume. Shockwaves blasted outward, forming a ring that sent yellow sand skyward like a tsunami.
The desert collapsed within kilometers, forming a giant crater. Sand poured inward like a waterfall.
At the center, heat shimmered violently. As the dust settled, Hanafuda had reverted to human form. Hanafuda, soaked in blood, lay paralyzed in the crater's center.
His chest caved in. Arms twisted unnaturally. Blood mixed with shredded organs spilled from his lips.
"Cough… cough cough…"
After a long moment, Hanafuda forced himself upright. Through blurred vision, he saw a tall, slender figure walking slowly toward him.
"See? I said it was ending. But you wouldn't listen."
Hanafuda squinted, finally making out the youth's appearance.
The black-haired boy was drenched in blood, his arms scalded and torn yet his aura was fiercer than ever.
His dark eyes still burned with savage fighting spirit.
Clearly, he still had strength left.
Meaning:
In strength, speed, martial arts even physique, he surpassed Hanafuda completely.
"I'm simply outmatched…"
Hanafuda let out a bitter laugh.
Lying down, he said:
"What a terrible day. I picked an auspicious date to collect a debt in Alabasta… and I ran into you, you monster. Forget it, enough talk. Just finish it."
"Don't worry. I'll give you a quick death."
Shanu said coldly.
"Thank you."
Hanafuda smiled weakly and closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
Shanu drew his katana and stepped forward.
This was the nature of the sea. Those who lived by the sword, pirate, marine, noble, villain, all held some pride at the end.
Except for a few shameless exceptions.
Hanafuda was not one of them.
A few minutes later, covered in blood, Shanu stepped out of the crater and onto the riverbank. Silence fell across the Santora River. The townsfolk on the opposite shore, the sailors on merchant ships, all stared wide-eyed.
"H-he… he won?"
A beat, then.
"We won!!!"
The riverbank exploded in cheers.
"So strong! A Shichibukai with a 500 million bounty—defeated so quickly!"
"Hanafuda is dead!
The Hanafuda Pirates are finished!"
"Lord Shanu! Lord Shanu!"
Sailors waved their hats wildly. Some even knelt on deck, kowtowing toward him.
"Thank you for saving us!"
"We would've all died!"
"Long live the Curtainfall Pirates!"
"Idiot! He said it's an adventurer crew!"
"Right, long live the Curtainfall Adventurers!"
Cheers swept the river like a tidal wave. Some even jumped into the water, swimming toward him.
But not everyone cheered.
On the opposite bank, Shanu noticed:
Many Alabastans looked at him with fear even hatred.
He saved them yet they reacted like this?
Shanu shrugged. Expected. This was Alabasta. Their former hero, Crocodile, had died by his hand.
Crocodile had years of good PR, hunting pirates, protecting trade so of course people admired him. To them, this battle was just a fight between villains.
Shanu didn't care.
Deception doesn't last forever. And that day seemed to be today. He sensed something and looked left.
Another group waited for him.
At the front, a blue-haired girl barely twelve or thirteen was waving wildly.
"Lord Shanu! Over here!"
Vivi?
He already knew she'd come as royal envoy, but…
Her reaction was strange.
This was their first meeting.
Why did she look like a fangirl meeting her idol?
Shanu's question was soon answered.
After introductions, Vivi instantly stuck to him.
Left, right, front, she circled him endlessly with questions.
"Lord Shanu! You're so young!
Can I call you Big Brother?"
"Big Brother Shanu, you tossed a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Amazing!"
"Teach me to be strong too!"
"Don't walk so fast! Big Brother Shaaaano!"
…
Shanu felt a headache.
He'd rather fight Hanafuda again.
He turned to the royal guard captain.
"Uh, Igaram, is your princess always like this?"
"Ah, no, Lord Shanu…"
Igaram wiped sweat.
"Princess Vivi is usually very mature and responsible. When His Majesty fell ill, she stepped up despite the danger."
"Then why.."
"On the way here, she was terrified that the port residents had already died at Hanafuda's hands."
Igaram shrugged.
"But when she arrived, she saw him completely helpless before you."
"So her tense emotions collapsed at once, and she redirected everything into admiration and gratitude."
He understood her completely. He felt the same.
Hanafuda, a terrifying Shichibukai, defeated like a toy in minutes.
And the one who did it was a youth barely eighteen.
Who wouldn't admire him?
Even he felt like singing.
"Ma~ma~ma~ma~ma~"
Shanu massaged his temples. Of course, this guy loved opera.
Shanu sighed.
"You're brave, approaching a pirate with a 540 million bounty. Your national hero died by my hand."
Igaram stopped humming and spoke firmly.
"You defeated two Shichibukai. If you intended harm, no precaution would stop you."
"But after speaking with you, your actions prove your character."
"You saved countless merchants and residents. You are not the villain the newspapers describe!"
"In the desert, frankness is our way of hospitality."