Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the black-haired teenager appeared above the massive Tyrannosaurus rex's head.
His right leg rose high, coated in thick Armament Haki. The jet-black leg blade gleamed with a cold, piercing light under the blazing desert sun.
"Tempest Kick: Ripple Slash!"
With a low shout, Shano's right leg swung down like a battle axe!
Buzz!
A massive slash wave shaped like a crescent moon roared out, spiraling ripple-like energy wrapped around its surface. As it tore through the air, it let out a deafening, high-pitched shriek.
Hanazawa's pupils shrank.
Damn it!
You call this a Tempest Kick?!
Why is it completely different from what I've seen before?!
A sense of dread surged in his heart. He hurriedly reinforced his head with Armament Haki to defend against the attack.
But—
Even though he had taken it seriously, the power of this slash still far exceeded his expectations.
BOOM!
The clash between the slash and the Armament Haki caused a brief standoff—before the ripple wave smashed through.
The intense ripple energy pierced through the scales and struck internally, sending a wave of sharp pain through the T-Rex's skull.
"ROAR!"
The Tyrannosaurus let out a howl of agony. Its huge body staggered backward, plowing deep furrows into the sand.
"Not bad."
Seeing this, Shano nodded slightly, a satisfied look on his face.
As his mastery of physical techniques grew, so too did his ability to seamlessly fuse and refine his moves.
Previously, by combining the internal destruction of Armament Haki with Ripple Fist techniques, he had created his strongest Rokushiki technique—"Amber Ripple Overdrive."
Now, after continuous refinement, he had further expanded Ripple Fist's applications.
No longer confined to "punches," he could now integrate it into Shigan (Finger Gun) and Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) as well.
"Let's try this one next!"
As his calm voice rang out, Shano's figure flickered like a ghost, suddenly appearing again.
His hands crossed before his chest, fingers glowing faintly with ripple energy.
"Flying Finger Gun: Ripple Barrage!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Dozens of ripple-imbued finger-gun shots rained down like a storm, crashing toward the Tyrannosaurus still roaring in pain and fury!
——
"Looks like the captain's testing out the new techniques he's been working on lately."
"Really treating that guy like a punching bag, huh?"
"Anyway, he's clearly got the upper hand. Nothing to worry about."
On the icy surface, after briefly watching, the crewmembers shifted their attention.
They turned to face the enormous pirate ship blocking their path.
Beneath the blood-red sails marked with playing card skulls, a massive group of pirates had already poured out from below deck, packing the entire deck to the brim.
Several tall officers stood at the bow, weapons drawn, nervously watching below.
King vs. King, General vs. General.
This had always been the rule on the seas.
With Hanazawa already transformed into a T-Rex and engaged in a hard-fought battle, his officers knew that their own fights were now inevitable.
But...
Can they even win?
Gulp~
One of the tall officers swallowed hard, and cold sweat began to drip from the brows of the others.
Unlike their boss Hanazawa, who always brushed off bounties on enemies...
They knew full well how terrifying the officers of the Fallen Ones Pirates really were.
Other than that orange-haired little girl, whose combat power was negligible...
The rest were all infamous, high-bounty fighters—most with bounties over 100 million berries!
100 million berries!
Do you know what that means?
In the first half of the Grand Line, such individuals could dominate entire regions—they'd be called Supernovas!
"Hey hey hey, what the hell? You're chickening out before the fight even starts?"
Jack stepped forward aggressively. "Can't believe the boss actually made you cowards officers. He should've handed those roles to me instead!"
"Shut it, you brat!"
An officer shouted angrily:
"You were just a dock worker hauling crates a month ago!"
"You got lucky and ate a decent Devil Fruit—that's the only reason the boss started training you. Don't get cocky!"
"Yeah! Big talk! If you're so brave, go charge in first!"
"Me? Charge in?"
Jack sneered. "Please, that's nothing. Fine—I'll go first!"
"But when the boss praises me afterward, don't come crying about it!"
...
On the icy battlefield—
"Looks like they're arguing already. Not much confidence in their ranks."
Guina tilted her thumb, the gleam of her blade reflecting off her calm face.
"Bunch of disorganized thugs. Let's just charge."
"Still, let's not be careless," Smoker warned, puffing a cigar.
"Some of those officers have bounties above 50 million... the vice-captain's is nearly 90 million... hmm?"
He frowned.
Because just then, a tall, unfamiliar brute suddenly leapt from the ship's bow and began pounding his chest like a drum, roaring loudly.
ROOOOAR!
And in the next second, under everyone's stunned gaze, his body rapidly transformed.
His head elongated, and two massive curved tusks burst through his lips—within moments, he had turned into a mammoth the size of a mountain, crashing down onto the ice!
Then...
He sank.
Yes, sank.
The weight of the mammoth form was just too much.
Combined with the height of the jump, the ice—created by Noki Gao—simply couldn't withstand the impact.
So the moment he landed, he punched straight through the ice, vanishing into the sea with a monstrous splash.
In the blink of an eye, even his shadow was gone.
Silence fell across the icy battlefield.
"...?"
Everyone stared, speechless, at this "strong foe" who had appeared—then disappeared just as fast.
"Ancient Zoan-type, Mammoth Fruit user?" Even Robin looked puzzled.
"He was supposed to be a tough one, but in the end…"
"Turns out he's just a complete idiot."
Smoker exhaled a smoke ring and shook his head, deadpan.
"Forget about him. Let's move!"
And as soon as the words left his mouth—
His lower body turned to smoke, and like an arrow from a bow, he launched himself at the pirate ship's deck!
The wind roared past his ears, and a grin spread across his face.
Fighting scum like this, without restraint... what a damn good feeling!
If he were still in the Navy…
Even if a Warlord of the Sea committed atrocities in front of him, he'd be powerless to stop it—and if he did interfere, his scumbag superiors would chew him out and punish him.
But now?
Now he didn't have to care about those useless bosses or any damn Warlord treaties.
If he could beat down these bastards before innocent lives were lost—nothing else mattered.
Freedom... what a beautiful thing!
Whoosh!
Amid swirling smoke, Smoker reached the sky above the deck, his arms stretching out into two thick smoke chains, ensnaring over a dozen pirates before they could react.
"White Snake: Strangle!"
The smoke chains snapped tight—bones cracked in rapid succession, and over a dozen pirates collapsed with screams.
"Stop it, you bastard!"
"You dare to charge in alone? Arrogant fool! Surround him!"
The surrounding pirates were shocked and angry, drawing their swords and slashing one after another—only for their blades to pass right through the smoke.
"Damn it, why can't I hit him?!"
"Idiot! That guy's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user!"
…
"Can't let you hog all the spotlight, Smoker!"
Nojiko giggled, leaping high into the air with Geppo (Moonwalk).
She smashed her fists together in front of her chest, instantly gathering a bone-chilling cold, which then rapidly spread outward from her fists, engulfing the entire pirate ship.
"Blizzard!"
Whoosh—!
A biting wind swept through, instantly freezing the entire ship. Around the deck, a thick wall of snow rose up.
With this move, the deck was effectively turned into an isolated island, completely cutting off the pirates' escape routes.
In the midst of the swirling blizzard, Nojiko's figure emerged. Her fists, wrapped in layers of snow waves, pounded down on the pirates below!
"Snow Fist: Ice Spikes!"
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the entire mouth of the Santora River.
"Another Logia user?!"
Cries of despair echoed from the deck.
"Wait for me, I'm coming too!"
Nami couldn't hold back. She suddenly turned into a flaming bird and soared into the sky, the blazing flames erupting from her body, ensuring no one missed her entrance.
…
On the icy surface.
Kuina shrugged at the screams coming from inside the snow wall, sheathing her drawn Wado Ichimonji.
"Looks like we won't have to step in."
"Haha, rare to see the two girls enjoying themselves," Zeff grinned. "Let them go wild."
"Logia powers really are convenient."
Robin spoke from the side, "Not only do they have wide-range destructive power, but their elementized bodies alone are a nightmare for anyone without Haki."
Kuina and Zeff nodded.
Though Hanafuda's pirate crew had large numbers and looked intimidating…
In terms of actual strength, they were far weaker than expected.
It seemed even their officers had been recruited in the first half of the Grand Line. Aside from the vice-captain currently tangled up with Smoker, none of them even knew how to use Armament Haki.
To Logia users, they posed no threat at all.
They originally planned for all six of them to join the battle—maybe even calling Gin from the ship—but now it seemed the three Logia users onboard were more than enough.
The remaining three could just enjoy the show.
…
Amidst the vast desert.
A group of Super Spot-Billed Ducks was sprinting at full speed along the riverbank, heading toward the river mouth.
"Karoo, I'm counting on you! Please, just a bit faster!"
Vivi clung tightly to the duck's neck, her blue hair flying in the hot wind. Her young face was covered in sand, but her eyes were filled with anxiety.
"Quack! Quack!"
Karoo couldn't help crying out—it was already giving its all.
"Princess!"
Guard captain Igaram, riding another Super Spot-Billed Duck, caught up. Though equally serious, he tried to comfort her:
"We're almost there. Once we round that corner, we'll see the river mouth. This whole stunt is just to pressure the royal family into negotiating sooner. You needn't worry too much."
"…"
Vivi bit her lip, not answering.
Uncle Igaram was still trying to treat her like a child, but she knew full well—this Warlord, Hanafuda, was no kind soul.
Destroying one ship every ten minutes until the royal family meets his demands…
Remembering his threats before hanging up the call, she clenched her heart and silently prayed.
Everyone… please be safe!
The duck squad dashed on, kicking up long trails of sand behind them.
No idea how long they'd been running—
Suddenly, Igaram's voice rang out: "Princess, the turn is right ahead—we'll see the river mouth soon!"
They were almost there?
Vivi's eyes flew open. She raised her head to look into the distance—
And what she saw would stay with her for the rest of her life.
…
THUD!
By the dusty riverbank, two wildly unmatched figures clashed with a heavy boom as countless eyes watched.
"Hahaha, nice punch!"
Shano laughed freely as he was knocked flying from the billowing sand cloud, his feet gouging deep tracks dozens of meters long across the desert floor.
Opposite him, the massive T-Rex was also forced back, nearly toppling over.
The fight between the two had lasted over an hour.
Throughout that time, it was pure hand-to-hand combat—no breaks.
Shano took the opportunity to test all sorts of physical techniques he rarely used in real battle.
Many of them didn't work on the T-Rex's tough body—but a few, using Armament Haki's internal destruction trick, managed to break through the beast's defense.
After this hour-long slugfest, Hanafuda's outer scales still looked fine, but his insides were already covered in injuries.
Shano himself also had some scrapes, but thanks to his powerful regeneration technique, most of them were already healed.
What a perfect punching bag!
Shano was more and more pleased with the giant dinosaur before him. If they had nothing better to do, he could keep fighting the guy for two whole days!
Unfortunately…
This was the Santora River's mouth. Across the river lay the oasis city of Eruma. More than half the city's population had been drawn by the commotion and were now gathered on the opposite shore watching.
Can't disturb the neighbors for too long…
"Hey, big guy."
Shano grinned. "Getting tired? Your body doesn't seem as tough as before. Guess it's time to end this!"
"Don't talk big, brat!"
The T-Rex roared angrily. "We've barely started, and you're already dreaming of beating me?!"
Though he said that…
Even Hanafuda had to admit—this kid's strength was far beyond expectations.
Just the fact that his body, without any Devil Fruit, could match his own in raw physical power… was terrifying.
He was a user of the Ancient Zoan: Tyrannosaurus rex fruit. In terms of physical strength, even back when he was in the Beasts Pirates, only two or three people could overpower him.
Yet here he was, getting overwhelmed by a regular human body…
Does he have some special bloodline? This physique was almost on the level of King!
"Is that so?"
Shano laughed. "If I don't show you my trump card, you might really think I can't beat you!"
Buzz!
The moment he finished—
His body suddenly swelled massively, reaching over four meters tall in a blink. His bulging muscles twisted like entangled tree roots.
Whoosh!
Despite the size, his speed was still terrifying. Like black lightning, he streaked across the desert and reappeared near the base of the dinosaur's thick tail.
"Hm?"
Hanafuda suddenly felt a chill at his tailbone. Before he could react, a terrifying force surged from behind—
"Up you go!"
Shano's arms bulged again, veins popping like steel cables. He locked his fingers around the T-Rex's black-scaled tail.
With a loud roar, the tens-of-tons giant beast was hurled into the air!
"Wha—"
Hanafuda's pupils shrank. Before he could process it, his vision flipped—the desert spinning rapidly.
His massive 20-meter-long body drew a giant arc in the sky and slammed into a distant sand dune.
BOOM!!!
The entire desert trembled. Yellow sand blasted into the air like a wave, flattening everything within a hundred meters.
The T-Rex's head was buried deep in the sand, and his thick neck twisted at a strange angle.
"Cough…"
Hanafuda turned his head with difficulty, his eyes fierce. "You got stronger… but if that's all, then—"
"Not done yet!"
Before he could finish, Shano appeared beside him again, gripping his tail tightly and roaring with power!
BOOM!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!!
This time, Shano didn't throw him away—he swung the dinosaur like a giant flail, smashing it left and right across the desert!
The ground quaked harder each time. Even the river far away surged with massive waves.
On distant ships anchored near the shore, sailors clung desperately to the masts to avoid being tossed overboard.
All of them watched in horror as the legendary ancient beast was toyed with like a ragdoll by a monster in human form.
"Damn brat!"
Blood flowed from the T-Rex's mouth, staining the sand dark red. Regaining his senses, Hanafuda's eyes flashed with killing intent.
He suddenly opened his massive jaws. Between his sharp teeth, a bright red light began to gather—
"Dragon Breath: Scorching Ray!"