Chapter 121: You're the Challenger
"Cough, cough…"
The merchant with the gold-rimmed glasses coughed violently, finally able to speak. "L-Lord Hanafuda! You've misunderstood! It's not that the royal family is slow to arrive, it's that this country is just so vast!"
His merchant caravan had traveled all over, but in terms of sheer landmass, Alabasta was one of the largest in the world.
From the royal capital of Alubarna to the mouth of the Sandy River, even on the fastest of Super Spot-Billed Ducks, traveling day and night, it would take a full day at the very least!
And that didn't even account for the time it took for the message to be relayed and for the royal family to react.
"Oh, is that so!" Hanafuda realized, clicking his tongue. He twirled the scythe in his palm. "Dammit, I spent too long in the New World. I almost forgot there were countries this big in Paradise."
He narrowed his eyes, looking out at the sandy horizon, a savage grin on his face.
"…Since it's that far, I guess I can understand why the royal family is taking so long."
"Yes, Lord Hanafuda," the merchant with the gold-rimmed glasses said, just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, Hanafuda suddenly leaned in, the tip of his scythe pressing against his throat.
"But I don't have the patience to wait that long!!!"
"L-Lord…" the merchant trembled. "You've already waited for almost a whole day. It won't be much longer now. I estimate that in three… no, two hours at most, they'll be here!"
Hanafuda looked toward the end of the river. The desert heat distorted the distant view, but there was still no sign of the royal guard.
Another two or three hours?
"Tsk, looks like I'll have to spice things up a bit," Hanafuda said, licking his lips. "Jack!"
"Here!" the burly, golden-haired young man immediately stood at attention, his height now revealed to be over eight meters.
"Go, pick a few merchants, slit their bellies and bleed them out, and hang them from the mast. For every ten minutes I have to wait, hang another one up," Hanafuda grinned. "Since they think it's such a long way, let's let the smell of blood travel a little farther. Let's see if we can smoke those royal turtles out of their shells a little faster!"
Bleed them out?
Jack scratched his head. He had only ever bled chickens and ducks before; he had never done it to a human.
He was a little hesitant, but it was an order from Boss Hanafuda…
He finally pulled out his weapon from behind his back—a giant scythe, just like Hanafuda's—and strode toward the bound merchants.
The merchants were terrified and began to struggle, but the ropes were too tight.
"Lord Hanafuda!" someone cried out in grief and anger. "So many people are going to die! We haven't done anything to you! Why do you have to do this?!"
"That's right! And what did the royal family do to you, to deserve such a cruel punishment?"
The royal family?
Hanafuda sneered. Just as he was about to speak, a beautiful, slender figure hurried over from behind him, holding out a Transponder Snail. "Lord Hanafuda, it's a call from the Alabasta royal family!"
"Hmm?"
Hanafuda raised an eyebrow and took the Transponder Snail. The savage look on his face softened slightly, replaced by a playful smile.
"Hello?" he said lazily, his voice laced with a hint of mockery. "Finally decided to contact me? King Cobra?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a low, serious voice came. "Mr. Hanafuda, this is Igaram, Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard."
Hanafuda's smile instantly vanished.
"A mere captain of the guard is worthy of speaking to me?" he sneered. "What, where's that old geezer, Cobra? Is he too scared to even talk to me himself?"
"His Majesty the King has been seriously ill recently and is unable to attend to this matter," Igaram's voice was still calm, but there was a hint of tension in it. "But as a sign of our sincerity, a reception team, led by Her Highness Princess Vivi, is already on its way to the river mouth at full speed!"
"They should be here in two hours at most. As for your sudden arrival in our country and the blockade of the Sandy River, the royal family is unaware of the cause, but we hope to do everything in our power to reach a peaceful resolution with you."
"A peaceful resolution?"
Hanafuda laughed as if he had just heard a joke.
In the next moment, his smile vanished. He tapped the tip of his scythe on the deck, his face impassive. "Fine. Hand over the two Devil Fruits that Crocodile owes me, and I'll leave immediately and stop disrupting your kingdom's trade."
"Devil Fruits?"
Igaram was taken aback. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with surprise. "We don't have any Devil Fruits… from what you're saying, you had an unfinished deal with Lord Crocodile, and because of his unexpected death, it wasn't completed? But why are you coming to us for it?"
"Why?" Hanafuda's forehead throbbed with veins. "Stop playing dumb! Everyone on this sea knows how close Crocodile was to your Alabasta royal family! You were practically in each other's pockets!"
"And besides!" Hanafuda roared, "Crocodile was buying weapons from me in your royal family's name from the very beginning! That guy doesn't even have a crew! What does he need so many weapons for?! Isn't it obvious that he was procuring them for your royal guard?"
"For the past few months, I've delivered the weapons on time, every time! And what did I get in return? What?!"
"In return, the two Zoan-type Devil Fruits he promised me were never delivered! And now Crocodile is dead! Who else am I supposed to collect this debt from if not your royal family?! Huh?! Who?! Answer me!!"
Silence on the other end of the line.
Igaram seemed about to say something, but the receiver was snatched from his hand. "…It's alright, Igaram. Let me talk to him."
"Hello?" a young girl's voice came through the snail. "This is Vivi, Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom. Hello, Lord Hanafuda. Regarding what you just mentioned, I believe there must be some misunderstanding."
Hanafuda narrowed his eyes.
Princess Vivi?
She's just a little girl, about the same age as his own daughter, Ulti.
What could a little brat like that possibly know?
He was dismissive, but he still said coldly, "Oh? And what kind of misunderstanding would that be, little girl?"
"First, the royal family has never commissioned Crocodile to procure any weapons. And second, the royal family was completely unaware of the so-called Devil Fruit deal you made with him," Princess Vivi's voice was young, but it held an undeniable firmness. "On both these points, I can swear on the eight-hundred-year reputation of the Nefertari family. It is the absolute truth!"
"In fact, we should thank you for unintentionally revealing this information. It has made us suspicious of Crocodile's true motives for being in Alabasta for so long. The royal family has already arranged for an investigation. When we have the results, we will inform you immediately…"
"Too much talking!" Hanafuda said, annoyed, and picked his ear. "What's all this about truths and motives? I don't care about that stuff! All I want to know is, those two Zoan-type Devil Fruits… no, after wasting so much of my time, it should be three now!"
"Three fruits, or you can substitute them with Zoan-type fruit users. Just one word, can your royal family give them to me or not!"
He swung his scythe, and a massive shockwave shot out.
BOOM!
A nearby merchant ship was instantly sliced in two, exploding, and the merchants and sailors on board were thrown into the water, their panicked screams filling the air.
"Did you hear that lovely scream? Your Highness, the oh-so-capable little princess?" Hanafuda grinned. "My patience is limited. It doesn't matter if you can get here in time or not. If you haven't gathered the Devil Fruits I want, then from now on, I will destroy one ship every ten minutes, until the royal family hands them over!"
Click. Hanafuda hung up, his face impassive.
He looked at the dumbfounded Jack and frowned. "What are you standing there for? My previous order still stands. Get to it!"
Jack finally snapped out of his stupor.
"Yes, Boss Hanafuda!"
Just as Jack reached out to grab the first unlucky victim—
SWISH!
A tendril of smoke suddenly shot out, wrapped around Jack's wrist, and yanked!
BOOM—!
He was sent flying, crashing into the ship's railing, which instantly shattered!
Dust and splinters flew everywhere. Jack's massive body tumbled a few times on the edge of the deck before he managed to steady himself and not fall into the sea.
"Who was that?!"
Jack shot to his feet, enraged, and looked around. "Who! Which bastard dares to sneak-attack me!"
"..."
Hanafuda, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. As if he had sensed something, he turned and looked toward the mouth of the river.
The moment he saw what was there, he raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face. "A bit like that Aokiji from the Marines. What kind of ability is that?"
—On the wide Sandy River, at some point, a crystalline path of ice had formed.
Amidst the swirling mist, seven figures were striding forward on the ice.
The merchant ships, which had been frantically trying to escape, now couldn't help but stop and look back.
"I'm just following the captain's orders. You got a problem with that?" a low voice came from the white-haired figure on the far right. He had a cigar between his teeth and tilted his head slightly, his gaze meeting Jack's angry stare.
And to his left, the crew was lined up.
Red Leg Zeff stood with his arms crossed, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's.
Robin, with her black, hime-cut hair, her eyes lowered, a faint smile on her lips.
Kuina, one hand on the Wado Ichimonji, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
And two young women, one on either side of the center. The blue-haired one was radiating a frosty aura, and the orange-haired one had a roaring flame on her head.
And in the very center was a black-haired young man, walking at a leisurely pace.
Shane had his hands in his pockets, his expression calm. The massive pirate ship that was blocking the river, as imposing as a mountain, seemed to not even exist to him.
When the people on the surrounding merchant ships saw his face, a murmur went through the crowd.
"Hey, you've got to be kidding me! Is that…"
"It is! It's them!"
"How did they end up here too… let's go! Let's get out of here!"
"If we get caught in a fight of that level, we're done for!"
Amidst the panicked whispers, Shane looked up, his gaze passing over Jack and landing directly on Hanafuda.
"Hey, you, the Warlord."
"I've been listening to your nonsense for a while now. Threatening merchant ships, threatening the royal family… it's all so troublesome. It seems… there's a much simpler way, right in front of you."
"A simpler way?" Hanafuda narrowed his eyes, twirling the scythe in his palm, a savage grin on his face. "And what way would that be, brat?"
Shane stepped forward on the ice, his crew following close behind, their presence growing stronger and more solid with each step.
"It's simple," he said, looking up, his dark eyes meeting Hanafuda's. He grinned. "—just come to me."
"…?"
Hanafuda's expression faltered for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! To you? A little brat who hasn't even grown a full beard? Who the hell do you think you are?!"
He swung his scythe, the blade pointing at Shane! "Who are you?! What does Crocodile's debt to me have to do with you?!!!"
At those words, a dead silence fell over the entire massive pirate ship, broken only by the sound of the wind.
On the ice, Shane and his crew's expressions all faltered.
And the officers and crew of the Hanafuda Pirates were all frozen in place, as if they had been turned to stone.
Only Jack stood there, holding his scythe, a look of utter confusion on his face.
—Wasn't that a pretty cool and standard threat from Boss Hanafuda? Why is everyone reacting like this?
"Err, Boss Hanafuda, you don't know who he is…?" the slender female officer who had brought him the Transponder Snail asked, swallowing hard. She leaned in close to Hanafuda's ear and whispered, "Uh… the newspaper I gave you last time, did you just throw it away without looking at it carefully?"
"A newspaper?"
Hanafuda frowned. "What are you talking about? You've been with me for so long, and you don't know that I'm illiterate? When have I ever been able to read that crap?!"
"But you can at least understand the wanted posters…" the female officer said, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. "The ones that were in the extra edition of the World Economic Journal last month…"
"I'm face-blind too!" Hanafuda said, annoyed, and fiddled with his scythe. "And I can't remember faces either! Dammit, what are you trying to say?! Just spit it out!"
"Yes…" the female officer flinched. She stole a glance at the black-haired young man on the ice and whispered, "Boss, that's the guy who killed Crocodile, Shane. The super rookie with a bounty of five hundred and forty million Berries…"
Huh?
Hanafuda's expression instantly froze.
The twirling of the scythe in his palm came to an abrupt halt.
"..."
Hanafuda's pupils constricted, and he stared at the black-haired young man on the ice. "Shane… you're the captain of the Curtain Call Pirates, the Tachi Swordsman, Shane?"
"Correction, it's the Curtain Call Adventurers," Shane sighed, rubbing his temples. "An illiterate and face-blind… do I really have to fight an idiot like you? I feel like I'm bullying a mentally challenged person…"
"LESS TALK!!!"
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Hanafuda's forehead, but he quickly regained his arrogant demeanor and sneered, "Heh, a brat who has just entered the Grand Line, so what if you killed Crocodile? You think you're strong enough to challenge all the Warlords?"
"I'm Hanafuda! A man who had a bounty of five hundred million five years ago! I'm not like that Sand Crocodile, a clown who lost his fighting spirit and just holed up in the desert, playing the hero!"
He tightened his grip on the scythe, his gaze growing cold and sharp. "But you were right about one thing. Crocodile couldn't deliver on his order because you killed him. So I should be settling this score with you!"
"So you've shown up on your own. Are you going to give me three Zoan-type fruits, or are you going to let me cut off your two arms and a leg to vent my anger, as compensation?"
"What if I'm not willing to do either?" Shane said with a grin.
"Such arrogance, brat…" Hanafuda sneered. "It seems you're really determined to challenge me. Then I'll show you what I'm really made of!!"
SWISH!
He stomped his foot and shot into the air, swinging his scythe down at the black-haired young man on the ice—
"Challenge?"
Shane looked up, a mocking smile on his lips as he watched the massive scythe descend, trailing a terrifying wind pressure.
Slap.
He only moved when the scythe was just about to embed itself in his face. To Hanafuda's shock, he caught the blade with just his left hand.
"I think you've misunderstood something…"
The sharp edge of the scythe was just an inch from Shane's brow, but it wouldn't budge—his slender but powerful hand was clamped around the blade, and he hadn't even used Armament Haki.
This guy's strength… is it really this great?
Hanafuda's pupils constricted. At the same time, he suddenly noticed that his opponent's free right hand had, at some point, clenched into a fist.
BOOM!
In the next instant, the fist, coated in Armament Haki, slammed into Hanafuda's abdomen, and a terrifying shockwave erupted!
Hanafuda's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood!
"WAAAAAH!!!"
His body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through the sails of several merchant ships before finally slamming into the desert on the right bank of the river, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Shane's calm voice came at that moment. "—you're the challenger, right?"
A dead silence fell over the entire Sandy River.
Jack and the other pirate officers were dumbfounded, and the civilians on the merchant ships were all gaping, unable to believe what they had just seen.
—Hanafuda, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a great pirate with a former bounty of five hundred million Berries, had been sent flying with a single punch?!
"Ara, is he dead?"
Robin seemed completely unsurprised and asked with a smile.
"Not likely," Smoker replied, a cigar between his teeth. "A normal person might not be able to take a punch like that from the captain, but this guy was once one of the All-Stars of the Beast Pirates, a brother-in-arms to Kaido. He's the tough, thick-skinned type. He won't go down that easily."
As if to prove his words, in the next moment.
Rumble—!!!
The entire desert on the right bank of the river began to tremble violently, like an ancient beast awakening from its slumber.
"Hey!"
"What's going on?! What's that noise!"
On the merchant ships closest to the shore, the sailors' eyes widened in terror.
Before them, the previously calm sand was now churning like a boiling pot of oil, the yellow sand rolling and surging like waves!
"ROAR!!!"
An earth-shattering roar suddenly ripped through the heatwave, the sound waves creating visible ripples in the air!
A massive creature burst from the sand, and the sandstorm it created instantly blotted out half the sky.
—It was a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex, over twenty meters long.
Its body was covered in dark scales, and a sweep of its thick tail snapped several nearby poplar trees in two. Its gaping maw was filled with sharp, white teeth that glinted coldly.
It turned its head, and when it saw the black-haired young man on the shore, its eyes were filled with a savage, violent rage. "You… brat, you've really pissed me off! Get over here!!!"
"No wonder his epithet is the 'Lizard King,'" Smoker said, frowning. "So it's the Ancient Zoan, T-Rex Fruit. A very rare one indeed…"
He had seen a guy named Drake at Headquarters before, who had a similar fruit ability, but it was just an Allosaurus. And even then, he had been strong enough to overwhelm him, and he was now a Rear Admiral at Headquarters.
And an Allosaurus, compared to a Tyrannosaurus Rex… was nothing.
"He does look a little scary," Shane said, looking up at the giant T-Rex with interest. The commotion from its transformation had almost made him think he had been transported to the set of an Ultraman movie.
"Why don't we just ignore him?" Nojiko said with a grin. "The ice I made is very thin. If he tries to charge over here, he'll probably just fall into the sea. This form may be scary, but on the shore, he's no threat to us."
That's right.
Her brother had brought back the Snow-Snow Fruit, but Kuina, stubbornly determined to become a pure swordsman, had refused to eat it. And Uncle Zeff had said that a chef of the sea couldn't be a hammer, and if he had wanted to eat a Devil Fruit, he would have done it in his youth. Gin and the little mochi-like creature had been even more dismissive…
So, in the end, she was the one who ate it.
Nojiko loved the cool effects of the fruit and had been diligently studying it for the past few days.
She had pretty much gotten used to it now and had even combined it with her martial arts to develop several powerful moves.
"We can't just ignore him," Shane grinned. "It's been a long time since I've seen a guy this tough. It's a rare opportunity to have such a good sandbag. How can I not let loose a little?"
Oh, and there was another tough guy.
He looked at Jack on the big black pirate ship, who was still standing there, dazed.
This guy seemed to be a rookie. A far cry from the Drought who had dared to charge a ship full of Marine big shots. He probably didn't need to worry about him.
"The Hanafuda Pirates' officers are all yours. Let Gin come down and help. Try not to damage the merchant ships."
"Don't worry, Captain. Leave it to us," Kuina nodded, then looked back. "As for the merchant ships, they're smart enough. They've already pulled back a long way."
"Mmm, then I have nothing to worry about. I can go and have some fun with this Warlord," Shane said, his gaze shifting to the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex.
"Hey, brat! Why aren't you coming over here?!" the T-Rex stared at him, a savage grin on its face. "Are you scared, after seeing the power of your great Lord Hanafuda?!"
"The guys from the Beast Pirates really aren't that bright," Shane sighed.
He rolled his neck slightly, and a series of loud pops, like firecrackers, echoed in the air.
CRACK!
In the next moment, the ice on the surface of the river exploded, and the black-haired young man's figure instantly vanished
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