Sandy had no spare attention to care about what was happening to his subordinates. He was completely locked in a desperate struggle against Mangu.
When the mace collided with the bear's paw, Sandy immediately felt an overwhelming surge of force crashing down on him.
His expression changed drastically.
Under the crushing pressure, Sandy's feet sank into the ground, stamping out deep pits as he struggled to hold his stance. Even so, his massive body staggered backward uncontrollably.
Clearly, in a contest of raw strength, even as a Zoan-type ability user, he was still inferior to Mangu—the man born with monstrous, natural power.
After forcing his opponent back with a single strike, Mangu did not hesitate in the slightest. He strode forward at once, unleashing "Hellstorm," swinging the mace in a furious barrage toward Sandy.
How can his strength be this terrifying? Damn it… I've really stepped into disaster this time.
Sandy hurried to steady himself. Facing Mangu's relentless offensive, he resisted desperately, his heart filled with shock—and regret.
The anger was obvious. The regret was even more so.
He had come here to have fun. If there was no top courtesan available, so what? He could have left it at that.
Instead, he had insisted on making trouble.
Now not only had he failed to enjoy himself, he had provoked a monster.
Unfortunately, regret meant nothing now.
Sandy was not weak.
A bounty of seventy-eight million Berry was proof enough of that.
With the power of the Black Bear fruit, he possessed immense physical strength and a defense capable of withstanding cannon fire.
But strength only had meaning in comparison to one's opponent.
And Mangu's strength far exceeded Sandy's.
Just like Kaito Arisawa—although Kaito's bounty was only slightly higher than Sandy's, his true strength was worth several times that amount.
The same was true of Mangu. His combat ability could not be measured by bounty alone.
Under the continuous rain of mace strikes, Mangu seemed like a god of war descending to the battlefield. He suppressed Sandy completely, forcing him backward step by step, never allowing even the slightest opportunity to counterattack.
"It's over."
"Brother Mangu truly lives up to the nickname 'Mad Beast.' Even a Zoan user can't match him."
"Amazing… I've seen Brother Mangu fight before, but every time it's still shocking. Only the captain can defeat him."
The War Pirates, having already wiped out the rest of the Violent Bear Pirates, did not intervene in the duel between Mangu and Sandy.
This was not because they were arrogant or dismissive of the situation.
It was an unspoken rule within the War Pirates.
Under Kaito's guidance, the crew valued both collective strength and individual strength.
Collective strength meant unity.
Individual strength meant valor.
And this was the embodiment of the latter.
When facing a single enemy like Sandy, unless Mangu personally requested assistance, the others would not interfere.
The battle raged on.
Though battered and increasingly bloodied, Sandy continued to endure the brutal "Hellstorm."
From this alone, it was clear that Sandy was far stronger than Andrew had been.
Not only because he could withstand Mangu's assault—
But because Mangu himself had grown stronger since then.
Time had passed. Mangu had not remained stagnant.
Like the "Shave" technique he had used earlier, his strength had advanced significantly through relentless training and abundant resources.
Gifted from birth and honed by discipline, Mangu's growth was astonishing.
"Six Styles: Shave!"
Though taciturn, Mangu possessed extraordinary combat instinct.
After unleashing hundreds of strikes and failing to completely overwhelm Sandy, he suddenly activated Shave again—but instead of closing the distance, he used it to create space.
What's this? Has he run out of stamina?
The sudden retreat caught Sandy off guard.
Gasping heavily, he stared at Mangu from a short distance away. Doubt flickered in his eyes—quickly replaced by hopeful speculation.
The more intense the battle, the greater the strain on stamina.
As a Zoan user, Sandy naturally had superior endurance.
Throughout the suppressed battle, he had felt his strength draining rapidly. It was only natural to assume the same might be true for his opponent.
If Mangu was retreating due to exhaustion—
Then there was still hope.
If he could defeat Mangu, his own powerful defense might allow him to survive the gunfire and break through the encirclement.
"Kill—ah!"
Rallying himself, Sandy roared and charged forward, determined to seize the opportunity.
But the moment he launched his pursuit—
The Mangu he believed exhausted suddenly exploded with terrifying speed.
The abrupt reversal stunned Sandy completely. Even his battle cry faltered mid-shout.
"Hell Spike!"
The massive body moved with unbelievable velocity.
In the blink of an eye, Mangu closed the gap once more.
His right arm drew back like a compressed spring, and with a violent burst, he unleashed the mace from his waist.
The combination of sprinting momentum and explosive force distorted the air around the weapon's tip.
Sandy, already caught off guard, had no time to dodge.
Even attempting to defend was impossible.
Boom!!!
The mace struck his abdomen with devastating force.
The spiked head tore through thick fur and pierced into flesh.
At the same time, the shockwave of Eight-Impact Fist energy embedded within the strike penetrated through Sandy's body.
A visible column of compressed air burst violently from his back.
"AHHH!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he screamed.
His massive body lifted clean off the ground and shot backward like a cannonball.
Damn it!
Landing the hit was one thing—
But as Sandy was sent flying, Mangu's expression suddenly changed.
He withdrew the mace immediately and lunged forward, reaching out to grab Sandy's ankle mid-flight.
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