"Haah!"
With a furious shout, just as the massive slash wave was about to crash into the ship, Don Chinjao bent his legs sharply.
An astonishing burst of power erupted from his body.
In an instant, his figure turned into a blur as he shot forward like a launched projectile.
"Eight-Impact Fist Secret Technique: Headless Dragon Nail!"
Powerful Armament Haki coated his flattened head.
Using the inertia from his explosive leap, Chinjao shot forward like a meteor, ramming directly into the incoming slash wave in midair before it could strike the ship.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion echoed across the sea.
The crackling energy of Armament Haki collided violently with the shockwaves condensed within the Eight-Impact Fist.
Chinjao's head slammed into Kaito Arisawa's slash wave.
The collision generated enormous air currents that rolled outward in visible waves.
The surrounding air rippled violently.
Below, the sea collapsed under the pressure, forming swirling vortices across the surface.
For a brief moment, the two forces remained locked in a stalemate.
Then—
After a single breath of time—
The golden slash wave suddenly shattered.
However, Chinjao himself was blasted backward by the impact.
His body flew through the air at tremendous speed before crashing down onto the deck behind him.
Boom!!
The deck could not withstand the force.
It shattered instantly, a massive hole appearing where Chinjao struck.
The impact was so powerful that his body punched straight through the ship's hull.
He plunged deep into the sea beneath.
Dozens of meters below the surface, Chinjao finally stabilized his body.
He quickly held his breath and swam upward.
Moments later, his head emerged beside the ship, water streaming down his face.
"His head really is incredibly tough…"
Watching the entire exchange from afar, Kaito muttered to himself.
With his Observation Haki and extraordinary eyesight, he had clearly seen Chinjao swimming beneath the water.
Even after colliding directly with his slash wave, Chinjao's head had not suffered any visible damage.
"No wonder Monkey D. Garp smashed eight mountains to train his fists before fighting this guy."
Kaito sighed quietly.
It truly was hard.
Although Chinjao's once-pointed head had been flattened by Garp, the inherent toughness of his skull clearly remained.
After that brief moment of reflection, Kaito's expression changed again.
Interest sparkled in his eyes.
A head that tough seemed like an even better target than the icebergs he had been using for training.
Striking it would probably feel quite satisfying.
"Hurry! Throw down the rope!"
"The boss fell into the sea!"
"Chief! Are you alright?!"
"Damn it! What kind of pirate crew is this?!"
"Didn't we hear they haven't even entered the Grand Line yet? How can such a monster exist here?!"
Kaito's slash wave had shocked the entire Eight Treasures Navy.
After quickly pulling Chinjao out of the sea, many of the navy members stared toward the distant coastline in disbelief.
In truth, the reason Chinjao had arrived so late was because he had not rushed directly to the Treasure Jade Iceberg after receiving the distress call.
Instead, he had first returned to the Kingdom of Kano.
There, he gathered the elite forces of the Eight Treasures Navy before setting out.
That was also why the fleet approaching now was so large.
Chinjao had deliberately summoned the strongest fighters available.
There was another reason for this decision.
When the guards stationed at the Treasure Jade Iceberg contacted him, they informed him that the invaders were the War Pirates—the same crew he had been pursuing for some time.
Under Chinjao's training, Sai had long been recognized as the likely successor of the Eight Treasures Navy's leadership.
Because of this, even the guards of the iceberg were aware of the War Pirates.
And Chinjao understood something very clearly.
If you want to defeat an enemy, you must first understand them.
During his pursuit of the War Pirates, he had personally witnessed the crew's explosive growth.
Even though he hated to admit it, the War Pirates were no longer the easily crushed pirate crew he had once imagined.
They had grown into a formidable enemy.
One that required caution.
Because of this, Chinjao returned to the Kingdom of Kano to summon reinforcements.
Whether out of concern for the Treasure Jade Iceberg or wariness toward the War Pirates, he chose to bring the full strength of his navy.
Standing back on the deck, water dripping from his clothes, Chinjao glared toward the distant coast.
More precisely—
He stared directly at the iceberg where Kaito stood.
From the moment the slash wave appeared, he had already located its source.
"You bastard!"
"I'm Don Chinjao!"
Remembering how he had nearly failed to block that slash—and how he had ultimately been knocked into the sea anyway—rage exploded inside him.
Boom!!!
As his roar echoed across the battlefield, a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body.
Fueled by intense anger, the haki burst outward and surged toward the coastline where the War Pirates stood.
Poof!
Chinjao was still a legendary pirate who once dominated the seas.
Even though his spirit had been deeply shaken after his defeat by Garp, his Conqueror's Haki still carried immense pressure.
As the invisible force swept across the battlefield, several of the weaker War Pirates collapsed unconscious.
Of course—
The number was very small.
The reason was simple.
Every member of the War Pirates had been repeatedly exposed to Kaito's Conqueror's Haki during training.
Kaito used it not only to strengthen their loyalty but also to harden their mental resilience.
After all, Conqueror's Haki was rare—but not unique.
One day they would inevitably face enemies who also possessed it.
If their army collapsed whenever confronted with such power, it would severely weaken their forces in battle.
That was why Kaito had trained them repeatedly under his own Conqueror's Haki.
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
"So someone in the Eight Treasures Navy has it too!"
"But this haki feels much weaker than the captain's."
"Move the unconscious ones somewhere safe!"
The pirates who remained conscious were certainly surprised that Chinjao also possessed Conqueror's Haki.
However, none of them panicked.
They continued carrying out their tasks calmly.
Meanwhile, the wave of Chinjao's haki surged toward the iceberg where Kaito stood.
Kaito remained completely calm.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So that's the level of your Conqueror's Haki."
"It's nothing impressive."
Boom!!!
Suddenly—
Kaito's body erupted with an even more violent surge of Conqueror's Haki.
Standing atop the iceberg, he seemed like the center of a raging storm.
The clash between two kings could never be avoided.
When two Conquerors met, the only outcome was a direct confrontation.
In an instant, two immense invisible forces collided.
One golden.
One purple.
Each expanded outward like a massive sphere of energy.
Although the golden wave had appeared second, it exploded outward with overwhelming force.
The golden Conqueror's Haki expanded violently, smashing against the purple energy field.
Within seconds, it pushed the purple wave backward—
Driving Chinjao's Conqueror's Haki almost all the way back toward the surface of the sea.
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