"Muscle Enhancement — Hell-Crushing Skull!"
A massive shadow descended from above.
Holding a huge spiked mace with both hands, the figure smashed it downward toward Don Chinjao with terrifying force.
The person was none other than Mangu, who had just been blasted away moments earlier.
With Trafalgar Law's support, Mangu had stabilized himself in mid-air. Now he launched a violent counterattack without hesitation.
Activating the power of the Muscle Fruit, he maximized the strengthening of every muscle in his body.
The explosive strength that erupted from him was astonishing.
As the mace crashed downward, it tore through the air and produced a deafening howl.
Chinjao's Observation Haki instantly sensed the incoming attack.
He raised his head sharply, staring at the falling mace without any intention of retreating.
"Haah!!"
With a roar, Chinjao bent his legs and shot upward.
Instead of dodging, he smashed his flattened head directly into Mangu's descending mace.
Boom!!!
The violent collision exploded like thunder.
A powerful shockwave swept outward.
The surrounding air twisted violently, sending everyone within dozens of meters flying backward amid startled cries.
Even though he was no longer in his prime, the old tiger still possessed terrifying power.
Mangu's attack was already extremely powerful.
But Chinjao was stronger.
Although the once-legendary pirate had lost much of his former glory, he still possessed strength far beyond ordinary fighters.
When the mace collided with Chinjao's head, the result was overwhelming.
Chinjao's skull forcibly pushed the massive weapon aside.
Several spikes on the mace shattered from the impact.
Whoosh!
The recoil from the collision surged through the weapon.
Unable to stabilize himself in mid-air, Mangu was blasted backward along with the mace.
"Is this the power of the Pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy…"
Not far away, Law's expression changed drastically.
Seeing Mangu's powerful strike defeated head-on, he immediately prepared to activate the Op-Op Fruit again.
But before he could act—
Whoosh!!!
A sharp sound tore through the air from afar.
In the blink of an eye, it arrived above the battlefield.
The next moment—
Like a meteor crashing to the ground, a figure descended violently between the two fighters.
Boom!!!
The ice beneath shattered violently.
A fan-shaped shockwave burst outward from the impact point.
The force slammed directly toward Chinjao.
Not only did it interrupt his next attack, it also forced him to stagger backward several steps.
"…It's you!!"
When the shockwave faded, Chinjao narrowed his eyes.
The moment he saw the man standing before him, his eyes widened with rage.
"That's right. It's me."
The person who had landed was Kaito Arisawa.
Facing Chinjao's furious gaze, Kaito replied casually.
But he didn't pause.
Before Chinjao could react further, Kaito moved.
In a flash, he stepped forward and closed the distance instantly.
Leaping into the air, Kaito's right hand shot out like lightning toward Chinjao's throat.
Chinjao's anger burned intensely, but his countless battle experiences kept him calm.
The moment Kaito attacked, Chinjao used Observation Haki to read the movement and immediately dodged.
Kaito's hand grasped empty air.
But his expression remained unchanged.
His left foot stepped on the air using Moonwalk, allowing him to pivot instantly.
Using the momentum of his twisting waist, Kaito whipped his right leg toward Chinjao with explosive force.
Although Chinjao sensed the move through Observation Haki, Kaito's smooth transition was too fast.
There was no time to evade again.
With a grim expression, Chinjao could only raise his left arm to block.
Boom!!!
Kaito's kick landed squarely on Chinjao's forearm.
An explosive wave of force erupted.
A powerful gust of air burst outward between the two fighters.
Chinjao's face suddenly changed.
Not only did pain shoot through his arm, but the sheer force was impossible to neutralize.
His feet lifted from the ground.
His body was launched upward at an angle.
Whoosh!!!
Like a cannonball, Chinjao flew through the air.
He shot past the coastline and deep into the interior of the Treasure Jade Iceberg.
Kaito landed lightly.
Then he bent his legs.
Boom!!!
The solid ice cracked beneath his feet, leaving two deep footprints.
In the next instant, Kaito's figure turned into a blur as he chased after Chinjao.
"The captain's attack speed is insane…"
"He didn't give me a chance to show off at all."
"What a pity the captain took the strongest opponent."
"Should we change the battlefield? After all, that guy is the Pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy. The destruction from their fight will definitely be huge."
Back on the battlefield, many members of the War Pirates had stopped briefly.
Among them were Robin, Law, Lafayette, Neferpitou, and the other commanders.
Law had already gathered energy in his left hand.
He was about to launch another Op-Op Fruit attack.
But seeing Kaito send Chinjao flying, he had no choice but to redirect his target toward other enemies.
Meanwhile—
Lafayette hovered in the air.
His paper wings were already aimed toward Chinjao, prepared to unleash a barrage of feather-like arrows.
The same was true for Robin and Neferpitou.
If Kaito hadn't intervened first, Chinjao would have been attacked simultaneously by every commander of the War Pirates.
After all—
Chinjao was the Pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy.
He was their strongest warrior.
But instead of intimidating the War Pirates, his strength had the opposite effect.
Robin and the others weren't afraid of him.
On the contrary—
They had been eager to use him as a whetstone to test their own power.
Now that their best opponent had been taken away, they could only seek other strong fighters within the Eight Treasures Navy.
Meanwhile—
Kaito had already chased Chinjao deep into the Treasure Jade Iceberg.
Soon he saw Chinjao's body crash head-first into a massive iceberg.
Boom!!!
The violent impact shook the entire iceberg.
Cracks spread across the ice wall like a spider's web.
For an ordinary person, such a collision would have caused severe concussion—or worse.
But Chinjao was different.
The moment the impact force faded, he moved again.
Despite his age and heavy build, his reaction speed was astonishing.
Before gravity could pull him down, he slammed both hands against the ice wall.
Using the wall as leverage, he flipped his body and stuck to it upside down.
His fierce eyes locked onto Kaito, who was rapidly approaching.
"Haah!"
Planting his feet firmly against the ice wall, Chinjao gathered strength.
Without a moment's hesitation—
He launched himself forward toward Kaito.
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