Slardar's mouth twitched. He patted Katakuri on the shoulder and comforted him:
"Some things just can't be forced. Rather than being jealous, it's better to spend more time training."
He knew very well just how freakish Tengetsu Ares's learning ability was.
But not everyone could have that kind of monstrous talent.
At this moment, all the gazes around the harbor were locked on Ares.
Ares looked straight at Chinjao and urged him, impatiently:
"What are you standing there for? Attack me already."
Chinjao did not waste his breath. He took a heavy step forward, stone tiles cracking under his feet.
Then he charged like a living projectile, drill head hardened with Armament Haki, ramming straight toward Ares.
"Hasshoken Drill Head!"
Clang !
A screech of metal on metal rang out.
Head down, Chinjao felt something was very wrong.
At the same time, exclamations erupted all around them.
"T-that's… that's the strongest monster! H-he stopped Chinjao's attack with his body!"
"What kind of monstrous body is that?! Even a pirate worth 400 million like Chinjao can't injure him?!"
"This has to be staged, right? How can someone just take Chinjao's strike with their bare flesh?!"
"Monster! He's a complete monster!!!"
"Ares is terrifying. He's not even human!"
"What did I just witness… So this is Blood-Hand Tengetsu Ares's strength? No wonder he said he wasn't interested in Chinjao. The gap in strength is so huge there's no hope of winning."
"…"
The watching pirates all felt their scalps go numb with shock.
Chinjao's heart, meanwhile, sank straight into the abyss.
How could he not understand what had just happened?
Ares had not taken any defensive posture at all. He had simply let the attack land on his body.
And yet his attack had not managed to inflict even the slightest injury.
This kind of "dimensionality reduction" blow shattered Chinjao's entire worldview.
"Impossible!!!"
Chinjao jerked his head up, staring at Ares in disbelief, roaring hysterically:
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
"No one can withstand my drill head! No one can withstand my Hasshoken!"
"I don't believe it!"
In that moment he looked almost deranged.
For him, the blow was unprecedented.
The drill on top of his head, that unique shape, was his greatest source of pride and confidence.
And yet…
A single head-first strike had failed to do anything to Ares.
Behind him, the pirates of the Happo Navy all went pale with shock, their jaws hanging open.
Ares, however, had not done it just to show off.
He genuinely wanted to feel Hasshoken first-hand so he could analyze it and understand more of its nuances.
The results were pretty good.
He really had gleaned some insights from it.
Of course…
He had also been absolutely confident that he could take Chinjao's strike. That was why he had offered no defense.
And reality had proven him correct.
He stopped Chinjao's attack without issue.
He just did not realize how devastating that one choice had been to Chinjao's psyche.
Chinjao had mentally collapsed.
"I don't accept this! I'll use my strongest attack!!"
"I don't believe you can withstand the Hasshoken I've honed for thirty years!!"
"I'll use my strongest blow and shatter every bone in your body!"
Chinjao bent his legs. Wind gathered around him.
In the next instant, he shot up like a rocket, blasting into the sky with all his strength.
Whoosh !
Everyone could not help looking up.
Even the most clueless pirate could tell: Chinjao was going all-out now. This was his ultimate move.
When he reached a certain height, Chinjao's body flipped. His drill head aimed straight down.
Shockwaves gathered and converged onto that sharp point, concentrating all of his power into a single spot.
"Hasshoken Secret Technique Drill Dragon Nail!!"
As he plummeted at high speed, Chinjao stared fixedly at Ares.
He wanted to personally witness this man having every single bone in his body crushed by his attack.
Ares's eyes narrowed. His right hand clenched into a fist.
His terrifying muscles shifted and layered, like soldiers donning heavy armor.
The strength hidden beneath that armor-like flesh roared like a great river, surging from his body into his arm, making it swell even thicker and more terrifying.
Destructive power flooded his arm.
Shockwave-like ripples spread out over his fist, layered one over another like waves on water.
"Great Ape King Fist Impact!"
He still did not use his unique blood-red Armament.
For some time now, he had been using his Haki to temper the bones in his arm, making them even harder, surpassing steel.
Boom !
His punch shot out.
Fist and drill collided. Light burst out where they met, sparking and crackling.
Chinjao's expression changed drastically.
He felt an irresistible force sweep in, crushing his Armament and the shockwaves of his Hasshoken as easily as snapping a twig.
The power flooded into his body and rampaged through it, wreaking havoc.
And the drill on his head… under Ares's punch, it flattened like modeling clay.
The impact turned Chinjao's mind to mush; his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Everyone watching was horrified their eyeballs seemed ready to spring right out of their skulls.
In barely one or two seconds…
Chinjao's body was sent hurtling backward. Blood spewed from his mouth, scattering through the air like a crimson firework.
Splash !
He smashed into the sea like a cannonball, throwing up a massive column of spray.
"Boss Chinjao!!!"
"Boss Chinjao fell into the water!!!"
"Quick, hurry and save Boss Chinjao!!"
"…"
The Happo Navy pirates dove into the sea one after another, while others steered their ship urgently toward where Chinjao had fallen.
Only then did the pirates on the dock finally come back to their senses.
They now feared Ares as if he were some vengeful sea god.
"Hey, hey, did you see clearly? Ares just now really used Hasshoken!"
"I saw it. Maybe not exactly the same, but at least seventy, eighty percent similar. He actually learned Hasshoken in that short a time!"
"It's unbelievable. Hasshoken is the technique the Happo Navy is most proud of, and Ares learned it in a few minutes. His learning ability is terrifying."
"A pirate worth 400 million like Chinjao was completely helpless in front of Ares!"
"Monster. He's a terrifying monster. Is there really anyone on this sea stronger than Blood-Hand Tengetsu Ares?!"
"…"
The whole harbor was in an uproar.
Ares drew back his fist. His expression did not ripple at all, as though he had just done something trivial.
From his perspective…
That was the truth. Chinjao's strength really was too weak to interest him.
The only thing that interested him was Hasshoken.
Ares turned his head and said to Kaido:
"Kaido, I'll leave things here to you. I've had some insights I need to go train them out."
Right now…
He only wanted to find a quiet place to work through the Hasshoken he had just learned, and then blend it into his own fighting style.
Make it his.
"Leave it to me, big bro Ares. As long as I, Kaido, am here, no one is going to stir up trouble!" Kaido thumped his chest, full of confidence.
Wang Zhi watched Ares's back as he left.
"That guy looks like he just picked up a few new tricks again. He really is like a sponge that never gets full."
Silver Axe was already used to it.
"If nothing unexpected happens, once Ares fully digests what he's learned, his strength is going to shoot up again."
Katakuri said expectantly:
"Once big bro Ares has mastered it, I can ask him to teach me Hasshoken too."
"That kind of fist really feels right for me. High offense, high defense."
He knew that no matter how hard he trained, in terms of physical raw stats…
He was still far behind Captain Ares and Kaido, those two monsters.
Hasshoken, however, felt like a perfect fit for him. If he learned it and combined it with his Mochi-Mochi Fruit, his combat power would definitely rise sharply.
After Ares left…
Kaido hefted his spiked club onto his shoulder again. He glared around at the pirates, voice booming:
"Did you see that?! That's what happens when you don't know your place!"
"He wanted to challenge big bro Ares, but he couldn't even take one punch from him!"
"Pathetic!"
"You all listen up! Anyone who dares cause trouble on this island in the coming days once we find you, there's only one road left: death!!"
Kaido's voice was like a massive bell, shaking the air and ringing in everyone's ears.
The pirates went silent in terror.
Wang Zhi then called over a group of pirates and laborers, assigning them to repair the ruined dock.
Despite all the killing and looting, pirates came from all walks of life. Among them were many with skills spanning all kinds of trades.
Time passed. About an hour later…
Another pirate ship docked at Hachinosu.
On the deck stood a tall man in samurai robes, a long sword with a white hilt at his waist.
What did not match his traditional appearance was the cigarette drooping from his lips.
Staring at the island ahead, he muttered to himself:
"So this is Hachinosu. I heard Ares is an officer in the Rocks Pirates."
The samurai pulled a bounty poster out from his clothes.
Tengetsu Ares.
Bounty: 2,800,000,000
"The surname 'Tengetsu'… To see it outside of Wano. That's the name of the Tengetsu clan, one of the five great families of Wano…"
"And his appearance… vaguely resembles the former head of the Tengetsu family, the one who fled Wano."
"No matter what, I have to find Ares and ask him face to face."
As he spoke, his cigarette had already burned down.
The samurai pulled out another pack, slid a new cigarette between his lips, and lit it. As he did, he could not help praising:
"The world outside really is vast. Compared to closed-off Wano, there is no way I want to go back there."
"These cigarettes are not bad at all. In Wano, it was always the same few kinds again and again."
He took a deep drag.
"Hss "
"Ha "
White smoke curled from his lips. His face relaxed into an expression of pure enjoyment.
Anyone seeing that look would subconsciously want to "offer him another one."
The pirate ship quickly dropped anchor and stabilized.
One of the pirates came running, wearing a respectful, slightly fearful expression.
"Samurai-dono, as you ordered, we've arrived at Hachinosu."
"The Tengetsu Ares you're looking for should be somewhere on the island."
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