"Hegemony and Might—man, those really led me down some wrong paths!"
Even though Little Sakura's injuries looked brutal right now, her willpower was burning brighter than ever.
She'd first picked up the giants' combat techniques—that move where you gather your will and blast it out in one go.
It tricked her into thinking Armament Haki worked the same way.
But one wrong step, and everything snowballed.
Weapons, weapons—only what you hold in your hands counts as a weapon. Once you throw it, it's a hidden projectile.
The true essence of Armament Haki is building up that willpower inside your body, stacking it until it condenses into haki.
Releasing it or flowing it around? That's advanced stuff.
Little Sakura hadn't even learned to walk yet, but she was trying to fly—so that's why Zephyr beat her so badly without her ever awakening her Armament.
But hey, that beating wasn't for nothing.
"Thanks a ton for the help today, Teacher Zephyr!"
Steam poured off her body as her chakra boiled over, raging with monstrous strength already charged up in the girl.
Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!
She ripped off the tattered ninja sleeves on her arms, revealing two scarred limbs now guarded by Armament Haki.
"You little—!"
Zephyr gnashed his teeth, his face turning beet red.
This damn pirate! Treating him like a damn whetstone?
"Hee hee hee!"
Little Sakura stretched out her hands, powering up. Tangible cold erupted from her flesh.
Sharp, pure-white crystals formed and grew out of thin air, turning into two heavy ice battle axes gripped in her hands.
Armament: Hardening!
Invisible haki coated the ice, turning the axes pitch black.
"You brat!!!"
Zephyr roared, channeling savage momentum into his fist with a earth-shaking rumble.
He pulled his right fist back, Armament Haki gleaming darkly. After a brief charge, he launched forward.
"Star Crusher: Disintegrate!!!"
Facing the ferocious Zephyr, Little Sakura raised her dual axes.
A wild grin spread across her face as she called out, "This time, it's the real deal—Eighty: Owl Commander!"
Flames exploded suddenly, haki roaring like a tidal wave.
The Owl Commander danced, scattering armies with ease!
Dazzling axe light swelled rapidly, clashing head-on with Zephyr's relentless fist winds!
BOOM—!
The cataclysmic shockwave rippled across the entire island, storms raging wildly, churning the sea into towering waves.
Endless axe beams shattered Zephyr's punches, carving two X-shaped gashes blooming across his chest.
"Cough!"
Spitting blood, Zephyr flew backward, arms flailing limply as he crashed through countless trees.
He embedded into the largest Swallow Rock on Swallow Island.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
Smoker and Hina didn't even get a chance to check on him before Little Sakura, stepping in with Soru, knocked them out cold with one punch each.
"That was one heck of a cool fight, Lady Sakura. I'll head out now—see ya~"
Winking at Little Sakura, she vanished in a puff of smoke.
[Notice: Achievement Unlocked—Farewell Forever, Teacher Zephyr. Achievement Points: 100]
[Notice: Achievement Unlocked—I'm Counting on You, Big Sis Sakura. Achievement Points: 100]
[Additionally, Survival Mission Settled: 12 Months. Achievement Points: 40]
[Current Achievement Balance: 840.]
"Finally... won..."
Little Sakura flipped her hair with a flourish, eyes going dark as she leaned against a snapped tree and slid to the ground.
First, she'd tanked Zephyr's brutal beating, awakened her haki, burned chakra for a second Boil Release burst, and then traded final blows with him.
Every step drained her stamina like crazy. Feeling wiped out now? Totally normal.
"Big Sis Sakura!"
A kid's shout echoed from afar. Law had heard the commotion and rushed back, an old man trailing him.
The two crossed the ruined coastline and finally found Little Sakura slumped against the tree.
"Law, told ya I'd win, right?"
Looking like a total wreck, Little Sakura half-closed her eyes and tilted her head at him.
"This is no time for bragging! And seriously, messing yourself up like this—are you sure you're a girl?"
Relief washing over him, Law shot her a grumpy glare, stepping up to use his powers and medical ninjutsu for emergency treatment.
"This isn't a safe spot. Follow me!"
Once Law patched her up temporarily, the elder who'd come looking with him walked over and hoisted Little Sakura onto his back.
"Thanks for the trouble, Mr. Wolf!"
Law tipped his hat and bowed politely to the old man.
After trekking for dozens of minutes, they entered a town on Swallow Island—Joyville.
Wolf brought them back to his home.
Once they confirmed it was safe, Little Sakura couldn't fight the exhaustion and passed out cold.
The next day.
"She... really healed up?"
Seeing the girl chowing down at his dinner table, Wolf's jaw dropped, frozen in place.
Yesterday, she'd been a bloody mess, wrapped in bandages. One night's sleep, and she's good as new?
Do my bandages have magic healing powers or what?
"Thanks so much for your help this time, Mr. Wolf."
Full and satisfied, Little Sakura started unwrapping the bandages. The skin underneath was flawless—no scars at all.
She ruffled the boy's hair and praised, "Law, your skills are improving big time!"
"Heh heh!"
Law scratched his nose, a proud smirk in his laugh.
While Little Sakura and Law hunkered down in Joyville to recover, the North Blue was reeling from her actions.
The World Economic News spread the Swallow Island battle far and wide via news coos.
People were stunned: The former Navy Admiral, the hero Zephyr, and his fleet—wiped out in a straight-up fight by one person.
"The Navy... lost?"
Folks in the North Blue started panicking. They didn't care about elite camps or trainees.
All they knew: That ex-Admiral, once the World Government's top fighter, got beaten by a pirate.
Holy Land Mariejois, Chambers of Power.
The fancy solid-wood table was piled with Little Sakura's intel—from her departure from Fish-Man Island, every battle record, to the final showdown with Zephyr on Swallow Island.
The world's top powers were stressing over one little pirate.
"She's gotten stronger again!"
Satan gripped his cane tight, phantom pain flaring in his long-healed chest wound.
"If this keeps up, she'll be impossible to catch. Don't forget that lord's orders."
Izambaron V. Nasujuro pressed two fingers to his forehead, looking pained.
"So what do we do? Bump her bounty?"
Shepherd Ju Peter leaned back with arms crossed by the couch.
"No way. The ants down below aren't all idiots. Push the bounty too high, and it loses meaning. Keep it at a level that sparks greed, not fear—that's how we fulfill that lord's task."
Marcus Mars shook his head, shooting down the idea.
"Then let's raise it a bit and have the Navy team up with CP for captures!"
Topman Warcury, handling justice and CP affairs, banged the gavel.
"Agreed!" x4
The other four chimed in, wrapping up the meeting.
Along with the decisions flying worldwide? Brand-new wanted posters.
[Witch · Haruno Sakura, Bounty: 600,000,000 Berries, Must Capture Alive]