——Boom!
...
The rain was getting heavier, pounding on the muddy ground and splashing up dirty water.
Chaton leisurely withdrew his gaze from the earth-shattering clash in the distance, turning instead to focus on the seven figures standing vigilant on the high ground.
If you only count people, there are merely seven.
In the middle stood a black-haired girl with a high ponytail, her hand gripping the sword hilt. When she noticed his gaze, she looked back at him expressionlessly.
"Looks like I've...been underestimated a bit."
Chaton's cigar had long since been finished. Smiling, he took a cup from his adjutant, drank a sip to wet his throat before speaking unhurriedly:
"Gorzan, I'm getting on in years and my memory isn't too sharp. Can you help me recall what the bounties of these Endgame Pirate Gang members are?"
"Excluding a few outliers, the average bounty exceeds 100 million, which is quite frightening for the first half."
The young adjutant promptly replied, "The highest bounty belongs to the girl in the middle, Deputy Captain Kuina, precisely two hundred million Belly."
"Two hundred million Belly, huh. That's terrifying."
Chaton let out an exaggerated exclamation, "No wonder with just a few little ones, they dare stand in my way. Gorzan, you say such powerful pirates..."
Boom!
Before he finished speaking, Chaton's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.
The next moment, he appeared in front of Kuina, his pitch-black right leg akin to a war axe, carrying a fierce wind as it sliced towards the girl's head!
"——How many seconds will it take me to defeat you, I wonder?"
Clang!
The bright blade precisely blocked the Armament Hardening leg axe, sparks flying as the ground beneath Kuina's feet suddenly collapsed, spider-web cracks spreading back over ten meters.
This demonstrated the sheer force behind Chaton's strike.
Yet Kuina remained unmoved.
With her left hand she pressed on the back of the sword, muscles in her arms taut, expressionlessly holding Chaton's slash in midair.
Hmm?
Chaton was stunned, how could this be?
He neither used fruit abilities nor practiced swordsmanship, relying purely on physical strength and body techniques to get to where he was today. This seemingly ordinary kick could easily blow the head off a Super Rookie level pirate.
But faced with this girl, he couldn't even make her retreat?
Unconvinced, he twisted in midair, his right leg whipping down again with more force than before.
Clang!
The scene seemed no different from before, the girl in front of him still expressionless, steadily blocking the blow.
"...Uh, Mr. Tokikake?"
Under the stunned gazes of the adjutant and countless Navy soldiers behind him, especially noting another camera-equipped Radio Snail pointed this way.
Chaton's expression turned varying shades of blue before finally settling into a deep frown.
He slowly retracted his right leg, stepping back a few meters from Kuina.
"Interesting..."
Chaton narrowed his eyes, the habitual smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cold battle intent:
"Seems I did underestimate you, 'Rain-Slaying Sword Master' Kuina. A two hundred million bounty doesn't do your strength justice."
"You are stronger than me."
Kuina spoke calmly, "But unfortunately, being slightly stronger isn't enough to break through me. Don't expect to meddle in Lord Shano's duel. Stopping you, I can do it alone."
She then turned to her comrades: "You guys just keep an eye on the rest, no need to intervene."
"Honestly, always wanting to hog the action, just like Captain Shano."
Smoker shook his head with a cigar in his mouth but followed the order, "Understood, after all, you are the Deputy Captain."
The others chuckled and spread out further.
Number 1 Gr had become the focus of the entire Shampodi Islands, not just the Navy, but some shady pirates with hidden motives, and even greedy bounty hunters had appeared at the battlefield edges.
They would not allow anyone to interfere with the captain's duel.
"Huh? Only leaving one person? That's a bit much!"
Raindrops fell from his hat brim as Chaton slowly raised both hands, Armament Haki swirling up like ink to cover his entire arm.
His aura suddenly spiked, the puddles at his feet rippling away with invisible force, forming a vacuum area.
"You actually dare say I'm just slightly stronger than you, really being underestimated here. If so, then I'll get serious and use my real skills!"
Swish!
Chaton's figure vanished again.
This time, he moved even faster, almost becoming a black afterimage, closing in on Kuina in an instant! His fists were like cannonballs, each strike causing the air to tremble and distort, carrying a terrifying force enough to crush a large ship!
Bam bam bam bam——!
Kuina's eyes focused, her Wado Ichimonji in hand turning into a brilliant silver arc, the blade clashing intensely with the shadow of fists, sparks flying in the rain!
Her form was pushed back, each step carving deep furrows into the muddy ground.
Evidently, for her, dealing with Chaton's full-force assault was challenging.
Yet Kuina's gaze remained calm, with a hint of exhilaration.
This man, though rather ordinary-looking with no air of a mighty warrior, truly earned his title of Admiral Candidate, far surpassing an ordinary Vice Admiral, even stronger than Doflamingo!