Chapter 86: A Century-Long Duel! The Despicable Candleman!
"BOOM—!!!"
Without any warning, the active volcano in the center of Small Garden let out a world-shaking roar.
Billowing smoke shot into the clouds, and the red glow of molten lava dyed half the sky.
To the two kings of this primordial island, this was not a warning of disaster, but the signal for a sacred ritual that had lasted for a full hundred years.
"Gahahaha!!"
Beside a massive pile of bones, Dorry the Blue Ogre set down the huge piece of roast meat in his hand, casually wiped the grease from his mouth, and stood up with a laugh.
His mountain-like body cast a massive shadow.
He grabbed his notched giant sword and shield, then said to Luffy at his feet:
"Guest! I'm going to battle! This is the call of the God of Elbaf!"
Luffy looked up at the giant's heroic back, his eyes sparkling like stars.
This kind of manliness, which disregarded everything else to fight for honor alone, deeply moved him.
"Oh! Go for it, old man! You have to win!"
Dorry laughed heartily and reached for the massive barrel at his feet—it was the wine Luffy had just brought him, and he intended to take a swig for courage before setting off.
However, no one noticed.
Deep in the shadows of the jungle, a wretched-looking man with hair shaped like the number "3" was deviously pushing up his glasses.
Mr.3 (Candleman).
He had been lurking for a long time, using his Wax-Wax Fruit powers to create undetectable tiny wax shavings and mix them into that barrel.
Those seemingly ordinary wax shavings were actually high-concentration powerful explosives.
"Heh heh heh... Drink up, you stupid giant. With just one sip, your internal organs will be blown to pieces."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Mr.3's mouth as he quietly waited for that "brilliant" moment.
Just as Dorry tilted his head back, about to pour the "spiced" fine wine into his mouth at the critical moment.
"Whoosh—!!"
A black afterimage suddenly plummeted from the towering trees above.
Before Dorry could react, Tatsuya's figure had already carved a sharp arc through the air.
"Ha!!"
Tatsuya delivered a heavy kick to the bottom of the massive wine barrel.
"Bang!"
The barrel flew out of Dorry's hand, soaring straight into the high sky.
The next second.
"BOOM!!!!!"
A massive explosion resounded through the jungle.
The wine barrel, which had seemed harmless, exploded violently in mid-air, turning into a massive orange-red fireball.
The terrifying shockwave even snapped the branches of several nearby large trees, and burning wood chips fell like rain.
Dorry was stunned, frozen in the pose of holding a cup, staring blankly at the sparks in the sky.
If that kick had been half a second slower, that fireball would have exploded inside his stomach.
"Tap."
Tatsuya landed lightly on the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, looked up at the bewildered giant, and said with a smile:
"Big guy, drinking without checking the label... can get you killed."
"Huh?!!"
Only then did Luffy react. Looking at the fire in the sky, he was instantly enraged, practically exploding with anger:
"A... a bomb?! There was actually a bomb in that barrel?!"
"Tatsuya!! Who did it?! I'm going to kick their ass!!"
"Despicable coward..." Dorry's face darkened as he gripped his giant sword.
However, the volcano in the distance was still erupting, meaning the signal for the duel was still ongoing.
Even though he had just escaped death, and even though he knew someone in the shadows wanted him dead, Dorry's eyes became firm once again.
"No matter which despicable coward it is..."
Dorry stepped forward, heading toward the dueling ground, his voice as firm as thunder:
"The volcano has erupted! This is a sacred duel between warriors! No reason can stop me from keeping my appointment!"
"Hey! Old man! You're injured, aren't you? The explosion just now caught you!" Luffy shouted.
"So what? Honor is more important than life! Gahahaha!" Dorry laughed and walked away without looking back.
Tatsuya frowned, about to chase after him to stop him.
A hand suddenly reached out and firmly pressed down on Tatsuya's shoulder.
Luffy's head was lowered, his Straw Hat obscuring his eyes, but the hand holding Tatsuya was trembling slightly.
"Let him go... Tatsuya."
Luffy's voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable authority:
"This is... a duel that belongs to warriors."
Tatsuya looked at Luffy and remained silent for a few seconds.
"...Fine then."
Tatsuya sighed, but the red light in his eyes became even sharper: "You're the Captain, you have the final say."
"However..."
Tatsuya turned around, looking toward the seemingly calm shadows deep in the jungle, a cold smile curling on his lips:
"While we can't interfere in the duel, those little rats causing trouble in the back... we can't just ignore them."
...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the other end of the jungle, the world-shaking sounds of collision had already begun.
"Ha!! Again! Brogy!!"
"Gegagagaga! Dorry! I'm definitely going to make you surrender today!!"
Every time the two giants' weapons collided, a shockwave capable of destroying mountain peaks erupted, making all of Small Garden tremble under this power.
At the same time.
"Hehehe... Found you, Straw Hat."
In the bushes of the jungle, two familiar figures appeared once again.
Mr.5 and Miss Valentine, who had been taught a lesson by Tatsuya before, were now staring venomously at the giants' battlefield and the Straw Hat Pirates.
Called in as backup by Mr.3, their eyes flashed with the light of revenge.
"While the giants are fighting,Catch them all in one fell swoop!"
Further in, inside a hidden small house built entirely of white wax.
Mr.3 was leisurely drinking tea, thinking he was perfectly safe: "That red-eyed brat may be sharp, but inside my 'Candle House,' all presence is blocked out. He won't be able to find me."
"When the giants are both wounded, I can reap the benefits and turn them all into wax statues! Hee hee hee!"
However.
"Rustle..."
The sound of leaves rubbing together was extremely faint above his head.
Tatsuya moved continuously through the treetops, his black figure almost merging with the tree shadows.
Suddenly, he stopped on the trunk of a towering tree.
Tatsuya looked down, his activated Three-Tomoe Sharingan instantly locking onto the "empty" patch of grass below.
To an ordinary person, there was nothing there.
But in the eyes of an Uchiha, that nauseating candle energy was as conspicuous as a torch in the dark, with nowhere to hide.
"Heh..."
Tatsuya let out a disdainful cold laugh:
"Finally found you, rat hiding in a turtle shell."
He stood on the branch, his hands weaving signs like butterflies fluttering through flowers.
"The game of hide-and-seek is over."
Tatsuya took a deep breath, and Chakra surged toward his throat.
[Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!]
Poof! Poof! Poof!
With Tatsuya's breath, several scorching fireballs, like the seeds of a phoenix flower, whistled down from the canopy.
These fireballs didn't attack in a straight line; instead, under the control of Tatsuya's Chakra, they seemed to have eyes of their own.
They carved eerie arcs in the air, bypassing the obstructing trees and accurately striking a certain point in that clearing deep in the jungle!
Boom boom boom!!
The flames exploded.
The "empty" patch of grass distorted instantly, revealing white candle walls.
Immediately after, the wax melted rapidly under the high temperature.
"Waaaaah!! So hot!! Hot hot hot!!"
Accompanied by a shrill scream, a man with hair shaped like a burning "3" rolled out from the camouflage in a wretched state, his butt on fire.
"Who?! Who burned this great one's artwork?!" Mr.3 roared, his face covered in soot.
The only answer he received was a black figure descending from the sky and those eyes flashing with an eerie red light amidst the smoke and fire.
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