Jet-black Armament Haki crashed against that seemingly ordinary hand as if striking a mountain peak, utterly incapable of moving it even a fraction!
Realizing this, Chinjao's pupils contracted sharply, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
He remained frozen in his charging posture, his entire body rigid, the ferocity on his face instantly replaced by disbelief and terror.
"No… impossible!"
His entire body trembled violently, veins bulging on his arms as he poured all his strength into the charge, yet the drill-head remained welded in place, unable to advance an inch.
That feeling of absolute powerlessness was even more despairing, even more terrifying, than when Garp had smashed his head flat with a single punch all those years ago!
"Nothing is impossible!" Ivan's fingers gradually tightened, his Armament Haki-coated fingertips sinking deep into Chinjao's skull, friction sparking between them. "Decades ago, your skull was shattered by Garp's fist. Today, I can do the same!"
Ivan clenched his fist, his flesh-and-blood body instantly transforming into sandstone condensed from high-density sand.
The sandstone, clad in jet-black Armament Haki, struck out with a punch that precisely triggered a Black Flash!
BOOM!
A dull thunderclap of an impact exploded right at the center of Chinjao's skull. The jet-black, rock-like fist carried an overwhelming, crushing force as it slammed down.
Chinjao's entire body was as if struck by a meteorite. His head jerked violently to the side, his body instantly arching like a shrimp, the Armament Haki covering him shattering on the spot.
He shot backwards like a fired cannonball, smashing through several layers of broken walls and ruins before embedding himself deep within the distant rubble. Dust billowed, and there was no further movement.
Old Cai's face changed drastically. He cried out in alarm and rushed forward, his voice filled with terror and desperation.
"Grandfather!!"
The members of the Eight Treasures Water Force also instantly fell into disarray, their faces pale as they shouted in panic.
"Boss!"
"Quick, see how the boss is!"
Before Old Cai and the Water Force members could get close, billowing dust suddenly erupted from deep within the rubble!
Chinjao, shrouded in shattered stones, burst forth from the ruins, staggering to his feet.
He instinctively raised a hand, trembling as he touched his own head.
When his fingertips made contact with that long-lost, sharp contour, his entire body froze in place. Utter astonishment flashed in his eyes, followed by an explosion of unbelievable, ecstatic joy.
His skull, which had been sunken for years, was not only completely unharmed after being struck by Fox's fist—it had been completely restored to its original state!
In the next instant, black and red lightning erupted from within him, sweeping out in all directions.
The crackling, intertwined black and red Conqueror's Haki lightning arced around Chinjao, making his aura several times more powerful than before!
Touching his restored skull, his expression maniacal and ferocious, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Fox boy, I thank you for that punch! It has allowed Chinjao the Drill to return to his peak!"
Before his words even faded, all his Haki surged madly into the conical point on his head. Jet-black Armament Haki coiled around it layer upon layer, transforming his entire head into an indestructible, peerless, murderous drill!
Chinjao's gaze turned utterly ruthless. His figure shot forward explosively, the drill-tip aimed straight at Ivan's heart as he snarled viciously.
"Since you saved me, then use your body to fulfill this peak strike of mine! Be pierced through!"
Seeing Chinjao's drill-tip restored, Old Cai's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Trembling all over with excitement, he shouted wildly.
"Grandfather! You've finally returned to your peak!"
The members of the Eight Treasures Water Force also had their spirits greatly lifted, roaring excitedly.
"The boss is back! The peak boss of our Eight Treasures Water Force has returned!"
"How terrifying the boss was in his prime! Even Garp back then had to be careful!"
"That Fox just got lucky! This time, there's no way he can be our boss's opponent!"
Their faces were filled with fanaticism, their bodies trembling incessantly with excitement, as if they had already decided that the restored, peak Chinjao would inevitably crush Fox.
Victory was already a foregone conclusion!
Ivan watched Chinjao, whose Haki had surged dramatically, a mocking, icy sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. His voice was cold and contemptuous.
"So what if you're restored? This is no longer the old era where you ran rampant. The seas of the New World have long since had no ship that can carry an old relic like you!"
Enraged by these words, Chinjao's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. Black and red Conqueror's Haki lightning crackled wildly around him as he roared furiously.
"Arrogant brat! How dare you insult me like this?! Die!
Eight Impacts Fist・Dragon Drill Nail・Green Pepper Gate Opening!"
As his words fell, his entire body transformed into a colossal jet-black drill, piercing towards Ivan with a force that could crush everything in its path!
Ivan merely chuckled softly. Raising a hand, he lightly pressed it against the ground and uttered a low command. Earth Release・Armament Haki・Earth Dragon Technique!"
In that instant, the earth violently split apart. A massive, hundreds-of-meters-long earthen dragon erupted from the ground!
The next moment, the earth dragon violently swung its colossal body, smashing headlong into Chinjao's drill-tip!
BOOM!
An ear-splitting roar tore through the sky, terrifying shockwaves sending rubble and dust flying everywhere.
A crisp, dull sound of bone cracking was heard. Chinjao's newly restored, sharp skull collapsed once again under the earth dragon's savage impact!
All the Haki around his body shattered instantly. He let out a piercing, agonized scream before shooting backwards like a broken ragdoll, smashing heavily deep into the ruins, completely motionless.
Witnessing this scene, Old Cai and the members of the Eight Treasures Water Force all stared wide-eyed, their faces deathly pale. One by one, they cried out in disbelief.
"How is this possible?! The boss at his peak… defeated again with a single strike?!"
"Grandfather!!"
Their livers and gall bladders felt torn apart. Like madmen, they lunged towards the ruins where Chinjao had fallen, desperate to save their boss, their grandfather.
But just as they were about to reach the spot, Ivan's voice, cold as ice, once again resounded across the battlefield.
"Trying to save him? Too late! Earth Release・Earth-Spearing Gun."
The next moment, the earth around Chinjao's body violently exploded. Countless rock spears, sheathed in dark Armament Haki, shot skyward, instantly piercing through Chinjao's limbs and torso, pinning him mercilessly in mid-air!
Blood sprayed and splattered in all directions. The body of Chinjao the Drill, who had once roamed freely across the New World, twitched only a few times before falling completely silent.
A legendary powerhouse of the old era had thus fallen!
Seeing his grandfather brutally killed by Fox, Old Cai's eyes nearly burst with rage. Breaking free from his subordinates, he roared and charged forward.
"Aaaaaah! Fox, I'll fight you to the death!"
A shrewd, trusted aide of the Eight Treasures Water Force grabbed him desperately, urgently trying to dissuade him.
"Young Master, don't be rash! We are no match for him at all! If we don't leave now, the entire Eight Treasures Water Force will die here! Escape first, we can avenge the boss later!"
Old Cai trembled all over, but in the end, reason overcame impulse. He turned, intending to flee.
But the next second, Ivan's figure appeared before them like a ghost, blocking all paths of retreat.
"Trying to leave? Did you ask me?" He raised a hand and lightly waved it, his voice bone-chillingly cold. Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
The earth shook violently. Two colossal rock mountains erupted from the ground, their entire surfaces covered in dark Haki. With terrifying pressure, they slammed together from the left and right!
"Aaaaaaah! I refuse to accept this!"
Faced with such a natural disaster, Old Cai and the members of the Eight Treasures Water Force only had time to let out one final cry of defiance before they were mercilessly crushed by the two giant mountains!
In the next instant, they were instantly flattened into a vague, bloody paste, not even a single fragment remaining.
Thus, the lineage of Chinjao the Drill was completely annihilated.
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