"Mangu, I'll leave Andrew to you."
After unleashing the Slash Wave earlier, Kaito Arisawa did not strike again. Instead, he sheathed his golden blade and stood with his arms crossed, calmly observing the battlefield.
When he saw Andrew blast Bunier away with a single punch, Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly. He turned his head toward Mangu, who had been standing by in silence, waiting for an opportunity.
"No problem. Leave it to me."
Mangu's deep voice rumbled out immediately. His gaze locked onto Andrew like a wolf spotting prey, and without hesitation, he strode forward in massive steps.
"Then I'll contribute as well. Since this is training, it's better to reduce the number of enemies a bit."
After watching for a short while, Robin also spoke.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, activating the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit.
Petals fluttered through the air.
From among the resisting members of the Iron Fist Gang, arms suddenly bloomed outward, twisting around necks in coordinated joint locks. One after another, sharp cracking sounds echoed as necks were snapped cleanly.
Kaito remained where he was, silently watching the battle unfold as Mangu and Robin began their assault.
It wasn't that he didn't care about casualties.
On the contrary—if even one of his original Sword Gang members were to die, it would pain him deeply. The former Iron Fist members were another matter, but his own men were different.
Still—
Pain or not, the tempering could not stop.
What he wanted were warriors forged in blood and battle.
Not flowers raised inside a greenhouse.
If they were to become heroes, they had to endure killing and danger.
That was why he had not used Conqueror's Haki to subdue the Iron Fist Gang again.
They were a whetstone.
A tool to sharpen his crew.
Of course, the intensity had to be controlled.
So before letting the full battle unfold, he had already eliminated a large portion of the enemy and shattered their morale. The remaining Iron Fist forces were now roughly equal in number to his own men.
Enough to train.
Not enough to overwhelm.
Thump. Thump—
Mangu charged forward like a humanoid tyrannosaurus.
Each heavy step cracked the ground beneath his feet.
Despite his enormous build, his speed was astonishing. Natural monstrous strength propelled him forward with explosive force, and he closed the distance to Andrew in seconds.
Andrew had intended to finish off the traitor Bunier first.
But when he saw Mangu rushing toward him, he immediately shifted his focus.
"Kill!!"
Andrew roared ferociously, charging straight at Mangu without hesitation.
The mace swung down.
The diamond-ringed fist smashed forward.
Boom—!!!
The two collided violently.
The impact between mace and fist tore through the air, forming a visible shockwave that rippled outward.
Andrew's expression changed instantly.
A terrifying force surged through his fist, traveling up his arm and into his body. His legs buckled under the pressure, and the ground beneath him collapsed into deep pits.
"Damn it!!"
Mangu's strength had exceeded Andrew's expectations.
Despite bracing himself with all his might, Andrew was forced backward. His body staggered as he was driven several steps away by the sheer power of the mace.
The air howled.
Mangu said nothing.
He pressed the attack immediately.
His massive frame surged forward again with savage speed.
"Hell Storm!"
Muscles bulged violently across his body.
With an explosive burst of power, he swung the mace in a furious sequence, the weapon blurring into afterimages that enveloped Andrew from every direction.
"AHHH!! Die! Die!!"
Andrew's pupils shrank.
Facing the overwhelming "Hell Storm," he felt genuine danger for the first time.
Veins bulged across his forehead.
Realizing he could not dodge such a barrage, he roared and threw out punch after punch, meeting the storm head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!
Fist met mace again and again, like cannonballs colliding midair.
Each impact detonated waves of compressed air.
Each clash shook the surrounding ground, cracks spider-webbing outward beneath their feet.
Mangu had not yet mastered Eight-Impact Fist or Haki—the training time had been too short.
But that did not mean he was weak.
On the contrary.
Though he could not compare to monsters like Charlotte Linlin, Mangu was undeniably born with extraordinary talent.
From the day Kaito had taken him in, he had poured effort into cultivating Mangu's strength, ensuring that his natural gifts were never wasted.
Before Kaito's memories of his past life had awakened—
Before the Infinite Talent System—
Kaito had appeared to be the second strongest fighter in the Sword Gang.
But the truth was different.
There had always been a massive gap between him and Mangu.
During their sparring sessions, once Mangu used his full strength, Kaito could not withstand him for long before being completely overpowered.
If Kaito had ever focused on territorial expansion in those days, with Mangu's combat power alone, the Sword Gang could easily have risen to the level of a first-class organization like the Iron Fist Gang.
Mangu had always been Kaito's trump card.
His future spearhead.
The reason he had dared to dream of venturing out to sea.
Now—
Under the rapid-fire exchange, their weapons clashed dozens of times in mere moments.
The surrounding ground collapsed further under the violent air pressure.
Dust swirled.
Stone shattered.
But as the exchange continued—
Andrew's breathing grew heavier.
Sweat drenched his face.
His punches began to slow.
His strength began to fade.
Boom!
"AHHH!!"
Mangu's mace finally overwhelmed Andrew's weakening fist.
A flaw opened.
The spiked weapon smashed into Andrew's torso with brutal force.
Flesh tore apart.
Blood sprayed.
The ferocious spikes ripped a large chunk of flesh from Andrew's body, and the impact sent him screaming as he was blasted backward.
Like a cannonball, he flew more than ten meters in an instant, crashing into a broken wall.
The wall collapsed completely.
Andrew vanished beneath a cloud of dust and debris.
Thump. Thump—
Mangu advanced again without hesitation.
The ground trembled beneath his steps.
Before even reaching the ruins, he swung his mace, sweeping away the debris.
Then—
He saw Andrew below.
Blood-covered.
Barely conscious.
Without a word, Mangu lifted his right leg and kicked Andrew violently upward into the air.
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