That is to say.
Whether it's strength, speed, body techniques... or his most proud physique, the opponent is stronger in every aspect.
"Outclassed..."
Hanafuda completely gave up his last bit of resistance, lying down weakly, with a wry smile:
"Today is my unlucky day, choosing just the right day to come to Alabasta to collect debts, only to run into a monster like you... forget it, it's useless to say more, just do it!"
"Don't worry, it'll be quick for you."
Shano said in a deep voice.
"Thank you."
Hanafuda grinned, closed his eyes, and waited quietly for the arrival of death.
Shano drew the tachi from his back, stepped forward, his expression calm.
This is the charm of this sea.
Those who roam here, regardless of their camp, noble or vile in character, adhering to their heart or causing harm.
Those who can make a name for themselves, claiming to be heroes, when faced with the fate of death, all have a bit of pride and courage, having long been prepared.
Of course, occasionally, there are a few shameless exceptions.
But Hanafuda before him clearly did not fall into this category.
...…
A few minutes later.
Covered in blood, Shano stepped out of the sandpit and came to the riverbank.
The entire Santora Riverside was silent.
Whether it was the residents of Oasis City on the opposite bank, or the sailors and merchants on the merchant ships, they all stared wide-eyed at the figure of the dark-haired youth.
"He... won?"
Someone trembled as they spoke.
In the next second—
"He won!!!"
The entire riverbank erupted with thunderous cheers!
"So strong! That was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea with a bounty of five billion Belly! To be defeated so quickly!"
"Hanafuda is dead! The Hanafuda Pirates are completely finished! We've been saved!"
"Lord Shano! Lord Shano!"
The sailors on the merchant ships waved their hats excitedly, some even directly knelt on the deck, bowing heavily towards the riverbank.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving us!"
"If not for you, we wouldn't be able to escape, we'd all die here!"
"Long live the Endgame Pirates!"
"Idiot! Didn't Lord Shano say it's the Adventurer's Guild!"
"Oh, right, right, long live the Endgame Adventurer Group!!!"
The cheers swept across the riverbank like a tide, and some even jumped into the river, swimming desperately to the shore, wanting to get a closer look at this young hero.
However, not everyone was like this.
On the opposite side of the river, Shano clearly noticed.
Many local residents of Alabasta looked at him with wariness and fear, even mixed with hatred.
Clearly having defeated the soon-to-be-slaughtering Hanafuda, saving them, yet this is the reaction?
Shano shrugged, having anticipated this long ago.
After all, this is Alabasta, the country where the last national hero Kuro died by his hand not long ago.
Old Sha had been active in Alabasta for many years, actively hunting pirates, accumulating a good reputation, and naturally had loyal fans among the local residents.
And the scene of his battle with Hanafuda, in the eyes of these people, might be seen as nothing more than a clash of villains devouring each other.
Shano didn't mind this.
It's the result of the populace being manipulated and deceived, the truth will come to light one day.
No.
To be precise, the day the truth is revealed seems to be today.
He seemed to sense something, turning his head to the left.
At the riverbank there, besides his companions, there was another group who had been waiting for him for a long time.
The leading blue-haired girl looked about twelve or thirteen years old, staring unblinkingly at this man. Seeing him look over, she became excited and started waving her arms frantically:
"Lord Shano, come this way, this way this way!"
Vivi?
Shano slightly raised his eyebrows. During the loud call from Hanafuda earlier, everyone on the riverbank heard it clearly, so he had known in advance that Vivi would come representing the royal family.
It's just, this reaction... seems a bit strange.
I am meeting this little lady for the first time, aren't I?
Why does she act like a fan-girl finally meeting her idol?
----------
Shano's confusion was soon resolved.
After their meeting, a simple introduction and getting acquainted, Vivi immediately clung onto him.
Popping up from the left, blocking the right front, constantly asking questions.
"Lord Shano! I had no idea you were so young, only a few years older than me! Can I just call you Big Brother?"
"Big Brother Shano, how are you so strong, throwing the Tyrannosaurus around? That's amazing!"
"Big Brother Shano, how can I become as strong as you? Can you teach me?"
"Hey hey, don't walk so fast, Big Brother Shano! You haven't answered my questions yet!"
"..."
Shano was so annoyed by the little girl's noise, he would rather fight Hanafuda again than endure this torture.
He couldn't help but turn to look at the accompanying Captain of the Royal Guard.
"Um, Uncle, you're called Igaram, right? Is your princess always like this?"
"Uh, no, Lord Shano..."
Igaram wiped his sweat and laughed awkwardly, "Despite Princess Vivi's young age, she is usually very sensible, resilient, and responsible. This time the King is bedridden, and despite knowing the danger, she stepped up to assume the mission..."
"Then why is she..."
"Probably because the princess was overly worried along the way, afraid that people near the port might have already fallen victim to Hanafuda's hand."
Igaram shrugged, "However, carrying such extreme tension, upon arrival, she saw that Hanafuda was completely under your control..."
"Thus, her tense body relaxed, and she subconsciously turned this sense of relief directly into admiration and respect for you."
Igaram understood his princess's mentality well.
Even he underwent a similar mental journey.
Compared to Princess Vivi, who hadn't been much exposed to outside information, he had long heard of the terrifying nature of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Hanafuda.
After all, Hanafuda was once notorious even in the New World, but what happened in the end?
As soon as they anxiously rushed here, they saw across the river, the huge and terrifying Tyrannosaurus being tossed back and forth like a toy, virtually unable to fight back.
Soon enough, it was thoroughly defeated.
The crisis looming over the national head vanished.
And the one who did this was a young man who looked only seventeen or eighteen, with a delicate and handsome appearance.
Witnessing this stunning scene firsthand, who wouldn't feel admiration and awe!
Even he, a middle-aged man, couldn't suppress the excitement and wanted to clear his throat and sing a song for him!
"La la, la——"
Listening to the deep tenor next to his ears.
Shano was further disturbed, couldn't help but rub his temples.
Geez, almost forgot this uncle is an opera lover, the kind of person who couldn't resist singing a few lines even while undercover at Baroque Workshop in the original timeline.
However, with Igaram's explanation, he roughly understood.
Vivi is still young, under continuous emotional fluctuations, easily influenced by hero worship effect, suspension bridge effect, Tyndall effect, Pythagorean theorem, etc.
Finally leading her to become this starry-eyed fan-girl upon seeing himself.
"Speaking of which, you all have a pretty big nerve, approaching me for this reason?"
Shano shook his head, "Don't forget, I am also a pirate with a bounty of 540 million Belly, and your national hero Crocodile died by my hand."
"Someone capable of consecutively defeating the Seven Warlords twice, such strength is overwhelmingly powerful. If you did harbor any ill-intent towards our nation, no matter our precautions, what would they mean?"
Igaram stopped his throat clearing, speaking solemnly:
"Moreover, through this round of interaction, your words and deeds, your way of handling things, isn't it proving our judgment correct?"
"You who help when seeing injustice, who saved so many merchant ships and local residents, definitely not the vicious criminal described in the newspapers!"
"Rather than being on edge with defense, better to speak openly and treat each other sincerely, that's the hospitality we people of Alabasta, growing up in the desert, believe in!"