Shano stepped forward on the ice surface, with the crew behind him closely following, and their momentum grew increasingly solid and powerful.
"It's quite simple."
He raised his head, his dark eyes locked onto Hanafuda, grinning:
"—Just come straight to me, isn't that enough?"
"...?"
Hanafuda's expression froze slightly, then he burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Come to you? A kid who's barely grown any hair? Who do you think you are?!"
He suddenly swung his scythe, the blade pointing straight at Shano!
"Who are you? Crocodile owes me a debt, what does it have to do with you?!!!"
As soon as this was said.
The entire massive pirate ship fell silent, except for the sound of the sea breeze blowing through.
On the ice surface, Shano and the others froze in their expressions.
All the cadres and crew members of the Hanafuda Pirates were momentarily petrified in place.
Only Jack stood dumbfounded with the scythe, looking puzzled.
——Boss Hanafuda's harsh words, weren't they stylishly delivered, why is everyone reacting like this?
"Uh, Boss Hanafuda, don't you recognize him..."
The tall female cadre who had earlier fetched the Radio Snail swallowed nervously, cautiously approaching Hanafuda's ear, whispering:
"That... last time I gave you the newspaper, did you not read it carefully before discarding it?"
"Newspaper?"
Hanafuda frowned, "What do you mean, you've been with me for so long, don't you know I'm illiterate? When have I ever been able to understand that crap!"
"But you always understand the warrants on it, right..."
The female cadre's forehead began to sweat coldly, "It's just those few attached sheets in last month's World Economic News Agency's headline extra edition..."
"I'm also face-blind!"
Hanafuda fiddled with the scythe, impatiently, "Even if I look, I won't remember, damn it, what's all this chatter for, speak straight, say your piece!"
"Yes..."
The female cadre trembled, sneaking a glance at the black-haired young man on the ice, whispered:
"Boss, this guy is the Shano who killed Crocodile, the super rookie with a bounty of 540 million Belly..."
Hmm?
Hanafuda's expression instantly froze.
The motion of spinning the scythe in the palm stopped abruptly.
"..."
Hanafuda's pupils tightened, staring fiercely at the black-haired teenager on the ice, "Shano... are you the captain of the Endgame Pirates, the Great Blade Sword Master Shano?"
"Correction, it's Endgame Adventurer Group."
Shano sighed, rubbed his forehead, "Illiterate and face-blind... do I really have to fight this kind of idiot, it just feels like bullying a dimwit..."
"Stop spouting nonsense!!!"
Hanafuda's forehead was sweating slightly, but quickly resumed his arrogant posture, sneering:
"Ha, just a kid fresh into the Grand Line, only killed Crocodile, and now you think your strength is enough to challenge all Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"I'm Hanafuda! A man whose bounty was as high as five billion five years ago, different from that clown Sand Crocodile who's lost his will to fight and just hides in the desert pretending to be a hero!"
He gripped the scythe tightly, his gaze gradually turning cold:
"However, your statement before is indeed right, Crocodile couldn't fulfill the order because you killed him; this bad debt should indeed be settled with you!"
"Now, you've shown up voluntarily, are you planning to give me three Zoan-type Fruits, or shall I chop off both your arms and one leg, and vent it out as compensation?"
"What if I'm not willing?" Shano replied with a playful smile.
"Such arrogance, kid..."
Hanafuda grinned maliciously, "Looks like you're truly determined to challenge me, let me show you my strength then!!"
Swoosh!
He suddenly stomped his heel, sprang into the air, swinging his scythe down fiercely towards the black-haired teenager on the ice below—
"Challenge?"
Shano slightly raised his head, watching the enormous scythe descending with terrifying wind pressure, a mocking curve slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Pop.
Not until the scythe was nearly embedded into his skin did he finally move, under Hanafuda's bewildered gaze, effortlessly catching the scythe's blade with just his left hand.
"I say, haven't you mistaken something..."
The sharp edge of the scythe was only an inch away from Shano's forehead but could advance no further—his long and powerful hand held the blade firmly and casually, without even using Armament.
This guy's strength is actually this great?
Hanafuda's pupils shrank suddenly, suddenly noticing that the opponent's free right hand had unknowingly clenched into a fist.
Boom!
The next instant, the fist, entwined with Armament Haki, heavily slammed into Hanafuda's abdomen, the terrifying shockwave exploding like ripples!
Hanafuda's eyes bulged instantly, blood spurted out from his mouth!
"Uwah!!!"
His body flew backwards like a cannonball, crashing through several merchant ship sails, and ultimately smashed heavily into the desert on the right riverbank, a cloud of dust rising high.
Shano's calm voice also came at this moment:
"—Clearly, you're the challenger, aren't you."
The entire Santora River estuary fell into dead silence.
Jack and the other pirate cadres were dumb as wooden chickens, while the civilians on the merchant ships were wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.
——Hanafuda, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea with a bounty of five billion Belly, was actually sent flying with a single punch?!
"Ah, did he die?"
Robin seemed utterly unsurprised, turned her head and asked with a smile.
"Not quite."
Smoker responded with a cigar in his mouth, "Even though that punch from the Captain might be too much for others to bear, this guy was once the Big Billboard of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, and hailed as brother by Kaido, belonging to those tough types, won't be defeated so easily."