Uncle Igaram still treats her like a child, coaxing her, but she knows very well that that Seven Warlords of the Sea, Hanafuda, is definitely not some benevolent soul.
Destroying a ship every ten minutes until the royal family fulfills his demands...
Recalling the harsh words the other side left before hanging up, a tightness formed in her chest, and she closed her eyes to pray.
Everyone, please be safe!
The Duck Squad ran desperately, kicking up long trails of sand in the desert.
They didn't know how long they had been running.
Suddenly, Igaram's shout came from beside her: "Your Highness, we're about to turn the corner, and soon you'll see the situation at the river's mouth!"
Have they arrived?
Vivi abruptly opened her eyes, looking up into the distance.
Then, she witnessed a scene that would linger in her memory for life—
...
Thud!
On the sand-laden riverbank, two disproportionate silhouettes clashed violently under countless gazes, erupting in a deafening boom!
"Hahaha, that's quite something!"
Shano laughed heartily as he flew backwards from the billowing sand fog, his feet carving out dozens of meters of trenches in the sand.
Meanwhile, the enormous Tyrannosaurus staggered back, nearly toppling over.
The battle between the two had been going on for over an hour.
Throughout this time, the collision of raw physical might had hardly paused.
Seizing this opportunity, Shano tried out all sorts of Body Techniques that he hadn't used much in real combat to his heart's content.
Many techniques seemed ineffective against the Tyrannosaurus's robust body, but some, using Armament Internal Destruction, managed to break through its defenses.
After more than an hour of fierce combat, Hanafuda's exterior scales appeared relatively intact, but the inside was already battered and bruised!
As for Shano, he had accumulated quite a few injuries, but thanks to his powerful Regeneration Skill, he had almost fully recovered.
What an excellent punching bag!
The more Shano looked at the gigantic Tyrannosaurus before him, the more satisfied he felt. If he had nothing else to do, he could spar with it for two days and nights!
Unfortunately…
This was, after all, the mouth of the Santora River, and across it was Oasis City Eluma. Now, half the city's population had been drawn out by the earth-shattering sounds of battle, gathering on the opposite bank to watch!
They couldn't disturb the residents for too long…
"Hey, big guy."
Shano grinned, "Are you starting to struggle to defend yourself? Your physical defense doesn't seem as strong as it was initially. Now, it's time to end this!"
"Stop boasting, kid!"
The giant Tyrannosaurus roared angrily, "Are you delusional enough to think you can defeat me already?!!"
Despite saying this.
Hanafuda had to admit by now that the strength of this little punk before him was completely unexpected.
Even without consuming a Devil Fruit, his physical strength managed to reach the same tier as his own, which was frightening on its own!
He was an Ancient Tyrannosaurus Fruit Ability User, after all. In terms of raw physical power, even among the Hundred Beasts Pirates he'd been part of, only a few could surpass him.
Yet he was being overpowered by a mere human body…
Did he have some special bloodline? Such physical prowess was almost catching up to King's strength!
"Is that so?"
Shano laughed heartily, "Without using my trump card, you might truly think I have no way to deal with you!"
Buzz!
As soon as he finished speaking.
His body suddenly swelled dramatically, reaching four meters in height in an instant, with muscles bulging like twisting tree roots.
Swoosh!
Even with such a figure, his speed remained terrifying, darting across the sand like black lightning. The next moment, he was already standing at the base of the Tyrannosaurus's thick tail.
"Hmm?"
Hanafuda felt a chill at his tailbone, and before he could react, a terrifying force came from behind—
"Up!"
Shano's arm muscles suddenly swelled a circle larger, bulging like steel rebar cords, his ten fingers gripping onto the Tyrannosaurus's tail, covered in black scales.
With a shout, the massive creature, weighing tens of tons, was forcibly swung off the ground!
"Wha…"
The Tyrannosaurus's lantern-like pupils constricted sharply. Before it realized, the desert landscape spun around.
Its over-twenty-meter-long body traced an exaggerated arc in the air, accompanied by whistling wind, then crashed towards the opposite sand dune!
Bang!!!
The entire desert quaked, yellow sands shot up like giant waves, and the sand dunes within a hundred meters were flattened by the shockwave.
The Tyrannosaurus's head sank deep into the sand, its thick neck twisted unnaturally.
"Cough…"
Hanafuda struggled to turn his head, his gaze ferocious, "Your power has grown... But, if this is all, then it's still…"
"It's not over yet!"
His later words were cut off; Shano, at some point, had once again closed in, gripping its tail once more, suddenly exerting force!
Bang!
Bang!!
Bang!!!
This time, he didn't let go of Hanafuda but firmly held its massive body in his hands, swinging it back and forth as if it were a giant flail!
The tremors grew more intense each time, causing not just the desert but even the distant river channel to erupt with thick columns of water.
From afar, sailors on merchant ships pushed out to the bank's perimeter held on tightly to the masts, barely keeping themselves from being flung away.
They all bore expressions of terror, watching the ancient creature, one that could only be seen in legends, being tossed around like a rag doll by a man-shaped T-rex.
"You damned kid!"
The blood oozing from the Tyrannosaurus's mouth stained the sand dark red. Finally regaining his senses from dizziness, Hanafuda's eyes shone fiercely.
It suddenly opened its bloody maw, gathering a dazzling red light amidst its bright white teeth—
"Dragon Breath - Scorching Beam!"
——————
[PS: This chapter is only five thousand words long, so I'm staying up late to continue writing. Friends who sleep early can read it tomorrow morning.]