Although Hanafuda was being suppressed by Ace at the center of the battlefield, the situation at the edges was entirely different. Hanafuda's pirates swept through their enemies as if they were unopposed.
Not many pirates disembarked from Hanafuda's ship, but they were veterans returning from the New World. Dealing with thugs who had just entered the Grand Line was all too easy.
Under these circumstances, some of the thug pirates finally couldn't hold back and cried out loudly, "Snake God! Please save us!"
Hearing these calls, the sea's surface exploded with towering waves.
Titan's snake head, comparable in size to an island, broke through the water. Its golden vertical pupils gazed coldly down at the members of Hanafuda's crew.
Even elite pirates from the New World panicked when faced with a monster of Titan's size.
"What is that monster?!"
"Run! Aaaaargh!"
Titan swung its serpent tail, smashing a dozen of Hanafuda's pirates into pulp along with their ship.
"My Devil Fruits!" Hanafuda nearly blacked out. His ship contained the three Zoan-type Devil Fruits he was supposed to deliver to Kaido.
Thinking of Kaido's wrath, Hanafuda felt his heart tremble with fear. He did not want to experience a Thunder Bagua.
'Wait... Snake God?'
Hanafuda jolted awake. "You're the [Snake God] pirates who killed Golden Lion?!"
"Golden Lion was definitely taken care of by the captain," Ace scratched his head. "But [Snake God] pirates? What's that? We're the Gourmet Navigation Group."
Hanafuda nearly spat blood, 'That damned Morgans, calling himself Big News, yet couldn't even get the crew's name. If I'd known this was the fleet under the command of the person who slew Golden Lion, I;d never have... Wait!'
"If you have a monster like that," Hanafuda pointed a trembling finger at Titan, who was rampaging through the harbor, his voice distorted, "Why keep it hidden underwater?!"
If he had seen that signature giant serpent, would he have even made a move?
Ace showed a harmless smile. "Captain said it's more polite that way. Titan's size can scare children."
Hanafuda saw stars, 'You're not scaring children, but you're scaring me!'
Having been around for years, Hanafuda quickly calmed down: 'What's done is done. I had to escape.'
He couldn't even handle the kid in front of him. If that monstrous Captain who killed Golden Lion returned, escape would be impossible.
While he'd definitely face Kaido's wrath if he returned like this, Kaido was at least sentimental. He probably wouldn't kill him outright, at most give him a Thunder Bagua.
Ace keenly sensed Hanafuda's shift. "Trying to run?"
Hanafuda took a deep breath, reverting from his T-Rex form to his human-beast hybrid form. The T-Rex form was too big a target, terrible for fleeing.
He leapt powerfully, leg muscles exploding, propelling himself like a cannonball towards the cluster of tall buildings next to the port.
"Hey, hey, we're not finished!" Ace shouted, then transformed into a streak of flame, chasing closely.
Ace pursued through the air, firing scorching fire bullets like a machine gun. But Hanafuda's figure twisted oddly, dodging almost against the walls.
He seemed able to sense air currents, adjusting his posture the instant flames drew near.
"Brat, don't push me!" Hanafuda roared in anger. He was already abandoning his pride to flee, and this brat still chased him?
"If you're so angry, why not stop and fight!" Ace crossed his arms. "Firefly Light: Fire Daruma!"
Countless tiny fireballs materialized, blocking Hanafuda's path.
"Just you wait!" Hanafuda didn't hesitate, leaping from the dozens-of-meters-high clock tower onto the street below. Simultaneously, his tail thrashed wildly, destroying surrounding buildings to hinder Ace.
"Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!"
A blazing pillar of fire erupted from the ground. Hanafuda rolled violently to avoid it, but flames still grazed his back, searing a patch of his flesh.
He howled in pain but didn't stop, turning into a narrow alley.
"Trying to use terrain to slow me down?" Ace narrowed his eyes, chasing in without hesitation.
The alley was cluttered with goods and awnings. Hanafuda's figure tore through it violently.
But just as he rounded a tight corner, he found the path ahead blocked by two figures.
Compared to his over-five-meters-tall beastly form, the two figures only reached his thigh. He could kick them to death. But he was being chased, so he couldn't afford any delay.
"Get out of the way!"
However, the two seemed deaf, still strolling leisurely.
Hanafuda flew into a rage. His right foot, in hybrid form, wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, lashed out at the two.
Thud!
Hanafuda's pupils contracted sharply. He looked down in disbelief.
The man in front had merely raised a hand casually, blocking his full-powered kick. He hadn't even taken half a step back.
He tried to pull back, but a lazy voice sounded from behind.
"Yo, Captain. You're here?"
"Ca... Captain?"
Hanafuda's entire body froze. A chill shot up his spine. He mechanically turned his neck, carefully looking at the man before him… black hair, black eyes, calm gaze...
'Chiaki Setsuna. The monster who killed Golden Lion?' Hanafuda's mind screamed. 'Why am I so unlucky?!'
He'd fled all this way, only to run straight into the monster's hands.
But quickly, Hanafuda's fear was replaced by rage. He was the King of Lizard, a Warlord who roamed the seas freely. How could he simply surrender?
"If you want me dead, you'll pay a heavy price!"
Hanafuda roared, unleashing his full power. His body instantly swelled, pitch-black scales covering his skin. His head deformed… sharp teeth like daggers lined his jaws.
"Die!"
His maw, wide enough to crush a warship, lunged to bite Setsuna's head off.
Without even looking up, Setsuna threw a casual punch, directly into his lower jaw.
Crack!
The sound of bone shattering was clear. Hanafuda's entire reptilian jaw was twisted out of shape by the punch. Excruciating pain made him instantly lose balance. His massive body crashed to its knees, shattering the ground.
"Ungh... Cough!"
He was forced to revert from his T-Rex form back to human, kneeling on the ground. Blood spilled from his mouth, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
"So, where's this 'heavy price'?" Cavendish couldn't help but laugh, though inwardly he was shocked, 'A powerful Warlord couldn't even withstand one punch from Captain.'
'Good thing I hadn't been stubborn earlier. My handsome face was preserved.'
Seeing even Hanafuda's Ancient Zoan body taken down in one punch, Ace sighed, 'It seemed I still had a long way to go before I could take a punch from Captain.'
It took Hanafuda a while to recover. When he looked at Setsuna, his eyes were full of terror, 'It was just like Kaido-san's Thunder Bagua! Though the after-effects weren't as intense, it was still terrifying.'