"Hahaha!" Hakuba Cavendish laughed maniacally, stepping on Daz Bones, his bloodthirsty gaze sweeping over the surrounding crowd.
The onlookers felt a chill run down their spines. Remembering the pirates' reactions, they finally screamed and scattered in panic.
With them fleeing, Setsuna, who remained in place, became very conspicuous.
Hakuba Cavendish noticed Setsuna, grinned cruelly, and thrust his rapier towards him.
However, when the tip of his sword was just a centimeter from Setsuna, Hakuba Cavendish suddenly froze.
Behind that person, a terrifying demonic phantom appeared, infinitely more horrifying than his own nightmare.
Seeing that demon salivating at him, Hakuba, like a maiden surrounded by burly men, let out a terrified shriek and instantly retreated.
Cavendish's primary personality awoke, rubbing his bleary eyes as he looked around. "Why is it over so soon?"
He quickly noticed Daz Bones lying at his feet and laughed triumphantly. "Swordsman Killer? You're still defeated by this great pirate's sword!"
Cavendish looked up, his eyes lighting up with pleasant surprise. "What a double blessing! I didn't expect to meet you here, Chiaki Setsuna!"
Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "You were looking for me?"
"Of course I was looking for you!" Cavendish gnashed his teeth, indignant. "My perfectly planned debut should have been front-page news. But you, using that decrepit Golden Lion, hogged the headlines for days."
The envy in Cavendish's eyes almost seemed to blaze. "I will defeat you and reclaim my fame and headlines!"
Setsuna fell silent. Such a fresh and unconventional reason for a fight was a first for him.
Setsuna sighed. "Since you know I killed Golden Lion, where do you get the confidence to think you can win?"
Cavendish gave a reserved smile. "I know you're strong. But my Hakuba is invincible. You must have seen it just now. If you don't want to be killed, become my subordinate."
Not noticing Setsuna's barely contained expression, Cavendish continued fantasizing blissfully. "With you under my command, my fame will surely soar. Perhaps the headlines will be mine for a whole week."
Setsuna kindly reminded him, "Why don't you try first, see if that second personality dares to come out in front of me?"
"This is your own request. Don't blame me if you die." Cavendish tried to enter Hakuba Mode. But no matter how he called, no matter how he tried to fall asleep, his second personality gave no response.
Cavendish felt a sense of foreboding. "What's going on?"
Setsuna smiled. "Perhaps because I am more terrifying than him."
"I suddenly think," Cavendish laughed dryly, backing away, "Maybe we can reschedule for another day..."
"Don't be in such a rush to leave. I happen to need a subordinate to fill the vacancy left by Golden Lion." Setsuna rubbed his chin. While he didn't care much for the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, it shouldn't be wasted. Having Cavendish eat it might be a good choice.
"You want me to be your subordinate?" Cavendish was adamant. "I would rather die than serve under another!"
"Is that so? I was planning to give you both of Golden Lion's famous swords and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. If you inherit Golden Lion's legacy, I imagine your fame would shake the seas?" Setsuna sighed.
"Wait, what did you say? Golden Lion's fame?" Cavendish's mind was in turmoil.
He resented Setsuna using Golden Lion to become famous, but not the act itself. He resented that the one becoming famous wasn't him.
"Though I might be [Golden Lion the Second] for a while, with this great pirate's handsomeness and potential, I'll eventually transform that fame into my own. Then, I'll be the center of the world!" Cavendish thought delightedly, promptly declaring, "Captain! From today, I am the sword in your hand!"
Setsuna chuckled. "Weren't you the one who would never serve under another?"
Cavendish declared righteously, "But in my heart, Captain, you are the sun. That doesn't count as serving 'under' someone."
"Haha, I didn't expect you to be so eloquent..."
Suddenly, earth-shaking battle cries erupted from the distance.
Setsuna looked into the distance, quite surprised. "Someone actually dares to attack my fleet?"
Cavendish sensed a chance to prove his worth. "Captain, shall I go deal with them?"
Setsuna waved his hand. "No need to worry. My most capable general is guarding the port."
…
At Nanohana's port, the battle between Hanafuda and Ace was reaching a fever pitch.
Residents near the port had long since fled to a distance, though some foolhardy ones hid and watched from afar.
"It's a battle between the Ancient Zoan, Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Tyrannosaurus and the Logia, Mera Mera no Mi! It's worth dying for!"
"Who is that young man? He's fighting a Warlord evenly? Is another great figure about to rise on the Grand Line?"
Ace's eyes burned with excitement. Fire serpents danced on his fists, clashing repeatedly with Hanafuda's claws wrapped in Armament Haki, erupting in shockwaves.
"Now this is more like it!" Ace laughed, wiping blood from his mouth. The long-missed feeling of a thrilling fight made his whole body tremble.
This was an evenly matched battle. What were those previous opponents he'd faced?
Instantly defeated by his captain, brutally beaten by Golden Lion, utterly crushed by Gaban... It had made him doubt himself.
Now it seemed it wasn't that he was too weak, but his previous opponents were too strong.
"Let's fight to our heart's content!" Ace felt every cell in his body cheering, his gaze so fervent it unnerved Hanafuda.
Hanafuda inwardly cursed, 'A Logia user with the Mera Mera no Mi, yet naming your crew something as trashy as [Gourmet Navigation Group]? Utterly low-class.'
What gave him a bigger headache was this freckled kid's absurd combat talent.
At first, he could steadily suppress him. But after just two or three minutes, the kid adapted to his rhythm, fighting him evenly. Then, after another few minutes, this monster actually started suppressing him, forcing him to retreat step by step.
He had only seen this kind of combat talent in Kaido.
If the kid didn't have horns, he'd have thought he was Kaido's son.
"Can we talk? This is a misunderstanding." Hanafuda suddenly retreated several steps, his sharp claws making a gesture for a truce.
"You'll have to talk to our captain about that." Ace rotated his wrists, flames dancing merrily between his fingers. "I'm just here to fight."
"You have a captain?!" Hanafuda felt his hair stand on end, 'This Logia user was just a crew member? What kind of monster must the captain who commanded such a creature be?'