ALL NOVEL Chapter 62: CHAPTER 62
"Hateful!"
Chinjao gritted his teeth and channeled more of his Armament Haki, reinforcing his shoulders as a defense.
Boom!
The spinning attack struck Alastor's chest with immense force, while Alastor's flaming fist simultaneously slammed into Chinjao's shoulder. The impact sent Alastor flying backward, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His injuries were significant but not debilitating.
Chinjao staggered, his shoulder throbbing with pain as if it were on the verge of shattering. He winced and clenched his teeth. The realization dawned on him: the navy had been right to place a bounty exceeding 600 million berries on the young man standing before him.
Alastor wiped the blood from his mouth, his lips curling into a grin. "As expected of someone who once rivaled Garp the Fist. Even in your old age, you're still strong. Good. Increase your power—I'm starting to enjoy myself!"
"Enjoy yourself?"
Chinjao's face twitched in disbelief. Even Garp had never been so dismissive of his Hasshoken.
"Boy, you've truly infuriated me!" Chinjao snarled. "Though the old man has long left his prime, don't think I've been sitting idle all these years! Come and experience the terror of my new technique!"
His beard bristled like steel needles, and his overwhelming Haki radiated outward, creating a violent hurricane that caused even his grandsons, Sai and Boo, to stumble.
"The old man is going all out. We shouldn't stay here!" Boo said, glancing at Sai.
Sai nodded. "Let's go outside and support the others."
The two rushed out of the hall to join the battle raging beyond.
The palace grounds were in utter disarray. The guards of the Kingdom of Flowers, though superior in numbers, were being overwhelmed. It was a crushing defeat.
At the forefront of the chaos was a ferocious Spinosaurus, a beast so terrifying that it drained the morale of even the bravest guards. Most of them fled in panic, unable to muster the courage to face such a monster.
Sai stepped forward, wielding his naginata. "I'll handle that Spinosaurus!" he declared, ready to prove himself.
But before he could engage, a young swordsman, dressed in the attire of a samurai, blocked his path.
"Who are you?" Sai demanded, gripping his weapon tightly.
The swordsman's voice was calm, almost emotionless. "Shimotsuki Onimaru."
Sai's eyes narrowed as he sized up his opponent. The boy's sword, cloaked in Armament Haki, gleamed ominously.
"Shimotsuki One-Sword Style: Black Serpent!"
Onimaru struck with precision and lethal intent, his blade slicing through the air like a venomous snake aiming for Sai's throat.
The sheer ruthlessness of the attack shocked Sai. This boy was young but utterly unrelenting, his swordplay a pure embodiment of kill-or-be-killed.
Sai, relying on his extensive combat experience, quickly recognized Onimaru's style—a relentless offensive that sacrificed all defense. A life-for-life approach. It reminded him eerily of Alastor in the hall.
"Are all the Beasts Pirates this insane?" Sai muttered, a chill running down his spine.
Unwilling to risk a fatal blow, Sai instinctively retreated, prioritizing survival over victory. Yet Onimaru pressed forward, his attacks a relentless storm.
Though Sai held the upper hand in strength, he found himself on the defensive, unable to match the boy's suicidal fervor. Worse, he realized with growing alarm that Onimaru's skill seemed to be improving mid-battle.
"This... this boy is growing stronger!" Sai thought, a mix of frustration and fear gripping him.
Inside the hall, Chinjao reached his peak of fury.
"Hasshoken Ultimate Art: Cone Dragon Cone Spike!"
Chinjao roared, gathering his Armament Haki and infusing it with the overwhelming force of his Conqueror's Haki. His once-flat head glowed with energy as he launched himself skyward, smashing through the palace roof.
High above, Chinjao clasped his hands together and descended with incredible speed, his head aimed like a meteor toward Alastor.
Alastor's eyes lit up with exhilaration. Every fiber of his being thrummed with excitement as he felt the intensity of Chinjao's attack.
He inhaled deeply, spinning on the spot as sparks ignited beneath his feet. The sparks spread upward, engulfing his body in black flames that blended seamlessly with his Haki.
When the spinning ceased, Alastor stood shrouded in a blazing aura of black fire, his hair and eyebrows untouched by the heat.
"This is my ultimate physical art: Magic Flame Martial Body!" Alastor declared, his voice resonating with power.
With a single leap, he propelled himself skyward, meeting Chinjao's devastating attack head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clash of their techniques created shockwaves that rippled outward, leveling the palace completely. The crumbling structure buried the lifeless body of the King of the Kingdom of Flowers beneath its rubble.
When the dust settled, the ground shook violently, and Alastor's body lay embedded in the ruins.
The massive impact drew the attention of everyone outside. The guards of the Kingdom of Flowers, who had been on the brink of despair, suddenly erupted in cheers.
"Look! It's Master Chinjao!"
"Haha! He's taken down the enemy leader! Our Kingdom of Flowers is saved!"
"Master Chinjao smashed the enemy into the ground with such force! There's no way he survived that!"
The palace guards, battered and demoralized, saw the clash and felt a flicker of hope rekindled in their hearts.
However, their optimism was shattered by a deafening roar.
"Stop dreaming! Brother Alastor isn't someone a washed-up old man can defeat!"
The voice came from Page One, who had transformed into a Spinosaurus. With a ferocious swipe of his claws, the guards scattered, screaming and crying as they fled.
Meanwhile, on the Other Side
Sai, locked in a frustrating duel with Onimaru, shouted in desperation:
"Your boss has been seriously injured by the old man! Aren't you even worried?"
He hoped to provoke a reaction or distract the unrelenting young swordsman.
But Shimotsuki Onimaru didn't flinch. His blank expression never wavered, and his silence made Sai wonder if he was facing an emotionless zombie.
"Why doesn't he fear death? Why doesn't his expression change?" Sai muttered to himself, his frustration mounting.
Seizing the moment, Onimaru activated a special technique born from his Devil Fruit ability.
"Shimotsuki Two-Sword Style: Double Serpent Strangle!"
A giant serpent's head emerged from Onimaru's shoulder, wielding a second sword in its fanged maw. The dual weapons launched a coordinated pincer attack, their speed dizzying.
Sai's eyes widened in shock.
"Y-you're a Devil Fruit user?!"
Panic set in. In his flustered state, Sai managed to block one sword, but the second pierced his chest, sending blood spraying through the air.
"Brother! What are you doing?! You can't even handle a brat!" Boo yelled from nearby, his frustration boiling over.
Sai's face darkened. "You idiot! This 'brat' is no ordinary opponent!"
A Figure Rises from the Ruins
"Hahaha, well done, Onimaru!" A booming laugh cut through the chaos, drawing everyone's attention.
From the heart of the collapsed ruins, a tall figure emerged. He leaped into the air, standing effortlessly atop it, his presence commanding.
It was Alastor, smiling with unshaken confidence.
The palace guards, who had dared to hope moments earlier, felt their spirits plummet.
Alastor turned to Onimaru and praised him. "You've done well. It seems you've mastered your ability."
Then, he shifted his gaze to Chinjao, his grin widening.
"That last attack seriously injured me," he admitted, almost cheerfully. "My happiness is nearly at its peak now. And with that, we're entering the decisive moment. So... can you still dance, old man?"
Chinjao, panting heavily, felt the sting of those words. The clash had left him gravely injured, his breathing labored and his body screaming in pain. But what infuriated him most was Alastor's audacity to laugh in the face of such devastation.
"Boy! You're far too arrogant!" Chinjao roared. "The next move will shatter you into pieces!"
Ignoring his own battered state, Chinjao summoned every ounce of his strength and concentrated his Haki at the top of his head.
In his prime, the attack would have been more lethal with the sharp tip of his iconic cone-shaped head, but even without it, he could still unleash the Hasshoken's ultimate technique.
"Hasshoken: Cone Dragon Cone Spike!"
Launching himself like a cannonball, Chinjao hurtled toward the sky. A devastating shockwave gathered above his head, its destructive energy palpable.
Alastor faced the incoming attack with unshakable composure. His right arm, already bulging with muscle, grew even larger as he channeled his entire body's strength into it. Black flames erupted around his clenched fist.
With a grin, he announced:
"My joy has reached its limit! This punch shall be called—"
"Magic Flame Deliberate Fist!"
In a state of Life Return, Alastor had perfect control over his body, transferring the power of every muscle into his right arm. The result was a devastating punch that magnified the power of his Magic Flame Fist several times over.
As his fist struck, the air compressed, creating a shockwave so intense it rippled outward with explosive force.
Buzz!
The collision of overwhelming strength and domineering Haki sent electric currents sparking in all directions. The sky seemed to darken, and a suffocating pressure descended on everyone, halting the battle on both sides.
"This is it... the final blow," Sai muttered, his heart pounding. "If Master Chinjao doesn't win... No! He has to win!"
From across the field, Onimaru, stoic as ever, finally spoke.
"Don't bother hoping. No one can defeat Lord Alastor."
For the first time, Sai saw a change in the young swordsman's expression—a look of unwavering admiration for the man in the air.
The realization chilled Sai to the core. How terrifying must that man be, to earn such reverence from someone as skilled and fearless as Shimotsuki Onimaru?
In the climactic collision, Alastor's Magic Flame Deliberate Fist overwhelmed Chinjao's Cone Dragon Cone Spike. The sheer force dented Chinjao's steel-like skull, pushing his tongue and eyes outward grotesquely.
"Master!"
"Lord Chinjao!"
Cries of alarm rang out from the Happo Navy. Chinjao let out a guttural scream, and then, to everyone's shock, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The dent in his skull caused the opposite side to bulge outward, rising higher and sharper than before. The bulge took on a conical shape—one even sharper than his original cone head.
"Master Chinjao... his head... it's back!" someone shouted in astonishment.
But even as his physical strength seemed to recover, Chinjao knew deep down—this battle was over.
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