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"Master Shaka, forgive me!"
Facing Shaka's relentless assault, Kikyo trembled all over. Clenching her teeth, she shouted to Margaret and Aflandra, "Everyone, attack together!"
"Hancock, even if I have to use my most hidden techniques today, I will take down you rabble!" Shaka met the onslaught head-on. His swift and fierce attacks crashed like relentless waves, one after another, against Hancock.
With vast combat experience, he remained calm and composed, shifting from claws to palms. He then executed a pressure point technique he had developed, inspired by the martial arts and ancient medical theories of the Flower Kingdom.
In an instant, Margaret, unaccustomed to such techniques, let out a muffled groan.
"Margaret… Master Shaka, damn it!" Aflandra, the tallest of the three, cried out in shock.
She didn't hesitate, trying to dodge and help Margaret up, but Shaka showed no mercy. With his left hand, he firmly suppressed Kikyo, rendering her completely immobilized. The captain of the National Guard trembled, paralyzed and unable to resist.
With keen perception and vast battle experience, Shaka's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, his right hand struck like lightning, targeting Aflandra's weak spot. The precise strike to her pressure point instantly drained her of all fighting strength.
"Useless… Restrain his arms and legs!"
Seeing this, Hancock's expression changed. Despite bearing the brunt of the attacks, enduring blow after blow, she kept fighting and urged, "Don't hold back! Use your Devil Fruit abilities and the Seraph Elixirs—go all out!"
At the same time, she activated a technique she had mastered through long training—one of the Six Powers: "Life Return - Paper Drawing Body!"
Her muscles tensed, her movements became impossibly fluid, and she skillfully coiled around Shaka, tightly restraining his Vajra Staff.
Two days ago, Shaka had not only given Seraph Elixirs to Sandersonia and Marigold, but he had also granted Devil Fruits to these three National Guard warriors.
Under Shaka's guidance, they had improved significantly and could now skillfully wield their new abilities.
"Yes, Lady Snake Princess!" Kikyo and Margaret snapped back to reality, immediately struggling to their feet and launching forward. Each of them swallowed a golden pill in an instant.
Within moments, their bodies underwent shocking transformations. One grew fluffy dog ears and a tail, while the other sprouted cat-like ears and a tail. Their limbs transformed into razor-sharp claws.
Using the Kuja Tribe's traditional constriction techniques, they tightly locked onto Shaka.
"Forgive us, Master Shaka..."
Aflandra, her large eyes flickering, didn't dare hesitate any longer. Her body also changed dramatically. However, unlike the others, her upper body remained human, while her lower half turned into a sleek, snow-white horse.
She lunged forward, wrapping her powerful hind legs around Shaka's neck, attempting to strangle him.
"It's useless. The gap in strength isn't something sheer numbers can overcome… Buddha's Impact!"
Shaka's gaze turned sharp.
Without holding back, he burst into motion, leaving afterimages in his wake. With a mighty tremor, his body broke free from their restraints, launching a direct attack on Hancock.
His Vajra Staff, flashing like a bolt of lightning, struck with devastating speed, overwhelming Hancock.
"Damn it… Perfume Kick!"
Unwilling to accept defeat, Hancock unleashed her own finishing move. Clenching her teeth, she wrapped tightly around Shaka, trying to counter his attack. "This time, you're going down, my husband!"
"Hancock, how dare you speak so arrogantly! I'll make you reveal your true self!"
Shaka, like a wrathful golden guardian, unleashed an even fiercer assault. "Great Mighty Dragon!"
Clang! Clang!
Boom! Boom!
The battle was intense, but the outcome was never in doubt.
By dusk, the fight was over. Despite Hancock's leadership and the combined efforts of Kikyo, Margaret, and Aflandra, their best efforts were in vain. One by one, they fell in defeat.
Though Hancock was unwilling to admit it, she had no choice but to concede.
Still, she saw the silver lining—she had learned a lot. Her prideful heart blazed with determination, vowing to train harder and defeat Shaka next time.
Exhausted and drained, the once-mighty Empress had no choice but to surrender, leaving Shaka as the undisputed victor.
Yet, there was no one to cheer for him.
As night fell, the sky was bathed in a soft, mysterious glow. From above, a massive, beautifully feathered harpy eagle descended, its wings slicing through the air.
It landed gracefully before Shaka, who had just stepped out of the palace. In the blink of an eye, the eagle transformed into a giant boa constrictor wearing a skull-adorned hat.
"Hissss~ Hisss~" Salome, now infused with the Bird-Bird Fruit: Eagle Model, flicked its tongue and affectionately nudged Shaka.
"Salome, take good care of Hancock, alright?" Shaka smiled at the large snake, who seemed reluctant to part with him.
Salome opened its massive jaws, but instead of looking fierce, it had an endearingly goofy expression. It nodded several times in a very human-like manner.
Patting its head, Shaka didn't linger. He turned and strode away, returning to his laboratory.
Inside, Bai Long, his panda companion, lay sprawled out, clearly waiting for him for some time. The moment Shaka stepped in, the panda eagerly rushed over.
"Come on, Little White, it's time for us to leave."
He tossed his already-packed belongings onto Bai Long's back. Gripping his newly crafted, golden, gleaming Six Paths Staff, he leisurely walked out of the lab.
"Master Shaka, you're leaving already?"
Just then, another massive harpy eagle swooped down. It was none other than Hancock's pet, Salome, carrying Sandersonia and Marigold on its back.
Seeing Shaka preparing to leave so suddenly, the two sisters were visibly shocked.
"If I stay any longer, I might never want to leave," Shaka shrugged with a smile. "Take care of your sister for me. Also, help train those three girls. Once I've gathered my pirate crew and secured a proper ship, I'll come back for them."
"Oh, and those weapons in the lab—I'm leaving them behind as a gift for you."
As he spoke, he handed Sandersonia a sealed letter and a specially modified transponder snail with an extended signal range, capable of transmitting across the Calm Belt.
"Give these to your sister when the time comes."
"Understood, I will deliver them to her, Master Shaka!" Sandersonia nodded earnestly.
"Wooo..." Bai Long, the panda, let out a call toward Salome, its "playmate." Then, in a single bound, it transformed into a flying "Nimbus Cloud."
With a light leap, Shaka landed on top, steady as a mountain.
Turning back for one last look at the palace, he smiled and waved to the two sisters. "Farewell..."
"Master Shaka, take care!"
"Safe travels!!"
As Sandersonia, Marigold, and Salome watched, Bai Long, the panda-turned-flying-cloud, carried its master away from Amazon Lily, disappearing into the vast night sky.
Soon, they left the Calm Belt, entering unknown waters.
But before long, a sudden storm hit.
Despite his vast sailing knowledge and experience, Shaka's foresight couldn't completely avoid the tempest. Thankfully, Bai Long skillfully controlled the Cloud-Cloud Fruit abilities, forming a cloud barrier like a house, shielding them from the storm.
Otherwise, they really would've been drenched like wet dogs.
"....."