Chapter 180: Hanafuda's Observations
"Hm?"
"Did something happen in the Land of Wano?" Hearing this, a subtle change came over Kaido's expression, his mind racing.
Did some reckless rookie pirate attack Wano, and Orochi's samurai couldn't handle it?
Or did one of those pinnacle-level bastards make a move on my territory while I was gone?
Then, Kaido glanced at the equally puzzled Hanafuda nearby and spoke with a frown. "Hanafuda, something has come up in Wano. You go to Dressrosa yourself and pick up the kids. On my account, they won't kill you!"
With that, Kaido picked up his Hassaikai club, transformed into the sky-blotting Azure Dragon, and, grasping the flame clouds with his four limbs, soared into the sky and left.
Hanafuda watched Kaido's departing figure and let out a long sigh. Soon, he composed himself and issued a new order to his subordinates.
"Set sail for Dressrosa!"
"Yes, sir!"
Half a day later, Hanafuda, wearing a black cloak, walked the streets of Dressrosa. He looked with a blank expression at the relaxed citizens and the pirates coming and going.
"Since Lord Archangel took over, Dressrosa has become more and more prosperous."
"Especially recently, a large number of pirates have rushed here from other seas. They spend money here every day, bringing a lot of profit to the local merchants!"
"Even when Doflamingo was ruling, this place never changed this much!"
"Well, of course! A mere Warlord of the Sea can't compare to the power of the Archangel!"
All around, the citizens, looking content, commented on the recent changes.
Hearing this, the face of Hanafuda, hidden by his hood, remained unchanged. But from the citizens' conversations and his own observations, he had already learned a lot. He now knew the external image that Archangel Louis projected. It was a style different from the cold ruthlessness of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, leaning more toward the benevolence that Whitebeard displayed.
Of course, Hanafuda knew this was just the external image the Archangel showed. His true character was probably known only to his core crew. Hanafuda had no intention of digging deeper. With Kaido gone, he didn't think he had the confidence to speak directly to the Archangel. Therefore, the purpose of his trip this time was just to get his two children back.
Although Hanafuda had concealed his figure, the heavy footsteps he made as he walked, the sound of his chains clanking, and his five-meter-tall frame still attracted the attention of many people.
A crowd of citizens stood frozen in the distance, looking with great curiosity at this tall, dark figure that stood out like a crane among chickens, even in the New World. But at this moment, apart from curiosity, they didn't feel much fear. Because this was now the Archangel's territory, no one dared to cause trouble here.
The citizens clearly remembered that they had recently seen, more than once, those great pirates who were called calamities by the outside world and had bounties of hundreds of millions of Berries, acting perfectly behaved here. The citizens all understood that this was brought about by that Archangel and his group of powerful executives. Therefore, they also tactfully and spontaneously began to pay compliments to everything related to the Archangel Pirates.
You had to know, Dressrosa's current level of safety was already comparable to that of Totto Land or a place under Whitebeard's protection. They had heard that in Totto Land, you had to pay a portion of your soul and lifespan every so often to have such safety, whereas in Dressrosa, you didn't need anything.
Now, in Dressrosa, even many dangerous individuals with bounties in the hundreds of millions were tucking their tails between their legs under the power of the Archangel Pirates. Of course, the citizens of Dressrosa were also tactful enough not to delve too deeply into why so many dangerous pirates were coming to Dressrosa.
Naturally, the ordinary citizens were not the only ones who noticed Hanafuda.
In the crowd up ahead, a great pirate with a bounty of several hundred million Berries stared at the tall figure who was completely covered in a black cloak and walking at an unhurried pace. A storm raged in his heart. "Could that be... one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders, or one of Whitebeard's top division commanders?"
Different people had different feelings about Hanafuda. In the eyes of ordinary citizens, this tall figure was just tall and very mysterious. But in the eyes of these powerful pirates, although the person before them had concealed their figure, they still gave off an oppressive feeling like that of an ancient beast—a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Nearby, a pirate with a bounty of over 100 million saw this, his face pale, and asked tentatively, "Captain, should we get out of his way?"
These words instantly startled the pirate captain. This captain with a bounty of several hundred million wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with an unshakable apprehension. "Of course! We're not even sure if we can join the Archangel's crew. There's no reason to offend such a powerful person here!"
With that, the pirate captain immediately led his subordinates out of the way, watching as the unknown powerhouse departed. As he said, it was extremely difficult to join the Archangel's crew. Even he was only planning to try because he had been forced into a corner by other, well-connected rivals. Right now, he didn't even know if he could truly join. Therefore, to avoid being hunted down after leaving this island, he ultimately chose to back down.
As for Hanafuda himself, he walked past the group of pirates with a perfectly natural posture, heading straight for the outskirts of the town.
As he reached the edge of the town, the clamor of the crowd was gradually drowned out by terrifying roars and the screams of inhuman beasts. Along with it came the continuous trembling of the ground and the rolling clouds of dust rising at the edge of the horizon.
His footsteps stopped in front of a courtyard.
Hanafuda's gaze swept past the building, looking toward the end of the horizon. He saw one after another, terrifyingly large giant beasts rampaging in the wilderness. Hanafuda, whose eyesight was quite good, even saw a dinosaur and a pink giant snake.
"Are those certain Ancient Zoan fruits? With such a large size, were they eaten by those giants?"
Hanafuda subconsciously raised a hand from under his cloak and brought the two tightly clutched Vivre Cards into view. "The Vivre Cards haven't changed—which means they are both just watching."
THUD. Just then, the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground was heard. A one-legged man with long black hair, wearing training clothes and carrying a two-handed greatsword, stood at the edge of the street. At his feet, food wrapped in a paper bag was scattered on the ground, clearly what had just fallen.
Kyros looked at the burly figure in front of his house, his face becoming extremely serious, his gaze incomparably cold. "Who are you, and why are you here? This area has been classified by the Archangel Pirates as a place forbidden to non-crew members!"
To this, Hanafuda merely turned his head to glance at the swordsman who had spoken. After casually sweeping his gaze over his missing leg, he continued forward, holding the Vivre Cards.
Seeing this, Kyros gritted his teeth. Without any regard for the fatal sense of crisis, he quickly drew the greatsword from his back and leaped toward the tall man.
To this, Hanafuda's figure paused slightly. He slowly turned around and, from under his cloak, extended a dinosaur's claw, reaching directly for the incoming greatsword.
CLANG! With a piercing sound of shattering metal, the greatsword in Kyros's hand was instantly crushed. The dinosaur claw, its momentum undiminished, accurately snatched Kyros by the neck and lifted him up.
"!!"
Kyros's eyes widened in anger. He gripped the claw that was extended from under the cloak, trying to pry it open. But no matter how hard he tried, the claw, as if made of steel, held his neck in a death grip. Kyros felt it become harder and harder to breathe. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his face turned red.
"This guy—"
Just as Kyros felt he was about to suffocate, an angry child's voice rang out. "Let him go!"
THWACK. A rock bounced off Hanafuda's head, making a sound like it had hit steel.
Kyros struggled to look toward his home, at the petite pink figure. "Rebecca... run..."
Hanafuda turned his head. After glancing at the petite figure who had attacked him, he looked thoughtfully at the man he was holding high. After a brief thought, Hanafuda casually tossed Kyros to the ground and continued to walk in the direction his Vivre Cards were guiding him.
Seeing the burly figure depart, Rebecca pushed her fear to the back of her mind and quickly ran to her father. "Father!!!"
Hearing her, Kyros's previously whitening eyes regained their light, and he gasped for air.
A few minutes later, a group of pirates who had newly joined the Archangel's crew heard the noise and rushed over.
Hanafuda stood amidst a cluster of cylindrical peaks, gazing at the fiercely trembling battlefield in the distance. What entered his eyes were giants, one after another, transformed into their hybrid-beast forms, and a pale figure who was beating them down.
"A giant bear, a lioness, a dinosaur... and—a large-sized pink Kaido??"
"No, that's also a giant."
Gradually, a subtle change came over Hanafuda's expression. He felt that the giant, who looked in many ways similar to Kaido's transformation, held a great secret. Similar dragon horns, dragon scales that were identical except for the color, a dragon tail, etc. In Hanafuda's view, no matter how he looked at it, something was wrong.
"Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Model: Pink Dragon?" For a moment, Hanafuda didn't know what to say.
After a long while, he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. As he said, Kaido wasn't here. All he could do, besides self-preservation and gathering information, was to pick up his children.
Soon, guided by the Vivre Cards, Hanafuda found his two children. Far in the distance, on a huge reef, two familiar figures were sitting together, watching the one-sided beating.
Ulti's energetic voice carried to his ears. "Get 'em! Beat that annoying dinosaur until he flies!"
Hanafuda: "???"
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