Hsss... that hurts. I think my finger is broken.
The moment Bardock reverted to his normal human form, an agonizing, sharp pain shot up his arm. He raised his right hand to inspect the damage. The index finger he had used to unleash the Shigan was completely mangled, hanging limp and thoroughly crushed. It wasn't just a simple fracture; the bone inside had been pulverized into dust.
During the actual clash, when his finger was coated in both his Indestructible Vajra body and maximum-density Armament Haki, he hadn't felt a thing. But the sheer, devastating rebound force of countering Chinjao's ultimate attack had severely bypassed his defenses.
'Don Chinjao's Hasshoken Secret Technique... its destructive power is even higher than I imagined,' Bardock thought, gritting his teeth against the pain.
And this was just a significantly weaker version of the attack, performed by an aging pirate without his signature drill-head! It was clear that the legends of the old era truly lived up to their hype. Bardock's victory today had relied heavily on tactical deception. While he was confident he could have eventually won a prolonged, straightforward brawl, using his brain to secure a faster, decisive victory was nothing to be ashamed of.
Reaching into his pocket with his left hand, Bardock pulled out a Blood Dandelion and carefully pressed it against his mangled finger. Instantly, a soothing warmth washed over the crushed digit. In the blink of an eye, the pulverized bone fragments rapidly knitted back together, and the torn muscles completely regenerated.
"This healing ability is absolutely broken," Bardock muttered, flexing his fully restored finger. "Paramecia fruits really just ignore all logic and reason."
Having sorted out his own injury, Bardock walked over to inspect Don Chinjao's condition.
The legendary pirate looked absolutely miserable. He was bleeding profusely from dozens of wounds, his iconic bushy white beard dyed completely red. Both of his arms and legs appeared to be shattered in multiple places. And as for his bald head... well, it had gone from being perfectly flat to noticeably caved inward.
'This makes absolutely zero sense,' Bardock thought, scratching his cheek in confusion. 'In the original story, Luffy punched him in the head and somehow popped his drill back out. I poked him in the head with one finger, and I just gave him a massive dent.'
He began to seriously question the physics of the One Piece world.
Just then, Robin and the rest of the crew arrived at the edge of the crater. Daz Bonez was casually carrying two unconscious men by the backs of their collars, casually tossing them onto the snow next to Chinjao.
"Who are they?" Bardock asked, pointing at the two limp figures.
"I don't know their names, but they're definitely members of the Happo Navy," Robin explained calmly. "When the two of you started fighting, I noticed them trying to sneak away to call for backup. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, I knocked them out."
Bardock raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? I thought Bonez was the one who handled them."
"Boss, you know me," Daz Bonez replied, stoically running a thumb along the edge of his blade-hand. "If I had handled them, they wouldn't be completely devoid of stab wounds."
"Fair enough," Bardock nodded. "Mansherry, could you provide some emergency healing for Chinjao? Don't heal him completely; just fix his internal organs and stop the bleeding. Leave his arms and legs broken for now."
Given Chinjao's advanced age and the severity of his injuries, Bardock was genuinely worried the old man might just suddenly die on them. He needed to stabilize him, but he also needed to ensure the legendary pirate remained incapacitated and couldn't fight back.
"Understood, Captain Bardock!" Mansherry chirped, hopping down into the crater and scurrying over to the giant's chest to begin the treatment.
"Hey, Bardock. How does this Chinjao guy compare to Moria?" Perona asked, floating down next to him. She looked around at the blasted tundra. "The destruction here is pretty bad, but it's nowhere near as massive as the crater you two made fighting Moria. Plus, you didn't even draw your swords this time."
"I didn't use my swords because hand-to-hand combat was a much better counter against a martial artist like him," Bardock explained. "As for comparing the two of them... it's a bit complicated. Combat isn't just about stacking power levels. But I can break down their strengths and weaknesses for you."
Bardock held up a finger. "Chinjao is a master of all three types of Haki. His martial arts are incredibly refined, and the destructive power of his Hasshoken is terrifying. Without an absurdly strong body, his ultimate attack would instantly shatter you. Furthermore, his combat experience is virtually flawless; he knows exactly how to adapt to any situation.
"However," Bardock lowered his finger, "he's old. His raw physical strength has deteriorated significantly. Even in my base human form, I was able to match his physical blows. His stamina is also severely depleted. The only reason he rushed to use his ultimate attack so early was likely because he knew that if the fight dragged on into a war of attrition, his odds of winning would plummet."
Bardock held up a second finger. "Moria, on the other hand, doesn't know Haki. His hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship are completely mediocre, and his sheer willpower in a fight is incredibly weak.
"But despite all that, Moria's innate physical talent is absolutely monstrous. His raw strength is so absurd that I had to use my Beast-Human form just to fight him to a draw. And his Shadow-Shadow Fruit is ridiculously versatile, perfectly covering his weaknesses in speed and technique. The sheer destructive output of Shadows Asgard is catastrophic. And the scariest part? That wasn't even his limit. If Moria had absorbed a thousand shadows instead of two hundred and fifty, he could likely shatter an entire island with a single punch."
Comparing the two veterans, Bardock couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pity for Moria. The Warlord had become far too reliant on his Devil Fruit, completely neglecting to develop his terrifying, natural-born physical potential.
"Hey, Bardock! Guess what I found?!"
Seeing Perona grinning from ear to ear and buzzing with excitement, Bardock immediately figured it out. "Let me guess. Treasure?"
"How did you know?!" Perona's eyes went wide. She had secretly sent a few Negative Hollows phasing deep into the glacial ice beneath them and discovered a massive hoard! She was absolutely certain not even Robin could have spotted it!
Bardock rolled his eyes. This girl really wasn't the brightest bulb in the box sometimes.
"Perona, did you forget the name of the place we were actively searching for?" Robin sighed, stepping in to gently explain. "The Jewel Ice Sheet. It is explicitly known as the Happo Navy's sacred treasure vault."
"Ugh, whatever! You guys are no fun!" Perona pouted, crossing her arms. Despite the failed reveal, her enthusiasm for the treasure remained undiminished. Through her ghosts' vision, she had spotted dozens of gorgeous, jewel-encrusted crowns buried in the ice that would perfectly match the gothic dresses in her closet. 'I definitely need to ask Leo to tailor some new outfits to go with them when we get back!'
"The Jewel Ice Sheet isn't exactly easy to crack open, but we can definitely go take a look," Bardock said. He knew from the original story that a flat-headed Chinjao was incapable of breaking the ice, and he wasn't entirely sure if his own physical strength would be enough to shatter it either.
"Captain Bardock! I've finished treating him!" Mansherry called out cheerfully. Thanks to her rigorous training over the past year, her mastery over her Devil Fruit had drastically improved. She no longer needed to cry to heal people; she could now control the restorative energy directly with her hands.
Bardock looked down at Chinjao.
His eyes widened in absolute shock.
While Chinjao's arms and legs were still clearly broken, his internal bleeding had completely stopped, and his physical vitality had returned. But that wasn't the shocking part.
The dented, flat top of Chinjao's bald head had been completely regenerated. A massive, razor-sharp, cone-shaped drill now proudly protruded from his skull!
Mansherry had accidentally restored his legendary drill-head!
'Oh, crap,' Bardock swallowed hard. If he had to fight a prime-condition Chinjao with his drill-head right now, he wasn't entirely sure he could actually block the Hasshoken Secret Technique. He desperately needed to study the mechanics of the Hasshoken before Chinjao inevitably challenged him to a rematch.
"Uh... good job, Mansherry. Thank you," Bardock managed a strained smile. "Leo, do me a favor. Stitch these three together so they can't move. We're going to try and crack open the Jewel Ice Sheet."
"On it, Captain!"
Leo dashed around the three unconscious men in a blur of motion. Using his sewing needle, he rapidly stitched the two subordinates securely to Chinjao's broken legs. For good measure, he tightly sewed Chinjao's broken arms to the sides of his torso, ensuring the old man couldn't accidentally worsen his fractures.
Bardock summoned a large cloud of Flying Nimbus, gently levitated the three bound captives onto it, and signaled for the crew to hop on. Following Perona's directions, they flew a short distance across the tundra.
The Jewel Ice Sheet was impossible to miss, especially from the air. Beneath the completely transparent, pristine surface of the massive glacier lay an unfathomable, mountain-sized hoard of gold, jewels, and priceless artifacts.
The Nimbus descended, hovering just above the ice. Bardock stepped down, stomping his boot against the surface. It didn't even leave a scuff mark.
"It's incredibly dense," Bardock noted. "Bonez, you want to give it a shot?"
"With pleasure," Daz Bonez replied, stepping forward. He had been itching to cut something all day. This entire trip had been completely devoid of action for him, so he desperately hoped this ice was as tough as it looked.
A few minutes later, Daz Bonez severely regretted that wish.
This ice wasn't just "tough." It was absurd.
By pushing his 'cutting steel' technique to the absolute limit, Bonez managed to carve a few deep trenches into the surface. However, according to Perona's ghosts, the ice sheet was hundreds of meters thick! At this rate, it would take him years to hack through it.
But that wasn't even the most frustrating part.
As they watched, the deep trenches Bonez had just carved into the ice slowly began to close. The glacial ice was actively sealing its own cracks, exactly like human flesh regenerating a wound!
While Bonez stared at the regenerating ice in utter frustration, Bardock's eyes began to shine with an intense, blazing excitement. Compared to the mountain of gold buried beneath, Bardock had just discovered something infinitely more valuable!