Chopper clung to Carmen's shoulders, eyes sparkling.
"Awesome—Carmen, your Paper-Paper Fruit is so cool!"
"Right? Right?! Ohohoho—"
Carmen whooshed back and forth in the air, which was rough on Chopper dangling from her; his paws dug into her shoulders as he flailed along with her dramatic maneuvers.
"Ahhh—Carmen, you jerk, I'm gonna fall!"
Her gleeful cheers and Chopper's terrified screams tangled together overhead.
"Forget it—you guys should just take a nap. Thundercloud!"
Crack!
Nami eyed the ring of Happo Navy grunts, then, deciding it was safer if they were out cold, called down a few bolts from the gathered thunderclouds.
Already jittery, the soldiers shrieked as lightning slammed into them and dropped to the ground.
With those handled, Robin and the others hurried their gaze toward Nojiko and Kuina's fights.
Ching!
Steel rang; two figures broke apart. Kuina looked at Sai and sighed, disappointed.
"The current leader of the Happo Navy, is this all you've got? I've grown tired of your acrobatic martial arts. Your fighting is a mess. This Hasshoken is nothing special."
Sai's face went dark. He ground his teeth, glaring like he'd rip her apart with his bare hands.
Now the awful truth was, nothing worked on her. It felt like she was baiting him to show techniques just to break them one by one.
"Time to end this boring game."
Kuina stepped in, both hands on the hilt. Her aura flared; golden light blossomed; her short golden hair lifted strand by strand.
"Holy Descent—Feather Slash!"
Transforming into a golden light, Kuina instantly rushed towards Sai. A stream of gold flashed behind her, with afterimages and scattered feathers creating a brilliant path of light.
"Damn it!" Sai's face twisted. Armament Haki wrapped him head to toe as he snap-kicked.
"Hasshoken: Drill Dragon Drill Nail!"
Clang!
Heel met edge, ripples shivering the air. But this time the stalemate lasted only a heartbeat. With a hiss, the golden flash pierced clean through him; his body instantly stiffened.
Kuina appeared behind him, rising slowly as she sheathed her blade and walked away without a backward glance.
"Pfft"
Blood spurted out. The long saber fell to the ground, and Sai's figure slowly collapsed.
"Leader!"
Mid-clash with Nojiko, Boo saw Sai fall and blanched. He shouted—
"Y—"
"Too open," a cool voice cut in at his ear.
"Crap—" He snapped back to himself, sensing Nojiko behind him, but it was far too late.
Shhk.
His eyes rolled white. He collapsed, unwilling to accept it. Nojiko spared him a glance, then strode toward Nami and the others.
Nami and Robin rushed up, worry in their eyes.
"Are you two okay?"
They shook their heads lightly—no injuries—then everyone's gaze slid to the distance, where another duel still thundered on.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The sound of fists colliding continued. In his dragon-man form, Leno was pressing Chinjao hard.
"Sai! Boo!" Chinjao suddenly roared, his eyes bloodshot, glaring furiously at Leno.
"How dare you... How dare you harm my beloved grandson like this! Unforgivable!"
Hearing that, Leno understood—Kuina and Nojiko were done. He couldn't lag behind.
"I've kept you company long enough. You should be satisfied. Next, go keep your grandson company."
Suspended in the air, Leno looked down at Chinjao.
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"
Nearly mindless with rage, Chinjao pressed his palms together. His aura climbed; the air warped around him. He leapt, body spinning into a blur, drilling straight for Leno.
"Hasshoken Ogi —Drill Dragon: Drill Nail!"
Leno chuckled, then kicked off the air, rocketing down like a cannon shell. His Armament-clad, scale-blackened fist blasted forward to meet him.
"Dragon Fist— Evil Crusher!"
BOOM— Grrrrack—grrack—
Skull and fist crashed together. Thunder boomed; ripples rolled; red-black lightning rampaged; the shockwave shredded the clouds.
The two were locked in a stalemate for a moment before Leno suddenly increased his power output:
"Go. Down."
Grrrrack—grrack—
Under the sudden crush of force, Chinjao's Armament-blackened skull warped—popping up in the center into a sharp cone.
He plummeted, the new "drill" on his head spearing straight for the ice.
KA-THOOM.
Craaaack—craaaack—
The moment he landed, the 'drill head' pierced through the thick, hard ice. The ice surface split open with a huge crack, and Chinjao's figure fell into it.
Leno blinked, then let out a helpless laugh. He hadn't meant to, but he'd accidentally fixed Chinjao's "drill head."
"Whatever—call it repayment for the treasure."
He dusted off his hands and turned to leave—only to hear a choked shout behind him. "W-wait, kid!"
Leno looked back. Chinjao crawled from the fissure, both hands stroking his restored "drill," tears streaming.
"Kid, thank you for restoring my drill—sob—but I'll never forgive you for hurting my grandson and stealing my hoard."
Leno's sympathy stirred—losing and regaining such a thing wasn't a feeling most could grasp.
But then Chinjao's tone snapped cold.
"So, to show my gratitude… I'll use this cone head to bury you here forever."
Leno had originally thought that since he had cured Chinjao's long-standing affliction, their fight today would be over. 'Treasure can be snatched again, right? Aren't all pirates like this? You rob me, and I'll rob you back when I'm stronger. With this relentless attitude, you really think I don't have a temper?'
Leno was so angry he laughed:
"Alright. Alright! So you've chosen to lose face completely. I'll grant your wish."
With that, 'Huangquan' suddenly appeared in his hand. A terrifying, almost tangible killing intent instantly enveloped Chinjao.
"Th-That… that's… the End-Bringer Blade?!" Chinjao staggered back two steps, eyes bulging in horror.
"What?" Leno looked at Chinjao, a little confused.