Whoosh!
Under Hyaku's mental control, the blade of Ryūka burst into blue-green flames.
Standing at the bow of the ship, he stomped his right foot and instantly leaped into the air. His gaze toward the three pirate ships revealed a faint killing intent.
The next moment, he swung his sword like lightning, slashing once horizontally and once vertically.
✣ Ryū no Ibuki Giri: Nijū ⭄ Dragon's Breath Slash: Double! ✣
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, a cross-shaped slash filled with blue-green flames shot forth from Hyaku's katana.
After leaving the blade, the slash expanded rapidly in the wind, growing enormous in an instant. The cross-slash moved at an unavoidable speed toward the three pirate ships.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The moment the slash made contact, the horizontal cut sliced all three pirate ships through their middle, forcefully splitting them into upper and lower halves.
The severely damaged ships immediately exploded. Pirates cried out in misery as they fell into the sea with the shattered hull.
BOOM!
But that wasn't all.
The second vertical slash struck the central pirate ship, its incredibly sharp force splitting the vessel vertically into two halves.
The bisected hull fell to the left and right, creating a passageway.
Splash...
Just then, the Sexy Foxy arrived. It charged through the path created by the slash without any obstruction.
BANG!!
As soon as the pirate ship passed through the three blockading vessels, the enemy ships — already broken into several pieces — completely exploded. Flames from the explosion rose fiercely from the sea's surface.
"So powerful!"
Witnessing this astonishing scene, the pirates of the Foxy crew couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Destroying a pirate ship with a single slash — what kind of concept was that?
In their minds, perhaps only Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, the "Strongest Swordsman in the World" and a Warlord of the Sea, could achieve such a feat.
That kind of sharp, fierce sword intent couldn't be achieved through talent alone.
"Indeed! Cooperating with you, Mr. Hyaku, was my wisest decision!" Foxy said with a smile, equally shocked.
The more powerful Hyaku appeared, the more confident Foxy felt about their partnership. This also strengthened his confidence in the competition.
"Hurry up, we still have some distance to cover before reaching the first echelon." Hyaku said to him.
"Full speed ahead!! Catch up to them!" Hearing his words, Foxy immediately ordered his subordinates.
The ship carrying the group began to advance with unstoppable momentum, chasing after the first echelon.
✣ Noro Noro no Mi ⭄ Slow Slow Beam! ✣
✣ Noro Noro no Mi ⭄ Nine-Tails Rush! ✣
✣ Seiryū Kōrin ⭄ Azure Dragon's Descent! ✣
...
On the journey ahead, the Sexy Foxy encountered wave after wave of obstacles: race checkpoints with traps, attacks from giant Sea Kings, and even assaults from other pirate crews.
Without exception, they were all repelled by Hyaku's katana and Foxy's Noro Noro no Mi abilities.
Notably, with the enhancement from this Devil Fruit ability, other ships on the route couldn't keep pace with Hyaku's group at all.
Their team's ranking steadily improved. After circling the island once, they had already surged to fifth place!
"My goodness! In this race, we somehow overlooked a dark horse! That's the Foxy Pirates! It seems nothing can block their advance — they're still pursuing! Can the Foxy Pirates go all the way to the top? Let's wait and see!"
As the competition reached its white-hot stage in the middle and later phases, the host finally noticed the rapidly advancing Foxy Pirates.
His voice, amplified by a special megaphone, reached the other four teams in the first echelon.
"Next is the ascending current around Hannabal... Wait! They've caught up! The Foxy Pirates have caught up with the four teams of the first echelon!"
As the host's announcement echoed, the Sexy Foxy surged at full speed, catching up with the top four pirate ships.
"It's about time." Standing at the bow, Hyaku looked at the four pirate ships not far ahead and muttered to himself.
Hum!
The next moment, he gripped his sword with both hands. The blue-green energy light on Ryūka suddenly brightened.
✣ Tenrin no Mai ⭄ Celestial Scale Dance! ✣
After the Azure Dragon Sword Intent energy had gathered to a sufficient degree, Hyaku let out a silent shout.
Gripping the hilt of Ryūka with both hands, he slashed upward.
"He's making his move! The Foxy Pirates are making their move... Wait! This attack... why does it seem a bit off?!"
The host had prepared a series of passionate comments as he watched the swordsman swing his blade without a word.
But the slash that Hyaku released wasn't aimed at the four pirate ships ahead. Instead, it shot straight into the sky.
BOOM!———— ROAR!
A blue-green flame slash erupted from the katana.
As it soared upward, the slash transformed into a magnificent blue dragon. The dragon roared, shooting straight toward the heavens.
High in the air, it exploded with tremendous force, instantly scattering the clouds in the sky.
After completing this slash, the corners of Hyaku's mouth curved slightly upward.
✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣
At the same time, on the northwest coast of Hannabal.
Two figures had been lurking there for some time — Coby and Helmeppo, who had gone missing before the race.
ROAR!
The two, concealing their presence, suddenly heard a clear dragon's roar from the distant sky.
Both immediately looked up, witnessing Hyaku's slash ascending and exploding.
"It's Captain Hyaku's signal! Quickly contact the other Marines!"
Their expressions turned serious as Coby pulled out a Marine-exclusive anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi and dialed.
"Yes! Yes! Contact the main force immediately, they can set out now!" He exclaimed after quickly explaining the situation.
He hung up the Den Den Mushi and nodded confidently.
"Now we wait for the main force's reinforcements to encircle them."
Coby and Helmeppo exchanged knowing smiles.
They were here following Hyaku's explicit instructions.
According to the plan, once the competition entered its most intense phase and they confirmed the targets' presence, their Captain would release a slash as a signal.
At that moment, Coby and Helmeppo would do exactly what they had just done — notify the Marine main force to come and form an encirclement!
By the time the pirates learned of the Marines' arrival, it would already be too late to escape the confrontation.
Meanwhile, Hyaku would work to detain as many pirates as possible.
His ultimate goal was clear: eliminate all pirates present!
✣✣✣
T/N: Favorite, comment and save to your library of best reads in the world, thank you for reading this far!
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