Hiss!
With his body slashed from behind, Gasparde sucked in a sharp breath of pain.
Without time to think, he gritted his teeth and lurched forward. After putting a safe distance between himself and his opponent, he finally turned around.
Gasparde quickly used his Candy-Candy Fruit ability to seal the bleeding wound.
Looking at Hyaku again, he noticed the man's expression had lost its earlier calmness.
"If I remember correctly, you just used Armament Haki! Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki... Who exactly are you?!" Gasparde roared.
Someone skilled with both types of Haki serving in a small pirate crew? Being a nobody?
No one would believe that.
"Hyaku Shiro." Hyaku introduced himself.
Hyaku?
Hearing this name, Gasparde felt a flicker of recognition, though he couldn't immediately place where he'd heard it before.
Beep Beep Beep!
Suddenly, alarm bells rang out from all directions, followed by the panicked voice of the host.
"Emergency notice! Marine warships have surrounded Hannabal! The competition is canceled — all pirates must leave immediately!"
A large fleet of Marine warships had been spotted approaching Hannabal.
Boom! Boom!
Almost simultaneously, earth-shaking explosions erupted around the island. The entrances and exits were bombed and completely blocked!
In an instant, chaos erupted among the pirates across the island.
Hearing the explosions, Hyaku smiled slightly. The series of blasts had been arranged by Coby and Helmeppo under his orders.
Their purpose was simple: to trap the pirates of Hannabal and buy time for the approaching Marines.
"Aren't you a pirate?!" Gasparde demanded, noticing the commotion around them.
Seeing Hyaku's strange smile, Gasparde seemed to realize something.
"That technique you used at the beginning — it was Soru from the Marines' Rokushiki! You're from the Marines!" Gasparde exclaimed, pointing at him accusingly.
Hearing this, even Foxy widened his eyes as he stared at Hyaku, desperately hoping the candy-man was making it up.
But the truth was cruel. After Gasparde's accusation, Hyaku felt no need to hide anymore and simply nodded.
"What?!" Seeing this confirmation, Foxy stood stunned behind them, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
"Hyaku Shiro..." Gasparde murmured, facing the frank admission.
Suddenly, his body trembled as recognition dawned on him.
"Hyaku! Are you that Marine super-rookie who single-handedly captured Crocodile?!" Gasparde asked in shock.
He had clearly heard reports about the newly promoted Captain.
"The one and only." Hyaku confirmed with a smile.
"From the very beginning when you entered the competition, it was to catch me. And that slash — I wondered how someone of your skill could miss. It was to notify the Marines, wasn't it?" Gasparde said with growing horror.
Thinking it through, it seemed everything had been part of Hyaku's plan!
"You're not so stupid after all. Now there's only one step left, which is to take you all back into custody." Hyaku said with a shrug.
Then, he raised his sword and pointed it at Gasparde. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
"Don't think knowing some Haki means you can beat me!!"
Splash!
Realizing the Marine wouldn't let him go, Gasparde roared and raised both hands.
In an instant, the front half of his body completely transformed into green candy. The sticky substance frantically writhed under his control.
In a flash, it condensed into countless sharp spikes.
Click! Click! Click!
The candy began to harden, becoming as hard as crystal with an unusual glossy sheen.
Gasparde's Ame Ame no Mi ability not only allowed him to soften his body but also to harden the candy into a deadly weapon.
"Die!" Gasparde roared as the hard spikes fully formed.
His hands suddenly thrust forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The numerous spikes instantly shot toward Hyaku like a storm. Their ferocity was such that if they actually hit, one's body would instantly become a beehive.
However, even facing this barrage, Hyaku remained calm and composed. Rather than evading, he stepped forward, walking directly toward the attack.
Seeing this, Gasparde's face grew increasingly grim. He immediately channeled his Devil Fruit ability with full power, intensifying his assault.
✣ Kenbunshoku no Haki: Ito Kankaku ⭄ Observation Haki: Intent Sensing! ✣
As the dense spikes approached, Hyaku's eyes narrowed slightly. Opening and closing his eyes, he released his Observation Haki.
His powerful Haki allowed him to precisely track the trajectory of each spike. Every attack path fell under his control.
Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh...
The next second, the spike attack arrived.
What happened next left Gasparde stunned.
The spikes, carrying sharp whistling sounds through the air, were easily dodged by Hyaku with minimal movements just before they could touch his body.
One, two, three... More and more spikes missed as Hyaku advanced step by step right under Gasparde's nose, weaving effortlessly between the attacks.
It truly embodied the saying, "Walking through a field of flowers without disturbing a single petal."
Not a single spike could touch him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
The missed projectiles all embedded themselves in the ship's deck. Their penetrating power punched large holes throughout the wooden surface.
Hyaku had already arrived in front of Gasparde.
"You are a disgrace to the Marines. I won't allow you to remain at large." Hyaku said coldly.
Hum!
Whoosh!
After speaking, Hyaku focused his mind. The Azure Dragon Sword Intent instantly condensed into tangible flames, burning on Ryūka.
He gripped the sword with both hands, raising it over his shoulder. In one fluid motion, he slashed down diagonally toward Gasparde's shoulder.
"I won't lose! Don't even think about it!" Seeing the katana descending toward him, Gasparde roared angrily, his palms gripping the air.
Splash!
His Ame Ame no Mi ability activated again, and his candy-transformed body secreted green candy.
The candy gathered in Gasparde's palms, writhing and forming a spiked weapon that instantly hardened.
Though this sequence sounds complex, it happened in a flash.
With his newly formed weapon, Gasparde thrust it with all his might toward the slashing Ryūka!
✣✣✣
T/N: Favorite, comment and save to your library of best reads in the world, thank you for reading this far!
T/N: Follow me on Pa-treon for advanced chapters: MrBlackWing! ( ◕‿◕ )
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)