A rich, slightly salty scent…
Sweat?
Yes. Definitely sweat.
...
"Wait, aren't you my Pegi? My little Pegi isn't this tall!"
The Iron-Headed girl of the Beasts Pirates, Runti, finally realized what was happening. Yet she did not panic, retreat, or flee.
Compared to her younger brother Pegivan, Runti was superior both in temperament and combat talent.
Immediately, she adjusted her stance, spun behind Rosha, and locked her powerful thighs around his neck.
"Speak! Who are you? Why are you wearing my little Pegi's clothes?"
Runti demanded coldly, clearly ready to snap Rosha's neck at the slightest provocation.
"What did you do to my little Pegi?"
"Runti, Pegivan is fine. He's just… asleep," Yamato interjected at the right moment.
"Yamato? What are you doing here? And little Pegi… really asleep?" Runti's gaze softened slightly as she looked at her peacefully sleeping brother, though suspicion lingered.
"No tricks, right? Pegi even spit blood… so it was you, wasn't it? Who are you really?"
"You should already know who I am. Isn't it Kaido who sent you to find me?" Rosha replied calmly.
"You're that rookie Kaido mentioned?" Runti's eyes widened. "Perfect. I was only planning to give you a simple beating and take you to Kaido, but since you laid a hand on my little Pegi… I will make sure you regret it!"
She bared her teeth, her expression fierce. "First, I'll let you feel the pain of suffocation…"
Runti tightened her right leg around Rosha's neck, pressing against his carotid artery.
Snap!
Clap!
Rosha casually patted her smooth, straight thigh with his hands.
"Ha! At this point, asking for mercy is far too late," Runti smirked, expecting him to be struggling for breath, unable to speak.
But the next moment
"Too bad," Rosha said, his tone laced with mock regret.
Runti froze.
How could this guy still speak?
"Too bad? Too bad for what?"
"You're wasting these long legs if you're not using them to kick a tricycle," Rosha added, running his hands along her thigh as if to emphasize his 'regret.'
"Huh?" Runti did not understand the meaning, but more shocking than that was the fact that the man she had locked in a chokehold was still talking.
"How… how can you still speak?" she asked, flustered.
"I'm not mute. Why wouldn't I be able to speak?" Rosha replied naturally.
"No, I didn't ask if you were mute! You're clearly already locked in a chokehold," Runti's emotions surged.
"Oh, you mean that? I thought you wanted to play 'ride the horse' instead," Rosha said with a smirk.
Now that everyone would be colleagues in the same pirate crew, he could afford to humor small requests like this.
"Ahhh! Are you underestimating me?" Runti roared, flailing in fury.
"Runti, maybe let it go. You probably aren't a match for Rosha," Yamato warned kindly.
"Shut up, Yamato! Don't think you can escape either. After I deal with him, it'll be your turn," Runti snapped, grinding her teeth and rhythmically nodding her head.
Armament Haki Hardening!
Black haki spread across the girl's pale forehead.
"Runtigun!"
Runti swung her head with maximum force, her hardened forehead crashing mercilessly toward the back of Rosha's head.
Bang!
The dull thud of body hitting body echoed explosively.
"So hard!" Runti couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"How is your head so hard it's like stone?" she muttered, then quickly corrected herself. "But today, even if your head is stone, I will break it!"
She released Rosha, leaped into the air, and grew under the moonlight.
Animal-type Ancient Zoan: Ankylosaurus Form Activate!
Landing, the long-legged girl was transformed into a long-legged… dinosaur girl.
Rosha was not disappointed. In fact, he was even more excited.
A true man must face a dinosaur.
"Come on! Let's see whose head is really harder!" Rosha taunted, beckoning with his hand.
"Don't get cocky. When it comes to head toughness, I am the number one of the Beasts Pirates," Runti declared proudly.
Runtigun!
In her Ankylosaurus form, Runti leaped again, her reinforced forehead covered in black Armament Haki, delivering a headbutt from above.
Thud!
A deep, resonant thump rang out like a great bell, the shockwave radiating in visible concentric circles.
Rocks on the coast shattered. The ground beneath Rosha cracked and split.
The fissures spread like a spiderweb for dozens of meters.
"Not bad. One more round!" Rosha cheered.
The tremor had increased his Armored Dragon Slayer proficiency slightly about 0.1 percent.
"Bring it on. Don't even think about dodging," Runti gritted her teeth. This was the first time she had encountered an opponent as tough as her in a head-to-head clash.
She had thought herself unbeatable after consuming the Ankylosaurus fruit, but here was a true rival.
Rosha laughed softly. "Whoever dodges is the loser."
"Fine!" The confident, iron-headed girl shouted, ready to continue.
Smack!
Yamato covered her face with her hands, already anticipating what was coming.
Even the infamous Kaido couldn't match Rosha's body hardness.
For some unknown reason, Rosha enjoyed being hit.
First him, then Pegivan, now Runti.
"This is a move I just developed. Losing to this, you should be proud. Take it, Runtigun Rain!"
The dinosaur girl Runti declared, unleashing her strongest attack.
Her armored Ankylosaurus head rained down like a storm, covering everything below.
Thud, thud, thud!
Boom, boom, boom!
For hundreds of meters, the ground and sky seemed to tremble.
Dust and debris rose like dragons, obscuring everything.
After three long minutes, the tremors subsided. The night wind cleared the smoke, revealing the scene.
At the center of the scarred battlefield, Rosha stood unmoved, half a step untouched, as steady as a mountain.
Runti touched her slightly numb forehead, lips tightly pressed, and looked at Rosha with no trace of earlier disdain.
"What's wrong? Done already?" Rosha said lightly.
"Impossible! That was just the warm-up!" Runti retorted, stubborn as ever.
Runtigun!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Half an hour passed.
Rosha asked calmly, "Ready to surrender?"
"Who would surrender to you!" Runti spat back.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another hour passed.
Tap, tap!
The Ankylosaurus Runti staggered backward, her eyes nearly rolled back, her forehead bleeding.
After an hour of relentless output, her Haki depleted, her strength and stamina reached their limits.
Yet she still stood, driven by unwavering resolve.
"Girl, I acknowledge you. When it comes to head toughness, I, Rosha, will call you the strongest!"