Mangaka in the StrawHats

Boom!!

With an ear-splitting roar, Heracles' serrated giant stone blade came crashing down onto the Triceratops' skull. The force behind the blow was devastating. Sasaki felt his head rattle, as if he had just been struck by a falling meteor.

Everything went black. His senses dulled, and in the blink of an eye, he lost consciousness.

The jagged blade didn't stop there—it slashed again, hitting Sasaki's shoulders and head like a baseball bat smacking its target. The sheer power behind the attack sent Sasaki's massive body flying backward with a whoosh.

Boom!!

Another thunderous explosion followed as Sasaki's body smashed into the outer wall of Skeleton Castle, the impact so intense that dust and debris were sent billowing into the air.

Cracks, cracks, cracks...!!!

The force of the collision caused fissures to spiderweb out from where Sasaki had hit, spreading rapidly across the wall.

Heracles stood still, watching Sasaki embedded in the wall like a broken toy. He tilted his head slightly, confused. Why would he seek death like this? Heracles seemed to wonder, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Ah! Ahh...!!"

"Am I dreaming? Did Lord Sasaki just get taken out in one strike?"

"Hey, hey, hey!! This isn't just a simple defeat… That guy defeat Lord Sasaki in one blow!"

The minions who had accompanied Sasaki stared at Heracles, their eyes wide with fear and disbelief. Sasaki, one of the top-ranked Tobiroppo, had fallen in an instant, leaving the pirates paralyzed in terror.

"Quick! Someone inform the Governor!!"

One of the smaller minions was the first to react, scrambling toward the entrance of the Skeleton Castle, fear pushing him to move faster.

"No... No! Lord Sasaki has been defeated!!" The pirate burst into the lobby on the first floor, his voice shrill with panic.

"Defeated?" Jack the Drought, who had been sipping on his drink, furrowed his brow, his expression one of incredulity as he glanced at the frantic minion.

Are you kidding me? he thought, his drunken mind processing the absurdity of the situation. How long has it even been since Sasaki left?

Ten seconds? Twenty seconds? Jack was tipsy, but he still had a sense of time. It hadn't even been a minute since Sasaki went outside.

Sasaki... killed in under a minute?

Jack's jaw clenched in disbelief. "Hey! You moron, did the door knock your brains loose? Even if Sasaki is weaker than me, there's no way he could die in under a minute."

Who's-Who, lounging back in his chair, one leg draped lazily over the armrest, chuckled softly, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. "That's right. Sasaki might be an idiot, but it would take a real monster to kill him that quickly. Hell, not even Whitebeard could pull that off in such a short time."

Page One, seated nearby, spoke with calm certainty. "Exactly. No matter how reckless Sasaki can be, killing him that fast is no small feat. Who's capable of such power?"

Suddenly, a loud crash erupted from the entrance of the hall. All eyes turned toward the source of the commotion as the door and part of the wall exploded inward.

Bang!!

A massive figure hurtled through the shattered doorway, slamming into the floor with a heavy thud that shook the entire hall.

Everyone's gaze locked onto the fallen figure, their eyes widening in shock. There, lying sprawled out with his arms and legs spread in defeat, was Sasaki. His face was swollen, bruised, and utterly unrecognizable.

"What the—!!"

"It's really Sasaki!!"

"Is this a joke?!"

No one could deny it now—the minion's panicked report had been no exaggeration. Sasaki, one of the Tobiroppo, had been decimated.

A loud thud echoed through the hall as another knock sounded at the broken doorway. Everyone turned, holding their breath.

A towering figure, as large as a mountain, stepped through the debris-filled entrance. The ground trembled slightly beneath his massive frame. In his hand, he dragged the serrated giant stone blade behind him like a piece of discarded scrap metal. The blade clattered against the floor, creating an eardrum-piercing sound.

"Who is that...?" Who's-Who, in the middle of raising his cigarette to his lips, froze in mid-motion, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

His mind raced, piecing through the countless bits of intelligence he had gathered over the years. As a former member of CP9, I've seen and heard of many powerful beings in the sea... But no matter how hard he thought, this man was a complete mystery to him.

"Damn it! You dare come into our Beasts Pirates' territory and make trouble? You've got some nerve!" Jack the Drought's voice boomed through the hall. He glared at Heracles, his hand tightening around the glass in his hand.

Bang!!

Jack hurled the glass to the ground, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "You idiot, you picked the wrong place to go wild. I'll show you that brute strength alone isn't enough!!"

Jack glanced briefly at Kaido, who was still passed out in a drunken stupor, then turned back toward Heracles, cracking his knuckles. He stood up, his massive frame casting an intimidating shadow over the hall as he strode forward.

Who's-Who rubbed his hands together, an eager grin tugging at the corners of his lips. He clearly wanted to join the fray.

Page One, sitting at the next table, leaned over and stopped him with a faint smile. "Let Jack handle it. You don't need to get involved this time."

"Haha... Jack, that muscle-headed idiot..." Who's-Who sneered, but relented, crossing his arms instead.

Though they were all part of the Tobiroppo, Who's-Who believed his abilities far exceeded his rank. He didn't feel bound to his current position.

Jack, meanwhile, drew two massive sickle-like swords from his back, the metal scraping together as he moved, producing a menacing sound.

As he approached, Heracles, without a word, raised his jagged stone blade high and swung it directly at Jack.

No finesse, just raw, overwhelming power.

"Just brute force?" Jack's eyes lit up with excitement. "Haha! I like idiots who rely on brute strength! Because... I'm just the same!!"

Laughing with savage glee, Jack swung his twin sickles in a fierce cross motion, aiming to meet Heracles' blade head-on.

Boom!!

The two attacks collided with a thunderous crash.

Bang!!

The impact split the floor beneath them, sending up a cloud of dust. As it cleared, the onlookers stared in astonishment. Jack's knees, unable to withstand the massive force of Heracles' blow, buckled. With a loud thud, Jack dropped to his knees, stunned.

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[Read more chapter ahead at [email protected]/goldengaruda]

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