Red Adventure Island.
The energy shockwave in the sky above the town was still spreading in all directions, destroying everything in its path.
But the people who used to live in the town didn’t care about the buildings anymore. Right now, all they wanted to know was—who would win this fight?
"They’ve been fighting for almost half a day now. The sun’s already about to set..."
"This is what a real top-level fighter looks like!"
"Amazing... I didn’t expect that old man with one arm to be this strong too..."
"Shows you can’t judge someone by how they look..."
"Looking at how things are going, I think Kuina is stronger!"
"I agree too. That old man looks like he’s about to fall apart!"
Far away, the townspeople kept talking.
But on the other side, Ryuen and the others still couldn’t relax.
Anyone could see that Kuina had the upper hand and was sure to win.
But even though the one-armed old man was clearly weak now, they still had to be careful—because a desperate person can be the most dangerous.
The more hopeless someone feels, the more dangerous they become.
"One Sword Style – Immortal Waterfall – Slash the Immortal!" Kuina shouted in anger.
In her human-beast form, she twirled her sword in both hands, then unleashed a slash in a strange and unpredictable motion.
In an instant, a foggy white, breathtakingly beautiful, yet deadly slash full of killing intent came crashing down toward the old man!
The one-armed old man instantly felt a terrifying killing aura. His hair stood on end—it was like his whole body was screaming that this slash could be the end of him!
"Damn brat! A little snot-nosed girl dares to try and beat me?!"
"I’m the mighty Elephant Osmond!"
"Secret Technique – Giant Elephant – Tusk Thrust!!!" Osmond roared with fury.
In a flash, his whole body swelled up. In just a breath, he transformed fully into his beast form!
His huge elephant body was covered in dark Armament Haki.
Especially his tusks.
Even under the dim sky, the Haki made his tusks look like four deadly black spears, shining with a cold, sharp light.
Osmond let out a terrifying roar. The next moment, his massive body charged straight at the powerful slash coming toward him.
*Crack, crack, crack...*
Before the attacks even met, the space around them shattered like broken glass, torn apart by the powerful energy coming from both sides.
The shockwave from their clash exploded out in all directions like a nuclear blast, with their attacks at the center.
The townspeople who thought they had moved far enough to be safe were suddenly blown away by the force.
Screams of fear echoed through the air.
Kuina didn’t strike again after that slash—she knew how strong it was.
Because that was her strongest attack right now.
If Osmond could take it, that would mean she still wasn’t strong enough.
It would mean she was weaker than the one-armed old man.
But the pressure wasn’t just crushing the space around them—Osmond himself was full of fear.
Because even in his full elephant form, he was missing a front leg.
"Don’t think I’m done yet!"
Osmond pushed through the pressure from Kuina’s slash and poured in the last of his strength.
The energy gathered in his sharp tusks broke through the space between their attacks in a flash.
Osmond finally hit Kuina’s slash head-on.
At that moment, everything seemed to go silent.
The instant his tusks touched Kuina’s slash, they only held up for a second before they shattered into pieces.
His tough tusks broke apart like glass. Google seaʀᴄh NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
Then the slash landed on Osmond’s massive elephant body
A loud, thunderous sound exploded.
Osmond let out a painful scream as Kuina’s slash cut a deep trench across his huge elephant head.
Blood poured out, staining the ground red.
The next second, he couldn’t hold his beast form anymore. His elephant body shrank down until he returned to human form.
Barely able to stand, Osmond spat out another mouthful of blood.
Now back in human form, the wound on his head looked terrible. Bright red blood gushed out and ran down his face.
The killing intent he had just moments ago completely faded. His fierce eyes now looked peaceful.
"Bao... Case... everyone..." he said weakly, "I’m sorry... *cough cough*... I still couldn’t get the treasure..."
As he spoke, tears ran down from the corners of his eyes, warm and silent.
Kuina returned to her human form.
After she sheathed her sword, Wado Ichimonji, she looked at Osmond and slowly walked up to him.
"...You were a worthy opponent," Kuina said quietly after a short pause.
"The Great Age of Exploration... it really is something... what a shame..."
"In the end, I’m just old... I didn’t expect to see someone so strong among today’s younger generation..."
Osmond slowly raised his frail, hunched body to look at Kuina. His wrinkled old face twisted into an ugly smile as he spoke.
At that moment, he finally understood why the Dream Expedition Team was said to have Four Emperors-level strength.
This young woman standing before him was still so young, yet her sword skills were already this powerful!
Kuina didn’t respond.
Osmond could no longer speak. His old body had lost all its strength, and he slowly fell backward.
After a few seconds of silence, Kuina bowed deeply toward his body.
"Thank you for the fight."
Soon after, the rest of the Dream Team ran over.
"Kuina, are you okay?" Daisy immediately came to her side.
"I’m fine, just a few light injuries," Kuina said softly, giving a small smile to her teammates.
"Nami, I need to give Kuina a full checkup," Daisy said quickly.
Nami immediately opened the pocket dimension.
Then, without waiting for Kuina’s permission, Daisy pulled her into the space.
Inside the space, Nami took out Daisy’s medical kit.
Daisy started checking Kuina’s injuries. The fight had left her badly hurt, and her clothes were stained with blood.
Outside, Ryuen and the others stood in silence, looking at Osmond’s lifeless body.
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