"Brat!"
The moment Eli Winters called out Don Chinjao's infamous title, the old man's fury boiled over. To outsiders, it might have sounded like nothing more than a taunt, but to Chinjao, it was a wound reopened.
"Pointed Chinjao" was once a name he wore with pride. His drill-shaped head had been the source of his greatest strength, a symbol of his power and glory. Yet sixteen years ago, Vice Admiral Garp's iron fist had shattered that pride in a single blow, flattening his sharp head and forever turning his title into a mockery. To hear it again now from a young upstart like Eli felt like the cruelest insult.
With a roar, Chinjao charged. "Eight Impact Fist!"
The technique was a legacy of the Happo Navy, passed down through generations. His fists darkened, sheathed in Armament Haki, and hammered forward with explosive force. Each strike carried shockwaves that split the air like invisible blades.
Eli's lips curled into a grin. "Perfect. Come at me!"
He had never studied martial arts, not in any structured way, but his body was a weapon in its own right. Years of training, battles, and raw endurance gave him a foundation solid enough to meet the old master head-on. His fists, also cloaked in Armament Haki, met Chinjao's strikes in a clash that shook the frozen battlefield.
The first collision forced Eli back several paces, his boots grinding trenches into the ice. That was the nature of Chinjao's Eight Impact Fist the sheer force of the blow was always followed by crushing shockwaves.
But instead of discouraging him, the setback only fueled Eli's excitement. His blood burned with exhilaration. This was a different kind of fight: not swordsmanship, not Devil Fruit trickery, but pure Haki against Haki. His control over Armament Haki had been decent before sixty percent mastery, perhaps but raw. Unpolished. Fighting Chinjao, he could feel himself growing sharper with every exchange.
"Impressive, old man!" Eli barked, rushing back in with a reckless grin.
Chinjao snorted coldly, answering with another flurry of strikes. His mastery was not confined to fists. Elbows, knees, even his feet all could deliver the Eight Impact Fist. Eli soon found himself under siege from every angle, absorbing painful lessons with each blow. Yet every misstep made him stronger. Sixty percent became seventy. Then higher. His movements grew more refined, his instincts sharper.
Chinjao, however, was growing unsettled. The boy was adapting too quickly. Every second of combat polished his Haki further, as if he were using Chinjao not as an opponent, but as a sparring partner.
The thought made his blood boil. "Brat! You dare use me as your training dummy? Then let's see if you can survive this!"
"Eight Impact Fist: Armored Head Spin!"
With astonishing agility for a man his age, Chinjao leapt skyward, flipped, and planted his head against the ice. Using it as a pivot, he spun his body like a colossal drill, his legs and arms becoming blurs as centrifugal force built a tornado around him. The frozen ground cracked beneath the rotation, and the resulting gale pulled Eli toward the whirling human top.
Eli's instincts screamed danger. His eyes narrowed. Both Armament and Conqueror's Haki surged together into his arms, crackling with invisible force. Planting his feet, he anchored himself against the pull of the vortex.
Then came the impact.
A thunderclap echoed across the ice field as Eli's palms met the spinning bulk of Chinjao. The force drove him backward, his boots plowing a deep furrow in the frozen surface. His muscles strained, veins bulging, as he resisted the crushing spin.
"Chinjao!" Eli roared, power exploding through his frame. "I've had enough holding back!"
In a single burst, his Haki flared, amplifying several times over. With a violent shove, he redirected the spinning force, hurling Chinjao away like a cannonball. The old man skidded across the ice, unable to regain balance before Eli was already upon him.
The young adventurer's fist shot forward, faster than lightning. Chinjao barely had time to coat his body in Haki before the blow landed squarely against his chest. The impact detonated like an explosion. Ice shattered, a crater opened, and Chinjao's body sank deep into the ground.
When the smoke cleared, the proud warrior staggered to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His gaze, once sharp and defiant, dimmed with the weight of reality.
He had lost.
To someone so young, so early in his journey.
Memories of his clash with Garp surged through his mind, the bitterness of defeat gnawing at his pride. Once, he had been feared across the seas, a living legend. But time was merciless. The new generation was rising, and his era was crumbling to dust.
"Eli Winters…" Chinjao rasped, voice thick with regret. "You've won. Take the treasure. Take my life, if you must. But… spare my grandsons."
"Grandfather!" Sai and Boo rushed to his side, eyes wide with alarm.
"Quiet!" Chinjao snapped, though his tone wavered. "The Happo Navy does not raise deserters. But after I'm gone, Sai will be the Thirteenth Pillar. That's final!"
His grandsons cried openly, tears freezing on their cheeks.
Eli sighed. The scene tugged at him in a way he hadn't expected. "Relax, old man. I didn't come here to kill you. We're adventurers. We seek treasure, not lives."
Chinjao studied him with weary eyes, then chuckled bitterly. "Then I owe you a debt, boy. If ever you have need, come to the Land of Flowers. You'll find me there."
For someone as proud as Chinjao, those words were no small concession. Eli watched him limp away, shoulders heavy with age and memory. For the first time, Eli saw not a monster, but a man crushed beneath the weight of time.
The young adventurer smiled faintly. Today's battle had yielded far more than treasure. His grasp of Haki had deepened, his understanding of Conqueror's Haki had sharpened, and Big Pan his loyal crewmate had awakened his own Conqueror's spirit. Two victories in one.
"Captain, you're incredible!" Big Pan exclaimed, eyes shining with admiration. "You beat him without even using your spatial powers!"
Felina, ever the realist, tilted her head. "But didn't you say pirates are all villains? Why not kill him?"
"Most are, yes," Eli admitted. "But not all. Chinjao may be a pirate, but he's also a ruler, a protector of his country. He doesn't deserve the same fate as true monsters."
He turned back toward the ice. "Now… let's claim what we came for."
The group approached a colossal ice formation, pale green in hue, like jade glowing under the sun. Beneath the surface, golden sparks glimmered faintly. It was beautiful, yet impenetrable.
"Treasure's inside," Big Pan confirmed. "We tried before, but couldn't break it. That's when Chinjao showed up."
Eli placed his palms against the icy wall. Spatial power rippled from his hands, distorting the frozen surface until it parted like water, forming a gateway. The crew followed him into the shimmering cavern, gasping at the sight within.
Piles of gold and jewels filled the chamber, glittering brighter than the sun. Big Pan and Felina whooped in delight, stuffing valuables into storage pouches. Fiona, more reserved, discovered two finely forged blades rare quality, though not Supreme Grade. Even her stoic expression melted into a smile as she cradled them like precious children.
At the heart of it all rested a small chest. Eli opened it carefully, revealing a Devil Fruit, its skin etched with strange swirling patterns.
"Well, what do you know," he muttered. "A Devil Fruit. But likely not a rare one, if Chinjao left it here."
Still, he slipped it into his spatial storage. One never knew when such a power might prove useful.
With the treasure secured, Eli warped his crew back to their ship. That evening, the deck came alive with celebration. Bonfires roared, laughter rang out, and Eli even spent a hefty twenty points from the System to purchase fine liquor two full crates of Maotai.
The night ended in drunken revelry, his companions collapsing in heaps of laughter and snores. Felina, as always, took it upon herself to guide Eli safely to his quarters. Fiona, meanwhile, disappeared into her cabin, lost in admiration of her new blades.
Eli lay back, smiling faintly. Another day, another victory. The seas ahead promised more challenges, more treasures, and more growth.
And he was ready for all of it.
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