He recalled the judgment given by Brandon from the department of strategy during the bounty determination meeting at the headquarters before.
"...It's certain that this wolf is actually the second strongest hidden power in this pirate gang!"
"A certain Major General under Mr. Onigumo engaged it and was soon severely wounded, almost having his neck bitten off. According to his recollections, the wolf was very casual in battle, never exerting its full strength!"
At that time, Dalmatia heard this while chewing on a cigar, showing disdain.
Just a wolf dog, how strong could it be even if it went all out?
He always believed that in the entire Endgame Pirates, the only one worth paying attention to was Captain Shano.
And this time, he had personally witnessed it...
Even after sending two Major Generals and several Colonels under him, they couldn't contain that giant wolf, causing chaos and disrupting the formation.
In the end, it even managed to spare time to assist its comrades in seriously injuring Bumaya, gaining ample time for Endgame Pirates to board.
This strength might still have a gap with someone like him, an old Headquarter Vice Admiral.
But it was definitely not inferior to a typical Vice Admiral!
"...Additionally, Mr. Sakazuki."
Dalmatia added, "Besides those already wanted, there are also previously unknown comrades in the Endgame Pirates, who should also possess significant strength."
"More hidden comrades?"
Sakazuki frowned slightly.
"Yes, this person supposedly sneaked onto our warship during the combat landing, tampered with the mast and sails, with over a hundred Marines on guard, yet no one noticed anything."
"Until we hurriedly boarded, preparing to chase the Endgame, the mast suddenly collapsed, and the sails tore in many places... That's when we realized something was wrong."
Sakazuki's gaze darkened further.
A mysterious hidden comrade.
A crew member far stronger than expected.
And that Shano...
"The Endgame Pirates have truly hidden quite a lot..."
Sakazuki spoke in a low, cold voice, "Let's head back to headquarters, intensify the efforts of the intelligence department to thoroughly investigate that hidden comrade's details."
"Yes!" Dalmatia promptly responded.
Sakazuki turned his head, casting one last glance at the distant horizon, his eyes still harboring killing intent.
"There will be a day, kid... Next time we meet, I will personally send you and your comrades all to Hell."
To Hell, not Impel Down!
This time, indeed, I was a bit negligent, allowing you to escape successfully.
But... this shame of capsizing in a ditch, someday, he will reclaim it all!!!
————
Soon.
The warships are repaired, and the navies of the South Island and North Island gather at the docks, preparing to set sail.
And whether it was Sakazuki or the other Marines.
None noticed that high above the sky at this time, a black vulture was flying past.
And on top of the vulture, a pajama-clad sea otter was sitting, sketching something rapidly on a drawing paper...
————
The sea area several hundred kilometers away.
The afterglow of the sunset cast mottled golden glimmers on the sea surface.
Splash!
Shano suddenly broke through the water, his soaked black hair clinging to his forehead as he panted heavily, biceps bulging, struggling to climb onto the reef with his last ounce of strength.
"Ha... ha..."
His chest rose and fell violently like a bellows, every muscle groaning under the heavy burden.
He lay on his back, collapsed on the reef, letting the seawater drip off his chin.
Where am I now?
Who the hell knows!
Anyway, I've completely shaken off the Navy, there's no way they could catch up.
After escaping the waters of Thor Island, he swam continuously for several hours, changing directions multiple times midway.
Even he couldn't figure out where he was, could the Navy find him?
"Cough..."
The sunlight was still somewhat blinding, the young man with black hair raised a trembling arm to shield his eyes, peering through his fingers at the sky dyed red by the sunset.
Akainu's magma-like fist seemed to leave a residual burn on his retina, while the searing pain from every part of his body had yet to dissipate fully.
I really am in a sorry state...
That old guy certainly deserves his place as a top-tier powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the world, a so-called Navy Grand Admiral, truly absurdly strong.
Even with all his trump cards, and defense through inhuman physique and self-healing Regeneration Skill, he could only withstand for half an hour more.
He was battered and bruised the whole time, countless times his skin was charred and peeled back, revealing stark white bones underneath.
If it wasn't for taking an Immortal Bean...
He would probably have been blasted into a skeleton like Brook.
However.
Just as Akainu himself said, not being crushed immediately and holding on for so long was enough to boast of at his age.
Moreover.
He even managed to wound the opponent in the end, something Akainu himself didn't anticipate.
"The gains weren't bad after all."
Shano grinned.
Reputation doesn't really matter to him.
Mainly, he could feel that after this life-and-death struggle with all his might, the strength of his Armament Haki and his combat experience had made some progress.
The improvement wasn't significant, but at his current level of strength, every bit of progress was precious. Slowly accumulating it like this—
One day!
One day, he would reach the pinnacle of this vast ocean!
...
The last ray of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, and the night surged in like the tide.
Shano withdrew his thoughts and shifted his gaze back to the system panel before him.
Here, it recorded another of his gains.
[Sacrifice: Sakazuki's Navy Cap]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 4500 Points]
[Appraisal: The Navy Grand Admiral Akainu's Marine cap, which has accompanied him for many years, embodies his obsession and zeal for practicing "absolute justice." The singe marks of lava on the brim are a testament to countless clashes with formidable foes; the indelible bloodstains narrate the ruthless iron hand with which its owner suppressed pirates and civilians.]
A whopping four thousand five hundred points, even higher than the dog head cap borrowed from Garp back in the day.
Their current strength should still be on the same level, yet the points value differs so much...
Probably because the dog head cap fell into disuse later, whereas Akainu's cap, even after becoming Admiral, remained firmly glued to his head.
The remaining points suddenly reached forty-five thousand five hundred. When the shop refreshes next time, he can indulge a bit.
And now...
Shano closed the system panel and sprawled out lazily.
He was utterly exhausted.
So tired that he couldn't even lift a finger. He just wanted to lie on this rock and get a good night's sleep.
As for contacting his partners... the Radio Snail didn't survive, so it'll have to wait until after he's rested.
Anyway, with his mastery of Observation, should any danger approach, he would automatically awaken from his sleep.
However, such a situation is clearly unlikely.
Unless he has terrible luck and runs into a curly-haired bicyclist passing by, there shouldn't be any danger in this sea for him...
As his consciousness blurred and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, fatigue quickly washed over him like the tide.
"Hoo..."
Accompanied by faint snores, the boy was completely lost in slumber.
————
The moonlight was as cool as water.
The waves gently lapped against the rocks, and suddenly a large blurred silhouette appeared on the tranquil sea.
It was a giant sea turtle, leisurely swimming over, wearing a cowboy hat and puffing at an old-fashioned pipe.
On the turtle's back.
A slender figure in a purple crop-top summer outfit stood up, the sea breeze ruffling her shoulder-length black hair. The moonlight outlined her delicate profile, giving off a mysterious intellectual beauty.
Noticing the figure on the rock, she chuckled softly:
"Oh my, been searching for hours, and you're right here?"
With a gentle leap, she landed on the rock.
As soon as she landed and saw Shano clearly, Robin's pupils contracted, her face changing slightly.
The black-haired boy in front of her was covered in a bizarre blue-purple hue.
On the surface of his skin, fine black lines faintly appeared, as if some venom had already spread inside his body.
If Shano were awake, he would easily recognize it.
That's Bumaya's venom, lingering in his body.
Ever since diving into the sea to escape, he had noticed the change in his skin color, sometimes normal, sometimes turning blue and purple.
However, after confirming that this venom posed no life threat to him and couldn't even corrode his internal organs, he neglected it, as it only affected the surface of his skin visibly.
In the midst of fleeing for his life, he couldn't be bothered and put it aside for now.
After getting a good sleep and having a hearty meal, he planned to deal with it using Life Return.
Unfortunately.
The present Robin was unaware of these facts.
In her eyes, the scene of Shano deeply asleep and covered in blue-purple was a grim sign of imminent life-threatening danger.
How could this be?!
Robin felt an uncontrollable surge of disbelief.
Having secretly followed for so long, she knew too well how terrifyingly strong the black-haired boy before her was.
Not to mention today's earth-shattering battle, just at Little Garden, she personally witnessed that mountain-shattering punch...
What kind of venom could be potent enough to bring down such a man?
"Immediate treatment is necessary..."
Without hesitation, she crossed her hands on her chest, softly murmuring:
"Eight-Wheeled Flower Crane!"
Swoosh!
Eight fair arms grew out from under Shano, gently yet firmly lifting him up, moving him onto the turtle's back.
Robin deftly used her coat as a pillow for his head, then carefully checked his pulse and breathing again.
"Fortunately, his vital signs are still stable."
She breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned to the turtle: "Binzi, I'm counting on you. We need to get him to a doctor as soon as possible."
"No problem."
The sea turtle nodded, puffed on its pipe, and sped up its paddling, but quickly turned its head back to ask:
"But where exactly should we go?"