"Waaaah…"
"My pointed head… it's gone!"
"Damn you, Sengoku! I curse you to have children with no butt—or better yet, to die without descendants!"
…
Three days later.
The Glacier Mountain, West Blue.
A bandaged figure repeatedly slammed his head against the icy surface of the glacier.
"Smash… smash…"
Each impact echoed, but the ice remained unyielding. Far beneath it lay a dazzling trove of gold and jewels—visible yet utterly inaccessible.
The once-proud Chinjao the Drill, now with his trademark pointed head reduced to a flattened stump, sobbed bitterly in despair.
"Captain Chinjao!"
Members of the Happo Navy called out, trying to console him, but he ignored their pleas and continued ramming his head into the glacier.
"Open, glacier!"
"Drill Head Technique!"
"Smash… smash…"
"Waaaah!"
High above…
A towering figure with wings descended rapidly from the horizon, flames blazing behind his head.
"Hmm?"
"What's that?"
"Gulp… no way…"
"It's Fallen Angel El!"
"Why is someone of his stature here?"
Alarmed, the Happo Navy members froze in terror, eyes locked onto the approaching figure as their bodies quivered in unease.
On the glacier…
"What a pathetic sight."
The winged giant landed, his imposing silhouette casting a long shadow across the ice. He observed Chinjao, who was still feebly banging his head against the glacier.
"So, you've even lost your pointed head?" El remarked, raising an eyebrow. "You really do look like a dog that's lost its home."
He shook his head in mild amusement. It seemed Sengoku had indeed improved if he could flatten Chinjao's legendary drill-like head.
"You…!"
Chinjao lifted his gaze, bloodshot eyes fixed on El.
"Are you mocking me?" he bellowed, springing to his feet.
"Hasshoken Secret Art: Headless Dragon Head Strike!"
Spinning violently, Chinjao launched his flattened head like a cannonball aimed straight for El.
"Smash!"
Before the blow could land, El raised a single finger—uncoated with Haki—and halted Chinjao's strike effortlessly.
"What!?"
Chinjao's pupils contracted in shock. The onlooking members of the Happo Navy looked equally stunned.
"Is losing your pointed head such a big deal?" El asked, his cold gaze piercing Chinjao.
"Has it weakened you this much? How disappointing."
"Damn you!" Chinjao's face turned scarlet with rage as he staggered back.
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard! I'm Chinjao the Drill!"
Fighting back his shame, he charged again, unleashing his ultimate technique.
"Headless Dragon Head Strike!"
El remained unmoved. As Chinjao lunged, El flicked his finger with blinding speed.
"Smash!"
The simple flick sent Chinjao flying backward like a cannonball. His body skidded across the glacier, leaving a jagged trail in the ice.
"Captain Chinjao!"
"No way…"
The members of the Happo Navy stood aghast.
"He blocked the boss with just one finger…"
"Even without his pointed head, the boss shouldn't be this weak…"
A chill ran down their spines. Though Chinjao's injuries had weakened him, El's ease in subduing him was overwhelming.
"So this… is the power of the World's Strongest Creature?"
"Damn it…"
Several hundred meters away, a battered and disheveled Chinjao struggled to his feet. Before he could steady himself, a massive hand settled on his head, freezing him in place. Cold sweat beaded on his skin.
"Hmm, so this is the Hasshoken?"
El appeared in front of him in an instant, his expression calm, almost bored.
"While it has its merits, it's nothing extraordinary," he observed, as though dissecting the entire art in a single glance.
"Have you realized your weakness? Does it make you unwilling to accept it?"
He released Chinjao, who remained trembling, and cast his eyes downward at the vanquished fighter.
"You've lost your teeth—but don't you still have claws?"
"The Hasshoken's ultimate technique isn't confined to your head. You can use your fists and feet as well. Or are you telling me that losing your pointed head has also robbed you of the will to move forward?"
El did nothing to restore Chinjao's iconic head. Whether he could or not was irrelevant. If Chinjao remained mired in despair, it merely proved he wasn't worth El's time.
True strength is born of perseverance.
The Hasshoken wasn't limited to an iron head alone; its ultimate moves could be executed with fists and feet. If Chinjao refused to adapt, to let go of his loss, his so-called strength was hollow. Given his knowledge of Hasshoken's secrets, rebuilding his arsenal with fists and feet should take less time than it would for someone learning from scratch. If he still failed, it would only prove his prior training was superficial.
"Lost my teeth… but I still have fists and feet?"
Chinjao's body quivered. He stood there, staring at El's imposing form, which radiated an almost suffocating dominance.
"Whether you become a dragon or remain a worm is entirely up to you," El stated.
A moment later, a sharp, peculiar fruit appeared in El's hand. He tossed it to the bewildered Chinjao, who caught it reflexively.
"This… is this a Devil Fruit?"
Chinjao and the surrounding Happo Navy pirates gawked in disbelief. The fruit's distinct spiral markings left no doubt—it was one of the fabled treasures of the sea.
"Why are you giving me this?" Chinjao asked, still dazed.
El folded his arms, his eyes narrowing.
"It's the Point-Point Fruit, a Paramecia-type ability. If you eat it, every part of your body can become a razor-sharp, steel-like point."
"What!?"
"A Point-Point Fruit!?"
"Does that mean the boss's pointed head could…"
Even the toughest pirates couldn't conceal their excitement. It was obvious that Chinjao could reclaim his pointed head, reinstating his once-feared technique.
"I'll give you one chance," El said, his tone unyielding.
"But here's the condition: for the next three years, you're forbidden from using that fruit's power. You must rely solely on your fists and feet to master the Hasshoken's ultimate techniques and open the Glacier. Then, come find me."
Without waiting for a reply, El turned to leave.
"What?!"
Chinjao's eyes widened.
"Three years, no fruit powers? Open the glacier with my fists and feet? That's impossible!"
"Is it really impossible?"
El paused mid-step, throwing a brief glance over his shoulder. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"If you can't do it, I'll take back the power I've bestowed upon you—and claim every treasure your Happo Navy has amassed over the centuries."
Before Chinjao could respond, a terrifying aura surged from El, pressing down on them like a massive weight.
"Boom…"
In one deliberate motion, El raised his right foot—coated in a dark layer of Haki—and stomped upon the glacier.
"BOOOOM!"
The thunderous impact resounded through air and ice alike. Chinjao and his men watched, speechless, as deep cracks spider-webbed across the once-impregnable Glacier Mountain.
El's aura engulfed them, an overwhelming presence that brooked no defiance.
~~~
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