345. Submission

Buggy's Haki-wreathed punch slammed heavily into Hawkins's abdomen!

Hawkins's straw body immediately bent like a cooked shrimp, and a muffled groan came from his dark straw mouth. Yet he only staggered back a single step before forcibly steadying himself.

His altered body had absorbed the force of the blow, at the cost of a small straw doll being squeezed out from one of his straw arms. At the same time, the five-inch nails in his hands whipped out madly once more.

"Compared to back when we were on Sabaody, you've improved quite a bit..."

Buggy took a few steps back, deftly evading Hawkins's attacks with ease.

Among the Eleven Supernovas, based on their bounties when they first arrived at Sabaody, Hawkins had ranked third. Yet two years later in the original story, his bounty had only increased by thirty million.

Unlike the hot-tempered Eustass Kid, he kept a low profile. In the less than year since the Marineford War, he had all but vanished without a trace, and his name and rumors of him were rarely heard in the New World. Yet this man's fighting style was completely at odds with his discreet behavior. He moved with astonishing speed and fought with savage ferocity. In his fierce battle against Buggy, he nearly gave it everything he had, each move stronger than the last as the five-inch nails between his fingers lashed out like a raging storm.

Feeling the fierce wind blowing against his face, Buggy was surprised by Hawkins's growth in strength. As one of the most promising members of the Worst Generation, Hawkins truly had the makings to make others see him in a new light.

But appreciation was appreciation—Buggy had no intention of showing mercy. The instant Hawkins attacked, Buggy raised his foot and planted it against Hawkins's