Weakling Who Cannot Recognize the Gap, Perish in Despair!

Ivan's strike smashed straight through the deck and nearly pierced the Tyrannosaurus pirate ship.

At the critical moment, alarm bells rang in Hanafuda's mind. He immediately activated his Devil Fruit power and transformed into a half-dragon form.

He lashed out at Ivan with his tail, knocking him back and breaking free of the hold.

After escaping the danger, Hanafuda felt his scalp tingle. Just a moment ago, White Dove had almost thrown him into the sea.

As a Devil Fruit User, if he were thrown into the sea, he would immediately lose the strength to resist and be left at others' mercy.

At the same time, he had no doubt that White Dove intended to kill him, because he saw a trace of his big brother Kaido in White Dove's eyes.

It was not savagery or ferocity, but a killing intent of absolute resolve, as though nothing could influence his judgment.

That was precisely the mindset of a supreme king, one in a hundred!

Hanafuda immediately stopped looking down on him and grew serious. If he didn't take this man seriously, he really might be killed!

Hanafuda burst out of the cabin and stood on the deck, his five-meter-tall frame towering over Ivan as he glared down at him with a ferocious expression:

"Brat, that last hit hurt like hell! Now you're going to learn the price of enraging a Shichibukai!

Hanafuda: Jaw Slash!"

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Amid a humming sound, Armament Haki coiled around Hanafuda's fists, which had now fully transformed into a Tyrannosaurus's claws.

The two claws crossed, tearing through the air as they slashed toward Ivan at tremendous speed!

The terrifying Flying Slash tore through the air and split the sea, seemingly about to cleave Ivan in two. But faced with such a fearsome blow, Ivan not only refused to dodge, he prepared to meet it head-on.

Hanafuda was the strongest opponent he had faced so far. Fighting Hanafuda, he finally felt some pressure for the first time in a long while, and a certain power hidden deep within him stirred.

He gripped Yubashiri and murmured into the wind, "One Sword Style: Red: Asura!"

A sharper, taller Flying Slash collided with the one Hanafuda had unleashed. The two clashed for a moment before Hanafuda's Flying Slash was swallowed up by Ivan's.

Hanafuda's pupils abruptly contracted at the sight, and he cried out in alarm, "Quick! Abandon ship if you don't want to die!"

No sooner had he spoken than the Flying Slash swept across the Tyrannosaurus pirate ship, cleaving it in two!

The sight made Hanafuda's expression turn even darker.

White Dove was a swordsman too, and his swordsmanship was far stronger than Hanafuda's!

Aboard the Orange, everyone stared at the scene, dumbfounded.

Barton, who had been worried that Ivan would lose, widened his eyes and stared at everything before him in disbelief.

He murmured, "Nami, you were right. The boss really is as strong as a monster!"

Nami nodded instinctively. "Of course. That's Ivan!"

In truth, she too was overwhelmed with shock.

She believed in Ivan and knew he was strong, but she hadn't expected him to be this strong!

He had overpowered a Shichibukai in a single move. Surely such terrifying strength had already surpassed a Marine Vice Admiral's?

Beside Nami, pink hearts kept pulsing in Tashigi's eyes, her whole attention fixed on Ivan.

She rubbed her thighs almost imperceptibly and secretly took out a notebook to write:

[Today, Captain Ivan and the Shichibukai Hanafuda officially fought in the waters near the G-2 Branch. Captain Ivan easily overpowered Hanafuda, displaying strength far beyond his rank!

If you ask me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku should have promoted Captain Ivan to vice admiral long ago. How could the rank of captain be worthy of Captain Ivan?

Note: Captain Ivan is so handsome. I love Captain Ivan most of all!]

Hina, who was closest to Tashigi, could most easily see what Tashigi was writing, but her mind was nowhere near it.

Right now, all she could think was, So Captain Ivan is this strong?

Watching Ivan fight Hanafuda fiercely while maintaining a firm upper hand, Hina felt especially safe for some reason.

Come to think of it, if she had a boyfriend that strong, she would surely be happy!

In the distance, Ivan and Hanafuda's battlefield had shifted from the surface of the sea to the sky.

As a Shichibukai, Hanafuda naturally knew a basic Six Powers technique like Geppo. He dared not fight Ivan over the sea, so he decisively used Geppo to fly upward.

"Hanafuda: Thousand Thorn Tail Strike!"

The Tyrannosaurus's tail stabbed at Ivan like a black spear. It moved so fast that the spear seemed to split into a thousand, enveloping him.

"One Sword Style: Horizontal Cut!"

The slash, carrying a twisting field, collided with the Tyrannosaurus's tail, scattering a shower of sparks.

A wound was slashed into the Tyrannosaurus's tail, deep enough to expose bone, but Ivan's Flying Slash was also shattered, and he himself was sent flying by the tail!

With the formidable vitality of a Zoan Devil Fruit, Hanafuda's tail healed rapidly. Standing in the air, he looked at Ivan, whom he had knocked down, and sneered viciously:

"Jie, jie, jie! We've barely been fighting, and you're already exhausted?

Marine brat, let me tell you: a true powerhouse needs formidable vitality!"

Despite Hanafuda's taunts, Ivan remained unmoved. He deliberately refrained from using skills, fighting Hanafuda with swordsmanship alone.

Under those circumstances, the pressure on him kept growing, and the power within him could erupt at any moment.

Finally, after he forcibly took an attack from Hanafuda, who had briefly transformed into a full Tyrannosaurus, he was sent flying backward, throwing up a vast spray of seawater before landing on a reef jutting out of the sea.

Ivan wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, climbed out of the rubble, and stood in the air once more.

But no one noticed that the formidable power within him had finally been activated!

Having gained the upper hand, Hanafuda looked down at him and judged, "You're pretty good. You could be called a rising star of the Marines, but you're still too weak!

How dare someone as weak as you challenge a Shichibukai? Now die full of unwillingness and despair! My next punch will tear you apart!"

"Are you finished?" Just then, Ivan interrupted him coldly.

Faced with Ivan's provocation, Hanafuda shook his head and said disdainfully, "You poor weakling. Even before death, you still can't recognize the gap between our strength. Then die in ignorance!

Claw: Supreme King Slash!"

Hanafuda put all his strength into this blow. Amplified by Armament Haki, it was more terrifying than any attack he had used before.

The immense Flying Slash was like a small mountain. It easily split the sea as it rushed toward the tiny figure of Ivan.

Hanafuda watched confidently, waiting for Ivan's blood to spill on the spot.

But suddenly, his face froze.

The moment the Flying Slash struck Ivan, it abruptly stopped!

Then Hanafuda saw that Ivan's palm was coated in a blackness all too familiar to him, and that he had caught the Flying Slash in his hand!

As Ivan suddenly exerted force, the Flying Slash Hanafuda had unleashed with all his strength shattered and vanished like a bubble!

Then Ivan's voice rang out beside his ear. "That's right, you really are a poor weakling. Unable to recognize the gap between our strength, perish in unwillingness and despair!"