One was an aged, raging bear; the other, a juvenile but fierce tiger. Though neither possessed the sweeping dominance of an Emperor, the roiling clouds still failed to split apart.
"Conqueror's Haki?!" Chin Jao's expression darkened. "Just who are you? And what is your purpose here?"Badak didn't answer but instead laughed, "Leader Chin Jao, you're still as strong as ever, your Haki hasn't diminished at all from your prime."
"What did you say, you bastard? What did you just say?" Badak's words touched a nerve, and Chin Jao suddenly flew into a rage. "You dare say I haven't diminished from my prime! Do you know what I was like in my prime? Now I'm just a bald man without my pointed head, like a fierce wolf without its teeth, and you dare say I haven't diminished from my prime! Die!"
Chin Jao didn't care anymore—he was going to eliminate them all in the end anyway. He charged toward Badak at incredible speed.
"Stay back," Badak ordered before rushing to meet Chin Jao.
Daz Bones shielded Robin and the others as they retreated, feeling somewhat helpless. Ever since following the boss, the only truly satisfying fight he'd had was against Capone Bege. Aside from the occasional small-time pirates they encountered at sea, there had been few chances to fight. He really wanted an evenly matched opponent to have a good, all-out battle!
Chin Jao and Badak crossed paths midway and immediately engaged in a physical confrontation. From the first exchange, both sensed the other was no easy opponent.
Chin Jao was a seasoned veteran, brimming with combat experience, his Armament Haki and Observation Haki both formidable. No matter how Badak moved or attacked, Chin Jao could deftly counter and retaliate.
Badak, though younger and less experienced, was incredibly agile, fast, and strong, with highly proficient Haki. Chin Jao's feints and traps failed to deceive him time and again.
The existence of Observation Haki and Armament Haki gave the younger generation at sea more leverage to challenge their elders. The old guard had experience and skill, but if they couldn't bypass Observation Haki, it became a straightforward clash of strength—a test of who was truly superior.
As Teacher Guy had said, Haki was the most important thing.
Their fists collided once more, sending both skidding back.
"Your movement—that's the Navy's Six Styles, isn't it? Garp! I'll hate you for the rest of my life! I'll hate you till my grandchildren's generation…"
Chin Jao suddenly began to lose it—one moment glaring furiously, the next weeping uncontrollably, then roaring like a madman.
Badak watched awkwardly, itching to say, Old man, we're still fighting here.
Fortunately, Chin Jao snapped out of it after a while, though the murderous intent in his eyes only deepened as he glared at Badak. "Since you know the Six Styles, you deserve to die even more. Eight Impact Fist·Martial Head!"
Chin Jao slammed his head into the ground, unleashing a powerful shockwave that swept outward, kicking up dust to obscure Badak's vision. He then leaped high into the air before diving headfirst toward Badak.
Badak didn't dodge. Instead, he jumped up and met Chin Jao's Martial Head with a heavy punch.
Badak had three goals in fighting Chin Jao: first, to test his own strength; second, to explore a potential alliance with Moria; and third—most importantly—to unravel the secrets of the Eight Impact Fist and master the flow of Armament Haki.
With a boom, Chin Jao was sent flying back, but Badak crashed into the ground even faster.
This time, Badak had lost the exchange.
Chin Jao's Martial Head, delivered from above with the full force of his weight and strength, was an amplified strike.
Badak's punch, launched upward from the ground, only carried about seventy to eighty percent of his power. Without solid footing, he couldn't follow through—a foolish approach.
Spitting out blood, Badak assessed his condition and vowed never to make such a mistake again. The Eight Impact Fist's shockwave had tremendous repelling and destructive force. If he could master this technique, Badak could further refine his Wish-Fulfilling Staff ability.
"Eight Impact Fist·Martial Head!"
Chin Jao came again, repeating the same diving attack. Badak dodged with Shave, planning to unleash a combo once Chin Jao's head was buried in the ground.
But the next moment, things took another unexpected turn. As expected of a retired great pirate, Chin Jao's control over his techniques was immaculate. Despite the seemingly devastating impact of his Martial Head, not a speck of dust was disturbed when it struck the ground.
With the Martial Head failing to land, Chin Jao seamlessly transitioned into his next move. Balancing on the tip of his head, he pressed his palms together in a prayer-like stance, legs splayed in a full split, and began spinning—slowly at first, then faster and faster.
"Eight Impact Fist·Martial Head Spin!"Chin Jao spun like a top, closing in on Badak with surprising speed despite the seemingly clumsy movement.
Badak attempted to strike several times, but each attack was deflected by the centrifugal force, sending him spiraling away while the spinning top landed several solid hits on him. The shockwaves from the Eight Impact Fist provided Chin Jao with all-around protection, even the air swirling around him forming a defensive barrier.
For the moment, Badak couldn't break through, so he could only dodge continuously.
As he dodged, a realization struck him—he didn't need to counter this move; he just needed to avoid getting hit.
The technique was indeed formidable, combining offense and defense seamlessly, leaving no openings even in the air. But as long as he was faster than the spinning top, Chin Jao would have to stop eventually. Badak refused to believe Chin Jao could spin forever without getting dizzy.
Sure enough, after failing to catch up to Badak for so long, Chin Jao finally halted, panting heavily and swaying slightly. He sighed inwardly—age was catching up to him; he couldn't keep this up for long.
Badak wasn't about to let Chin Jao recover undisturbed. The fight wasn't over yet. He began launching a full-scale assault from all angles, aiming to capitalize on his advantage.
Still suffering from dizziness, Chin Jao took several heavy blows, the last one landing squarely on his face and sending him flying backward.
"You've really pissed me off!" Chin Jao slowly rose, wiping the blood from his nose as he gathered Armament Haki atop his head, glaring furiously at Badak. "I'll smash you to pieces!"
A sense of danger prickled at Badak's instincts. Not daring to underestimate his opponent, he activated his Great Ape Form. "This time, I'll make sure you don't get back up!"
Badak leapt high into the air, flipping upside-down and accelerating with Moon Walk, delivering a devastating downward punch aimed straight at Chin Jao.
Chin Jao had also gathered his strength. Though surprised by Badak's Devil Fruit ability, a closer look confirmed it was just a Zoan-type. Losing the high ground was troublesome, but Badak's weight was negligible—he couldn't possibly leverage the advantage of a falling strike. Victory was assured.
"Eight Impact Fist Ultimate·Coneless Dragon·Coneless Nail!"
Confident, Chin Jao charged upward with all his strength and weight, the shockwaves of the Eight Impact Fist concentrated at his head. The next strike would shatter this brat's bones to dust.
"Maximization·Armament Haki·Iron Finger Gun!"
At the last possible moment, Badak unleashed his full power—not just the Maximization of his Great Ape Form, but also Armament Haki and the Six Styles' Iron Finger Gun.
He'd been tricked!
The moment the enormous Great Ape appeared, Chin Jao realized his mistake, cursing inwardly at the cunning brat. But at this point, retreating would be even worse. He could only squeeze out more Armament Haki, praying the ape was all bark and no bite.
"BOOM!"
Like a thunderclap out of nowhere, the next instant, Chin Jao was sent hurtling backward by the force of Badak's single finger, crashing into the ground and carving out a deep crater before Badak finally retracted his finger and deactivated his ability. Once again, he had won.