"Come and die, you bastard!"
With a tiger's roar, Yin unleashed her aura, her figure darting forward like lightning as she charged straight at Da Qiang!
"Tiger Claw Cross Slash!"
Whoosh—her claws shot out simultaneously, sharp winds tearing through the air as over a dozen claw shadows intertwined into an impenetrable net of slashes, descending directly upon Da Qiang.
Though this move was meant as a probe, it was exceptionally fierce, sealing off all avenues of retreat.
"Damn it all!"
Da Qiang's heart tightened, and he couldn't hold back a curse.
This Tiger Girl is ruthless!
His eyes swept rapidly over the Happo Navy comrades behind him—most of them were relatives or close friends. There was no retreat.
If he dodged now, these men would surely fall victim to her claws.
If such a situation unfolded, even if he managed to survive and escape this island, what then?
How could he ever face the people of Kano Country again?
"Eight Impact Fist Secret Art: Rising Dragon!"
Da Qiang let out a low roar, concentrating his Armament Haki into his right fist, his arm gleaming with a dark, cold light.
With a single punch, a dragon-shaped shockwave roared and spiraled, crashing head-on into the sharp net!
Zzzzt—!
Sparks flew, explosions thundered, and dust billowed.
The Tiger Girl's claw net shattered inch by inch under the impact of the Eight Impact Fist, dissipating into nothing.
Gasping for breath, Da Qiang was visibly drained. Forcing himself to stay alert, he scanned the dust cloud for any sign of the Tiger Girl.
His Observation Haki continuously swept through the haze ahead, but he could only faintly detect a figure rapidly closing in.
"Hahaha, not bad, you've got some skill—let's keep going!"
Whoosh!
The Tiger Girl suddenly leaped out of the smoke, looking down from above at the slightly weary Da Qiang, a flash of triumph in her eyes. Her previous attack had been a feint all along, intended to tie him down and wear him out.
She was no brute who relied solely on force; calculations in battle were never absent from her approach.
As long as she targeted the weaklings behind this man, given his character, he would definitely take the hit head-on.
If this man had any sense of responsibility, he would never abandon his comrades.
Sure enough, he had chosen to stand his ground.
In that case, she would make him fully experience what "despair" truly meant!
"Tiger Claw Cross Claw!"
"Tiger Claw Cross Claw!"
The abundant stamina and recovery power granted by the Zoan-type Devil Fruit were on full display at this moment.
The Tiger Girl's assaults came in relentless waves, one claw net after another, demanding immense expenditure of stamina and Haki.
Yet, aided by the Tiger-Tiger Fruit, she fought with increasing vigor, showing not a hint of fatigue.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wave after wave of impacts forced Da Qiang to grit his teeth and hold his ground.
For the sake of his comrades behind him, he had no choice but to push himself to the limit, countering with all his might.
"Eight Impact Fist Secret Art: Rising Dragon!"
"Eight Impact Fist Secret Art: Drill Dragon Nail!"
The Eight Impact Fist, a secret art passed down through generations of the Happo Navy, was similar to the Navy's Six Styles—both were closely guarded techniques.
The foundation of its practice lay in a robust physique.
Da Qiang had considerable confidence in his own stamina.
As the First Vice Pillar of the Happo Navy, the Chinjao Pirates had earned a modest reputation in the New World.
Over the years, under Chinjao's protection, they had avoided many tough battles, picking on easier targets instead, and had managed to thrive.
Before he knew it, Da Qiang had grown somewhat overconfident.
It wasn't until today, facing Tiger Girl, that he truly realized how thin his actual capabilities were.
"Huff—Huff—"
"Cough—Cough—"
Barely blocking another wave of attacks, Tiger Girl's figure temporarily vanished into the smoke, her assault easing slightly.
Da Qiang finally caught his breath, coughing several times and spitting out congealed blood, the dull pain in his chest lessening somewhat.
The surroundings were filled with gunpowder smoke, blurring his vision.
"These Beast Girls under the Beasts' banner—they're truly inhuman."
"It seems today's challenge will be hard to overcome."
He scanned his surroundings; aside from the smoke, he could see no one else.
Earlier in the battle, he had deliberately lured Tiger Girl away to avoid involving his less capable companions.
He himself had little confidence in defeating Tiger Girl—he could only hold his ground stubbornly.
But precisely because of this, he had to draw Tiger Girl to the periphery, lest the others among his comrades be caught in the crossfire.
They currently didn't even possess Rear Admiral-level combat strength.
If they were caught in the fray, even a stray gust of forceful wind could mean certain death.
As the second-in-command, this was Da Qiang's responsibility, and even more, his duty.
'My combat power tops out at a thousand; this woman's is at least two thousand or more.'
In the depths of his mind, a "famous quote" flashed.
Thankfully, his combat power wasn't six thousand, and Tiger Girl's wasn't ten thousand—otherwise, things would be truly unclear.
Distractedly, he glanced toward the center of the island, where the fierce battle between Chinjao and Brian continued, red lightning intertwining in the sky.
The roar of the clash was incessant, resounding across the entire island.
Though his fight with Tiger Girl was terrifying, it didn't even reach thirty percent of the level of the battle in the sky.
The gap between a Rear Admiral and a top-tier admiral was something a small fry like Da Qiang in the pirate world couldn't even begin to imagine.
The only thing he could sense was that, between the two combatants in the sky, the aura of one was gradually weakening.
And this presence was very familiar to him—it was his respected leader, Chinjao.
If even Chinjao was struggling in a tough fight, how could he himself fare any better?
Aside from the two of them, the situation for the rest of the Happo Navy was equally grim.
Though his fight with Tiger Girl had lasted only over ten minutes, the companions he had "diverted" the enemy from were not safe.
Sheep Girl and Dog Girl hadn't been idle spectators; they had long since begun mopping up the remaining navy members.
Casualties were steadily mounting.
"Meeeh~"
"Fuzzy Headbutt!"
A white figure descended from the sky, diving headfirst at high speed.
Her seemingly fluffy, curly hair now contained the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.
"Eight Impact Fist!"
"Eight Impact Fist!"
Below, the four top officers frantically unleashed their Eight Impact Fists in unison, meeting the attack from above.
Yet, even with their combined strength, they shattered like paper upon contact.
Sheep Girl's body plummeted straight down, crashing heavily into a small cluster of Happo Navy members.
Thud—!
A dull sound, like a heavy hammer striking the ground, and several were killed on the spot.
By the time she leaped away, only wreckage and flesh remained, barely recognizable.
"Damn that woman—"
"Everyone, follow my command! Gather around me!"
"Yes, Officer!"
Seeing that Tiger Girl had been drawn away by Da Qiang and witnessing the terrifying power of Sheep Girl's single strike,
Number One, among the four top officers, urgently ordered the remaining troops to assemble.
Dozens of Happo Navy members quickly gathered, their crumbling morale slightly bolstered.
These dozens all bore injuries, to a greater or lesser extent.
Some were wounded from earlier clashes, others harmed by the collateral damage from the fight between Tiger Girl and Da Qiang.
"Everyone, follow my lead! Use the Eight Impact Fist together—combined strike!"
"Yes!"
The four executives and dozens of navy soldiers unleashed their rising aura, instantly merging into one as their momentum surged dramatically.
This was the Happo Navy's combined combat technique.
"Eight Impact Fist Secret Art: Ascending Dragon!"
"Eight Impact Fist Secret Art: Ascending Dragon!"
With a unified roar, their fist energies converged, coalescing in mid-air into a massive dragon-shaped energy entity!
Distinct dragon scales, wings sprouting from its back, thick powerful limbs—it perfectly embodied the dragon form from Western mythology.
ROAR—!
The Ascending Dragon let out a long roar, flapping its wings as it swiftly skimmed just above the ground, plowing deep trenches in its wake while howling winds swept through the area.