Chapter 20 — Storm and Survival
"Do you really think Iron Body can stop my attacks?" Lola sneered. "From the beginning it was obvious—our speed and strength are on completely different levels!"
"You can't block me."
He kept talking as he attacked.
Before finishing Shinji Ikari off, Lola wanted him to feel complete despair.
But no matter what he said—
There was still no fear in Shinji's eyes.
"Hmph…"
Shinji tried to move, but he couldn't speak.
"You're mocking me?" Lola's voice became sharp and angry.
"You're so weak you can't even fight back—and you still dare to mock me?"
"Fine!"
"I'll kill you now! I'll make you completely desperate so you'll never even get the chance to beg for mercy!"
"Oh?"
Shinji made another faint sound of contempt.
"AAAH!"
Lola exploded in rage.
His hands blurred as Finger Pistol strikes rained down endlessly on Shinji's frozen body.
The Life Fruit kept feeding vitality into Shinji.
Old wounds healed.
New wounds appeared.
Blood stopped flowing almost as soon as it spilled.
"Ora! Ora! Ora!"
Lola attacked frantically, determined to crush Shinji completely.
Yet Shinji kept breathing.
Every strike that damaged him triggered another wave of vitality from the Life Fruit.
The more damage Lola dealt—
The more energy Shinji's fruit returned.
His body slowly healed even as the attacks continued.
"You still won't die?!" Lola shouted in disbelief.
Even with the Fix-Fix Fruit restraining him, Shinji refused to die.
It was absurd.
"Fine! Then take this!"
"Fixing Wind — Chaos Gun!"
Lola poured more power into his ability.
Shinji's immobilized body twisted violently.
His limbs bent unnaturally until he was almost curled into a ball.
If it were an ordinary person—
Every bone would have shattered instantly.
"Is your Iron Body still useful now?" Lola sneered.
"Even if I release the ability now, you'll spend the rest of your life with every bone crushed!"
"Living like that is far more enjoyable than killing you!"
Laughing coldly, Lola turned and staggered toward the cave exit.
But after a few steps—
He suddenly stopped.
"Damn it!"
He spun around and rushed back toward Shinji.
"What did you do?!"
"Speak!"
"Why did you fuse the cave walls together?!"
Lola had finally realized the truth.
During the fight, while being completely overwhelmed—
Shinji had secretly infused life energy into the cave walls, reshaping the stone and sealing the tunnel behind them.
Lola could eventually dig through it using Finger Pistol.
But by the time he escaped—
The other battles outside would already be over.
"You worthless insect!"
Lola vented his frustration by attacking Shinji again.
The twisted, battered body barely resembled a human anymore.
Did it hurt?
Of course.
Shinji had endured pain before.
But this pain—
The pain so close to death—
Was unforgettable.
Yet the closer he came to death—
The stronger the Life Fruit's vitality became.
Life energy surged endlessly through his body.
Slowly restoring him.
Shinji exhaled weakly.
His breathing steadied.
His shattered bones, torn organs, and bleeding wounds began healing faster and faster.
Not far away, Lola continued smashing the cave wall.
He was desperate to break through.
Meanwhile—
The motionless ball of flesh behind him suddenly twitched.
A finger moved.
Then a hand.
Soon—
The entire body began stretching back into shape.
Bones cracked as they reconnected.
The man Lola had declared permanently crippled—
Was slowly standing again.
Unfortunately for Lola—
He had gone mad with exhaustion.
He kept digging with his Finger Pistol, draining his strength.
Finally—
BOOM!
A hole broke open in the wall.
Panting heavily, Lola staggered forward through the gap.
He felt as if he had found hope again.
Sunlight was waiting outside.
But just as he took another step—
He heard footsteps behind him.
"Is it finally time?" Lola muttered tiredly.
He turned around.
Shinji stepped out of the cave.
Compared to Lola's exhaustion—
The young Marine's eyes burned with cold determination.
"Die, Marine!" Lola roared.
He didn't care how Shinji had survived.
He only knew one thing—
He had to escape.
There was only one option left.
"Want to taste the power of the storm?"
Grinning wildly, Lola removed the Storm Shell from his back.
"Hehehe! Go to hell! I'll never see you again!"
He activated the shell.
BOOM!
A violent roar of wind filled the cave.
Within seconds—
A massive hurricane exploded into existence inside the narrow tunnel.
Shinji was blown backward instantly, slamming into the wall far away.
"Hahahaha!"
"I'll get away from you! Forever!"
The recoil from the Storm Shell blasted Lola himself out of the cave.
His body slammed into the stone outside.
"Sunlight…"
He whispered weakly.
The Storm Shell continued howling beside him.
But Lola had already lost consciousness.
Inside the cave—
Shinji struggled forward against the raging wind.
His organs ached.
But the Life Fruit kept repairing his body as he walked.
The hurricane inside the shell was almost depleted.
Still—
At this strength it could continue blowing for two more days.
Shinji couldn't wait.
Step by step—
He forced his way through the storm.
Finally—
He emerged from the cave.
The wind faded at last.
Shinji lifted the massive Storm Shell onto his back and walked toward Lola.
"I woke up earlier than you," he said quietly.
"You're weaker than you think."
Lola slowly stood, leaning against a boulder.
"Your life… isn't tough enough," Shinji continued.
Lola stared at him.
For a moment, something strange appeared in his eyes.
A determination even he didn't fully understand.
"I can still attack once," Lola said hoarsely.
"Finger Pistol?" Shinji replied.
"After being beaten this long… I learned it too."
They stared at each other.
Their roles had reversed.
"Finger Pistol — Residual Storm!"
"Finger Pistol!"
Both attacks struck at the same moment.
One was a desperate final strike fueled by the last gusts of the storm.
The other—
Was the first attack of a fighter who had survived by enduring everything.
Their fingers pierced forward.
Both hit the throat.
Blood sprayed.
One man collapsed immediately.
The other remained standing for a moment—
Before slowly falling.
After a short time—
Shinji stood up.
He walked out of the cave.
Dragging Lola's lifeless body behind him.
His eyes dimmed with exhaustion.
"I told you," Shinji murmured.
"My life… is tougher than yours."
What he didn't say—
Was that Iron Body had saved him in the final moment.
Without it, Lola's last strike would have shattered his throat.
This had been the first time Shinji faced an opponent who refused to die until the very end.
But now—
Lola lay dead with his eyes closed.
Perhaps the pirate had truly died long ago.
The moment he watched his crew perish in despair in the New World.
Everything afterward had only been a lingering shadow of that death.
When does a person truly die?
When their desperate soul finally disappears.
Lola had no one left in this world.
His final companions had died long ago in the territory of the Four Emperors.
That sea—
Had never belonged to him.
The sunset glowed red across the horizon.
Shinji walked slowly toward the coast.
The Storm Shell hung on his back.
In one hand he held the torn treasure map.
His steps were unsteady.
Blood still stained his throat, though the wounds were already healing.
The vitality of the Life Fruit continued repairing his battered body as he moved forward.
(End of Chapter)
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