Chapter 13: Luo Di vs. Bone-Crusher

The man in the ruins was just as he had always been, only with a few more scars and dust on his body, looking slightly disheveled. Ka Li Na's eyes widened, and tears dampened her vision.

Just a moment ago, she had indeed prepared herself to die, thinking that even if she were to die, she would have to find an opportunity to strike back; she absolutely could not end up as the other party's plaything.

"To think you can still stand," Hanke said, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Interesting."

From the moment Luo Di wiped out the Hyena Gang and realized he wasn't dreaming, but had truly transmigrated, he had been thinking that relying solely on his Stand ability would not be enough to sail the seas if his own physical constitution was not up to par.

He chose to travel through the Goa Kingdom with Ka Li Na for a period of time; besides practicing the proficiency of Star Platinum and training his body, he had been searching for ways to improve his personal strength.

In the world of pirates, the fastest way for an ordinary person to improve is through a Devil Fruit, but its weaknesses are also obvious. If it is not a very powerful type, eating one might even have side effects; moreover, Devil Fruits are extremely rare and cannot be found just because one wants to.

Just when Luo Di was troubled, the Ripple sensation in his body that could recover his injuries gave him hope. During this time, he had been constantly trying to trigger that power within him, and as his cultivation time increased, the Ripple sensation became more and more intense.

Luo Di stood by the ship's rail, and the seawater below surged in layers due to the Ripple around his body; his hair stood on end, and his entire person was engulfed in a wave of air.

Watching Luo Di's transformation, Hanke leaned forward slightly, his body like a bow and his elbow like a string, shooting toward Luo Di like an arrow released from a string.

"Shave!"

Just as Hanke reached Luo Di's position in the blink of an eye, Luo Di's figure suddenly vanished from the spot. Hanke frowned; was that move just now Shave?

Luo Di flashed to a position five meters to Hanke's left. Hanke turned instantly, but Star Platinum's fist had already smashed down.

Boom!

Fists collided, and the two engaged in a contest of strength. Just as neither would give way, Star Platinum suddenly took a step back and vanished, appearing behind Hanke in an instant, and delivered a hand-blade strike toward the back of Hanke's neck.

Hanke quickly formulated a strategy, intending to use Iron Body to withstand this blow, then use Shave to teleport in front of Luo Di and blast him with a fist coated in Armament Haki.

"Iron Body!"

When Hanke used Iron Body, his feet were already twisted, ready to flash away the moment the hand-blade touched the back of his neck.

Just as his figure was about to vanish, Star Platinum suddenly took on Luo Di's appearance, with a layer of deep red Ripple wrapped around the hand-blade, accompanied by electromagnetic currents.

"Scarlet Ripple Overdrive!"

Crack, zzzzt—

The moment Luo Di's hand-blade touched Hanke, he had already used Shave to arrive at Luo Di's original position, swapping places with Luo Di.

"Ora ora ora ora!"

Star Platinum's ferocious fists rained down like a machine gun. Even though Hanke had Observation Haki to predict the moves, the intense burning sensation from the back of his neck greatly affected his movements.

Ripple power is divided into several types; what Luo Di used just now was the "Scarlet Ripple," which can produce high-heat effects. Its main function is to burn. Although Hanke used Iron Body, he was still severely injured. After a momentary touch, the flesh on the back of his neck was charred black, and the blood was vaporized before it could even drip out.

As Luo Di's anger surged, Star Platinum's fists became even more rapid. Even though his arms were extremely painful and numb, Luo Di did not care at all.

"You mere pirate brat, who do you think I am!"

"Roar!"

Hanke suddenly let out a roar, and a powerful force erupted from within his body. The fierce light in his eyes grew even more intense, and his momentum climbed step by step.

"Tyrant Fist: Rock Crusher!"

Hanke threw a punch violently, the veins on his pitch-black arm bulging, and a force capable of crushing everything erupted from his fist.

When Star Platinum collided with him, it was shaken back several meters by this immense force.

Crack.

A sound of bone fracturing came from Luo Di's agonizingly painful palm.

"Hah, so that's how it is. If I kill this guy you summoned, you'll die too, right?" Hanke's breathing was heavy, but the killing intent in his eyes grew thicker. He looked at Luo Di's fractured hand and grinned hideously: "You've reached your limit, haven't you?"

At this moment, Luo Di's arms suddenly became covered in a layer of pitch black as well. Whether it was the Shave from earlier or the Armament Haki, they were all feedback from Star Platinum's precise observation of Hanke during the battle to his main body; he had already been comprehending them while being smashed away by Hanke.

If it were an ordinary person, even if they knew how to cultivate, without sufficient comprehension and mental fortitude, they would be unable to learn these moves. But the Stand is connected to him, and Star Platinum's stats are his stats; there is no difference.

Seeing that Luo Di also used Armament Haki, a flash of surprise crossed Hanke's fierce eyes.

On the other side of Xiu Mao Gang, a small warship had already begun to move slowly.

"Colonel Lao Shu, are we really just leaving like this? The other side only has two people, but we have 100 men," a subordinate said.

Slap!

Lao Shu slapped him across the face: "You idiot, didn't you see that even Hanke isn't sure he can beat that kid?! Do you all have the confidence to kill Hanke with so many people?"

The marines on the deck looked at each other in dismay.

Lao Shu's whiskers twitched, and he squinted at the receding port, beginning to calculate his next move.

His prudent sense of justice told him that leaving now was the correct choice. Previously, he had intended to report to his superiors that he had handled the riot in Xiu Mao Zhen, but those were just common thugs and not worth fearing. Now that those nobles and commoners had suffered so many casualties, and Hanke was in such a disheveled state, he definitely could not handle this matter.

Leaving was the best choice.

It was just a pity about this fish-man.

"Shave!"

Luo Di took the initiative, flashing in front of Hanke, his pitch-black fist covered in Ripple as he smashed down.

Hanke was also extremely furious at this moment. While meeting Luo Di's fist, red light flickered in his eyes as he predicted Star Platinum's movements.

Bang bang bang...

Luo Di threw a flurry of punches, and the Scarlet Ripple on his fists stirred up white smoke during the collisions.

"Sink this ship!"

Hanke roared with a hideous grin: "Ability Users are afraid of seawater. I hope you can still be this tough after you fall into the sea."

Clang!

The iron cage bars were suddenly bent by brute force, and then the fish-man was dragged out. An axe flew up out of thin air and hacked wildly at the chains on the fish-man's body.

With every hack, the hearts of the surrounding dock workers trembled. They didn't know what was happening yet and were all at a loss.

"I give you freedom; do what you want to do!"

After Luo Di finished speaking, he threw another punch at Hanke.

Hanke caught the fist and quickly raised his right foot to kick Luo Di in the chest. Luo Di was kicked flying backward, crashing through the railing on the ship's side.

Whether in physical arts or combat techniques, he is currently inferior to the Hanke before him, and can only contend with him by relying on his stand and the power of the Ripple, as well as newly practiced moves.

Clang!

The chains snapped in response, and the great white shark fish-man spread his arms; having no time to celebrate his freedom, he charged resentfully toward the surrounding shipyard personnel.

Bang!

Just as one of the shipyard personnel prepared to fire his gun, Ka Li Na had already shot and killed him a step ahead.