Chapter 14: The Final Ripple

The scene fell into a stalemate for a moment.

The great white shark fish-man, filled with rage and under the cover of Ka Li Na, grabbed a shipyard worker to use as a shield. After weathering the first wave of bullets, he twisted the man's neck, snatched his axe, and charged toward the terrified shipyard workers.

Swish, swish, swish!

Several heads flew into the air in succession. The shipyard workers were all ordinary people, and years of decadent living had eroded their resolve. Now, encountering a fish-man enraged to the extreme, they quickly scattered like birds and beasts, jumping directly into the sea in their panic.

Watching the shipyard workers jumping into the sea like dumplings, the great white shark fish-man curled his lips and dove into the water as well.

"A bunch of trash!" Hanke noticed the situation on his ship and spat out a curse.

He spotted the opening when Luo Di retreated, focused his strength into his right fist, and swung it out violently.

Luo Di did not retreat but advanced instead, grabbing Hanke's fist with both hands. However, because Hanke's strength was too great, half of his body was driven into the wall behind him.

Sizzle.

A searing sound rang out, and crimson Ripple flowed. Hanke sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to pull away, but the elbow covered in Luo Di's Armament Haki kept exerting force.

At this moment, a red glint flashed in Hanke's eyes, and a thin steel pipe suddenly appeared from behind him.

"Iron Body!" Predicting where the steel pipe would strike, Hanke hurriedly used Iron Body to block.

Chirp!

Even with the defense of Iron Body, the steel pipe still pierced an inch into Hanke's body.

Intense pain swept through his entire body. Before Iron Body ended, Hanke rotated his strength into his hands to break free from Luo Di's grip, grabbed the steel pipe behind him in a flash, and yanked it out.

Just as he turned quickly, preparing to stab Luo Di, who was stuck in the wall, with the steel pipe, a sense of danger flooded his entire body.

Crimson Ripple flowed over Luo Di, turning into the shape of flames. His entire body surged with momentum as if he were exploding with Qi, and his hair stood up in tufts. Before the steel pipe could even touch him, he slammed both fists directly into Hanke's heart.

"This is my final Ripple!"

"Ripple Rush: Burning Annihilation Fist!"

At this moment, when Hanke saw Luo Di's fist coming, that purple-blue figure overlapped with Luo Di, moving in unison with him, and slammed toward him. The powerful energy left him in a trance.

"Hey, you must be the new kid, right? I heard you beat up your instructor during your first training session? Let me spar with you."

"Old geezer, don't blame me if I break your bones!"

A young Hanke wore a dissolute smile as he swung his fist toward Garp.

"Wahahahaha... Being able to dirty my collar is already quite impressive. I have high hopes for you." Garp laughed heartily and walked away toward the sunset.

"You hit too hard, Mr. Garp. It's rare to see such a good face." The tall, thin man with an afro beside him said.

"Wahahaha, you bastard Kuzan, go get me the rice cracker Zhan Guo just bought."

Hanke behind him had completely lost the ability to stand up.

Bang! Hanke slammed his fist into the ground: "Damn old geezer, one day I will surpass you... *cough cough*..."

The scene shifted; several years had passed.

Inside the office, Zhan Guo, wearing a seagull hat, said in a grave tone: "Hanke, your ability is very strong. This selection for Rear Admiral will likely be between you and Vergo. But you must remember, do not overuse your power. You have injured too many innocent civilians; this does not align with the justice of our Marine Headquarters."

On the day Vergo was promoted to Rear Admiral, Hanke got dead drunk and submitted his resignation the next day.

After leaving Marine Headquarters, Hanke returned to the town where he was born and used the connections he had accumulated to start a shipping business.

Of course, the shipyard was just a facade. In private, he had always been communicating with dark forces, engaging in human trafficking and other black-market businesses. He finally found the feeling of doing whatever he wanted here, until today.

Bang!!!

A shockwave rippled out, the surrounding seawater churned, and the ships began to sway. Ka Li Na, who had already stood up, stumbled two steps and fell to her knees, her full chest heaving.

The sea breeze blew away the dust and smoke, and the stirred-up waves returned to calm.

Crack!

The ship's keel snapped, and the deck was covered in charred marks; it was now teetering on the brink of collapse.

Luo Di stood tall on the deck, while Hanke lay on the other side. Two large holes had been punched through his chest, his internal organs were scorched black, and blood flowed profusely from his mouth.

He tried to clench his fist, but he couldn't muster any strength. Finally, his palm went limp, and he fell silent.

At the moment of his death, Luo Di's footsteps were unsteady, and he stumbled as he fell, but soon a faint fragrance entered his nostrils; Ka Li Na had already caught him.

"Sob, sob, sob, I really thought we were done for just now. You scared me to death, Captain." Ka Li Na, holding Luo Di, cried until her face was streaked with tears.

Feeling the softness against his chest, Luo Di twitched the corner of his mouth. The situation just now was indeed perilous; it was the most difficult battle he had fought since coming to this world. Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance.

The Platinum Star, with its Five A-level Panel, not only had fierce Ora-Ora punches but also possessed superb precision observation skills, capable of seeing the flow of the opponent's energy meridians and providing feedback when returning to his own body.

Of course, he couldn't learn every move. If he lacked the conditions required to execute the opponent's technique, or if it exceeded his own limits, he couldn't use it either.

He was naturally no stranger to the Haki Hanke used. In the world of pirates, besides the mysterious Devil Fruit, there was the Three-Color Haki that reigned above all else.

Theoretically, everyone had the potential to cultivate Armament Haki, but ordinary people could not master it because their physical fitness was not up to par and their mental fortitude was insufficient.

And the Six Powers were techniques widely practiced in the Marines, very comprehensive. That guy just now being able to master Observation Haki, Armament Haki, as well as Shave and Iron Body, showed his strength was quite remarkable.

What a difficult battle indeed.

I didn't expect to encounter such a powerful guy so soon after setting sail. It seems I must improve my strength as quickly as possible.

Ka Li Na helped Luo Di to the side to sit down and asked with concern: "Luo Di, are you okay? Should I take you to the town to find a doctor?"

Luo Di shook his head: "Get me something to eat, the more the better."

Although she didn't quite understand, since Luo Di had asked, Ka Li Na immediately set off to prepare.

At this moment, a white figure leaped up from the sea surface and landed steadily on the deck.

Ka Li Na stopped, took out her gun, and pointed it at the other person, her expression vigilant: "We saved you, don't return kindness with enmity."

"Hmph, I wouldn't be as treacherous as you humans." The great white shark fish-man raised his head: "Speak, how do you want me to repay you?"

Ka Li Na looked at Luo Di.

Luo Di curled his lips and looked toward the harbor.

Aside from the corpses, the harbor was also crowded with a large number of civilians and nobles who had been watching the battle.

When they were attacked by Hanke earlier, they had fled in a panic, but later discovered the commotion at the harbor, witnessed the battle just now, and after seeing Hanke killed by Luo Di, they came back out again.