Chapter 25: Tichi, You

"Tichi, you've truly disappointed me!"

Bai Hu Zi's Armament Haki coated his naginata, his voice cold and chilling.

In ordinary times, Bai Hu Zi's Haki and murderous intent were always directed outward, existing solely to protect his sons. Thus, Tichi felt for the first time the terrifying might and awe-inspiring aura of Bai Hu Zi.

It was a destructive force.

"Damn it! Just one step away! If I had obtained the powers of the Yami Yami Fruit now, even if Bai Hu Zi, the old man, discovered me, it would only be a flaw in the plan—I could just flee…"

Hei Hu Zi was also desperate now.

He had not obtained the Yami Yami Fruit, and had completely broken ties with Bai Hu Zi.

Hei Hu Zi clenched his Yaguan, and after a long silence, burst into loud laughter: "Bai Hu Zi, old man! I've always had a question—do you have some misunderstanding? Perhaps I was just drinking with Captain Sachi earlier?"

Bai Hu Zi sneered: "Then the Yami Yami Fruit was merely an accident, right?"

Hei Hu Zi fell completely silent. The moment Bai Hu Zi mentioned the Yami Yami Fruit, Hei Hu Zi knew his plan had utterly collapsed.

All that remained in his mind was one question: how had Bai Hu Zi known his target was the Yami Yami Fruit?

"There's no reason—I hid myself perfectly. No one in the Bai Hu Zi Pirates knew my true strength or my true goal. And I got along well with all the members of the Bai Hu Zi Pirates…"

"Even before joining the Bai Hu Zi Pirates, I once clashed with Red Hair. But someone like Red Hair… as long as I behaved myself within the Bai Hu Zi Pirates, he wouldn't report me to the old man. Besides, he shouldn't even know my goal was the Yami Yami Fruit."

Hei Hu Zi's doubt would never be answered, because Bai Hu Zi had no intention of explaining anything to him.

Bai Hu Zi gripped his naginata tightly, Armament Haki coating the entire blade.

"Boom—!"

Bai Hu Zi clenched his fist and first struck both sides of the sea with a punch. The ocean trembled, surging into towering waves that blocked every escape route for Hei Hu Zi.

Finally, Bai Hu Zi brought down one slash.

"Damn it, aaaaaaah!"

Hei Hu Zi narrowed his eyes, a cruel glint flashing in his narrow gaze.

He knew he was cornered, roared aloud, raised both arms to block above his head, Armament Haki blackening his entire limbs. His bulky body, at this moment, moved with astonishing speed, charging forward head-on.

The sea shattered, waves roared skyward.

Hei Hu Zi screamed in agony—under that terrifying slash, his Armament Haki could not hold, blood gushed wildly from his arms.

Moreover, under the crushing pressure of the descending naginata, his entire body was flattened into a thin mass, directly sliced deep into the ocean floor.

The aura from Bai Hu Zi's terrifying slash spread, splitting the entire sea apart, exposing the damp seabed.

The residual force of the slash, infused with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, further shattered the seabed, carving out a colossal underwater canyon.

One slash split the sea! One slash cracked the earth!

Bai Hu Zi retracted his naginata, breathing heavily twice, a rare hint of exhaustion on his face.

One reason was the two slashes he had unleashed in rage—exhausting his full strength. He was old, after all, and felt fatigue. But the greater reason was his sorrow over Hei Hu Zi's betrayal.

"Old man!"

A piercing bird cry echoed through the sky, sparks of flame burning in the void.

Ma Erke transformed into the Phoenix, soaring above Bai Hu Zi, circling as he watched the scene before him—his eyes showed no great surprise. As the son who had followed Bai Hu Zi the longest, he understood Bai Hu Zi's power deeply.

"What exactly happened?"

Bai Hu Zi's voice was calm: "Tichi betrayed me. He tried to kill Sachi just now. I received this information earlier and refused to believe it, so while Tichi and Sachi were drinking, I used Kenbunshoku to observe the scene."

"Then I saw Tichi actually moved."

Ma Erke fell silent, unsure what to say. The only thing puzzling him was: Bai Hu Zi hadn't left recently, nor visited any old friends—who had told him Tichi might betray him?

But Bai Hu Zi gave Ma Erke no further explanation, only waved his hand casually: "Go pull Tichi up. My two slashes should have robbed him of resistance—but he's probably still alive."