Alright, now it's my turn.
— Bané bané no mi: Spring Surge!
I shot forward, but El Drago was ready. His claws flashed, and he struck with a blow that split the air and left a deep gouge in the ground.
— You won't escape! — he shouted, his voice turning into a destructive wave of energy.
I barely managed to dodge, but the wave grazed me, throwing me back a few meters. Pain pierced my body, but I rose again.
— You're strong, but I won't retreat!
I focused, my hands turning into springs.
— Bané bané no mi: Spring Devastation!
I unleashed a series of rapid strikes, each hitting El Drago's armor. At first, it seemed to hold, but then cracks appeared.
— The gold belongs to MEEE!! — El Drago roared, opening his mouth. Something glowed from inside, and a sonic beam shot out, tearing through the air with a deafening crash.
I didn't even bother dodging with my usual leap.
— Spring Rebound! — I said, tapping my heel lightly against the ground. As the blow hit, my body "softened" by itself, bouncing me back a couple of meters. The beam passed by, crashing into a rock and splitting it in half.
— Ooh, scary, — I snorted, brushing the dust off my sleeve.
El Drago roared in fury and charged at me, his claws gleaming with a golden alloy. His eyes burned with rage as he swung them toward my face.
— Bané Bané no Mi: SPRING HEAD! — I yelled.
My neck instantly stretched back, like a compressed spring. His claws passed right through the stretched coil without touching my skin. While he stood there, stunned, I couldn't help but smile mentally:
— Let's give you a manicure... and shake up your brain while we're at it.
I released the stretched spring.All the energy shot forward.My head, like a projectile, shot forward at insane speed — and —BOOM!
— SPRING BELL!
My forehead slammed into El Drago's face. The air cracked from the impact. His head snapped back, his eyes rolled up, and his golden claws trembled — one of them snapped under the resonance of the blow, cracking at the base.
He flew backward, flipping through the air, and crashed onto his back, sending waves of dust up. The ground beneath him bent as if it were weighed down by the failure.
I stepped forward, cracking my neck lightly.
— So, ringing in your ears like your beams?
El Drago tried to rise, swaying, but his eyes were glassy, and his nose was bleeding.I wiped blood from my temple — got me after all...
He was strong. The fruit — just right. But not in the right hands... not like mine.
I walked away, leaving the camp behind, which began to collapse under the noise of freed prisoners and the campfires trampled in chaos.
— Can you hear me, Sabo? — I shouted, making my way through the smoke as the wind tore at the remnants of the tent. — All clear here.
From the bushes, he appeared — covered in dust, with a couple of new cuts, but wearing a grin like he had just won a bet over a bottle of sake.
— The swordsman's down, — Sabo nodded. — Your head, as usual, worked better than any gun.
Further ahead, from beneath the trees, Gin emerged. His battle tonfas were still grimy from the fight, but his gaze had relaxed, no longer tense.
— The prisoners headed to the shore. I showed them the old trail we found earlier. If we're lucky, they'll make it before anyone else shows up.
— There won't be anyone else, — I said, turning around. — We made enough noise. If anyone's left on the ship, they've already bolted.
— Are we taking supplies? — Gin asked, wiping his forehead. He looked a little battered but satisfied. With his bloody battle tonfas, he had a heavy look about him, but his eyes were still sparkling.
— Yeah, and the ship's actually not bad, — I said, glancing over at the camp, where the remnants of the tent were already smoking. We gave ourselves a minute to check it out. Everything was destroyed, people were escaping however they could, but we were left with a rich bounty.
— It's too big; we need at least four people to handle it, — Sabo said, frowning as he looked at the giant ship in the bay. It was massive, decorated in black and gold, like everything that belonged to these pirates, and El Drago himself clearly liked to stand out.
— True, — I agreed, casting a glance at the vessel. It was imposing, but clearly not for us. We weren't big enough to haul a ship of that size. We'd need smaller, faster, and more mobile ships.
Gin nodded, scanning the ship and mentally plotting a course.
— So, we've got the treasure. But we'll have to deal with the ship, — he said, continuing to wipe his battle tonfas.
— We'll take what we need, leave the ship. It'll be too heavy for us, and the key to success is not going after extra stuff. Better leave with what we can carry quickly, — I decided.
Sabo checked one last time to make sure we weren't being followed and nodded.
— There should be more than just gold coins in the hold, — he said, already understanding what needed to be done. — But if we hurry, we can grab everything before anyone gets here.
We three made our way to the ship, climbing up the gangway. We snuck into the hold, and sure enough, just as I'd thought, the abundance of treasures, jewels, and gold was fit for those dreaming of great wealth. Gems were piled in crates, chests, and bags.
— Alright, we took all we could, let's get out, — I said, looking at Gin and Sabo with two bags full of treasure.
But then Sabo suddenly stopped, as if thinking. He turned to me with a determined look on his face.
— Hey, wait, there's something we need to do, — he said, tilting his head slightly. — Don't want to leave anything here that could be useful to someone else.
I turned to him, puzzled, but he had already pulled out a small bottle of incendiary liquid and lit the fuse.
— Hurry up, let's go! — I shouted, instinctively realizing his plan was to destroy the ship so no one could use it in the future.
Without wasting time, Sabo rushed to one of the powder crates, partially covered by a lid. He skillfully tossed the bottle, and it flew a few meters before hitting one of the sides. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, then — BOOM!
A huge burst of fire engulfed the ship, spreading through the wooden structures, penetrating the hold where supplies and gold were stored. The flames quickly covered the deck, and the wooden planks began to crack and melt.
— That's it, let's go! — Sabo shouted, running ahead. — We don't need to stay here until everything burns. If the pirates come back, we'd better be far away.
We ran through the underbrush, and with each step, the sound of the fire grew louder. Soon, we reached the shore, where we had left the boat...