Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

"Impossible!!!"

Mammon struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily.

His youthful, fragile appearance only made his injured state seem more pitiful. But when the focus shifted to Chrome's slender frame and innocent face, it was clear who the true underdog in this battle was.

Refusing to give in, Mammon once again summoned the power within him. A gray mist quickly enveloped his body, taking the form of a massive python, its fangs bared menacingly at Murkrow, daring it to attack.

However, Murkrow merely shot it a disdainful glance.

Chrome didn't even need to issue a command.

Without warning, Murkrow's black form transformed into a bolt of jet-black lightning, hurtling straight towards the python's open mouth.

A metallic gleam flashed from its wings.

Flying-type move—Wing Attack!

Although it was just a basic move like a physical strike, Murkrow's flying energy drastically amplified both its speed and precision.

With a swift motion, Murkrow darted into the smoky python's body.

At the same instant, Mammon let out another anguished scream.

"Aaaah!!!"

In the next moment, two figures shot out from the giant python, one after the other.

Murkrow's wings pinned Mammon's body tightly, contorting him into unnatural, painful angles.

It was clear—

Murkrow's attack had shattered any chance Mammon had left. The outcome of this battle was sealed.

In truth, Mammon's defeat was somewhat unfair...

At this time, he was weakened by the pacifier's seal, with his strength barely a fraction of what it was in his prime. Facing Murkrow—already over level 30—with such limited power was nothing short of hopeless.

In the end, Mammon had no choice but to use a last-ditch, hidden technique to break free from Murkrow's grip and escape the battlefield.

Fortunately, Murkrow's instincts kicked in just in time, allowing it to snatch the remaining half of the Vongola Ring that gleamed faintly in the mist just as Mammon fled. It quickly delivered the ring to Chrome.

And so...

The battle for the Ring of Mist came to an official close.

The victor: Sawada Tsunayoshi Guardian of Mist— Chrome Dokuro!

——

——

"Shigure Soen Ryu—Ground Slash!"

Whoosh!

A cold, gleaming blade sliced through the air.

Wielding his sharp sword, Takeshi moved effortlessly through Varia's assassins, cutting them down one by one.

Screams filled the battlefield.

Each time Takeshi moved or paused, another Varia elite fell, severely wounded, and eventually succumbed to blood loss.

High above, a Swellow soared, scanning for threats and keeping watch over Takeshi.

In contrast to Hayato, who hesitated to fight under Tsuna's influence, Takeshi, having honed his swordsmanship under the tutelage of Ace from the pirate world, lived by the philosophy: wherever his blade touched, nothing could stand in its way.

Though he was kind-hearted and refrained from taking the lives of his enemies, he didn't hold back enough to let them retaliate.

Finally, after cutting down dozens of Varia elites, the battlefield around Takeshi was in complete disarray, blood staining the ground.

None of the remaining Varia members dared to take another step forward.

They all stared at Takeshi in stunned silence, too shocked to speak.

"Fuu~ Is it over?"

Looking at the assassins who had lost the will to fight, Takeshi shook the blood off his sword with a casual flick.

In a flash, his sword transformed into a simple baseball bat, which he slung over his shoulder.

His gaze shifted toward the distant sky.

There, Xanxus, dual-wielding guns, was locked in a fierce battle with Hibari.

Fiery blasts lit up the sky like stars.

The back-and-forth clash between the two left Takeshi momentarily awestruck.

He had thought he was strong enough.

But watching Hibari's fluid movements, Takeshi couldn't help but grip his bat more tightly.

"I didn't expect Hibari-senpai to have mastered the Moon Step technique."

"It seems I can't afford to slack off, even after training."

He sighed and shook his head.

Just as Takeshi prepared to take a well-deserved rest, he sensed movement and instinctively transformed his bat back into a long sword, casting his gaze toward the Varia base where fighting was still ongoing.

But suddenly!

A familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.

"Squalo?"

Takeshi's eyes narrowed as he noticed Squalo approaching, his left arm still missing the sword. Curious, Takeshi asked:

"What now? Do you really want to fight me again?"

Squalo's face hardened, his teeth grinding together in frustration.

But he responded:

"Kid, don't think your victory means this is over!"

"I admit, I'm no match for you right now."

"But..."

Clang! Clang!

Suddenly, the sound of heavy mechanical footsteps echoed from behind Squalo.

Squalo grinned wickedly and glanced at Takeshi:

"Let's see if your fancy swordsmanship can take down this war machine!"

Boom~

Before Squalo could finish speaking, Varia's Cloud Guardian, Gola Mosca, appeared behind him, its head resembling a gas mask and its target locked firmly on Takeshi.

Squalo laughed maniacally:

"Gola Mosca is a war machine, commissioned by the Italian military and created by the Vongola family!"

"It's equipped with incredible mobility and dozens of hidden weapons, suited for all kinds of battlefields!"

"And this version—modified by Varia's own researchers—is far stronger than any regular Mosca!"

Squalo's eyes gleamed with a twisted excitement.

But if you looked closely, you'd notice a flicker of anticipation hidden behind the madness in his eyes.

With his usual hoarse and arrogant voice, Squalo shouted:

"Come on, Takeshi Yamamoto!"

"Show me what your swordsmanship can really do!"

"Mosca!"

Hiss— 

After the voiceprint recognition succeeded, Mosca let out a blast of hot air, signifying it was ready for new orders.

Squalo pointed directly at Takeshi and commanded:

"Use all your strength and kill Takeshi Yamamoto, the Rain Guardian!"

A surge of electricity flashed through Mosca's eyes.

In the next moment, blue flames erupted from its feet, sending the massive machine hurtling toward Takeshi with terrifying speed.

"Oh? So you've been hiding such an interesting opponent," Takeshi remarked with a smile, though his eyes now gleamed with a dangerous light.

After mastering his swordsmanship from the pirate world, he, like many swordsmen, harbored a deep desire to challenge the world's strongest.

For Takeshi and several others, Hibari, who had mastered the Navy's Six Forms, had become the benchmark, the ultimate opponent they aspired to defeat.

Unfortunately...

Every time they sought out Hibari for a sparring match during training, they'd be driven away by the ominous aura and cold, piercing gaze he exuded.

As Mosca advanced rapidly toward him, a thought flashed through Takeshi's mind.

Since I can't challenge the Cloud Guardian on our side...

...then I'll just defeat the Cloud Guardian on their side! 

A palpable sense of excitement surged around Takeshi.

He shifted his stance, gripping his long sword tightly, and pointed its sharp blade at the oncoming Mosca.

With a focused breath, he muttered:

"Shigure Soen Ryu..."

"Air Slash!!!"

In an instant, a blade of wind burst forth from Takeshi's sword, slicing through the air and colliding with Mosca.

Whoosh!

The sound of the blade cutting was faint but swift.

As the slash struck Mosca, it seemed to disappear into its armored body.

But then, a sharp crack appeared on Mosca's forehead.

In the blink of an eye, the crack spread like a web.

Crack... crack!

The sound of tearing metal echoed across the battlefield.

Just as Mosca closed within five meters of Takeshi, its head split open—split in two!

The central control system housed in its brain was destroyed instantly by Takeshi's slash.

Devoid of intelligence, Mosca's massive body slumped forward, sliding across the ground, still propelled by the residual flames.

Takeshi leapt lightly over the machine's lifeless form.

But as he landed, he sighed:

"Sigh..."

"I didn't cut through its body completely... Seems like I still have more to learn."

Little did he know...

At that moment, Squalo was utterly stunned.

Varia's cutting-edge research had made Mosca's body virtually indestructible! Even Italy's most advanced cutting machines couldn't so much as scratch it.

That kind of metal could only be reshaped by Xanxus flame.

Yet...

Takeshi's slash had been able to tear through Mosca.

Was this...

...something a human could even achieve?

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Squalo's mind. For a fleeting moment, he even considered the idea of apprenticing himself to Takeshi.

But in the end, his pride wouldn't allow it.

At the very least, he thought, Xanxus, while still Varia's leader, would never stoop to such a thing.

But if...

...if Varia really ceased to exist...

Squalo lifted his gaze to the distance, where Hayato was unleashing relentless explosions, tearing apart Varia's base.

His expression turned unreadable.

——

"Is this all you've got?"

Hibari smirked, gripping his tonfa tightly. With a forceful step, he seemed to walk on air, moving swiftly as he delivered a devastating blow toward Xanxus.

Clang!

Sparks flew in all directions.

Xanxus raised his twin guns just in time to block Hibari's strike. His face twisted into an expression of indescribable anger.

He glanced to the side, his eyes narrowing.

He noticed his original opponent, Sawada Tsunayoshi, standing calmly in the distance, his gaze fixed on the other Guardians, as if already confident of the outcome here.

"Damn it!"

"Where did these freaks come from?!"

"How can they be this strong?!"

Xanxus clenched his teeth in anger and disbelief.

According to Varia's intelligence, the successor to the 10th generation Vongola was supposed to be just an ordinary middle school student.

But in just a few months...

...he had gathered a team of Guardians with incredible strength.

Especially the one standing in front of him now...

Despite his school uniform and the red sash draped over his shoulders, Hibari fought like a wild beast.

Even though their battle had only lasted a few minutes, Xanxus had to acknowledge one fact:

His opponent's strength surpassed his own.

If it weren't for the power of his Flames of Wrath and the agility of his twin guns, Xanxus might have already been defeated.

As proud as he was, Xanxus had no choice but to lower his pride in front of Hibari.

His mind raced, thinking of ways to defend himself, every second ticking by in tense anticipation.

"Wait... wait a minute!!!"

  XANXUS saw Hibari swinging the tonfa, ready to strike his head. 

  Terrified, XANXUS quickly raised both guns, shouting in panic.

  "Huh?"

  Hibari, poised for the final blow, suddenly halted his attack and floated in mid-air using the Moon Step.

  Yet the deadly aura surrounding him remained, and his piercing eyes still locked onto XANXUS, as if silently declaring, "I'll bite you to death!"

  But...

  XANXUS, arms raised, seemed to surrender to his fate, his will to fight completely drained. 

  Without the support of flames, he slowly descended.

  Seeing this, Hibari had no choice but to descend as well.

  XANXUS reluctantly removed half of the Sky Ring from his hand, showing it to Hibari, and said,

  "This is what you wanted, right?!"

  "I'll give you the Vongola Ring now."

  "We've lost the battle for the rings!"

  With that, XANXUS tossed the ring toward Hibari.

  The gleaming silver ring traced a graceful arc through the air.

  Hibari caught it effortlessly. Just as he was about to say, "Boring..." 

  a furious shout suddenly pierced through the air.

  "Go to hell!!!"

  Distracted by the ring, Hibari momentarily let his guard down as XANXUS poured all his strength into his guns.

  The shattered pride, the humiliation from his enemy, and the day's accumulated anger transformed XANXUS into a whirlwind of unbridled wrath.

  "Colpo d'Addio!!!"

  Boom!!!

  A deafening explosion erupted from his guns, unleashing a terrifying wave of energy that instantly drew everyone's attention.

  Tsuna, concerned for the others, turned sharply and saw Hibari, on the verge of being consumed by the raging flames.

  "Hibari!!?" he shouted in alarm.

  Flames erupted from his hands, but...

  Faced with XANXUS's full-force attack, even Tsuna's incredible speed wasn't enough to intervene in time.

  Whoosh!!!

  The scorching flames engulfed Hibari, swallowing him whole and surging uncontrollably behind him. 

  Along the way, several Varia assassins, unaware of what was happening, were tragically caught in the blaze. 

  Under the intense heat, their bodies turned red, then charred, succumbing to the inferno.

  Witnessing the grim fate of the Varia killers, Tsuna's concern for Hibari deepened.

  The flames of wrath gouged a molten trench in the ground, but at that moment...

  A low, rumbling voice echoed through the chaos.

  The flames dispersed.

  At the farthest reach of the flames, a massive rock snake stood between Hibari and the fire, shielding him from the inferno.

  Hibari, with only minor burns from the initial blast, ripped the tattered remains of his clothes from his body.

  Raising his head, his eyes blazed with intensity as he spoke in a low, deadly tone:

  "I will..."

  "BITE YOU TO DEATH!"