Chapter 142: Fight For Authority (2)
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In one corner of the recovering Dressrosa, surrounded by huts, along with sand, bricks, and cement– ready for new constructions– a scene was growing big. Workers who had been busy building houses, pirates, guards, and common people were circling a battle that was just about to happen.
Being the country of Gladiators, everyone was used to watching battles like this and also used to betting big chunks of money on these things. Under the blue sky with spots of cloud fleeting slowly, people did what they were best at, betting on the potential of the winner.
"Who's that? He looks familiar," an old man asked, pointing at Hashirama. "Why is he fighting a two-against-five battle when all his opponents are big shots?"
"You don't know, old man? I guess it's hard to recognize him since you're old, and he's not wearing that mask. That's Ra." Another man beside the old man said, and that news caused the crowd to pause.
Who'd win in a match between the Hero of Dressrosa, and Don Chinjao? People would say the hero would win; they had seen his fight in the Colosseum. However, would that change if Chinjao had backups?
Besides Chinjao, there were his grandsons. There was even Baby 5 there; a few people were glaring at her, wondering why one of the Doflamingo rats was walking freely, but there was a rumor circulating that she was taken as a slave by the Happo Navy, so people didn't actively throw stuff at her.
Other than these four, Princess Vivi was there too. Her small stature wasn't to be underestimated, she had basically beaten Chinjao into submission during the war, and out of all the Senju Pirates, even Hashirama, the crowd had seen her fights the most. So they had a gauge of her strength in their heads.
"You think he can win...?" A gambler asked his friend.
"I mean he's not weak, but didn't his sister beat Doflamingo?"
"I heard he made King the Wildfire flee, though."
"Hashirama and his sister probably teamed up for that." The crowd got busy with their theories.
In the end, they realized that while it was true that Hashirama was a beast in solo battles, he was against a team of five right now. Sure, he had Beidou, but she didn't look to be in a fighting condition.
"Are the bets done?!" Hashirama suddenly yelled at the gathering of gamblers.
"Yes, dear, we are done." A feminine voice replied from within the gathering, wearing robes that covered her face.
Everyone turned to her, and when she took off her hood, everyone jumped a few steps back and let her space.
"P-princess Viola, good morning!" The guards and citizens bowed their heads, and Viola waved her hand.
She didn't like betting, but she had just bet a large chunk on Hashirama. The Kingdom needed the money, and since most of the gamblers here were foreign pirates and the citizens of Dressrosa didn't have the money to spare in this dire situation, winning the bet would allow Viola to bag a large amount that she could use to fix the country faster.
"You can begin anytime," Viola said and smooched at the air, and an invisible flying heart flew to Hashirama. He caught it with two of his fingers and kissed it while winking at her.
Everyone else in the area shot him jealous looks, while Vivi glared murderous daggers at him. Vivi had a "talk" with Tsunade about his lifestyle, but it still angered her to see him cheat so openly.
"Enough!" Vivi yelled aloud, "Let's start the match!"
"Ah, a second please," suddenly, a voice said and everyone turned to find a blind man walking to the scene.
People recognized him instantly, he had saved many lives in the war. Everyone gave him space, and some even walked to him to help him with his needs.
"Hoho, I am just here to place a bet," said Issho, as he put some berries in Hashirama's name. "You guys can continue now."
"Alright then," Viola stepped in and raised her hand, deciding to play referee. "Begin!"
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Hashirama wasn't expecting Baby 5 to join the battle, but it wasn't an issue. He kicked the ground beneath him, just as Vivi did the same, and disappeared from their spots.
Vivi appeared where he stood a moment ago, and he appeared behind Baby 5. She'll be an annoying long-ranged fighter to fight, and since he was planning to make this short, she was the first he decided to knock out.
"It'll hurt," he said and kicked her on her waist, throwing her out of the arena.
In the last second, she had managed to transform her sides into blades. Hashirama was using Haki on his legs, however, his Haki that he could apply much better now, so he wasn't cut by the blades. And she was thrown out of the area, before she could use her powers, getting eliminated.
"He's fast!" Yelled Sai, who rushed at him with his spear. He swung the sharp blade at Hashirama, who spun to the side, his hands reaching out as he spun, transforming, as his fist exploded against Sai's chest.
"Gah!" Sai yelled, his body flying off due to the explosion. In a more serious battle, he'd have lasted a bit more, but since one just had to be knocked out of the arena here, this was the only bit he could last.
"Dammit, die!" Boo, Sai's brother, rushed at him next.
Hashirama tilted his head to the side, dodging an attack, and stepped back. As he stepped back, his hair flared up for a single instant. He blasted out a short but strong wave of Conqueror's Haki at Boo. Boo's eyes rolled back and he fell backward.
"T-three people out in ten seconds?!" The viewers yelled while Hashirama tucked his hands in his pockets. He looked at Vivi and Chinjao, who were frowning at him.
"Come at me together," he said, and Vivi vanished from her spot. Chinjao let out a roar, pointing his head forward and rushing in like a rhino.
Vivi appeared behind Hashirama, in her hands were her nunchucks. She swung them at the back of his head, but his hand raised to grab it mid-air. Her eyes trembled and his leg swept behind her knees. Vivi fell to her back but spun mid-air and pushed her hands on the ground, throwing her legs in a circular spinning kick.
Hashirama jumped backward, and right behind him, Chinjao's drill head was ready.
"Rahhh!" The old monster yelled, pushing his head right towards Hashirama's back.
Hashirama couldn't just dodge this, he had to show off a little, so he called forth Haki on his fist. Armament covered his fist, and he threw it forward, while a trail of black lightning swept through the air. He wasn't used to consciously applying Conqueror's Coating yet, but he could add a little of it.
The punch that was thrown slowly gained such an incredible speed that it blasted the sound barrier and slammed against the pointy head of Chinjao. The area shook as the two forces of Haki clashed, Chinjao let out a wave of Conqueror's Haki, but that couldn't stop Hashirama's much stronger, concentrated coating of it.
"An opening!" Vivi yelled as she rushed at him from behind, swinging her nunchucks at his back.
In the split second that would have taken her to hit him, Hashirama overpowered Chinjao. The pointy head flattened badly, and while Chinjao got blasted backward, Hashirama twirled around to clash his fist with Vivi's nunchucks.
"Ghhrr!" She yelled in annoyance, while Hashirama suddenly stopped pushing his hand against her nunchucks, and the sudden withdrawal of force took Vivi by surprise as she stumbled forward, and Hashirama once again kicked her feet. Vivi fell towards her face, managing to once again put her hands on the ground first, her feet in the air to kick his face, but he grabbed her feet this time and swung her like a sword. He lifted her in the air and then slammed her downwards like a hammer; he did that once, twice, and thrice. On the third time, he dropped her outside the arena.
"You bastard! Y-you fool!" Chinjao yelled from the distance, he was out of the arena, but he was rushing in again. His flattened head enraged him, his eyes were teary as he rushed in with a massive killing intent.
"Die!" He yelled, and his head rushed at Hashirama again.
This was what Hashirama was looking forward to, actually. To fight him and take away the miracle he had received, to take all his hope away. And then, he'll return all the hope again.
Hashirama leaped into the air, and when high up, he dove down. His arms elongated, like those from the long arm tribe, as he readied an exploding punch.
Chinjao prepared to clash with the punch, jumping upwards with his massive body as his head connected with Hashirama's fist.
– BOOM!
The air exploded and the sky split, as the old man let out his Haki, and Hashirama did the same. The clash made the wind grow strong, for everything nearby to be swept up in the air for a brief moment, as Hashirama's punch once again caused his head to change.
The blunt shape once again regained its point, Hashirama had adjusted the angle just like that, as his fist pushed into the skull and another part rose high. Hashirama wasn't sure how this old man survived his skull changing like that, but oh well, what mattered was the head changed and the clash ended.
The old man fell down on the ground, causing the ground beneath to turn into a crater. Hashirama dropped to his feet too, his sword clanking as he did. All this time, he didn't have to use any of his wood power, nor his sword. Hashirama had grown much stronger thanks to the war.
He raised his hand in the air like a victor as people watched.
The match was finished.
"Yay?"
"YAHHHH!!" People responded to his self-cheer and threw their arms in the air. The crowd exploded in joy, except for those who bet too much, while Viola smiled and stared at him and then at the money.
The battle had ended, and next, as per the agreement, the Happo Navy vowed to him. They did it happily, in fact, as Chinjao was really a simple man, happy that his head was fixed, even if it was Hashirama himself who ruined it again.
Vivi grumbled and left the scene, and Hashirama kissed the air before running after her. He didn't let her show off her powers, he threw her out before that, and along with all the other things that happened recently, she must be pretty mad at him.
So as a reliable boyfriend, he decided to go talk to her, while Beidou followed after him for some reason.
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