Phoenix Reborn In One Piece

"Old man~"

"If we're right, you're the one who spread the rumor about treasure on the island, aren't you?" Kuina said, glancing at his half-missing left arm.

As soon as she said that, the people on the street were once again shocked and confused.

"No wonder... no wonder this one-armed old man has stayed on this island all this time, and keeps going to the bar every now and then..."

"So that means... he goes to the bar just to gather information, to see if anyone finds the treasure!"

"That has to be it!"

...

The crowd suddenly understood who this one-armed old man really was.

"So what if I am..." the old man said with a gloomy face. "Over the years, I've lured so many people into that place, hoping they'd find it. But they all turned out to be useless! One by one—either they died in that forest, or they didn't have the guts to go deeper."

He glanced coldly at the people in front of him, his eyes full of contempt.

"But you little brats are a bit better. Four Emperors? Strong? In my eyes, you just got lucky. That beast must've been gone, otherwise you wouldn't have made it!"

"Tell me—where did you hide the treasure?! Hand it over, and I might spare your lives!"

The old man's face twisted with madness by the time he finished talking.

He was thinking about what he saw years ago in that massive cave—a mountain made entirely of treasure. That image still burned in his memory, something he could never forget.

Now, the Dream Exploration Team had actually made it into that forest and even survived there for half a month.

He was sure now—the treasure in the dragon's cave had fallen into their hands! And since it took them two weeks to come back, he believed they had spent that time moving all the treasure out!

"Hey!"

"One-armed old man, I won't let you do this. Even if they found the treasure, it belongs to them!" the port manager snapped when he heard the old man demand the treasure from the Dream Team.

"That's right! They found it, so it's theirs!"

"With those treasures in the hands of good people, they can help more kids out at sea!"

"Yeah! If you dare touch them, we won't let you go!"

...

The crowd began shouting at the one-armed old man, standing up for the Dream Exploration Team. They wouldn't allow them to be bullied—not even with words!

But a man who had stayed on this Red Adventure Island for so many years, all for the sake of that treasure—how could he possibly care what a bunch of ordinary people thought?

His face darkened even more. And in the next moment, he vanished!

*Clang!*

A sharp, piercing sound rang out!

Everyone saw only two blurry figures move. When they looked again, the old man had already thrown a punch at the port manager!

But just before the hit landed, Kuina blocked it with her sword, Wado Ichimonji!

"So... so fast!"

"He's insanely fast—but luckily, Kuina was fast too and blocked the attack!"

The crowd gasped in shock.

The port manager was drenched in cold sweat—he had just felt the chill of death. One more second and the old man would've killed him!

"Kid... didn't expect you to be this strong." The one-armed old man said in a low voice, his eyes dark and heavy.

Inside, he was filled with shock—and confusion.

For years, he had used the legend of the Red Adventure Island treasure to lure countless adventurers to explore, while he watched from the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

At the same time, he had been training hard, trying to strengthen his Haki.

After all, he had suffered a terrible loss — back when he and his companions faced a fierce sea dragon, his Haki wasn't strong enough to break through its tough defense. That battle ended with the death of his teammate and the loss of half his own arm.

Since then, his desire to master Haki had only grown stronger.

But now, this young girl had blocked his attack so easily. He was completely stunned.

He couldn't help but feel jealous: why do these young people have such powerful strength? Were they born with it?

Thinking of this, the old man's expression grew darker.

He clenched his fist tighter, knocked away Kuina's sword—Wado Ichimonji—and threw another punch at her.

*Clang!*

*Clang! Clang!*

Kuina blocked the strike, but the clash between them released a huge shockwave of energy.

The port manager, who was standing closest, was blown away by the force. Everyone else nearby was shaken and pushed back too.

"Ahhh!"

"Run!"

"Help!"

"This is terrifying! They're way too strong!"

"Run!!"

...

Those who realized what was happening quickly ran away in fear.

But many others still lay on the ground, dazed and confused, unsure of what had just happened or why they'd been knocked down.

"Uncle, get out of here! And you guys, leave now!" Ryuen shouted loudly.

"Everyone, get away!"

The rest of the Dream Exploration Team shouted too, trying to drive the crowd back. They could tell—this old man was strong.

Even after all these years, even though he was old now, his Haki was still powerful.

"This is insane! What kind of strength is this?! It's terrifying!"

"Quick! We have to get out of here! We can't slow the Dream Team down!"

"Run…"

With Ryuen and the others shouting, the people finally snapped out of it and turned to flee without hesitation.

They scrambled away, crawling and running as fast as they could to reach a safe place, hoping to escape the chaos.

Meanwhile, the fight between Kuina and the old man grew even more intense.

Their attacks clashed like a storm, and every hit sent shockwaves through the air.

*Clang!*

*Clang Clang!*

*Boom boom boom!*

The sound of metal clashing and explosions filled the air, loud enough to shake the ground.

Buildings along the street were badly damaged—collapsing one after another, broken tiles flying everywhere.

People ran in panic, but many were still caught in the destruction. What was once a busy, lively street turned into a ruined battlefield—dust in the air, smoke everywhere.

"Damn it!"

"Annoying little girl… Looks like it's time to show you my real power!" the old man growled. He was getting more and more desperate as the fight dragged on and he failed to beat Kuina.

He knew his body couldn't handle a long, intense battle anymore.

So, in front of everyone in the Dream Team, the old man began to transform—he activated his Devil Fruit powers.

"A Zoan-type Elephant Devil Fruit user!"

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