The Dimensional Reduction Strike ability of the Op-Op Fruit directly bypassed all defenses with a cunning trick, replacing the genuine crystal in the Shimada brothers' embrace with a fake.
Of course, at this moment, the two remained blissfully unaware, still foolishly believing their Dragon powers could elegantly subdue the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale.
*Swish!*
The arrow loosed by Hanzo transformed into two crisscrossing blue dragons, spiraling towards the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale.
Meanwhile, Gen, after drawing his sword, was aided by a green dragon, becoming one with the beast as he soared through the air.
"For the honor of the Shimada clan, victory is assured!"
Hanzo uttered a low, dashing cry, standing tall.
In his mind, the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale below was already no different from a dead fish.
A mere scattering shot, usually harmless, now felt capable of piercing anything, let alone his ultimate technique.
However, this time…
Facing the onslaught from Hanzo and Gen, the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale showed no fear. Instead, it charged forward defiantly.
Its gaping maw seemed poised to devour the entire world.
"Wretch, perish!"
Gen, fearless, charged his blade to the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale's face. After countless uneventful drills, he had unwavering faith in the power of the pink crystal.
The only thing that slightly puzzled him was why this Sea-Splitting Demon Whale wasn't afraid of the attack imbued with the pink crystal's power. In fact, it seemed quite arrogant…
Had it given up?
Gen felt a wave of speechless exasperation.
And in the next second, he understood why the creature showed no fear.
It opened its massive mouth and conjured something akin to a Tailed Beast Bomb within, then tilted its head and spat it out.
Gen, possessing ample experience dealing with such threats, simply smiled and swung the katana on his back forward.
*Slice through this, for me!*
That was Gen's thought.
The captains on deck also grew excited.
While they didn't necessarily wish for the Shimada brothers to perform miracles, for those who revered the martial path, witnessing such a heart-pounding spectacle was undeniably exhilarating.
Leaping into the air and fearlessly facing a massive shockwave—that was undeniably cool.
"Here it comes! The big one is coming!"
"Let's see what the second Shimada brother is capable of. I feel like he can at least exchange ten blows with this Sea-Splitting Demon Whale."
"Ten blows? That's too many… Although he's confident, I feel like he's only capable of eight."
"Eight blows… If he fights conservatively, he could last twenty moves!"
"Don't forget, this guy can double-jump in mid-air, he's agile and nimble…"
"And with his brother drawing fire, they have quite a bit of room to maneuver together…"
"That's right… He's not fighting alone; he has a teammate assisting…"
"In that case, I'll also guess twenty blows!"
It had to be said, these captains were quite realistic and possessed sharp judgment.
Despite their initial excitement, their assessment of strength and grasp of the situation were remarkably accurate, and they still didn't quite believe the grand pronouncements made by the Shimada brothers.
In just a few dozen seconds, they had essentially predicted Gen's performance against the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale without the crystal's amplification.
Back in the arena.
Gen was currently brimming with overconfidence.
The endless confidence granted by the pink crystal almost allowed him to envision himself cleaving the Tailed Beast Bomb in two.
And then, in the next second, he felt a paralyzing pain throughout his body and immediately lost consciousness.
"Gen!"
Hanzo behind him cried out desperately.
From his third-person perspective, he clearly saw that the enormous Tailed Beast Bomb not only pulverized Gen's green dragon but also shattered Gen's light armor, engulfing him entirely.
If not for the passive protective effect of the Dragon Power, which managed to barely save Gen, he would have likely been annihilated into dust on the spot…
Hanzo's eyes turned crimson, and he lunged at the falling Gen like a madman.
On the deck, the captains' eyes widened more than each other's.
"Uh… if I'm not mistaken, wasn't that the second Shimada brother falling from the sky?"
"Yeah… it looks like it was him…"
"Damn it! I was so optimistic about him, and he's down for the count already?"
"I got up, one shot, what's there to talk about?"
"Seriously, we were analyzing how many moves he could last against the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale, and we emphasized his speed capabilities."
"We thought with his agility advantage, he could at least put up a decent fight for a while, but instead, he just… crashed and burned…"
"This is mostly because he was too arrogant, doing something rash right from the start, insisting on slicing the Tailed Beast Bomb…"
"We thought he had the skill to back it up, who knew he was just blowing smoke!"
"I can't take it anymore, this Sakura guy is too much of a clown, a top-tier circus act for the world…"
"…"
This turn of events truly stunned them all.
No one could have imagined that Gen's seemingly arrogant opening move would result in such a dismal performance.
This guy seemed to have no grasp of his own strength or that of his opponent.
If he had any self-awareness, he wouldn't have charged in with his sword; if he had any awareness of the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale's power, he wouldn't have charged in blindly.
Yet, this person, who had no awareness of either party, was the first to declare that he could solo the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale.
And now, he was almost solo-killed…
Such incomprehensible foolishness made it impossible to remain composed.
Back in the arena.
Hanzo moved with incredible speed.
The tradition of the Shimada clan allowed him to soar through the air indefinitely as well, and in a few swift movements, he rescued his younger brother.
Looking at the barely-alive Gen, Hanzo's eyes welled up with fury. He frantically channeled his blue dragon to attack the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale, seeking to avenge Gen and gain some measure of dignity.
Unfortunately, his "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls" attack still proved ineffective, completely shattered by the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale.
It was then that Hanzo finally realized something was wrong.
Their pink crystal seemed to have failed…
And precisely when it was most critical!
All the previous simulations, all the experiments, had shown no issues whatsoever!
Only today…
Especially since the scattering shot that had grazed the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale moments ago had shown no problem, perfectly fulfilling its duty!
Touching the still-warm crystal in his embrace, Hanzo felt his mind about to explode.
However, the Sea-Splitting Demon Whale gave him no time for hesitation, opening its massive mouth and lunging to devour him.