One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

A towering man, none other than Charlotte Cracker, Big Mom's tenth son, stood before them. Buggy's short swords were nearly dulled from hacking at Cracker's biscuit armor, but he had failed to make a single dent. Despite this, Cracker couldn't harm him either, thanks to Buggy's Fruit powers, which made him particularly hard to deal with for sword-wielders.

Cracker, however, wasn't clueless. Realizing that Haki-imbued strikes had no effect on Buggy, he switched tactics, using his shield instead. With a swift strike, he smacked it squarely into Buggy's face, sending blood shooting from Buggy's bright red nose. Seeing Cracker raise his shield again, Buggy hastily activated his "Emergency Escape," splitting his body into pieces and scattering them around.

Cracker's attack missed, and in that moment, Shanks emerged from behind, slashing his sword fiercely at Cracker's neck. Shanks had intensified his Armament Haki output, but the strike only left a faint mark on Cracker's neck.

Shanks noticed something strange. His sword had struck exposed skin, not covered in Armament Haki, yet no blood emerged—only yellow crumbs, as if made of flour.

Cracker reached back to touch his neck, then looked at Shanks with a mocking grin.

"Red-haired brat, is that supposed to tickle?" Cracker jeered.

Despite being only six years older than Shanks, Cracker's towering frame and rugged features made Shanks look almost childlike in comparison.

Annoyed by the "red-haired brat" remark, Shanks slashed at Cracker in a flurry of strikes. Cracker stopped trying to defend, letting Shanks hack away.

After a prolonged effort, all Shanks had managed was to chip off a few biscuit crumbs, while Cracker remained unscathed. Shanks, on the other hand, was visibly worn out.

Floating nearby, Buggy called down, "Give it up, Shanks! We can't break through his defense. Let's get Rayleigh to take him on. Wait, where's Rayleigh?!"

Buggy looked around, but Rayleigh was nowhere to be found.

Ignoring Buggy, Shanks felt a mischievous determination bubbling up within him. With a grip of steely resolve, his Armament Haki flared, coating his sword with a powerful metallic sheen that was noticeably stronger than before.

Cracker raised an eyebrow. "Interesting, Red-Haired brat. Seems you've got some talent!"

Shanks glared coldly. "You're just a coward hiding in your shell. Don't think you can judge me."

With his sharp battle instincts, Shanks suspected that Cracker was hiding his real body within the biscuits, making even his appearance a deception.

His remark struck a nerve with Cracker, whose face twisted in anger.

Gripping his "Pretzel" sword tightly, Cracker charged at Shanks. "You little punk! I'll cut you down!"

Shanks kept calm, his focus aiding his Observation Haki to its fullest. Predicting Cracker's movements, he sidestepped the attack and drove his sword into Cracker's side. A web of cracks spread across the surrounding biscuit armor, and with a sharp shattering sound, Cracker's armor broke, revealing his true form—a fierce-looking young man with purple hair and a scowling face.

"Nice work, Shanks!" Buggy cheered, diving down with both swords raised to attack the exposed Cracker.

Shanks swiftly switched from a stab to a sweeping slash, catching Cracker off-guard. Cracker's Armament Haki covered his waist just in time to deflect Buggy's strike, but Shanks' Haki-infused blade managed to slice through, leaving a gash on Cracker's side.

Cracker, who had a low tolerance for pain, winced, gritting his teeth. He stepped back, pressing his hand to his wound. When he saw blood on his hand, his expression twisted into a dark grin.

"Well, well, well. I was hoping to play with you two a little longer, but I see I'll have to show you true despair!"

He plunged his sword, Pretzel, into the ground. Seeing this, Buggy floated over to Shanks and whispered, "Hey, Shanks, why's he ditching his weapon? Is he surrendering?"

Shanks, however, remained cautious, eyes locked on Cracker. "Buggy, it's not over. Don't let your guard down—this is…"

Buggy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, don't tell me, this is some lesson from Rayleigh again?"

Shanks shook his head, recalling the young figure in a Justice coat who had taught him valuable lessons. "No… this is what the Black Dragon taught me!"

Buggy shivered slightly, feeling an ominous presence creeping over him. On a distant tower, Carl, watching the battle, slowly lowered his hand, a faint arc of electricity dancing on his fingertips.

"I suppose killing him would make the brat cry," Carl muttered, deciding to observe for now.

Back in the heat of the fight, Cracker began clapping his hands. Shanks and Buggy watched, bewildered, as more figures clad in biscuit armor appeared out of thin air, each resembling Cracker's earlier form.

With a sinister smile, Cracker commanded his biscuit soldiers to charge forward. Shanks and Buggy braced themselves, forced to engage the horde. Frustratingly, these biscuit soldiers were nearly as tough as the original armor.

Buggy, sliced repeatedly into pieces by the biscuit warriors, cursed aloud, "Damn it! What kind of fruit power is this? What a ridiculous ability!"

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+170 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg