Lost the bet?*

In the open arena, the tension was palpable as the audience watched the fighters in hushed anticipation. On one side stood Victor Moriarty, a trained special ops soldier with a monstrous Lunarian physique, and on the other side stood Sai Chinjao, the future leader of the Happo Navy trained in Hassoken and haki. Inside the viewing room high above the arena, stood Don Chinjao with his younger grandson Boo and the other high ranking officials. He looked confident about the outcome of this battle. How can a rich prodigal defeat a battle-hardened Sai who has been fighting pirates since he was a kid?

Victor stretched his limbs and flexed his muscles after a little warmup, he observed his opponent who was crackling the knuckles as they both prepared for the duel. Victor suddenly exuded an aura of confidence and predator-like gaze like a man who had faced countless wars completely different than his previous harmless appearance. His gaze was sharp and focused as he slowly walked into the arena.

Sai who was carrying a heavy metal rod in his hands was youthful and full of energy. He was renowned in the Happo Navy for his mastery of the Hasshoken martial arts and Haki. They acted as a private militia for Kano Kindom after Don Chinjao retired from his Grand Line adventures. His reputation as a budding formidable warrior had spread throughout West Blue and he had high chances of becoming the next head of the Chinjao Family. A fierce determination burned in his eyes as he sized up his opponent, from his experience he could feel that Victor was by no means an easy opponent.

"Don't you need a weapon?" Sai inquired with curiosity and a hint of concern as he twirled his metal staff in his hand. As an honorable and chivalrous man, he would never have an unfair duel. He wants to defeat his opponents when they are at their best, that's what makes him a true man. Victor tapped his head with a smirk, "I already got mine. For this fight, this is enough."

"Don't complain when you get beaten, I'll not hold back Victor." Sai didn't insist, he had already given him a chance. 

The crowd fell silent as the battle was about to begin and the air thick with anticipation. As if on cue, the two fighters advanced toward each other, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Victor used his keen senses to block Sai's attack before it could land a hit. The first clash of their martial arts echoed throughout the arena as it slowly started to increase in intensity.

Victor's movements were precise, a fusion of various combat styles(MMA and Muay Thai) that he had mastered throughout his military career. His fists were like steel, striking with unmatched speed, power, and accuracy. Sai's Hasshoken technique combined with basic armament haki was fluid and deadly as he controlled vibrations in his limbs to generate deadly shockwaves that injured Victor internally whenever he was hit. As both the fighters clashed, the sound of their battle resonated through the arena.

The crowd watched the two young fighters in awe as the fighters exchanged blows, their movements a symphony of power and finesse. Sai's strikes were explosive, and Victor's defenses were unyielding with well timed counterattacks whenever there was an opening. As they entered the heat of bloody battle, the arena floor trembled beneath their feet, and the ground crackled with the recoil of their clash.

Victor using his enhanced IQ and memory became a master of adaptability as he dodged Sai's attacks with deft acrobatics, closing in on his opponent with lightning-fast punches. Sai responded with a series of intricate spins and parries, showcasing the finesse of the Hasshoken style and blunt weapons. The battle raged on, each warrior pushing the other to their limits, and they both suffered various levels of injuries. Sai often failed to resist Victor's unpredictable and lethal attacks that focused more on taking down an opponent swiftly by targeting vulnerable parts of the opponent. Sweat and blood glistened on their brows and the crowd could feel the intensity of the duel escalating with each passing moment. Victor's fists, hardened through his monstrous Lunarian physique packed a punch but Sai's skillfully swirled his weapon and struck with precision from a distance, keeping Victor in the defensive.

As the battle continued, the two warriors began to gain mutual respect for each other's skills. Victor's raw power and adaptability clashed with Sai's disciplined and agile combat style. It was a contest of strength, stamina, and technique. A bloody dance of combat that held the audience captive and glued to their seats.

***

"Master Sai is indeed the future of the Happo Navy, at the age of seventeen he has leaned hassoken and even awakened armament haki." The higher-ups discussed in hushed voices as they discussed the outcome of the duel.

"Big brother Sai is so awesome," Boo watched the fight with awe and clenched his fist praying for his big brother to win.

"Grandfather, who do you think is winning?" Sai asked to get some affirmation. The executives also perked up their ears curious to hear Don's evaluation.

"Sai will lose this battle!" Chinjao declared shocking everyone present in the room. How can Sai lose? He was still in the attacking and clearly had an upper hand.

"But Don, this Victor guy only has a strong physique but everyone knows that this prodigal lacks talent. Adlof Moriarty, the villainous swordmaster himself tried to teach him the infamous Moriarty family sword style that shook the West Blue but gave up after seeing his talent." His second in command and right-hand man in the navy, Commander Botan informed.

'Interesting! Adolf, that cunning bastard hid a monster cub from this world. After losing his son and daughter-in-law he probably wanted to protect his last heir from being targeted by other forces. He must have spread such rumors to make that brat look harmless.' Chinjao thought to himself.

"Let me tell you why Victor will win, even though he doesn't have haki or swordsmanship, he has trained his physique and mastered that weird martial arts very well. If you observe him carefully, his martial art style is unique and fluid with great versatility incorporating strengths of different techniques into one. But the scariest aspect of Victor is that he never got hit by the same move again, it's as if his mind is constantly developing counterattacks in the heat of battle. And at one point the opponent will run out of moves and that's when he will strike back for the win. What a monstrous talent, looks like I have to teach him some manners too."

The arena lay in shambles, a testament to the epic three-hour battle between the two fighters as neither was willing to give up. Both were bloody and battered, their bodies bearing the scars of a relentless and grueling confrontation. Sai's weapon was lying on the arena split into two pieces. The audience watched in rapt attention as the warriors prepared for their final clash.

Victor and Sai circled each other, their eyes locked, a newfound respect forged in the fires of combat. The tension was palpable, and the air was heavy with the sense that this final exchange would determine the victor of this brutal battle. Sai activated his invisible armament haki on his fists and used his strongest Hassoken move, the Seismic Fist as he rushed towards Victor. The latter also sprinted and when Sao was in his attack range he leaped into the air and executed Flying Knee Strike(Khao Loi), a deadly Muay Thai technique that is best and most often used when the opponent is disorientated or off-balance directly targeting the head. The explosive leaping and switching movement of the strike generated an incredible amount of speed and force as it slammed into Sai's face completely knocking him out of the arena. Meanwhile, Sai's deadly punch which almost landed a hit generated a shockwave that completely decimated the barrier of the arena behind Victor who was dripping in blood.

Sai opened his eyes dizzily and felt waves of pain in his body. When he opened his eyes he saw Victor slowly stumbling as he approached Sai. He stretched out his bloody hand filled with cuts and bruises to help him get up, which he did.

"Sai! You are the strongest opponent I have faced in my whole life. I'll accept another duel whenever you are ready!" Victor said with a cheesy smirk.

"I'll win next time Victor, you won't be so smug then," Sai said playfully as they looked at each other with respect. 

"Sure," Victor extended his hands and they bumped their fists with a friendly smile.

**

AN: Guys I'd appreciate it if you'll leave your honest reviews for the ff.