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Krieg's mechanical guns blazed with fury, spraying bullets like a storm of lead at Aero.
Explosions erupted in rapid succession bang! Bang! Bang! Filling the air with smoke and the choking stench of gunpowder. The sound of tearing wood and splintering walls echoed through the hall.
Krieg's lips curled into a smug grin. At this range, not even a monster could survive that kind of firepower. Aero should be a pile of shredded meat by now.
But as the smoke cleared, Krieg's expression froze.
Aero was still standing.
Unharmed.
He casually raised an arm, shielding his nose from the dust. "Yeah… looks like your little toys don't work on me."
"You… What?! Damn you—die already!"
Krieg roared, pulling every trigger he had left. More rounds tore through the air, ripping holes in the wooden walls and ceilings. He was firing blindly now, panic bleeding into every pull of the trigger.
"HAH—HAH…" Krieg panted heavily once his weapons fell silent, face slick with sweat. A deranged grin stretched across his face. "So what if you've got the highest bounty in the East Blue?! I'm Don Krieg! I command five thousand men! I am the ruler of these seas!!"
A cool voice whispered past his ear. "So what?"
Krieg stiffened. A breeze brushed past his cheek and then came the voice, right next to him.
For the first time in ages, Krieg felt true fear.
Surrounded by weapons, layered in golden armor, and yet… he'd never felt so exposed.
Refusing to back down, he twisted violently, thrusting his war spear toward the sound.
BOOM!
The bladed spear tip erupted with explosive force as it struck—but instead of triumph, Krieg's heart sank.
The smoke cleared again… and Aero was still there.
Unharmed.
Even Krieg's explosive war spear couldn't faze him.
Panic began to bubble up in his gut.
No. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't lose here.
Krieg lashed out again, and again spear swinging wildly, each strike detonating with explosive force. Aero didn't even flinch. He blocked every blow with ease.
"This… this can't be happening!" Krieg shouted, swinging harder, eyes wide with disbelief. "Why won't you DIE?!"
The explosions continued to rattle the hall, filling the room with thick smoke that stung the eyes of every pirate inside.
Meanwhile, across the room, Dylan's dual blades danced like lightning. He was holding his own against fifty squad leaders—no easy feat.
Gin was still dueling with the fire-covered brute known as Pearl, unable to lend a hand.
Dylan's job was clear: keep Krieg's men from interfering in the real fight.
But with so many opponents, even Dylan couldn't catch everyone. A few ambitious pirates tried to sneak past him toward Aero only to be knocked out cold by Aero himself, with barely a flick of the wrist.
After that, the rest of Krieg's lieutenants got the message loud and clear. Aero wasn't their opponent. Dylan was.
They threw themselves fully into the battle, clashing fiercely with the Hurricane Pirates' second-in-command.
These weren't weaklings. Many had once been captains in the East Blue, commanding their own ships. They were brutal, experienced, and used to surviving in a world where the sea showed no mercy.
But deep down, they knew the truth: if Krieg lost, they had two choices avenge their captain, or join the victors.
And with a captain like Krieg, who treated his men like cannon fodder, loyalty wasn't guaranteed.
They fought Dylan half-heartedly, waiting to see who would win.
Dylan caught onto their mindset and played along dispatching them one by one, fast and efficient.
Outside, Eddie wasn't having it easy either. The enemies were weak, yes but there were just too many. Wave after wave of pirates rushed toward him.
He eventually took to the skies, dodging gunfire from below. He couldn't get a clear view of the fight inside, but the explosions spoke for themselves.
"Captain! Hurry it up! I can't hold them much longer!" he shouted into the chaos.
Inside, Aero heard him.
Still dodging Krieg's desperate attacks, Aero knew this had dragged on long enough.
He let Krieg swing once more this time, his war spear sliced clean through Aero's torso.
Krieg froze, waiting for the explosion—
But it never came.
Instead, he watched in horror as Aero's body, sliced in half, began to swirl and twist, the wind itself pulling the two halves back together.
In seconds, Aero was whole again.
Even his clothes had reformed.
Krieg felt true dread. This was no ordinary pirate this was a Logia.
Aero raised his hand and pulled a crimson dagger from his belt.
Without a word, he flung it forward.
The blade vanished from his hand and in the next instant, it reappeared, piercing through Krieg's golden armor and straight through his gut.
The blade spun back into Aero's hand like a loyal pet. Not a drop of blood clung to it.
Aero had imbued it with his Wind-Wind powers. The effect was far beyond what he'd expected.
Krieg fell to his knees, clutching his stomach, armor cracked and useless.
He couldn't even speak.
Then he collapsed face-first into the floor, defeated.
"The difference… is power," Aero said quietly.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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