All eyes suddenly focused on Willy, the Orca Fish-man sitting in the front row.
The Fish-man race has a natural advantage, able to move freely in seawater. Willy had become a hot favorite to win in previous competitions.
Next, the host introduced each of the popular contestants one by one.
"Finally, the one who is considered to have the most champion-like presence: Gasparde!"
"Gasparde! Gasparde!"
In an instant, the venue erupted with noise. Countless people shouted his name, as he had quite a reputation in this area.
The spotlight immediately focused on the front seat. A man with white-brown hair stood up. His expression was extremely proud as he surveyed the crowd.
It was Gasparde, Captain of the Gasparde Pirates, a man with a ฿95,000,000 bounty over his head!
Upon seeing him in person, Hyaku's gaze gradually sharpened.
"Hmm?" As if sensing something, Gasparde frowned slightly. He immediately looked toward the source of his unease.
In that instant, his line of sight met with Hyaku's in the corner.
A tense atmosphere silently emerged.
"What's wrong?" Noticing his discomfort, his confidant Needless asked.
At the same time, he followed Gasparde's gaze.
"Just some unknown pirate crew..."
"I don't like his eyes." Needless was about to speak but was interrupted by Gasparde. His tone flowed with killing intent.
Hearing this, Needless secretly memorized Hyaku's appearance.
Afterwards, Gasparde withdrew his gaze and sat back down.
Everything continued as normal. Later, the host specifically emphasized the rewards for this competition.
Then, the banquet began.
Finding it boring, Hyaku promptly said a word to Foxy. He left the banquet early to return to the pirate ship.
"You two don't need to follow me specifically." Hyaku said to Coby and Helmeppo as they walked back.
"Forget it, we can't expect ourselves to blend in with them. Drinking and chatting with pirates."
The two expressed their discomfort. Different paths don't cross — much less drinking and chatting together.
"Hmm." Hearing this, Hyaku nodded in approval.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc. He raised his hand, stopping them in their tracks.
"Come out," Hyaku said coldly, looking ahead while Coby and Helmeppo stared in confusion.
Clap, Clap, Clap—
Shortly after his words, applause echoed from ahead. Dozens of pirates emerged from both sides of the street, efficiently surrounding the three of them.
"Such keen perception." The leader said as he finished clapping.
It was none other than Gasparde's right-hand man, Needless, who carried a ฿57,000,000 bounty!
"It's a pity. If you hadn't offended Captain Gasparde, I might have put in a good word for you and spared your life." Needless continued with apparent regret.
From his words, it wasn't hard to guess that Gasparde had ordered this ambush!
Before this, Hyaku had no previous interaction with them. This meant that just because of that single look earlier tonight, the arrogant Marine traitor had developed killing intent.
"Perfect timing, I was just wondering where to find some entertainment to relieve my boredom." Even surrounded, Hyaku remained composed and even joked.
Hearing his words, Needless's face instantly darkened.
"Soon, I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead." He said viciously, "Attack!"
Thud!
With the command given, Needless stomped hard on the ground, leaving a mark on the surface.
At the same time, his figure charged violently toward Hyaku. As he moved, his hands rose slightly. The iron claws worn on both hands reflected a metallic gleam.
"Attack! Brothers!"
Following Needless's order, the pirates surrounding them from all directions shouted in unison. They blocked the three's escape route, raised their swords, and charged forward.
Seeing this, Hyaku slowly closed his eyes.
✣ Haōshoku no Haki: Muryoku-ka ⭄ Supreme King Haki: Incapacitation! ✣
Beep!
The next moment, Hyaku's eyes snapped open. Conqueror's Haki instantly released with his will.
The invisible Haki spread like a rapidly expanding shockwave, passing through the bodies of the surrounding pirates in the blink of an eye.
Thud, Thud, Thud...
In an instant, the charging pirates lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. One glance had rendered all the pirate fodder incapacitated.
Needless, who hadn't been affected by the Conqueror's Haki, stared in shock.
But he had already reached his opponent, leaving no time to reconsider.
Gritting his teeth, Needless swung both hands and slashed across toward Hyaku's chest.
"Too slow." To his surprise, his quick attack appeared extremely slow in Hyaku's eyes, who couldn't help but comment sarcastically.
Hyaku waited until the claws were nearly touching him before smoothly sliding back a step, effortlessly avoiding the attack.
"Is that all you've got?" Hyaku asked, seemingly unsatisfied.
"I'll take your life!!" Needless couldn't bear such humiliation.
He immediately forgot about the earlier display of Haki — something he didn't even understand — and used all his strength to lunge at Hyaku, attacking furiously with his claws.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh!
His claws swung continuously, slicing through the air so fast they created gusts of wind.
"Faster, even faster, but… Too slow!" Hyaku taunted.
Despite his storm-like flurry of attacks, Needless couldn't even touch the hem of Hyaku's clothes.
Every time he swung his iron claws, Hyaku easily dodged them, continuing to mock his opponent's speed.
Gradually, Needless's offensive began to weaken.
"I overestimated you. You're not even qualified to warm me up." Hyaku said with disappointment.
Then, his right hand shot out like lightning.
Clang, Clang!
His outstretched palm precisely gripped Needless's iron claws one after another. With a squeeze, his palm exerted tremendous force.
Crash!
The two iron claws shattered instantly!
"How is this possible..." Needless stared in disbelief.
These were his specially crafted iron claws made from the hardest metal. Their sharpness surpassed even some swords.
And yet this man had crushed them with his bare hand!
Slap!
Hyaku wasn't finished. After destroying the claws, he flipped his palm and seized Needless by the wrist.
"Here's your lesson. Tell Gasparde I'll see him at the Dead End Race." With these words, Hyaku twisted sharply.
Crack!
"Ahh!!"
Bone snapped and Needless screamed in agony.
Overwhelmed by pain, he collapsed to his knees.
✣✣✣
T/N: Favorite, comment and save to your library of best reads in the world, thank you for reading this far!
T/N: Follow me on Pa-treon for advanced chapters: MrBlackWing! ( ◕‿◕ )
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