Hyaku had a mission to complete. Capturing Gasparde alone clearly wouldn't satisfy his appetite.
What he wanted was total annihilation! For the highest-rated reward!
That's why he finally devised this coordinated inside-outside strategy. Of course, only he would dare attempt such a thing. If discovered prematurely, he would face hundreds or thousands of pirates!
If they all rushed him at once, Hyaku would be exhausted to death.
Let's return our focus to the current situation.
"Mr. Hyaku... that slash of yours... was a bit off target, wasn't it?" Foxy, still unaware of the plan, anxiously assumed this man had missed his target.
"A momentary slip of the hand." Hyaku scratched his head in feigned embarrassment.
At the front of the sea route, Gasparde, who had already entered the ascending current, frowned slightly.
He looked up at the exploding slash and watched Hyaku chatting casually in the distance. For some reason, a sense of unease suddenly arose within him.
"Speed up! End this race as quickly as possible!" Gasparde immediately ordered his subordinates.
"Yes!"
Hearing their Captain's command, the crew members sprang into action. The massive steamship accelerated forward once again.
"Kid! You think you can compete with us for first place?!"
At that moment, angry roars could be heard from both the left and right sides of Foxy's pirate ship.
It was the Orca Fish-man Willy and Bigalo the Hanged Man!
On the left side, Willy jumped into the sea current with a splash.
Splash!
When he resurfaced, he was already propelling a high-speed rotating current toward the Sexy Foxy.
Looking to the right side.
Boom!
Bigalo was equally ruthless, ordering his pirate ship to ram directly into Foxy's vessel.
"Kill!"
Dozens of pirates immediately swarmed onto Foxy's ship. They slashed wildly at everyone in sight, pursuing anyone who fled.
"Kid, you're in charge, right? I'll cut off your head!" Bigalo, their leader, arrogantly raised his sword and charged straight toward Hyaku.
He reached his opponent in an instant, a bloodthirsty expression spreading across his face.
Bigalo swung his sword downward, aiming for Hyaku's neck!
A smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He already imagined Hyaku split in two, a bloody mess on the deck.
In the next second, however, his expression drastically changed.
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal rang out. To Bigalo's shock, Hyaku had caught his full-force slash with just two fingers!
"How... how is this possible?!" hHe exclaimed in disbelief.
"I don't have time to play with a minor character like you." Hyaku cast him an impatient glance.
Clank!
The two fingers holding the sword exerted force. The blade snapped instantly!
This was Bigalo's prized treasure sword, known for its exceptional hardness! Yet this man had casually broken it with two fingers!
After breaking the sword, Hyaku stepped forward, closing in on the man with the braided ponytail. Ryūka flashed in his hand as he slashed upward.
Rip!
The sharp blade tore through Bigalo's chest. Blood spurted out like a fountain.
In just one exchange, he was seriously wounded and incapacitated.
✣ Rokushiki: Kamisori ⭄ Razor! ✣
Without a backward glance, Hyaku turned away from his fallen opponent. He simultaneously employed two Rokushiki techniques — Soru (Shave) and Geppo (Moon Walk) — in perfect combination.
In a flash, he vanished from sight. When he reappeared, he was already airborne, directly facing the rotating sea current Willy had unleashed.
Hum!
Whoosh!
Suspended in mid-air, Hyaku held his sword with one hand. With a mere thought, blue-green energy flames erupted along the blade.
✣ Seiryū Kōrin ⭄ Azure Dragon's Descent! ✣
Gripping the handle firmly, he swung downward at the churning waters below.
Whoosh-Boom!
A powerful slash burst from the katana. Wreathed in blue flames, it took the form of an azure dragon.
The fiery slash collided head-on with the rotating sea current.
Bang!!
Hiss-hiss-hiss!
Upon impact, the sea current immediately began to falter.
The Azure Dragon's Descent tore through with devastating force, splitting the current in two. The intense heat from the slash continuously evaporated and dissolved the water.
In the blink of an eye, the rotating current was broken.
Swoosh!
That wasn't all — having easily broken through the rotating current, the slash continued its momentum toward Willy on the sea surface.
Squelch!
The Fish-man, still in a daze, forgot to dodge. He was hit directly by Hyaku's attack.
A deep, bone-reaching sword wound appeared on Willy's chest. The fishman race's distinctive green blood flowed out, immediately staining a large patch of seawater.
Willy had been struck down as well.
After finishing all this, Hyaku finally returned to the ship. Everyone's gaze fixed on him, their eyes filled with fear, surprise, and timidity.
"Avenge the captain!"
"Avenge the captain!!"
The next moment, everyone came to their senses. No one knew who shouted first, but Willy's pirate crew members swarmed aboard the ship.
Together with Bigalo's crew, they brandished swords and weapons, charging toward Hyaku.
✣ Haōshoku no Haki: Muryoku-ka ⭄ Supreme King Haki: Incapacitation! ✣
Hum!
In an instant, Hyaku's gaze sharpened. Haki released from within his body.
The Supreme King's Haki transformed into invisible waves, spreading outward in a circle and covering the entire pirate ship within moments.
Thud, Thud, Thud—
Affected by the mental impact of the Haki, those pirates who had just been shouting for revenge collapsed one by one with a thud, losing consciousness.
With just one glance, hundreds of pirates lost their fighting ability.
Gulp...
Witnessing this indescribable scene, Foxy and his pirate crew unconsciously swallowed, their faces filled with utter shock.
"Why are you still standing there dazed? Chase after them!" Hyaku shot everyone an annoyed glance.
"Yes, yes, yes! Hurry and chase after them!" Foxy immediately snapped back to reality and barked orders at his subordinates.
The pirate ship surged forward once again.
"Mr. Hyaku... You're truly formidable!" Foxy gave him an admiring thumbs up as they pursued Gasparde's pirate ship.
The strength Hyaku had displayed was far beyond his comprehension. He secretly felt relieved that he hadn't offended such a god of death but had chosen to cooperate instead.
Otherwise, he would be the one lying unconscious now.
With no further obstacles, they soon spotted Gasparde's "Salamander" in the distance ahead.
✣✣✣
T/N: Favorite, comment and save to your library of best reads in the world, thank you for reading this far!
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