Chapter 54: The Pack's Hunt
The battle was about to erupt. At the same time, in a sea area far from the clash, another group of pirates watched silently.
"Boss," one crewmate whispered, "shouldn't we step in? That kid might have trouble handling three at once."
"Don't worry," the captain replied, his voice calm and certain. "His strength is far more terrifying than you think."
Back at G-8, pirates and Marines finally collided. Satoru faced off against three captains at once.
The pirates had a clear numbers advantage, but not a single Marine's eyes showed fear. They only had the determination to protect their base. Every man here had been wronged by pirates in some way. Why else would they serve in a hellhole like the New World? They had nothing left to lose.
To them, killing one pirate was breaking even. Killing two was profit. So they fought with vicious efficiency. Lethal moves only. Showing mercy to an enemy was cruelty to yourself—a lesson every New World Marine learned early. Even if your opponent was a child, you couldn't hold back. Because that child might kill you the next second.
Zachary moved first. He launched a sneak attack, his body blurring into an afterimage. His hand had transformed into a bestial wolf's claw, coated in dark Armament Haki. He aimed straight for Satoru's face, a cruel grin spreading across his sharp features. He could already picture the boy's skull cracking under his strike.
Clang.
"Heh. Not bad speed," Satoru's voice was bored. "But not enough to get through."
Zachary's grin froze, then vanished completely. It felt like an invisible, unbreakable wall had formed between his claw and the boy's face. He couldn't push forward another millimeter.
He was using Armament Haki—the natural counter to Devil Fruit powers. It should work. But it did nothing.
Cold sweat broke out on Zachary's brow. This didn't feel like he was fighting a person. How was this possible?
His speed was among the best. He believed even Whitebeard would take some damage from a surprise attack like this. At least, that's what he told himself.
Benraga and Geert narrowed their eyes. They despised Zachary's character, but they acknowledged his strength. He was on their level. In certain situations, he might even beat them.
But now, they sensed Zachary's aura wavering—a huge taboo in battle. It meant his spirit was shaken. Once that happened, the fight was half lost.
In the next instant, the beast-like intuition from his Devil Fruit screamed at him. Every hair on his body stood on end. A feeling of mortal danger flooded him, screaming RUN!
Without a second thought, Zachary threw himself backward in a frantic leap, landing behind Geert and Benraga as if their bulk could shield him.
At the same moment, Satoru threw a punch—a punch he hadn't expected Zachary to dodge. The wolf-man's instincts were sharp.
BOOM!
An air cannon, visible as a shockwave, blasted from Satoru's fist. It showed the sheer, raw power behind the strike.
A single drop of cold sweat fell from Zachary's chin and hit the ground. He swallowed hard, praising his own quick escape. If he'd taken that hit, even if he didn't die, he'd have been crippled.
"What happened, Zachary?" Geert growled, not taking his eyes off Satoru.
Since Zachary's attack was aimed away from them, they hadn't felt what he felt.
"This kid's ability is weird," Zachary panted, his voice tense. "My attack couldn't touch him at all. And I was using Haki."
That made Benraga and Geert truly wary. Armament Haki, the counter to Devil Fruits, was useless? That only happened against Logia types who could preemptively elementalize. But Satoru hadn't turned into light or fire or smoke. He just... stood there. The three captains were baffled.
"What's wrong?" Satoru taunted, a smile playing on his lips. "Not coming? Then I'll come to you."
His words hung in the air as his body vanished.
The next moment, he was standing right in the middle of the three of them.
Their pupils shrank to pinpricks. The speed was unreal. They didn't see him move. He was just... there.
But their combat reflexes were top-tier. If he was in the middle, he was surrounded. All three launched an attack simultaneously.
They entered semi-beast forms. A wolf's claw, a tiger's fist, a lion's punch—three devastating blows, all coated in peak Armament Haki, converged on Satoru from different angles.
These were three pirates with bounties nearing 500 million. The power behind their fists was monstrous. A pirate of the same level taking one hit would be injured. Taking all three at once would mean certain death.
But none of them had Conqueror's Haki infusion.
All three fists slowed, then stopped completely a tiny, impossible distance from Satoru's clothes.
Seeing this, Geert and Benraga instantly understood Zachary's panic. They were using full-power Haki. Yet they couldn't break through. What was this?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Satoru gently tapped his own chest with a finger, right where their fists had stopped.
"Wow. That was a powerful attack," he said, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "You almost got me."
The sheer mockery in his tone, combined with his relaxed posture, was the ultimate humiliation. The three beast-themed captains felt their blood boil with rage and a dawning, cold fear.
(End of Chapter)
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