He wasn't too worried about it, though.
As for himself, that went without saying, and Luffy and the others were not weak at this point either.
They were essentially all at Vice Admiral level, and Sabo and Ace could even defeat some ordinary Vice Admirals now.
This strength was far greater than their counterparts from the original story at the same period.
Of course, the strength range within the Vice Admiral rank was extremely wide.
Even though they could already handle some ordinary Vice Admirals, they were still who knew how far away from Admiral level.
For example, Maynard, widely regarded as the weakest Vice Admiral, a Vice Admiral who appeared in the Dressrosa arc in the original story.
Facing Gambia, a pirate whose bounty was only 67 million Berries and who was at pedestrian level in the New World, he caught him off guard and held a sword to his neck, yet still broke free and was kicked away; in the end, he only managed to cripple Gambia when the man turned and ran, exposing his back.
Later, when facing the Supernova Bartolomeo, he was overwhelmingly crushed, not even touching the opponent before being defeated.
Bartolomeo even bluntly mocked him for being too weak; such combat achievements were practically a disgrace among Vice Admirals.
Then there was Vice Admiral Tosa, who debuted and retired on the spot at Egghead.
When he was chasing Franky, Bonney, and the others, he boasted that his "Ten-shot Finger Pistol" could bite through armor, but just as he was about to attack, he was instantly flattened by Giant Pirate Fleet Captain Brogy's giant axe. His entire process—from appearance, showing off, to defeat—occupied only one panel.
It was honestly a bit embarrassing!
Looking at it that way, it actually made Mr. 3 seem more impressive.
Then there were the Giant Vice Admirals, whose performance was also relatively poor; the advantage of their large physiques was useful against ordinary people, but against the strong, they were almost entirely helpless.
The most famous was Vice Admiral Ronse, the king of vulnerabilities; Sengoku, Akainu, and the others didn't see Whitebeard's opening, but he did, yet his full-strength axe strike was not only easily caught by Whitebeard but he also got his head struck and was tossed aside like trash.
There were quite a few Vice Admirals with similarly poor performances as those mentioned above, so Sabo and the others' strength was actually just considered decent; they were still a very long way from becoming true powerhouses.
But this level of strength was probably enough for the attack on Hachinosu.
Although Hachinosu was a pirate's paradise, the only true powerhouse there was Wang Zhi, and he would naturally be handled by Kyle.
Sabo and the rest only needed to deal with the remaining pirates.
And even if they couldn't win, they wouldn't die; with Law there, it was guaranteed to be fine.
As long as the injuries weren't exceptionally severe, he would heal them.
Moreover, Kyle was actually happy to see them get a little hurt and suffer a bit.
These guys had had things too easy these past few years; the missions they took were mostly without much difficulty.
They hadn't really experienced any setbacks.
How could that be allowed?
Being too smooth wasn't a good thing for them; growing constantly in favorable circumstances might not show any problems normally.
But once they encountered a life-or-death battle with a strong opponent, this would become a fatal weakness.
It was very difficult for someone who had always grown up in favorable circumstances to possess exceptional willpower.
With a smooth sail and not a single setback encountered, how could one forge their will?
If Luffy from the original story hadn't possessed strong willpower, how could he have gotten back up so many times?
He would have obediently stayed down the very first time.
"I've already notified you of the mission. Go back now and prepare. Bring everything you need, and once you're ready, we depart immediately!"
Kyle swept his gaze across the group and spoke.
"Understood, Captain!!"
Everyone shouted in unison, then instantly dashed off, sprinting towards their quarters.
At that moment, someone still didn't forget to stir up competition.
"Moss-head, how about we race to see who can pack up faster?"
Sanji's voice came through.
"As if I'd fear you, Curly-eyebrows!!"
Zoro responded, showing no sign of backing down.
As the words fell, it was as if both of them had turbo engines strapped to their feet; their speed suddenly jumped a level, pulling ahead of the others as they shot forward.
Seeing this, Luffy and the others also felt their competitive spirit stirred, and they shouted loudly:
"I wanna race too!!" * N!
With that, everyone's feet were equipped with V12 engines, instantly accelerating, shooting out like a gust of wind.
Even Guina, being a girl, was no exception.
Having spent so long with this group, she had been assimilated by them, gradually her whole demeanor becoming just as unhinged.
Seeing everyone like this, Kyle couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation.
"Silly little brother of mine, when will you ever grow up?"
But even before he finished speaking, Kyle's form transformed into purple lightning, vanishing instantly from his spot. In the blink of an eye, he was above everyone else, shouting down at them:
"A bunch of rookies, trying to compete with the boss? Dream on!!"
As he finished, a crackling sound was heard, and Kyle was gone without a trace.
Everyone: !!!
"Kyle, you cheated!!!" * N!
…
—
Meanwhile, on Hachinosu Island in the New World.
A man with a burly build, long hair, a long, graying beard, and a lolling long tongue slowly walked towards the Hachinosu prison.
This man was none other than Hachinosu's current ruler, Wang Zhi!
And almost all his physical traits were related to the word 'long', giving him an overall strange, unnerving appearance.
Before long, he arrived outside the prison.
The two pirates guarding outside snapped to attention upon seeing Wang Zhi's arrival and shouted loudly:
"Captain Wang Zhi!!"
"Hmm."
Wang Zhi nodded, paid them no attention, and walked straight into the prison.
As Wang Zhi's figure gradually disappeared from their sight, the two men's tense bodies finally relaxed.
"Captain Wang Zhi always makes you feel so pressured, as usual, huh."
One of the pirates spoke.
"Of course. Captain Wang Zhi is a world-famous great pirate, incredibly powerful. Even a Marine Admiral is no match for him. It's the oppressive presence of a strong person; it's only normal!"
The other, slightly older pirate spoke with reverence and enthusiasm.
After speaking, he suddenly added with indignation:
"If you ask me, Captain Wang Zhi has been way too polite to that King of the Cia Kingdom!"
"He's already captured, and he's still being fed and housed well. If that guy won't agree to Captain Wang Zhi's demands, just go after him! Teach him a lesson, then he'll smarten up soon enough!"
"I think so too. Someone who won't listen needs to suffer a bit to know whose turf this is!"
The two spoke loudly, each expressing their own opinions.
On the other side, having entered the prison, Wang Zhi walked a considerable distance, took several turns, and finally arrived before a cell. Gazing at the figure inside, a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"King Hariza, have you had time to consider my request?"
…
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