As soon as these words were spoken, the entire deck fell silent.
However, it wasn't long before unrestrained laughter erupted across the ship.
"Hahaha, what is this pretty boy saying? Get past him? Even though you're Ivan, you're severely injured right now. You're no match for Captain Alvida!"
"That's right! Just thinking about capturing the famous Ivan of the East Blue has me trembling with excitement!"
Amid the flattery of the pirates, Alvida covered her mouth and laughed heartily:
"Ohohohoho! You bastards are absolutely right! I, Alvida, am the strongest and most beautiful female pirate in the entire East Blue. Isn't that so?"
"Of course! Captain Alvida is definitely the most beautiful woman in the East Blue!"
Hearing the enthusiastic agreement around her, Alvida's laughter grew even louder. She turned to Ivan, who stood before her with a stubborn expression, and said:
"Hey, Ivan! Surrender now! If you insist on resisting, I won't go easy on you just because you're pretty!"
Ivan felt a vein throb on his forehead. He was quite satisfied with his exceptionally handsome appearance in this life, but that was no excuse for Alvida to harass him!
Previously, he had been severely injured and was no match for Alvida, forcing him to retreat temporarily. But now...
Ivan suddenly took a step forward, roaring in anger. His voice momentarily drowned out the thunder from the sky and the roar of the sea:
"Shut up, you old hag! I've had enough of you! Today, I'm going to kill you!"
Ivan vented all the pent-up anger from being relentlessly pursued, instantly feeling refreshed and fired up.
While he felt great, everyone else was plunged into shock and terror.
Especially Alvida's crew, who knew exactly what their captain hated most.
Although Alvida had many dislikes, being called ugly was undoubtedly her greatest pet peeve.
After all, she loved nothing more than calling herself the number one beauty of the East Blue!
The pirates all took several steps back, their eyes fixed intently on Alvida as they muttered uneasily:
"We're done for! This guy has angered the captain. She's definitely going to go berserk!"
"Let's stay far away and make sure we don't get caught in the crossfire. Alvida in a rage is a monster!"
Sure enough, upon hearing Ivan call her an ugly old hag, Alvida's eyes darkened, and most of her face was shrouded in shadow.
The next moment, veins bulged and throbbed on her forehead. Her plump hands gripped her spiked club tightly, exerting so much force that the unsettling sound of grinding bones could be heard.
She took a deep breath, her entire body now seething with rage.
"How dare you call me ugly! Even if you're the man I've set my sights on, I won't forgive you!" Alvida's muscles tensed as she swung her massive iron club with all her might. "Die!"
The spiked club, approximately 150 centimeters long and weighing 300 kilograms, tore through the air and the curtain of rain, hurtling toward Ivan's head at incredible speed.
This strike was powerful enough to pierce through a warship's hull. If it landed on Ivan's head, the consequences would be unthinkable!
"Lieutenant Ivan!" the surrounding marines cried out in grief and fury.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be worried, but in the last battle with the Arlong Pirates, Lieutenant Ivan was severely injured and still hadn't recovered. He was no match for Alvida!
They could already picture Ivan's head exploding under the impact of the spiked club!
Koby's face also showed fear. If Lieutenant Ivan died, his own fate would be even more tragic.
His life seemed about to be plunged back into the abyss by Alvida's spiked club!
But unlike his anxious subordinates, Ivan remained completely relaxed.
The spiked club, which he would have treated with caution before, now seemed unbearably slow in his eyes, and its immense force—enough to pierce a warship's hull—felt utterly feeble.
Under everyone's gaze, he raised his hand and held it out in front of him.
Boom!
In an instant, his palm collided with the massive spiked club. The deck beneath Ivan's feet shattered instantly, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Witnessing this, a tall pirate wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sneered:
"Hahaha, that pretty boy must've been smashed into paste by the captain's club. She should be satisfied now!"
But as the dust cleared and the scene within came into view, the pirate who had been so arrogant just moments ago dropped his jaw in stunned disbelief.
"No, that's impossible!" they exclaimed in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing!
Even the marines felt the same. They knew Ivan well, and the sight before them defied all logic!
Before their eyes, Ivan held the 300-kilogram spiked club with one hand, while Alvida in front of him was drenched in sweat, her arm muscles bulging as she strained with all her might, yet she couldn't pull the club free from Ivan's grasp.
And Ivan's chest was still bleeding—he was clearly in a severely injured state!
Seeing that even her full strength couldn't wrench the club from Ivan's hand, Alvida was far more shocked than the onlookers nearby.
Having fought Ivan several times before, she had been overpowered by him, but the gap between them had never been this wide.
But…
What was happening now?!
Since when did White Pigeon possess such overwhelming strength?!
Wasn't he injured by that monster Arlong?
After a simple test of his strength, Ivan reached a conclusion.
His current power had increased several times over compared to before, and this was only 17% of Gojo Satoru's template!
Just one Gojo Satoru template had brought about such a dramatic transformation in his strength.
If he acquired a few more powerful templates, he'd be unstoppable!
Ivan grinned ferociously, his entire demeanor instantly turning savage, a stark contrast to his usual gentle and composed self.
Then, he suddenly kicked out with his foot, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Boom!
Alvida's body was instantly sent flying like a blur, crashing into a wall and shattering it to pieces.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Painful coughing echoed from the rubble as Alvida crawled out, staring at Ivan with terror in her eyes.
The Ivan before her felt unfamiliar. She had never experienced such overwhelming power in her entire life.
What had happened to him? Why had his strength undergone such an earth-shattering change?
Clearly in a severely injured state, yet he could completely overpower her—could Arlong really have injured Ivan like this?
However, despite this, Alvida was not overly afraid.
Even if Ivan was stronger than her now, so what? He was still no match for firearms!
As a pirate, Alvida naturally had no sense of honor. As soon as she stood up from the rubble, the first thing she did was order her subordinates:
"You bastards, grab your guns and shoot that white pigeon!"
Upon receiving the order, the pirates immediately revealed ferocious expressions, raising their guns and firing at Ivan.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A large number of bullets flew toward Ivan at high speed, causing the marines who had just relaxed to tense up again.
However, facing this scene, Ivan remained completely calm, his demeanor growing even more violent.
He extended his hand, making a grasping motion in front of him, and a deep, azure blue appeared in the center of his palm.
He said calmly, "Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"