Yasa wasn't sure if he'd mastered the "Shave" technique, but he did know his speed had increased several times over. The flickering figure he'd shown when dealing with the pirates earlier was thanks to this method—they hadn't even had time to react.
A single heavy punch killed a pirate on the spot. The man's death scream as he fell into the sea immediately drew the attention of those still fighting on the fishing boat.
"This brat has hidden skills?" Uncle Sam said, somewhat surprised. He'd known the boy for five years, but he'd never realized that the kid who'd constantly tried to curry favor with him and begged to be taken out to sea possessed such incredible strength.
Judging by the power of that punch alone, Uncle Sam knew his own strength couldn't match it.
"Yasa! You've been hiding this deep? What do you want with our village?" Kurta, Uncle Sam's son, still couldn't let go of Yasa's earlier words. He glared at him furiously.
"How dare you kill a member of the Black Bear Pirates? You're looking for death!" Pirates climbed onto the fishing boat one after another. The not-too-large vessel had already reached its waterline.
"Kill him!"
"Kill him now!"
The pirates on board roared and rushed toward Yasa, quickly surrounding him.
Leaning against the railing, Yasa's mind remained calm. If he could stake his life on the sea currents, how could he possibly fear death?
Two fists can't fight four hands. At worst, he could throw caution to the wind and dive into the sea to escape—no worse choice existed.
"A bunch of useless pirates who spend their days robbing and drinking, not even aware of what they're doing, lacking any clear goals. How could I possibly die at the hands of such people? Keep dreaming!"
As he thought this, a tall pirate wielding a mace charged at him with a roar. Yasa sneered, extending his leg to send the would-be killer flying.
Thud!
The pirate flew backward like a cannonball, knocking over three or four others. The remaining pirates froze momentarily before their ferocity was fully unleashed, surging toward him like a tidal wave.
The violent scene made everyone else lower their weapons, their eyes turning toward the commotion.
The sea swelled and surged. The once calm surface now churned with waves, crashing against the fishing boat and making the entire vessel rock violently.
This strange phenomenon made Yasa absolutely certain—the towering sea current was coming. His expression began to glow with excitement!
Yasa, who rarely cared about anything and had little patience, had spent five years waiting for this opportunity. Now that it was right before him, how could he not be excited?
Yet it seemed none of the pirates cared, as if they hadn't noticed at all. Only the fishermen from Jaya Island began to panic.
Flames erupted from nowhere, engulfing the fishing boat in a raging inferno. Fishermen and pirates clashed on the burning deck.
Yasa hooked a large blade with his foot, relying on his extraordinary reflexes to dodge attacks from all directions. His hands never stopped moving, each precise strike severing a pirate's throat.
He killed faster than Uncle Sam or Kurta, every blade strike lethal. Each move brought another body to the ground, piling corpses beneath his feet.
Suddenly, the entire fishing boat dipped sharply, as if something heavy had been loaded aboard.
Yasa turned to see the captain of the Black Bear Pirates, Black Bear Bravel—a mountainous man towering five meters tall—had successfully boarded.
As Yasa looked over, Black Bear Bravel's bell-sized eyes turned toward him. Combined with his fierce aura, they could stop a child's night terrors.
"Young whelp, you've got some strength, don't you? Wanna join my ship and follow the great Kaido?" His deep voice boomed like thunder, echoing in everyone's ears.
Yasa's heart lurched. "Kaido? So he's already taken to the sea? It makes sense for a Zoan like Black Bear Bravel to follow him."
If I refuse, he'll kill me right now! But agreeing to follow Kaido? What kind of joke is this...? I'd rather die than bow to anyone!
His mind raced, but he couldn't find a way out. On the open sea, any scheme would be crushed by sheer power.
"Speak up, brat!" Black Bear Bravel snorted, his face showing impatience. He wobbled toward Yasa, each step shaking the deck.
The overwhelming pressure made breathing difficult. Along the way, he casually swatted Kurta—a three-meter-tall man wielding a massive ship's cannon—into pulp before everyone's eyes.
Blood splattered, brain matter bursting forth!
Uncle Sam couldn't accept his son's fate of being casually crushed to death. He stood frozen, then had his head chopped off by someone behind him.
In an instant, all fishermen from Jaya Island except Yasa were wiped out.
"This kind of overwhelming force and power could make it in the New World, right? What's the Marines up to? How could it only be 80 million Beli?" Yasa's pupils contracted, his handsome face showing anxiety as his sword-like eyebrows furrowed together.
"There's no choice now. Our last chance is to jump into the sea..."
He hardened his resolve. To submit to Kaido's command as cannon fodder? This was more unacceptable than death, even if it came with meaningless verbal promises.
"Captain Blaybell!!! It's bad! The Sea Bear has gone mad!"
The urgent shout made Blaybell's walking figure freeze. He whipped around to look at the shouting subordinate, Yasa following his gaze.
Below the Black Bear Pirates' Black Bear, a shadow in the ocean appeared, even larger than the ship itself.
Splash!
The sea parted to reveal a Sea King's head, its skin peeled off like a skinned bear.
The creature let out terrified shrieks, urging everyone to leave immediately.
This was Black Bear Bravel's companion since his first voyage. The Sea King could detect undersea currents and deter other sea monsters, saving him from countless dangers.
"Hmm? Go! Get back on the ship and leave now!" he roared, his massive hand swiping at Yasa. He'd lost all patience for evaluating the boy's potential.
Yasa had already prepared to jump. Facing the overwhelming force, he smashed through the fishing boat's railing with a loud crash, plunging into the sea and vanishing without a trace.
Suppressing his anger, Black Bear Bravel rushed back to his ship. The Sea King "Sea Bear" pulled them away at breakneck speed, disappearing from the horizon in an instant.
His countless near-death experiences had taught him absolute trust in the Sea Bear.
Meanwhile...
The undersea current, long suppressed, erupted in a frenzy!
Boom!!!
A colossal curtain of water surged upward, blotting out the sky!