Ahua and the others paid no mind to the chaos around them, blades in hand, carving a path of carnage.
Across from them, Krieg broke into a cold sweat as he stared at the silver-haired youth. He knew exactly how heavy that war lance was—over two thousand jin. And yet, the youth had not only blocked his strike but done so with a calm, almost casual grace.
Then, suddenly, an overwhelming force surged through the lance's shaft. Startled, Krieg was forced to release his grip.
With a tug, Kouta wrenched the massive weapon from Krieg's hands. He raised it effortlessly and tossed it aside like it was a bag of garbage.
Bang!
The war lance crashed onto the deck, shattering through the wood with a thunderous crack and vanishing into the ship's lower level.
Kouta didn't spare Krieg another glance. His eyes turned to Kuina.
She was still engaged in battle with Gin and Pearl.
No, battle wasn't the right word. It was a one-sided slaughter.
If not for Pearl's stalwart defense, the two of them would've fallen in just a few exchanges.
Gin lay sprawled behind Pearl, motionless.
But his faintly rising chest showed he was still clinging to life.
A deep, horizontal slash marred his torso, blood gushing from the wound like a river. It flowed down his body, dripping onto the deck, dyeing it a gruesome crimson.
At this rate, without treatment, it wouldn't be long before another corpse joined the pile.
Kuina's cold gaze fixed on the shield-bearing Pearl. This guy's defense really was something. Even her strikes, though only ordinary ones, had failed to get through.
She took a quick glance around. There were still many pirates onboard.
And more were pouring out of the cabins by the second.
Ahua and his two companions were now completely surrounded.
Judging by the way they stood back-to-back, it was clear their stamina wouldn't hold much longer.
After all, they weren't sword masters. They couldn't take on groups at once. All they could do was cut them down one by one.
Kuina turned back, her frosty expression sharpening with seriousness.
To injure this guy, she'd need to first break through that thick shield of his.
With slow precision, Kuina sheathed her blade.
She leaned forward, right foot sliding back half a step, left knee bending, right hand gripping the hilt tightly.
A faint dark aura began to coil around the blade, seeping from her hand like smoke.
She raised her head, eyes cold and indifferent as she stared down Pearl—like she was already looking at a dead man.
Whoosh!
A flash of steel.
Kuina vanished from sight.
In the blink of an eye, she was behind Pearl, as if she had never moved at all.
Clink!
The sound of the blade sliding back into its sheath.
"One Sword Style: Sever All Things."
She straightened and calmly walked toward Kouta, never sparing Pearl a second glance.
Pearl stood frozen, unmoving.
Only when she passed him by and stirred the wind at his side did the silence break.
"Ahhh!"
His scream echoed as he fell backward.
His massive shield split cleanly down the center, each half sliding away to reveal a long, deep gash across his chest, one that nearly cut him in two.
Splurt!
Blood gushed from the wound like a waterfall.
Thud!
Pearl collapsed backward, unconscious—or dead. It was hard to say.
"Lord Pearl!"
The pirates around them screamed in terror.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Krieg knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. He had to run. The silver-haired youth was far too terrifying.
As Kuina passed him, Krieg's armor shifted, his arm morphing silently into a cannon barrel.
He donned his gas mask and raised the cannon on his forearm, aiming it at Kuina's back.
"Poison Gas Shell M·H·5!"
Boom!
A massive red shell blasted toward her.
But just then, everything froze.
A terrifying pressure swept across the entire Fearless Battleship: Sabre.
Krieg, mid-turn to flee, found his eyes widening in horror.
His poison shell hovered, unmoving, just inches from Kuina's back.
And he was trapped, suspended, caught in a crushing field of invisible force. He couldn't move, couldn't even open his mouth to beg for mercy.
Ahua and the others paused mid-battle.
Around them, pirate after pirate rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious.
The pressure came fast and vanished just as quickly.
All three men slumped to the ground, gasping in relief.
Any longer, and they might've passed out too.
They didn't know exactly what had happened, but they were certain: it was Kouta.
They looked his way.
He stood expressionless, eyes fixed on Krieg. The shell floated behind Kuina, frozen in mid-air.
No doubt about it, Krieg had tried to sneak attack Kuina. And now, Kouta was furious.
That strange power of his had just incapacitated every pirate on the ship in an instant.
The three of them silently mourned for Krieg.
This idiot… he touched Kouta's reverse scale. Kuina.
Kouta hooked his wine gourd back onto his belt and jumped down from the railing.
He walked to Kuina's side, raised his hand, and flicked the shell with his thumb.
Whoosh!
The shell shot into the distance at blinding speed.
Boom!
It exploded far out at sea in a cloud of pink gas.
"Can't let that thing go off here," Kouta muttered.
He didn't care about the pirates—but he wouldn't risk harming Kuina or the others.
Kuina smirked.
With Kouta here, sneak attacks didn't worry her in the slightest.
Normally, she would've dodged that shell easily. But near him, she'd let her guard down just a little.
"I'm fine, Kouta."
She turned, grabbing his hand and looking toward Krieg.
Kouta looked back at her, then gently flicked her nose.
"You didn't even try to dodge. Just trusted I'd stop it?"
"Of course. I know you'd never let me get hurt."
She smiled sweetly, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
"Oh right what do you want to do with that guy?"
"Up to you," she said with a shrug.
"Hmph… well, it's not like I planned on sparing him anyway."
Kouta's eyes turned to Krieg. The pressure surrounding him suddenly intensified.
"Then just die."
Krieg convulsed violently.
The invisible force around him surged, crushing him from all sides.
Blood spurted from his mouth, ears, and eyes.
His bones creaked under the weight, louder and louder
Until he stopped moving.
What remained was a grotesque sphere of metal and gore, his armor twisted into a grotesque tomb.
"Well, since he loved that armor so much—let it be his coffin."
Boom!
With a thought, Kouta sent the bloodied mass hurtling down through the deck, through the ship's interior, through the bottom boards—until it vanished into the sea.
He didn't so much as touch it. Disgusting thing.
Then, red light flashed in his eyes, his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) sweeping across the Sabre.
Not a single pirate remained standing.
Kouta exhaled, satisfied.
Conqueror's Haki, what a showstopper. Truly a mob-clearing weapon.
It had awakened two years ago, when his mind broke through a threshold—perhaps due to his mutated spirit, or maybe just his unshakable confidence.
After all, in this world, few things could kill him.
Unless there were forces he didn't know about miracles.
"Hey! You three still alive?"
Kouta called out to the trio sitting among heaps of pirates.
"Relax! I can still take on ten more!"
Ahua jumped up, arms raised, shouting.
"You? Weren't you the one who almost got sliced earlier?"
Alo stood and brushed the dust off his pants, tossing Ahua a mocking look.
"You bastard…"
Ahua growled. He had nearly been ambushed earlier, saved only by Alo's quick reflexes.
Beside them, Atou sighed, lighting a cigarette.
Just moments ago they'd been fighting side by side. Now they were bickering again.
"All right, all right," Kouta said. "Let's go check out the loot."
With that, he turned and headed toward the second level—the captain's quarters.
Creak!
The old wooden door groaned open.
Inside: piles of treasure, heaps of Beri stacked like mountains.
Clearly the spoils of Krieg's most recent raid, still untouched.
Some bills were even stained with dark, half-dried blood.
Kouta gave the room a quick glance.
Nothing particularly interesting.
He immediately lost interest.
"Sort through it. Bring back what's useful."
He turned to the others and gave the order, then took Kuina's hand and returned to the Pseudo-Merry.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 100, 200, 300 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!