"Puff!"
At the exact moment the two seventh-tier White Emperor Pirates were sent flying—
The duration of the one-second secret art ended.
The time of the "one-second true man" was over.
In an instant!
The terrifying backlash of the extreme secret art came crashing down.
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command's face turned deathly pale.
Immediately after—
He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The next moment!
Tap! Tap!
His body staggered backward several steps.
But!
Even as he stumbled, he suddenly stomped hard against the deck again and again!
Tap tap tap tap tap tap!
Forcing himself to endure the weakness raging inside his body, he charged straight toward the small boat Zhao Xuan was riding.
In the blink of an eye!
Whoosh—!
Amid a violent gust of wind—
He landed directly on Zhao Xuan's single-masted sailboat.
A powerful aura instantly enveloped Zhao Xuan from head to toe.
"Go!"
His face was pale, his expression ferocious as he stared at Zhao Xuan as if looking at an ant he could crush at will.
Without caring in the slightest about Zhao Xuan's opinion, he issued the order coldly.
This wasn't strange at all.
After all—
Zhao Xuan's strength was incredibly deceptive.
In his normal human form, Zhao Xuan appeared to be nothing more than a fourth-tier ability user.
Meanwhile, this Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command was a genuine seventh-tier powerhouse.
Looking down on Zhao Xuan—treating him as insignificant—was perfectly natural.
Two seconds passed.
Sensing that Zhao Xuan still hadn't moved, and that the small boat was continuing to speed toward the White Emperor Pirates' ship—
A savage expression surged onto the pale face of the Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command.
"Damn brat! You're courting death!"
Just as his rage flared—
Suddenly!
"ROAR!!!!!!"
Behind him!
Right behind him!
A terrifying roar erupted without warning.
It sounded like the bellow of an ancient, savage beast from primordial times.
Immediately after—
A crushing pressure swept over his entire body.
Zhao Xuan's Conqueror's Haki was only at the master level.
But!!!!
The Azure Dragon Fruit granted him something else entirely.
Upon entering his Dragonman form, Zhao Xuan naturally possessed dragon might.
Even before obtaining Conqueror's Haki, Zhao Xuan had already developed and used this dragon might to a certain extent.
So!
After gaining Conqueror's Haki, he was able to fuse it seamlessly with dragon might.
With the two combined!
The Conqueror's Haki Zhao Xuan unleashed might not yet be at the grandmaster level—
But!
It was infinitely close.
Even eighth-tier ability users would feel faintly affected by it.
Let alone—
A seventh-tier ability user who had just exhausted himself with an extreme secret art and entered a weakened state.
"This—this is… Conqueror's Haki!"
"Oh no!"
In that instant!
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command was shaken to his core.
A powerful sense of foreboding flooded his body.
What did Conqueror's Haki represent?
It represented the potential for invincibility!
In the Endless Sea—
Anyone who possessed such potential was capable of fighting far above their tier.
Although he didn't believe—
That under normal circumstances, a mere fourth-tier Zhao Xuan could threaten a seventh-tier powerhouse like himself—
But now—
His condition was clearly far from normal.
Because of the extreme secret art, his body was extremely weakened.
The next moment!
Before he could even react—
Boom!!!!!
A terrifying sonic boom exploded behind him.
Immediately after—
Zhao Xuan's iron fist, wrapped in Armament Haki and boundless lightning, slammed viciously into the back of his head.
Bang!
A crisp, explosive sound rang out as fist met skull.
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command felt as though his head had been smashed by a massive hammer.
His mind—
Instantly fell into chaos.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
His body staggered forward several steps.
However!
Before he could recover from the disorientation—
Boom!!!!!
Another deafening sonic boom erupted behind him.
Zhao Xuan struck again.
Bang!!
In an instant!
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed into the back of his head once more.
"Argh—!"
Amid his agonized scream—
Boom!!!!!
Zhao Xuan's fist came crashing down again.
Relentless.
He gave his enemy no chance to react—
And absolutely no chance to fight back.
In the next instant—
Bang!!!!!
The back of his head was struck yet again.
Three punches!
Under the amplification of Zhao Xuan's nearly twenty-five-thousand physique!
Under his supreme grandmaster-level Iron Body ability!
The back of the Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command's skull visibly caved inward.
Blood—
Flowed from his eyes, his nose, his mouth, and even his ears.
At this moment!
If Zhao Xuan stopped—
Given a seventh-tier's constitution, with some recovery time and enough spiritual herbs, this man might still survive.
After all—
Seventh-tier ability users had already tempered their skulls and brains.
Their brains were incredibly tough—
Comparable to mystic iron.
But!
Unfortunately—
Zhao Xuan was not that kind of person.
He was not some brainless villain who spared enemies.
To his enemies—
He never showed mercy.
The next moment!
Boom!!!!!
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed into the back of his head yet again.
"AAARGH!!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream tore through the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
One punch! Another! Another! Another! Another! Another! And another!
In just one or two seconds, Zhao Xuan unleashed a frenzy of blows.
Under the terrifying recoil, deep, blood-soaked wounds tore open across his fists and even his arms.
This was unavoidable.
After all—
Force always rebounded.
In the blink of an eye—
Dozens of punches landed.
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command's head was completely caved in.
Boom!!!
Bang!!!
Pop!!!
Finally—
One last punch.
It fell like a thunderbolt.
Amid roaring winds—
Under the stunned, disbelieving gazes of everyone present—
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command's head exploded instantly.
Blood and white brain matter splattered everywhere.
At that moment!
The entire sea fell deathly silent.
Everyone froze.
Standing there in a daze.
Eyes wide.
Minds blank.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
…
A full seven or eight seconds passed before the White Emperor Pirates—who had witnessed Zhao Xuan, a fourth-tier minor grandmaster, smash a seventh-tier lord's head to pieces with his fists in mere seconds—finally began to react.
"W-what… what just happened?"
"W-what… what is this? What is going on?"
"W-what… what happened? Th-this…"
"The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command… d-dead? K-killed… by a fourth-tier kid?"
"Th-this… this… this… how is this possible?!"
"Fake! Fake! Fake! This has to be fake! I must be dreaming!"
"No way! Impossible! Impossible!"
"…"
Instantly—
The sea erupted with shrill, disbelieving screams from the White Emperor Pirates.
Almost every face was filled with shock.
Many instinctively pinched their arms or rubbed their eyes.
Because—
What they had just witnessed was simply too much to accept.
A seventh-tier!
That was a high-level seventh-tier powerhouse!
And not some newly advanced one either.
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command had been a seventh-tier for nearly ten years.
Even among seventh-tiers, he ranked squarely in the middle.
That much was obvious—
Given that he had held his own for dozens of minutes against the combined assault of the White Emperor Pirates' second and third leaders.
And now…
Now…
He was dead.
Killed by a fourth-tier minor grandmaster.
Killed by a kid who didn't even look twenty years old.
How could they not be shocked?
How could they not doubt their own eyes?
In that moment—
They genuinely thought they were dreaming.
That was why they rubbed their eyes.
That was why they pinched themselves.
But reality told them—
It was all real.
This was no illusion.
They were not dreaming.
Tap!
Just as the White Emperor Pirates stood frozen in shock—
The sound of Shave tore through the air.
The next instant!
Zhao Xuan leapt from his single-masted sailboat and landed directly on the White Emperor Pirates' ship.
He charged straight toward one of the seventh-tier White Emperor Pirates who had been blasted onto the deck earlier and had yet to get up.
"Not good!"
That man snapped back to his senses.
His expression changed drastically.
But at this point—
It was already too late.
Boom!!!!!
Because as he reacted—
Zhao Xuan's fist was already smashing straight toward his face.
"Damn it!!!!"
His face twisted in terror.
Because—
From that single punch, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
What did that mean?
It meant—
If he failed to respond, he would very likely follow the same path as the Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command.
However!
Zhao Xuan was far too fast!
His decision-making was far too decisive!
And on top of that—
He had yet to fully recover from the Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command's extreme burst attack.
So!
In his panic—
He could only hastily raise his arm to block.
Trying to stop Zhao Xuan's punch first, then think of countermeasures.
BOOM!!!!!
The next moment!
Zhao Xuan's fist slammed violently into his raised left forearm.
Under that terrifying force—
Instantly!
Agonizing pain exploded through his arm.
He felt as if his left forearm was about to snap.
"I blocked it!!!"
He felt a surge of wild joy.
But!
Before that joy could even take shape—
Boom!!!!!
Zhao Xuan's second punch fell.
Boom!!!
The fist crashed down on his left forearm again.
Then—
Boom!!
The third punch followed.
Under three punches—
Under Zhao Xuan's monstrous strength—
Crack crack crack crack crack!
The crisp sound of bones shattering echoed across the sea.
That's right!
Three punches!
Zhao Xuan used only three punches!
And with those three—
The White Emperor Pirates' seventh-tier's left forearm shattered.
At that moment!
Zhao Xuan's fourth punch descended.
"Damn it!!!!"
Behind him—
The other White Emperor Pirates' seventh-tier finally reacted.
"Brother, watch out!!!!"
He roared and charged straight at Zhao Xuan.
But!
Zhao Xuan ignored him completely.
His fist—
Still smashed unerringly toward the third-in-command in front of him.
Because Zhao Xuan knew—
Although his current strength allowed him to match an ordinary seventh-tier—
He absolutely could not face two seventh-tier powerhouses at once.
Especially two who worked together flawlessly.
If he wanted to eliminate them both—
There was only one way.
Trade life for life.
Ignore everything and kill one first.
Only then could he win.
Zhao Xuan always claimed he wasn't reckless.
But once a fight began—
He was the very embodiment of recklessness.
A complete madman.
He had already cast his own safety aside.
At this moment—
His mind held only one thing.
Battle.
He was born for it.
Bang!!!!!
The next instant!
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed brutally into the White Emperor Pirates' third-in-command's face.
Under that terrifying force—
His face caved in instantly.
Nose crushed.
Teeth completely shattered.
Zhao Xuan didn't pause for a second!
He swung again—
The second punch came crashing down.
At that moment!
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command had already reached Zhao Xuan's back.
His fist—
Slammed brutally into Zhao Xuan's spine.
Puff!!!
Zhao Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood.
But!
He didn't stop.
His fist still crashed down toward the third-in-command's face.
In fact—
Because of that blow from behind, carried by the immense impact—
Zhao Xuan's punch fell even faster.
Even harder.
Bang!!!!!
Another brutal collision rang out.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The third-in-command's scream tore through the air.
Even so—
Zhao Xuan showed no sign of stopping.
His fist—
Came down again.
"Damn it!!!"
"You little bastard! You're asking for death!"
Hearing his brother's agonized screams, the White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command let out a hoarse, furious roar.
He smashed another punch into Zhao Xuan's back.
Bang!
Bang!
Two nearly simultaneous sounds rang out.
One—
Zhao Xuan's fist colliding with the third-in-command's skull.
The other—
The second-in-command's fist slamming into Zhao Xuan's back.
Puff!!!
Zhao Xuan spat blood again.
But!!!
Even so—
He continued hammering his fists into the third-in-command's face like a madman.
Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Completely insane.
At this moment—
Zhao Xuan had completely lost all rationality.
Punch after punch after punch after punch!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The impacts echoed across the sea.
In the blink of an eye—
Zhao Xuan had taken seven or eight heavy blows to the back.
If he checked his status panel now—
He would see that his physique had dropped by nearly a thousand points in just one or two seconds.
His aura had begun to waver.
But!
Compared to Zhao Xuan—
The White Emperor Pirates' third-in-command was far worse off.
His entire face had collapsed.
His body—
Barely clinging to life.
Finally—
Boom!!!
As Zhao Xuan's last punch landed—
His skull could no longer hold.
It exploded instantly.
Like a watermelon smashed apart by a hammer.
Bright red blood and pale brain matter sprayed everywhere.
"Damn it!!!"
"Brother!!!"
A grief-stricken roar shook the sky.
Boom!!!
The next moment!
Zhao Xuan was sent flying, smashing straight into the nearby medium-sized Black Shark Pirates' ship.
"Brother… brother!!!"
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command didn't chase him immediately.
Instead, he dropped to his knees beside his brother's shattered corpse, crying out in anguish.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Black Shark Pirates' ship cabin.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Zhao Xuan struggled to his feet, battered and bloodied.
Pain screamed through every inch of his body.
Weakness gnawed at him relentlessly.
Yet—
There was no panic on his face.
Only laughter.
Manic laughter.
Unrestrained, crazed laughter.
So good. So good. So damn good!
His heart roared with exhilaration.
"Hahahahahaha! This is the life I want! This is exactly the life I want!"
Laughing wildly—
Zhao Xuan pulled out massive quantities of spiritual herbs and pills from the ruin space.
He stuffed them into his mouth like a madman, devouring them greedily—like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit.
In the blink of an eye—
He had consumed spiritual medicine worth at least five to six hundred million.
Eating like this wasted enormous amounts of medicinal efficacy—at least half of it.
But!
Zhao Xuan didn't care at all.
There wasn't a trace of regret on his face.
After all—
Every last bit of it came from the Black Shark Pirates' treasury.
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Read Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx