"Who are you people? How did you get here?" As Bai Chuan and the others appeared at the stronghold gate, the guard spotted them and demanded answers.
"The ones here to kill you." Since they'd already come this far, Bai Chuan had no interest in wasting words. Quick in, quick out.
"Kill us? Hahahaha! You lot must still be half asleep. Talking nonsense up here. I'm in a great mood right now, so get lost. Otherwise you won't even make it back down the mountain."
No one took Bai Chuan seriously.
"I'm pretty sure I'm awake," Bai Chuan said calmly. "But you won't be waking up ever again."
The moment he finished, Bai Chuan vanished from where he stood and appeared right in front of the man. One slash, clean across the throat.
By the time the others reacted, it was already too late. Bai Chuan didn't give them the chance to say a single word. He ended it in an instant.
"Wow, you're just charging straight in. That's seriously badass," Katherine Lin said, her voice buzzing with excitement as she watched his back.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" Another man demanded the moment Bai Chuan stepped into the stronghold.
Bai Chuan didn't bother answering. He drew his blade and went for the kill.
"Bad, bad, enemy! Enemy!" One bandit, quick on the uptake, saw Bai Chuan's bloodstained sword and immediately understood what was happening. He shouted in alarm.
"Smart," Bai Chuan said, his voice like a devil's whisper beside the man's ear. "But knowing who we are won't stop you from going to hell."
"Don't, don't kill me…" The man didn't even dare turn his head, his voice shaking.
But that was destined to be the last thing he ever said.
"Bastards! You dare kill our men? You're tired of living!" The bandits who rushed out after seeing the bodies roared in rage. "Brothers, get them! Tear them apart!"
They saw their comrades' corpses, then the only four standing there: Bai Chuan's group.
"Go," Bai Chuan said. "And make sure you protect yourselves."
"Got it." Shanks flashed a bloodthirsty grin and shot forward.
"Buggy," Bai Chuan said, "you stay in the back and protect Katherine Lin. No need to rush the front."
"No problem." Buggy accepted the assignment with delight. Not having to face enemies head-on was his favorite thing in the world.
Dozens of bandits poured out at once. Even Buggy felt a bit nervous.
Bai Chuan and Shanks plunged into the bandit crowd like wolves entering a flock of sheep. No one could survive more than three moves against either of them. In the chaos, Buggy even snatched a gun and provided sneaky support from the rear.
"You're seriously useless," Katherine Lin said, smacking the back of Buggy's head.
"How can you be so far behind that kid Shanks? Look at him, he can even take some pressure off Bai Chuan."
"This is called tactics," Buggy said, scrambling for a reasonable excuse. "You don't get it. When they can't hold, I'll still have the strength to carry them and run."
Then Buggy started bragging about his past.
"Back then, Shanks and I dared to face Whitebeard and even said we'd take his head! You know who Whitebeard is? He's the man known as the strongest in the world!"
Just thinking about it now made Buggy's spine go cold. He was probably egged on by Shanks back then.
Nowadays, the moment he saw Whitebeard, Buggy's legs would start shaking. Ever since that encounter, whenever it was time to fight the Whitebeard Pirates, Buggy would hide as far away as possible.
"Is that so?" Katherine Lin said, not sure whether she believed him or was just humoring him. "So you do have a brain."
"That's right." Buggy started to feel smug.
The focus returned to Bai Chuan and Shanks. The two of them only fought harder the longer it went. No one could stop them.
"Enough. Both of you."
A furious voice rang in everyone's ears.
A hulking brute, nearly two meters tall and built like a bear, stepped into view.
"Boss, you're finally here!" The remaining bandits looked like they were about to cry. They'd been getting slaughtered, terrified the next blade would land on their throats.
"Oh?" Bai Chuan looked him over. "So you're their boss. You look pretty strong."
"Why did you come to my place to cause trouble?" The bandit leader's expression was ugly.
"No reason," Bai Chuan said. "I just don't like you."
"Don't like me?" The leader sneered. "That's the excuse I use on other people. Never thought someone would use it on me. Fine. You've made me very unhappy too."
He grabbed a spiked club nearly half his height and swung it at Bai Chuan.
"Damn." Bai Chuan raised his sword to block.
But the sheer force of the club smashed into him and sent him flying.
"Bai Chuan!" Shanks shouted.
Bai Chuan steadied himself in midair and landed smoothly.
"Didn't expect you to have that much strength," Bai Chuan said, rolling his arm as if nothing happened. "I wasn't paying attention and nearly got blasted away."
His expression stayed calm. He clearly didn't take that hit to heart.
"Oh? Not bad. You actually blocked one," the leader said with a wide grin, looking genuinely interested now. "Let's see if you can block the second."
He attacked again.
Now that Bai Chuan knew he couldn't win by raw strength, he wasn't about to be stupid and clash head-on again.
As the club came down, Bai Chuan jumped back. The spiked head swept past his nose by a hair. He barely avoided it.
"Shanks, don't worry about me," Bai Chuan called out when he saw Shanks trying to come help. "Go clean up the small fry first."
If the fodder kept interfering, it would be annoying.
"You sure you're fine, Bai Chuan?" Shanks asked.
"Relax," Bai Chuan said with a confident grin. "He can't do anything to me."
"Confident, huh, brat." The bandit leader slammed his club into the ground, blasting out a huge crater.
"But real confidence and blind confidence are two different things."
"Whether mine is real," Bai Chuan said, "you'll find out in a minute."
"Interesting." The leader's smile turned contemptuous. "I've lived a long time, and I've never seen someone as arrogant as you."
"And now you have," Bai Chuan shot back.
He lunged forward, blade raised, and chopped straight at the man's head.
The strike was blocked easily.
But Bai Chuan didn't get discouraged.
The fight had only just started, and he was only just entering his best state.
"You're different now, brat," the leader said, watching Bai Chuan's eyes grow sharper.
"If my opponent is you," Bai Chuan replied, "then I can't fight like I did earlier."
"Good."
They moved at the same time.
Sword and spiked club collided, sparks bursting outward.
Heat flooded through Bai Chuan's body, his blood boiling, and without realizing it, a smile of pure enjoyment curled at the corner of his mouth.
/-\
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