Under normal circumstances, anyone with half a brain would retreat in this situation.
He'd already alarmed half the camp. One man taking on an entire pirate crew head-on was objectively a terrible idea.
In terms of numbers alone, Hermes was at a massive disadvantage.
But Hermes was not "normal."
On the contrary—he had guts. Big ones.
The kind of guy who'd look at Gear Fifth spinning like an windmill and still think, Yeah, I'd smash that.
"AAAH—!!!"
A scream tore through the night.
A pirate clutched his kidney and collapsed to the ground, body convulsing, eyes bulging in pure agony.
The instant the strike landed, Hermes shrank back to five millimeters and vanished.
The nearby pirates didn't even realize what had happened.
"Bastard!"
"That little shit!"
"Everyone be careful—groups of three! Stick together!"
The sudden, invisible killings finally made the pirates alert.
But it still wasn't enough to stop the slaughter.
Hermes darted through the grass like a living shadow. The moment he got close to a target, it was a guaranteed kill—most victims never even had time to react.
Bang—bang—bang—
Screams rang out one after another.
The Dog-Dog Pirates' numbers visibly dropped by the second.
Even Joya could no longer stay calm. He joined the search personally.
"Brat! If you've got balls, come out and fight me one-on-one!"
"Coward! Shrinking turtle!"
Joya's eyes were bloodshot. This pitch-black environment was far too favorable for Hermes—his men were being butchered without resistance.
Hermes ignored the hysterical shouting completely.
Like a reaper in the dark, he continued harvesting lives.
"Everyone back inside the house! Light all the torches!"
Joya panicked. He didn't want to end up a captain without a crew.
"Hurry! Back to the house!"
"Light everything!"
The pirates scrambled toward the already half-destroyed building—but even then, screams kept sounding as some fell along the way.
"Damn it…"
Joya could only watch, powerless.
In areas with fewer people, he could vaguely smell where Hermes was.
But now?
Alcohol, sweat, foot odor—every disgusting scent imaginable was mixed together. His sharp canine nose was overwhelmed, even nauseated.
It was like breathing invisible poison gas.
Gradually—
Only Joya remained standing, surrounded by more than ten corpses.
Hermes returned to normal size and appeared three meters away, staring at Joya coldly.
If this were a pure one-on-one duel, Hermes was at a disadvantage—but he welcomed it.
Add Joya's crew into the mix, though, and Hermes would be dead for sure.
One unlucky bullet was all it'd take for him to say goodbye to the world.
There was no fairness in combat.
Not even in a "one-on-one."
"Brat… you've got guts," Joya said, seeing through Hermes's intent.
Hermes wanted a duel.
What Joya didn't realize was—
He really was strong.
And that confidence was deadly.
"Shut up."
Hermes's eyes sharpened. He charged first, opening with a whipping kick, Finger Pistol already primed.
Boom!
Joya raised his arms to block and countered with a kick of his own.
Hermes shrank to fifty centimeters, dodged, planted his hands on the ground—
then snapped back to full size, both legs firing upward like cannonballs toward Joya's chin.
Joya retreated immediately. That much he could dodge.
What he didn't expect—
was that Hermes could grow as well.
In an instant, Hermes's 1.77-meter body expanded to five meters.
Even with Joya stepping back, there was nowhere to escape.
The kick landed squarely on his chin.
Joya's first sensation was weightlessness.
Then he flew.
He hit the ground hard, rolling several times before his hands dug into the dirt, carving a meter-long trench. Blood seeped from his mouth as he stood up.
His jaw was dislocated.
Now, staring at Hermes maintaining a five-meter form, the pressure had completely reversed.
Crack.
Joya snapped his jaw back into place.
Only now did he truly realize how troublesome this brat was.
"What the hell is your ability?"
"Idiot."
Hermes answered with action.
He wasn't stupid enough to explain his powers.
Sure, pirates loved announcing their abilities—but that was a classic way to die.
Boom—!
Another violent clash. Shockwaves rippled outward.
In strength, defense, speed, and stamina, Hermes was clearly inferior.
But the Mini-Mini Fruit compensated for it beautifully.
At least in evasion—
Hermes held an absolute advantage.
The freeform size changes made Joya's blood boil.
A flash of cold light—
Another wound opened across Hermes's chest.
Joya was adapting, growing more comfortable.
But his own body was riddled with blood holes now.
A normal man would've collapsed long ago.
That was Zoan power—full-stat enhancement.
And this was just a normal Zoan.
Ancient or Mythical types would be far worse.
"Cough—cough—!"
Hermes narrowly evaded another blow and retreated, spitting blood.
This fight was giving him an unprecedented rush. His combat instincts were skyrocketing.
As long as he didn't die—
This pug was the perfect whetstone.
Ten minutes later—
Hermes's stamina hit its limit. Combined with his injuries, he couldn't continue.
Joya, meanwhile, was also breathing heavily and battered—but he could clearly keep going.
Hermes didn't leave any tough-guy words behind.
He dashed in once more, traded a few blows—
then turned and fled.
So fast and sudden that even Joya froze.
"Trying to run?!"
Joya chased for a short distance—
then had to give up.
In this darkness, with Hermes's shrinking ability, catching him was nearly impossible.
"Captain! Are you alright?!"
Back at the base, Joya's face was darker than a storm cloud.
He didn't need to imagine the rumors tomorrow.
A Dog-Dog Pirates captain.
A 38-million-beli pirate.
Driven back by a kid.
He'd failed to kill him and lost a large chunk of his crew.
His authority had taken a massive hit.
His pride even more so.
"That brat is badly injured," Joya roared, shoving his men aside. "Find him."
"Yes!"
On the other side—
Hermes, reeking of blood, pale as death, zigzagged back to an inn at five millimeters.
Gritting his teeth against bone-deep pain, he used the medicine he'd prepared beforehand—cleaned the wounds, applied ointment, and hastily bandaged himself.
He'd expected injuries.
Joya wasn't a small fry.
"This was worth it."
Hermes hissed, his entire body screaming in pain—but beneath it all, he was exhilarated.
This fight had paid off.
Safe, routine training couldn't compare.
Only real combat revealed how different reality was from imagination.
"Time to move."
After a short rest, Hermes decided to relocate.
He wasn't combat-ready anymore. If the Dog-Dog Pirates found him now, things would get ugly.
Trusting pirates—or luck—was idiotic.
Caution was the reason Hermes was still alive.
Sure enough—
Not long after he left, the Dog-Dog Pirates stormed the inn.
They found nothing.
This time, Hermes didn't even rent a room. He slipped into a random civilian house.
At five millimeters, anywhere could be home.
Once he healed—
he'd go back for the Dog-Dog Pirates.
Joya was still a usable grindstone. Might as well sharpen himself a few more times.
Milk it properly.
Before dawn even arrived, word of what happened at the Dog-Dog Pirates' base spread through the town.
Hermes Jormungandr's name grew even louder.
A lone man stormed the Dog-Dog Pirates' headquarters, killed many, and escaped alive.
Maybe Captain Joya wasn't all that after all.
That 38 million bounty?
Clearly inflated.