Mock Town

The winds of the Grand Line carried a salty, fishy smell, making the sails flutter loudly.

Luo flipped through the nautical chart for the third time, then looked down at the Log Pose in his palm.

The needle tip pointed steadily at the sky, without moving an inch.

"Master, are you sure you didn't pick up the wrong pointer?"

Ron lay on the bow of the boat, sunbathing, too lazy to even lift his eyelids. "This is the sixth time. Why don't you ask it one more time and see if it changes its mind?"

"..."

Luo slammed the pointer onto the deck.

Having followed Ron for over half a year, he had long since figured him out.

Once the master has made up his mind, asking him until he's hoarse won't change anything.

Jaya Island is just ahead.

Ron suddenly sat up, dusting off the corner of his clothes. "Perfect, let me find you some work to do."

Law instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword. "Another pirate?"

There are plenty.

Mock Town Wharf.

The air was thick with the smells of alcohol, blood, and sweat.

A dozen or so ships flying the skull and crossbones flag were moored haphazardly in the harbor.

Some people carried stolen wooden crates and laughed loudly in the street, while others kicked gamblers who had lost everything into the sea, splashing water high into the air.

A merchant carrying a bag of goods was about to leave when two pirates knocked him over in the street, scattering his coins all over the ground.

The onlookers crowded around, but no one dared to step forward.

Ron glanced at the town entrance. "It really is a den of thieves."

"Master, which group are you looking for?"

Which group?

Ron chuckled. "Every single one of them in this town flies a pirate flag."

Luo was stunned. "All of them?"

"Yes. Don't touch the merchants or ordinary people living here. As for the pirates, leave no one alive."

Luo gripped the standard-issue knife in his hand, a smile playing on his lips, "Understood."

A burst of laughter suddenly erupted behind me.

"Hey! What did that big guy just say?"

"Let a brat kill us all? Hah!"

The one-eyed pirate leader, carrying a machete and with a jingling gold chain around his neck, shouted, "You two outcasts, leave your ship and money!"

Ron didn't even turn his head, simply uttering two words: "Begin."

"ROOM."

Buzz--

A pale blue area instantly spread out, covering half of the dock.

The one-eyed pirate had just raised his gun when suddenly his hand went empty; the gun was gone.

The next second, the two pirates behind him suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of his companions.

Bang!

Several people collided and fell flat on their backs.

"What the hell?!"

Luo was already in front of him.

Clang!

With a flash of light, the one-eyed pirate clutched his throat and collapsed.

"Boss?!"

Kill him!

Bang bang--

A row of Fire Pistol opened fire simultaneously.

Luo's fingertips twitched slightly. "Shambles."

His body and the barrel next to him switched places instantly, and more than a dozen bullets all hit the barrel, splashing liquor all over the ground.

Luo appeared from behind the gunmen, killing them one by one with a single, swift strike, without uttering a single word.

As he turned to run for the third time, a section of iron chain suddenly appeared beneath his feet by the dock.

Thump!

The pirate fell face-first into the mud.

Luo chased after him and finished him off, without making any unnecessary moves throughout the entire exchange.

The laughter at the dock abruptly stopped.

"Ability user! Quickly call everyone in the tavern!"

"Shout!"

Luo flicked the blood off his knife, his voice flat.

"It would be best if everyone came out."

Ron stood by the roadside, bent down to pick up a gold coin that had rolled off the coin, and put it back into the merchant's bag.

"Hurry home, it won't look good here in a bit."

The merchant's legs went weak, and he scrambled away, clutching the bag.

The tavern door was kicked open with a loud bang.

"Captain Bloodfang! Someone's causing trouble at the docks!"

Curses erupted from inside the room as dozens of pirates charged out, swords drawn, followed by the casino's gunmen.

Bloodfang, cigar in mouth, saw the corpses lying haphazardly in the street, and his face darkened. "Who did this?!"

"I."

Luo Tidao stood in the middle of the road, his figure slender, but his back was very straight.

Bloodfang was taken aback, then burst into laughter, patting his stomach. "So small? Where are your parents?"

Luo raised his left hand.

"ROOM."

The territory expanded again, with the blue edge extending all the way to the second floor of the tavern.

"Scan."

Dozens of Fire Pistol instantly left the gunner's hands and landed on the roof in unison.

"Where's the gun?!"

The pirates were thrown into chaos, and Law had already drawn his sword and charged into the crowd.

"Scatter! Surround him and kill him!"

The blades flashed like a dense net, closing in on us.

With a flick of his finger, Luo instantly switched positions with the five people in the front row and the tables and chairs behind them, while he himself slipped out of the encirclement.

Swish! Swish!

Two muffled thuds, and the two men fell to the ground.

A third person lunged forward, knife raised.

Luo subconsciously raised his left hand, about to activate his ability, but then stopped.

At this distance, one strike is enough.

He sidestepped the blade and twisted his wrist.

Swish!

The pirate clutched his chest and collapsed.

Luo glanced down at the knife in his hand and continued charging towards the next enemy.

"Hit from the second floor!"

A small cannon was pushed to the window.

Luo glanced at the second floor; apart from a few pirate gunners, there was no one else by the window.

Boom!

As soon as the shell left the barrel, Luo raised his hand.

Shambles!

The shell and the empty wine barrel in the corner of the second floor instantly swapped positions.

"What?!"

Boom!

The explosion ripped open from inside the tavern, sending windows and half a wooden wall flying out.

Several pirates screamed and tumbled down the stairs.

Luo stepped into the dust, and the blue light of the Op-Op Fruit flashed.

A pirate's arm, which was holding a sword, suddenly flew off.

My hand?!

The pirate turned deathly pale with fright.

Before he could utter a second cry, Luo's blade had already grazed his throat.

Fifteen minutes later, no one else rushed out of the tavern or casino alive.

On the street corner, several pirates were seen retreating, dragging a gambling den employee along with them.

"Kill him if he comes any closer!"

Without even glancing at it, Luo raised his hand, and the waiter had already switched places with the wooden crate in the distance.

The kidnapper was still in the position of strangling the person, but his arms were now empty.

The next second, Luo swept past him.

Four people collapsed to the ground one after another.

Bloodfang finally got scared and turned to run towards the inner harbor.

Just as I reached the inner harbor, a flash of blue light suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Luo appeared before him.

"You?!"

Before Bloodfang could even draw his sword, Luo's hand was already reaching for his chest.

"Scalpel."

Puff!

A still-beating heart, along with a transparent cube, was held in Luo's palm.

Bloodfang's legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"No! I'm willing to surrender! I'll give you money!"

Luo glanced at the blood-stained merchant ship emblem on Bloodfang's waist.

"Where did this come from?"

"Robbed! Robbed!"

Where are the people on the ship?

"They... they were all thrown into the sea!"

Did you give those crew members a chance when you killed them?

Clench your fingers tightly, and your heart will explode in your palm.

Bloodfang collapsed to the ground and never rose again.

Luo looked up at the inner harbor.

He had already cleared out most of the remaining pirates at the dock.

However, four other ships were raising their sails, clearly intending to escape in the chaos.

"Master, there are four more ships ready to escape."

I saw it.

Ron walked over with his arms crossed.

"Then don't stay."

"Know."

Luo didn't wait for them to leave the Port.

"ROOM!"

Using spatial manipulation, he landed directly on the deck of the first ship.

The clash of swords, the sound of gunfire, and screams rang out in succession.

The captain of the second ship had just drawn his sword when Law switched him with a barrel on the deck and finished him off with a single strike.

The third ship had just turned its cannons around.

"Fire!"

Boom!

The shell disappeared in a flash of blue light as soon as it left the barrel.

The next second, it appeared next to the gunpowder box on the ship.

Boom!

The explosion ripped off half of the deck.

The last ship has just left the Port.

Luo raised his hand, and the pale blue domain expanded once more, enveloping the entire ship.

The next second, he was already standing on the mast.

The captain looked up and saw the boy in the spotted hat, and his face turned pale with fright. "Monster!!"

Luo looked down at him, her voice indifferent.

"Don't you guys really enjoy killing?"

The entire ship was enveloped in blue light.

As dusk fell, the Mock Town became completely quiet.

There were no pirates standing in the docks, taverns, casinos, or even on the pirate ships in the inner harbor.

The residents hiding inside dared to open their windows and saw the boy in the spotted hat carrying a knife slowly walking back from the other end of the street.

Ron looked him up and down. "Not injured?"

"No."

Where's the knife?

"A gash appeared."

"Who gave you the right to confront them head-on with a sword?"

Luo pouted. "So, I guess I passed this time?"

"Hmm, it's much better than it was a few months ago."

Luo's eyes lit up.

Ron added, "We'll practice swordsmanship as usual tomorrow."

"Master!"

Ron took out the special Log Pose, which still pointed straight to the sky, unmoving.

Luo looked up, finally unable to hold back any longer. "Master, the pirates in town have all been wiped out. Now, shouldn't you tell us where we're going?"

Sky Island.

"Sky Island?"

"Yes, above the clouds."

Luo looked up at the thick clouds floating in the sky and remained silent for a long time.

"Are there still pirates there?"

"Uncertain."

Ron grinned. "However, there might be some guy who claims to be a god."

"Then what?"

"I'm going to arrest him and make him work for me."

Luo covered her face.

"Master, this time you're not even sparing the people in heaven?!"

Just then...

Boom--

Deep within the clouds, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, blindingly bright.