Speed Maniac / King of Knights vs. Speed Maniac (Part 1)
Their lives, along with the traces of battle, are left in libraries and cafes.
It's worth mentioning that Nami was Arthur's first woman. Seemingly to provoke Hancock, she always raised her voice exceptionally high during intimate moments, causing Hancock to grit her teeth. However, Hancock was too shy to take the initiative, thus losing out to Nami in this aspect.
Hancock appears spoiled and arrogant in front of others, but in reality, she is shy, timid, and prone to overthinking when it comes to relationships, creating a charming contrast.
The sun was shining brightly that day.
"Quack--"
As the birdsong began, a News Coo carrying a message tube flew across the sky and suddenly swooped down.
"Here, 100 Beli!" At the ship's railing, Robin took out a 100- Beli note from his wallet and handed it to the News Coo.
"Quack--"
After receiving Beli, the News Coo took out a newspaper and handed it to Robin before flying away.
Robin, sporting orange 3.3 Sun and a neatly combed-back hairstyle, leaned against the ship's railing, reading today's news.
"..."
After reading a few lines, Robin's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked as he walked over with two glasses of juice.
Today, Nami is in the studio painting nautical charts, and Hancock is training in the gym, giving Arthur a rare moment of leisure.
"It seems a newcomer has emerged to challenge your position." Robin took the juice Arthur offered, handed him the white paper, and smiled gently.
Upon hearing this, Arthur, biting his straw, looked down at the newspaper.
Before long, a smile appeared on his face, revealing a rare and undisguised disdain.
Chapter 168 Speed Maniac
"Talented individuals emerge! Bounty hunter 'Speed Maniac' makes a stunning debut, defeating the 456 million Beli Ocean King! He then challenges 'King of Knights' with the aim of claiming the title of World's Greatest Bounty Hunter."
Today's newspaper headline is about a newlywed couple.
But this newcomer was unexpectedly not Hailey, and was also a gold hunter.
Like someone biding their time, he debuted in the West Blue, remaining unknown in the first half of the Grand Line, but suddenly shining brightly in the second half. Right from his debut, he defeated the strongest sea monster, a mainstay of the New World, a monster that even the Supernovas could only struggle at the bottom. This bounty hunter, the "Speed Maniac," exemplified what it means to make a name for oneself overnight.
It's almost matching Arthur's record when he first debuted.
"What do you think?" Robin asked softly, noticing the disdain on Arthur's face, as she reached out to smooth the hair from his forehead.
"It's so obviously fake."
After saying 17, Arthur casually tossed the newspaper aside, and it flew into the sea. The paper danced in the air before landing on the sea, soaking him completely.
"It was indeed too abrupt, and it actually seemed rather strange." Robin nodded in agreement.
"The main reason is that the person behind this wants to stir up this public opinion, so that everyone will pay attention to the 'Speed Maniac' challenging the 'King of Knights'," Arthur said nonchalantly, biting his straw. "At the same time, it's also to provoke me, to make me suppress or kill this 'newcomer' who threatens my position."
"The World Government," Robin said with a knowing smile.
Seeing this, Arthur reached out and touched Robin's cheek, smiling gently, "Only politicians who hold world power would go to such lengths."
Robin grasped the hand stroking her cheek, squinted, and rubbed it against him, saying with a look of dependence, "The purpose this time is probably to test whether you, like the rumors say, are hiding the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and are the murderer of the Celestial Dragons, right?"
"Ah... most likely." Arthur stroked Robin's chin with his fingers, as if teasing a beloved cat, and smiled. "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that they're truly after fame and fortune! But the probability is pitifully small."
"After all, I've never thought there's anything worth fighting for in the title of the World's Greatest Bounty Hunter."
As mentioned before, not everyone is like Arthur.
In this era of fierce competition among powerful nations, anyone with great strength will inevitably harbor ambition.
It can be called either a dream or hegemony.
Or perhaps it's Luffy's pure adventure in searching for One Piece and becoming a sea monster, or his father Monkey D. Dragon's revolutionary dream of overthrowing the World Government; or Blackbeard's ambition to dominate the New World and become the supreme ruler of the seas, and so on...
Bounty hunters have always been a profession in the Underworld, and even the emergence of the 'King of Knights' cannot change this fact.
Because the brilliance of the 'King of Knights' is too dazzling, he is like a breath of fresh air among bounty hunters, truly unique.
The World's Greatest Bounty Hunter is nothing more than a random Q account.
The World's Greatest Bounty Hunter is nothing more than a random Q account.
What he is truly known for is his title of 'King of Knights'.
In fact, no one cared what the 'King of Knights' real name was, just like how no one cared about Whitebeard's real name 'Edward Newgate'.
Although the title of World's Greatest Bounty Hunter is becoming increasingly prestigious, there is still a huge gap between him and Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman.
With the title of "Z," having defeated the core forces of the New World, the Great Sea, he is fully capable of making a name for himself.
At this crucial moment, an unknown person suddenly made a name for himself and immediately declared that he would challenge the then-popular 'King of Knights'.
It would be strange if there were no yin spirits!
"Arthur, what are you planning to do?" Robin, who had been leaning on Arthur's shoulder at some point, asked with a light laugh.
With his arm around Robin's waist, Arthur said nonchalantly, "You don't need to do anything, just wait. If the other party is really just a troublemaker who doesn't have the courage to stand in front of me, then he'll definitely come looking for me himself. If he's really a pawn of the World Government, or some unexpected oddball, then he'll definitely come knocking on my door."
"Um."
Robin rested his chin on Arthur's shoulder, gazing intently at his profile, a sly smile playing on his exquisite face.
Having followed Arthur for more than half a year, Robin's perspective and mental fortitude have improved to an extremely high level.
Especially when he saw Arthur and Kaido, the "Beasts," fighting for a whole day and night, he was able to escape with ease.
A while ago, she even went to get some more information about Devil Fruits.
The intelligent Robin has already gained a very good understanding of the man she has fallen for, both in terms of his strength and his personality.
The two felt the sea breeze and were pressed close together, feeling each other's body heat.
"How far are we from the next island?" Arthur suddenly asked.
"It will probably take another ten days or so! We're almost in the waters ruled by the Four Emperors. After passing through a few more transit points, we'll reach Kisu Island, ruled by 'Red-Hair' Shanks," Robin said slowly after a moment's thought.
Although Nami is the navigator on the ship, the meticulous Robin also secretly takes care of everything on board.
Knowing this, Arthur asked Robin.
The magnetic field of the New World is more complex than that of the first half of the Grand Line. Due to the disturbance on Bill Island during the previous voyage, Arthur used the Vivre Card Roadmark to directly change course to Gran Tesoro. He then purchased Vivre Card Roadmarks for other islands on Gran Tesoro. Now, the "East Starion" is moving forward aimlessly.
Unexpectedly, they had entered the waters ruled by 'Red-Hair' Shanks...
Chapter 169 King of Knights vs. Speed Maniac (Part 1)
More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
After a aimless voyage, the "East Starlion" arrived at a deserted island.
The volcano is the most eye-catching attraction here, followed by the forest surrounding it, where the sounds of birds and animals are particularly loud.
Such an environment is ideal for exploration and resupplying with wild food, but only for the strong.
If an ordinary person were to fall into this predicament, they would likely be terrified, their life threatened.
The silver-white ship, with a horse's head at the bow, approached the beach and lowered its sails and dropped anchor.
Arthur and his three companions landed on the deserted island.
"Arthur, the atmosphere here makes me feel uneasy." Gazing at the dark forest, Hancock, dressed in a white cheongsam, frowned slightly as her strong Intuition turned to Arthur beside her and said softly.
"Ah... please protect Nami and Robin for me. I'm going to pay a visit to my long-awaiting 'master.'" Arthur reached out and stroked Nami's hair, saying, "Nami, remember to stay close to Hancock and Robin. If you notice anything amiss, take them into the alternate dimension."
"Hmm," Nami responded with a slightly puzzled look in her eyes.
Robin, however, stroked her chin, a look of understanding on her face.
After giving his instructions, Arthur walked into the forest.
"Hey... Robin, do you know something?" After Arthur left, Nami quickly approached Robin, blinked her beautiful eyes, and asked with a puzzled look.
Hancock also turned her gaze over, her eyes filled with seriousness as she looked at Robin.
During this time, apart from that hateful woman Nami constantly targeting him, the woman in front of him has maintained a neutral attitude.
But just when she and Nami were letting their guard down, she went off alone to 'seduce' Arthur.
In Hancock's mind, Robin was slightly more dangerous than Nami, and was a woman who should not be underestimated.
"Well, how should I put it?" Robin put a slender finger to his lips, hesitated slightly, then smiled and said, "Let's wait until Arthur comes back and then I'll tell you."
"No, tell me! That woman must be really curious too, right?" Nami grabbed Robin's arm and shook it, then glanced at Hancock not far away and said.
"I... I didn't care at all," Hancock retorted haughtily.
Nami rolled her eyes and said disdainfully, "Please practice your lying skills before you say that, okay? It's too stiff, unacceptable!"
"You..."
Hancock glared at Nami, and Nami glared back defiantly.
"Alright, stop arguing." Robin, rarely intervening to mediate, frowned slightly as she looked at Nami and said, "As before, enter the illusionary state first. Don't give the enemy any chance. We can't cause trouble for Arthur."
"Hmm." Upon hearing this, Nami immediately nodded, her hostile expression vanishing. She beckoned to Hancock and said, "Hey~ guest, could you come here for a second?"
"I am not a guest! I am meant to be Arthur's partner," Hancock retorted, but she still walked over.
"Yes, yes... Is this alright, Xiao Si?" Nami didn't discourage her this time, but just rolled her eyes and said helplessly.
"You..." Hancock felt a surge of anger.
Meanwhile, in the forest.
Meanwhile, in the forest.
Arthur stood with his hands in his pockets, a nonchalant smile on his handsome and composed face.
This is a facade; in reality, he is already unleashing his Observation Haki (A++) to monitor the entire deserted island.
Birds and beasts, volcanoes with rolling lava, clear lakes, fish swimming in the water, and even the people hiding on this island—all these images flashed through Arthur's mind like a slideshow.
Every moment of this deserted island can be captured, or a glimpse into the future can be foreseen.
At this moment, several different fragments of the future flashed through Arthur's mind.
A blurry figure moved like a monkey, holding a long spear aimed at the white figure.
Amidst the sparks and flashes, a bullet pierced the air, creating a sonic boom as it hurtled towards the target.
The bullet was so fast that you couldn't even see its shadow; it moved at a speed comparable to a thousandth of a second of lightning.
'Whoosh--Pfft!'
Arthur leaped backward, and wisps of smoke rose from the spot where he had been standing.
In the soil, there was a scorching hot bullet, its entire body glowing red.
"More than two thousand meters, that fast?" Arthur clicked his tongue slightly, looking somewhat surprised.
The Observation Haki (A++) had barely begun to foresee the future when the bullets were already flying towards them.
A person capable of this kind of shooting is no ordinary sniper.
'Whoosh--'
With that thought in mind, Arthur abandoned his previous idea of strolling over and transformed into a blur, rushing towards the target location monitored by his Observation Haki (A++).
'Whoosh--!'
However, he was faster than his opponent.
Bullets hurtled through the air, seemingly traversing space, shooting with unpredictable speed.
But Arthur evaded them all.
After dodging more than a dozen bullets, the enemy seemed to realize they couldn't do anything to Arthur and stopped attacking.
Soon, Arthur arrived deep in the forest, in a clearing where a large area of trees had been leveled.