Great Collision

"Hm? Just a reminder—looks like your subordinates are about to be wiped out."

"Burp. They're just a bunch of trash. Let them die."

"Tsk tsk, how cold-hearted."

"Burp, hahaha! Still, your men are pretty capable. I've decided to take them in."

"Heh, that depends on whether you have what it takes."

"Do you want to know why I set my sights on this country?"

"Idiot. Who'd want to know that? Pirates never need a reason to fight."

"Burp, hahaha! Looks like you really are a true pirate. I was right about you—you're different from those other trash pirates in North Blue. Only killing an opponent like you can truly bring me pleasure."

Suddenly, Big Drunkard swayed as though he were drunk and about to topple over. Yet at the instant he fell, his right arm swung straight toward Roy like a hammer, carrying the force of Mount Tai bearing down.

"What the hell, drunken boxing?" Roy found the sight utterly absurd.

But he could sense the immense force contained in Big Drunkard's attack. With his small frame, taking a punch head-on would definitely not feel good. He moved without hesitation, lightly tapping his feet against the ground to evade the sudden strike.

Big Drunkard's blow landed on the ground with a deafening boom. It was as though he had shattered the air itself, creating a massive shockwave that slammed many unprepared pirates straight into the walls.

Roy clicked his tongue inwardly. Pirate World truly was full of monsters. But his reaction was swift as well. With a casual swing of his hand, he sent out a crescent-shaped slash that tore through the ground in its path as if it were paper.

Big Drunkard's seemingly clumsy body was unexpectedly nimble in battle. He abruptly twisted aside and evaded the attack, though watching that enormous body perform such a movement gave people an oddly awkward feeling.

However, the lackeys who had been hiding behind Big Drunkard were not so fortunate. Quite a few were directly killed by Roy's slash, which had not lost any of its momentum. Fortunately, Roy's crew had long known that everything within a hundred meters of their captain was a high-risk zone, avoiding any friendly fire.

The pirates of the Drunken Pirates had not expected Roy's attacks to be so sharp that even a casual strike could take their lives. They hurriedly fled outside.

"Wild Flurry!" Seeing Roy still in the mood to deal with his underlings, Big Drunkard flew into a rage and seized the opportunity. His attack speed suddenly increased, and countless fist shadows appeared across the battlefield, completely engulfing Roy's figure.

Generally speaking, size and speed should have been inversely proportional. Yet despite Big Drunkard's massive frame, he was not clumsy in the slightest, and his reactions were extremely sharp. Still, compared to his monstrous strength, his speed was more than a level behind. Thus, under Roy's Observation Haki, his attacks had nowhere to hide and were perfectly evaded.

As the battle reached a stalemate, Roy discovered that after each of Big Drunkard's frenzied assaults, there seemed to be a brief instant when he needed to catch his breath. It was so brief that most people would find it impossible to notice, but it remained exposed under Roy's powerful Observation Haki.

Though it lasted only an instant, that was enough for Roy to launch a fatal attack. After all, swordsmen excelled at offense.

"Oni Giri!" After training in the Flying Heaven Sword Style, Roy's attack speed had reached a point close to surpassing the limits of the human body. As long as his opponent revealed even the slightest opening, they would be met with a thunderous strike. One had to know that the Kikuichimonji in Roy's hand was one of the Great Grade Sword 21 Works. With only a little force, it could cut through steel—how could flesh and blood withstand it?

However, when Roy's sword light struck Big Drunkard's chest, it encountered unimaginable resistance, as though it had hit a diamond. It could not advance an inch. Roy also caught sight of the fleeting black color on Big Drunkard's chest.

"What? It's actually Armament Haki!" Roy was genuinely shocked this time. He had not expected Big Drunkard to have cultivated Armament Haki. Was his newbie-village starting difficulty really set to hell mode?

Roy immediately sensed that something was wrong. Big Drunkard had clearly cultivated Armament Haki, yet he had not used it at all during their earlier battle. The implication was obvious—he must have intended to catch Roy off guard with it. Looking at it now, the openings he had shown earlier were likely deliberately exposed.

Big Drunkard forcibly steadied the churning blood and energy within his body. Even though he had blocked Roy's slash with Armament Haki hardening, the force transmitted through it could not be reduced by much. His internal organs had all suffered injuries to varying degrees.

Though he had paid a huge price to block Roy's slash, he knew it had been entirely worthwhile. Roy was simply too fast, and his reactions were incredibly agile. If this continued until the battle ended, Big Drunkard would struggle to even touch the edge of Roy's clothes. He had no choice but to sell an opening in exchange for a chance to attack.

"Great Earthquake!" Knowing Roy's evasions were too nimble to hit directly, Big Drunkard slammed both fists fiercely into the ground, hoping to use the opportunity to restrict Roy's movements.

Roy had originally been certain of victory, but Big Drunkard's sudden Armament Haki had caught him off guard. Now that his movements had been restricted as well, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

"Die, Million Ton Punch." A cruel smile appeared on Big Drunkard's face. His black fist, gleaming with a metallic luster, rained down upon Roy's chest like raindrops.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The entire city gate was completely destroyed. Even a huge section of the distant city wall collapsed along with it. The ground caved in, and many pirates who failed to escape in time were reduced to ashes by the attack. The entire scene resembled a living hell.

"Burp, hahaha! Looks like I'm the final victor after all. Big Drunkard Vasco Shot! Glug glug—drinking is the best!" An unhealthy flush spread across Big Drunkard's face as he excitedly gulped down alcohol.

"Damn, I was careless. But what a pity—I won't give you another chance. Armament Haki is indeed powerful, but it's useless if you can't hit me." A calm voice came from beneath the ground, freezing the excited Big Drunkard's expression.

"How is that possible? No one has ever survived after taking my Million Ton Punch. Fine, even if you did survive, you should be half-dead by now. Let's see how many more punches you can take from m—"

Big Drunkard's voice grew quieter and quieter until it became completely inaudible.

Because Roy had appeared right in front of him, completely unharmed. Aside from his somewhat tattered clothes, he looked as though he had not even been through a battle. Even his breathing was not the least bit disordered.

This was naturally the effect of Roy's Dream Domain: Reality Conversion. Although his Dream-Dream Fruit had yet to develop any particularly powerful offensive methods, it could be called the strongest support-type fruit.

There was no need to mention stealing intelligence, inheritances, or cultivation experience. This ability to repair the body alone was enough to drive most people into despair. Unless Roy was instantly killed by overwhelming power, what awaited his enemy would be another completely unharmed Roy.

Of course, Reality Conversion also consumed a tremendous amount of Dream Origin. But at Roy's current level of fruit development, unless someone could kill him nine times in a single day, he could simply plunder a round in his dreams the next day and immediately be back in full vigor.