Pirate General Jango

"Roar..."

The Sea Dragon let out a mournful cry, its body beginning to sink beneath the sea. But that brief moment was enough for Ling Donglai to use it as a foothold and launch himself into the air again.

After flying for a while longer, Ling Donglai finally spotted a new island. When the log lost its power of flight, he stomped off it with both feet, sending himself soaring toward the island before crashing heavily onto land.

His feet stamped a spiderweb of cracks into the ground.

"That flight scared the hell out of me. Good thing I spotted a Sea Dragon to use as leverage, or I would've died at sea.

"I should train for a while longer. At the very least, I need to make the wood stay airborne for around an hour before I head out to sea alone again..."

Rubbing his stomach, Ling Donglai began searching the island for food. His hunger was rising again, and he desperately needed to eat.

"There are a lot of people on this island. Looks like there'll be enough food." Ling Donglai took out his coin pouch and weighed it in his hand.

"This doesn't seem like enough money to fill me up. Better to go hunting and have a chef prepare it for me. That'll save some money."

Ever since cultivating Current Drive, Ling Donglai had been in a constant state of hunger. As long as there was enough energy, this divine art could continuously temper his cells through friction. As a result, all the money Ling Donglai earned ended up in his stomach.

"Who are you?" The moment Ling Donglai entered a small grove, he ran into two vicious-looking pirates wielding rusty steel blades.

"There are pirates on this island too?" Looking at these former colleagues, Ling Donglai struck at once, knocking their weapons away before grabbing them by the necks. At one meter ninety tall, he easily lifted them into the air.

"Tell me, what faction are you from, and what are you doing on this island?"

"Bastard, you're so fast..." The pirate on the left struggled in midair as he cursed Ling Donglai.

"We won't tell you anything! If you dare touch me, Lord Jango will avenge us when he finds out!" the pirate on the right said.

"Oh? Never heard that name before."

Ling Donglai tightened his grip slightly and snapped their necks. Since he had never heard the name, that meant the other side was just small fry. There were only a few pirates in the East Blue with any real reputation, after all. It was the weakest sea.

"Even poorer than me..." Ling Donglai searched their bodies and found only a few Beli. They did not even have a single bullet on them.

"Since there are pirates here, I should head into the village first." Ling Donglai took out his revolver and loaded it.

Guns were far more intimidating than fists, even though a pistol like this was practically useless against stronger opponents.

"This village is almost entirely old, weak, sick, and disabled. The young men were either killed or taken away as laborers..." Ling Donglai noticed something unusual as soon as he entered the village.

Then he saw a young woman. "They aren't interested in women. Looks like they captured all the men."

From Ling Donglai's experience as a pirate, pirates who did not care for women were most likely the ambitious sort. They only focused on men.

"Are you... from somewhere else?" The young woman hesitated before asking when she saw Ling Donglai.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm a martial artist passing through, not a pirate, so don't worry. Could you give me something to eat? I'm willing to pay." Ling Donglai held up some Beli as he spoke.

"Money has no meaning anymore. Come in." The woman looked over the dust-covered Ling Donglai, sighed, and invited him inside, where she boiled some rice bran.

The house was bare and utterly impoverished.

That rice bran might have been their last remaining food, but Ling Donglai still ate it. Only when he was full would he have the strength to fight.

"I saw two pirates on the mountain just now. Can you tell me what happened on this island?" After slightly filling his stomach, Ling Donglai asked. Since she would not take his money, he might as well do a good deed while he was here.

"A group of pirates came to our island. They seized all the grown men from our homes and looted our food," the young woman said with a troubled expression.

"I see. Then I'll help you drive them away. I also work as a bounty hunter on the side." Ling Donglai patted the young woman on the head and walked out with a flatbread in hand.

He was not full yet. It looked like he would have to beg the pirates for a meal.

"Hey... sir, you're alone. Once you've eaten, you should sneak away." The woman froze for a moment, then grabbed the hem of Ling Donglai's clothes.

"It's because I'm not full that I have to go ask for food. Don't worry, I have a gun." Ling Donglai lifted his shirt, revealing his revolver and hard abdominal muscles.

"But you only have one gun..." The young woman blushed slightly when she saw his abs.

"Big Sister, do we have a guest?" A child's voice from outside interrupted their conversation.

A little girl wearing iron armor came panting through the door, then plopped down on the floor.

"Merika, you went out wearing such heavy armor again." The young woman gently removed the little girl's armor, revealing her pink hair.

"I'm going to train, then rescue my dad!" Merika declared loudly.

"This person is..." She looked at the tall Ling Donglai. There were no grown men left on this island.

"A bounty hunter passing through. I'm about to go wipe out those pirates." Compared to calling himself a martial artist, bounty hunter sounded far more intimidating.

"Will you help me rescue my dad?" Merika knew about bounty hunters. They defeated pirates, then collected rewards from the Marines.

"Of course. I need to ask for a meal, after all." Ling Donglai left the house and headed up the mountain.

Those pirates were carrying crude weapons, while some were even empty-handed. That alone showed what kind of trash they were. They were not even qualified to make Ling Donglai use any special techniques. He casually knocked them down with his raw strength, seized a steel blade, and hacked down every pirate he encountered.

His brazen intrusion drew more and more pirates to him. By rough estimate, there were at least fifty pirates on this island.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you provoke Pirate General Jango!"

As his subordinates fell one after another, the captain finally appeared.

"A crab...?" Ling Donglai looked at Jango. On his back was a mechanical device resembling something Doctor Octopus would wear.

"Bastard, it's not a crab!" Jango flew into a rage and charged at Ling Donglai with his weapon. His style of attack was extremely unusual: both hands wielded weapons, while the crab claws behind him also struck at Ling Donglai.

He looked like a cheap imitation of Doctor Octopus.

"How fascinating. What exactly powers those devices on your back?"

Ling Donglai was stunned. Without any buttons at all, the crab-like armor on Jango's back could actually move by itself!