A True Pirate

They boarded the warship.

A middle-aged man wearing a Justice Cape and a suit, with a long sword at his waist and a mohawk on his head, strode over with an air of swagger. To be honest, he was not much to look at.

"I heard it from my subordinates. It's truly an honor to be able to act alongside Teacher Zephyr."

Seeing the newcomer, Zephyr smiled as well. "Momonga, I haven't congratulated you on your promotion to Rear Admiral yet."

"Not at all. I owe what I have today to your guidance back then, Teacher."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Momonga looked at the three people behind Zephyr and asked, "Teacher, who are these people?"

"Oh, I'm planning to take them along for some experience."

Momonga had to give Teacher Zephyr some face, so he nodded and did not ask further.

Before long, the warship raised its sails and officially set off.

Although this was not Lin Qi's first time on a ship, no matter how many times he saw it, it was always magnificent.

As he gazed at the boundless sea, something called ambition began brewing in his chest.

Life at sea was extremely peaceful. After all, no fool would dare attack a Marine warship.

Before they knew it, three hours had passed.

As they neared their destination, Zephyr and Momonga stopped chatting, and the atmosphere aboard the warship gradually turned grim.

"Rear Admiral, we are estimated to reach the destination in fifteen minutes," a soldier reported.

Momonga raised a hand to his sword hilt and said, "Have everyone prepare for combat!"

"Yes, sir."

At once, the sea breeze carried the thick scent of gunpowder as large numbers of soldiers loaded ammunition into their Flintlock Pistols.

Lin Qi took the chance to find the soldier who had reported to Momonga earlier. By the time he returned, there was an extra flintlock pistol at his waist.

"Fire! Such a huge fire!"

Blazing flames lit up the night sky, dyeing the darkness blood-red.

When the warship docked, all kinds of screams and wails reached their ears—women's, children's.

Less than four hours had passed since the report came in, yet this place had already become hell.

"These beasts!" Momonga drew the long sword at his waist and coldly ordered, "Enter the village and rescue the survivors! Show no mercy to any pirate you encounter!"

Boom!

Before Momonga had finished speaking, a thunderous explosion rang out. Zephyr shot forward like a cannonball, blasting a crater two meters wide into the ground.

Lin Qi and Hina followed close behind, using Geppo to rapidly approach the village.

Blood. Blood was everywhere, along with corpses strewn across the ground. Beneath the raging flames, the Pirates' savage, hateful faces were illuminated.

"Damn it, why were a few old farts still hiding here?"

A drunken pirate walked out of a wine cellar carrying two trembling elderly people, then chopped off their heads with a single slash.

The two heads rolled across the ground, fear still frozen on their faces.

"Get lost, brat! You've ruined my good mood!"

On the street, a small child lay atop his dead father, crying bitterly. An annoyed passing pirate smashed the child into a bloody pulp with a hammer.

"Hehahaha! Look what I found—a pretty decent-looking woman!"

A pirate leered as he pinned the woman onto a straw mat. She struggled desperately.

"No! Please... please let me go."

"Bitch, behave yourself. If you make us feel good, maybe we'll spare your life."

Another pirate walked over and violently tore open the woman's skirt.

Bang!

After a gunshot, the pirate was shot through the head on the spot. A huge hole exploded in his skull, and his body fell stiffly to the ground.

In midair, Lin Qi calmly loaded another lead bullet into his flintlock pistol.

"I hit him." Lin Qi was not surprised, as though he had expected it.

Those three months he had spent working on firearms after first joining the Marines had not been wasted.

He had no choice. Without talent for Body Technique, after thinking it over, he figured that taking potshots was the safest route. How could he not put more effort into it?

The facts proved that he had quite a talent for shooting.

Whoosh~

Hina flashed behind the other pirate and drove her longsword straight through his heart, saving the woman.

"Don't be afraid. You're safe now, because we're here," Hina comforted her softly.

"Mar... Marines?" Tears filled the woman's eyes as she brushed aside the hair covering her face.

"It's us. Hurry toward the edge of the village. Our main force is behind us."

Bang bang~

After using his flintlock pistol to kill two more Pirates, Lin Qi landed on the ground and drew the longsword at his waist. He could not keep up the stamina drain of continuously using Geppo for much longer.

With the arrival of two hundred Marines, the Pirates finally realized something was wrong.

"It's the Marines! The Marines are here!"

"Kill them all!"

These Pirates truly deserved their reputation as vicious Great Pirates. Their first reaction upon facing the Marines was not to run, but to destroy them.

As four sword-wielding Pirates closed in around him, Lin Qi murmured, "Shave!"

He became a bolt of lightning, instantly breaking through the encirclement and appearing before one of the Pirates, driving his sword through the man's heart.

Bang~

"Watch out!"

At the sound of a gunshot, Hina abruptly stepped in front of Lin Qi. Her longsword seemed to block something, and the impact knocked it sharply aside.

"Thanks." Lin Qi thanked her sincerely.

There were skilled fighters in the opposing pirate crew after all. Someone had actually caught the instant of stiffness after he used Shave and fired at him.

At the instant the shot rang out, the back of his head had prickled like it was being pierced by needles. He knew this was a sign that his Observation Haki was about to awaken.

But without Hina, he could not be sure whether he would have been able to dodge it.

"Hmph~ Hina can help you once, but not every time. Be careful," Hina said in her clear, melodious voice.

"It's Captain Yoru! Captain Yoru!"

The surrounding Pirates cried out excitedly.

The man on a distant roof beam grimly put away his sniper rifle. He had used Observation Haki just now, yet he had still failed to kill that brat.

At that moment, an iron Jitte swung in from the side. Smoker had followed the gunshot and found this place.

"Tch, another brat."

Yoru did not take Smoker seriously. There was no way a little guy who had not even awakened Haki could hit him, even if he closed his eyes.

Sure enough, Smoker was steadily forced back within a few exchanges.

If the man had been holding a sword instead of a gun, Smoker would already have been dead.

Fortunately, Momonga arrived and blocked Yoru for Smoker.

"Go somewhere else. Leave this to me."

Smoker glared at Yoru unwillingly, then silently tightened his grip on the Jitte and left.

After the lesson just now, Lin Qi did not dare casually use the Shave he had only just learned. Instead, he used Geppo to kite them from the sky.

Bang~

Another pirate died beneath Lin Qi's gun.

The Pirates below could only watch Lin Qi attack them helplessly. They were so furious they nearly exploded—after all, they could not fly.

Even among the Marines, only elites could learn the Six Powers, much less Pirates who were not even Marines.

"Which one of you can shoot him down for me?!" a pirate roared furiously.