Mountain Bandit Chief

"Who are you? How did you get here?" When Shirakawa and the others appeared at the entrance of the stronghold, the gatekeeper spotted them and demanded.

"People who kill you." Since he was already here, Shirakawa didn't intend to waste words—he'd finish this quickly.

"Kill us? Hahahaha, you few must not be awake yet, spouting nonsense here. While I'm in a good mood, get lost now, or you won't even make it down the mountain."

At that moment, no one took Shirakawa's words seriously.

"I think I'm awake, but you'll never wake up again."

When Shirakawa finished saying this, he appeared right in front of that man, slitting his throat in one stroke. By the time his companions reacted, it was too late. Shirakawa didn't even give them a chance to speak, instantly killing them.

"Wow, just charging straight in—that's really domineering." Watching Shirakawa's back, Kaiser Lynn said with some excitement in her voice.

"Who are you, and how did you get in?" When Shirakawa stepped inside the stronghold, someone else asked him the same question.

But Shirakawa no longer felt like replying; he simply drew his blade and faced them.

"Not good, enemies! Enemies!"

One mountain bandit was quick-witted. Seeing Shirakawa holding a bloodstained sword, he understood what was happening and immediately shouted out.

"Smart. But even knowing who we are won't save you from going to hell." Shirakawa's voice, like a demon's, rang in his ear.

"No, don't kill me." The man didn't dare turn around, his voice trembling.

But it was destined to be the last words he ever spoke in this life.

"Damn it! Killing our men? Looks like you're tired of living. Brothers, get them! Tear them apart!"

The mountain bandits who came out later saw their comrades' corpses and the only ones standing—Shirakawa and his group of four—and roared in fury.

"Go. Remember to protect yourselves."

"Got it." Shanks bared a bloodthirsty grin and charged forward instantly.

"Buggy, you protect Kaiser Lynn from the rear. Stay sneaky; don't rush to the front."

"No problem." Buggy gladly accepted the task Shirakawa assigned him. Avoiding direct confrontation was his favorite thing.

With dozens of mountain bandits suddenly appearing, Buggy felt a bit of fear too.

Shirakawa and Shanks plunged into the bandit mob like fierce wolves into a flock of sheep. No one could withstand more than three moves from either of them. Buggy also snatched a gun in the chaos and provided sneaky support from the rear.

"You're so useless." Kaiser Lynn smacked the back of Buggy's head in exasperation.

"How are you so different from that kid Shanks? Look, Shanks can at least help share the enemy."

"This is called tactics, you wouldn't understand. When they're outmatched, I'll have the strength to drag them out of here." Buggy found a seemingly reasonable excuse for his cowardice.

"Back in the day, Shanks and I dared to face Whitebeard and boasted we'd take his head. You know who Whitebeard is? A man hailed as the strongest in the world." Buggy started bragging to Kaiser Lynn about his past exploits.

Even thinking about that scene now made him shudder. He only dared to say that back then because Shanks had egged him on.

Now, whenever he sees Whitebeard, Buggy's legs start trembling. Ever since that encounter, every time they had to fight the Whitebeard Pirates, Buggy stayed as far away as possible.

"Oh? Didn't think you had some brains." Kaiser Lynn didn't seem to know whether she truly believed Buggy's nonsense or was just humoring him.

"You bet." Buggy felt a bit smug.

Their attention returned to Shirakawa and Shanks on the battlefield. The two were growing fiercer with each fight, and no one could stop them.

"That's enough, you two." At that moment, a furious voice rang in everyone's ears. A massive figure, about two meters tall and heavily built, appeared before them all.

"Boss, you're finally here!" Seeing him, the remaining bandits felt like crying tears of joy. They'd been brutally beaten, terrified that the next swing would land on their necks.

"Oh? So you're their boss? You look pretty strong."

"Why are you causing trouble on my turf?" The bandit leader asked with a grim expression.

"No reason. Just don't like the look of you."

"Don't like it? Hah. That's the excuse I use on others. Never thought someone would use it on me. Fine. Now you've made me pretty damn unhappy too."

With that, the bandit leader hefted a wolf fang club half his height and swung it at Shirakawa.

"What a beast." Shirakawa raised his blade to block, but the immense force of the club sent him flying backward.

"Shirakawa!" Shanks called out.

Shirakawa steadied himself midair and landed slowly back on the ground.

"Didn't expect you to have that much strength. Caught off guard, you almost sent me flying."

Shirakawa shook his arm, his expression utterly calm, as if that blow hadn't fazed him at all.

"Oh? Not bad, you actually blocked that hit." The bandit leader grinned, seeming to take a keen interest in Shirakawa.

"Then let's see if you can block the second one." He attacked again.

Knowing he couldn't match the man in raw strength, Shirakawa wasn't foolish enough to clash head-on again.

As the wolf fang club was about to land on him, Shirakawa leaped backward. The club grazed past the tip of his nose, narrowly dodging the strike.

"Shanks, don't worry about me. Clean up the small fry first."

Seeing Shanks about to come help, Shirakawa stopped him. Having those little pests around would be annoying otherwise.

"You okay, Shirakawa?"

"Relax, he can't do anything to me." Shirakawa smiled confidently.

"Pretty confident, are you, kid?" The Mountain Bandit Chief slammed his Wolf Fang Club into the ground, directly gouging out a large crater.

"But real confidence and blind confidence are two different things."

"Whether I'm truly confident or not, you'll find out soon enough."

"Interesting." He sneered contemptuously. "In all my years, I've never met someone as arrogant as you."

"Well, now you have."

With that, Shirakawa dashed toward his opponent, blade in hand, swinging for his head.

But the strike was effortlessly blocked. Still, Shirakawa wasn't discouraged—because the fight had only just begun, and he was just now entering his optimal state.

"A bit of a change, kid?" Shirakawa's gaze grew sharper by the moment.

"Since my opponent is you, I can't very well stay the same as before."

"Good."

The two moved at once, blade and Wolf Fang Club clashing together, scattering sparks in all directions.

A surge of exhilaration coursed through Shirakawa's entire body, causing the corners of his mouth to unconsciously curl into a look of pure enjoyment.