"White Wolf Moger!!!"
On a desolate, remote island, Farrell's furious roar rang through the skies.
It had been too long.
Farrell couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd fought like this, giving it everything he had, without any schemes or tricks.
Just a pure, brutal fight.
His enemy was a legend among pirates, one of the strongest swordsmen in the world.
The immense pressure nearly left Farrell unable to breathe.
"Hahaha! That's more like it, kid! Don't disappoint this old man too much!"
Farrell stood a full two meters tall, but Moger in his wolf form was a full three meters.
Their battle was like a giant fighting a dwarf.
Unlike Yamato's slender Beast-Man form in the future, Moger's Beast-Man form was far more savage. He didn't just wield his blade—any part of his body could become a weapon.
Though it looked as if Moger had Farrell on the back foot,
only Moger knew that if he couldn't finish Farrell in one blow, he'd eventually run out of stamina if the fight continued like this.
Suddenly,
Moger stumbled.
Farrell seized the opportunity and thrust without hesitation.
This was an opening.
An opening for Farrell.
It also told Moger that he didn't have much time left.
Since he'd made a mistake,
he might as well see it through!
A vicious glint flashed in Moger's eyes. He'd roamed the seas for years, and without a cheat, the reason he was still alive—aside from luck—was that he dared to fight with everything he had!
I've got a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. If I get stabbed, I'll just eat a good meal and recover.
What kind of fruit do you have?
The heavy blade was about to come crashing down, and Farrell felt his heart beating faster than ever.
Should he press forward, or retreat?
Against another enemy, Farrell would've advanced without hesitation.
Because he was the user of the Damage-Damage Fruit, a Paramecia.
Anything he touched and damaged would be very difficult to restore.
One slash.
He only needed to stab Moger once.
Even a Zoan Devil Fruit user like Moger wouldn't be able to withstand it.
But was he willing to risk it?
All these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
He couldn't take the gamble!
In the end, Farrell retreated.
His strike might have seriously wounded Moger, but afterward he could've been caught in Moger's relentless assault, unable to escape.
Could he, already at a disadvantage, have held out?
Sometimes, habit decided victory or defeat.
He'd always been used to having his crew wear down his enemies first.
When it came to a real fight, how could he dare to stake his own life?
And the instant he stepped back,
Moger smiled.
The white wolf bared a savage grin.
"The winner's clear, Farrell. You're not nearly as great as you think!"
"Ha... ha..."
A hand hung limply at his side. On the Black Pearl, Rocks stood with all his strength, staring at Cassius, who was just as battered before him.
Rocks had thought he was the toughest guy in his town. Even the local police couldn't beat him, so taking down a pirate who looked like a mere lackey should've been a piece of cake, right?
But once they started fighting, he'd nearly lost.
"But in the end, I still came out on top! Hahaha!"
He'd only paid the price of one arm, while he'd knocked Cassius's sword away. How could an unarmed Cassius fight him?
Nearby, Cassius wore a blank expression.
He knew he'd lost.
He'd had the upper hand at the start. There'd never been a shortage of powerful teachers in the White Wolf Pirates, but he'd watched helplessly as Rocks wielded a third-rate sword style, copying his techniques bit by bit, then knocked the saber from his hand at the cost of an arm.
Was this what it meant to be a genius?
For the first time, Cassius understood the look Moger had given him.
It was pity.
It was a sigh of regret.
In the end, he couldn't even beat a helmsman the captain had picked up on a whim.
Thud!
A body fell from the sky and slammed onto the deck of the Black Pearl.
At the sight of the figure falling from above,
Cassius couldn't stop himself from trembling.
The captain... had won!
From the moment Farrell had backed down, the outcome had been clear.
Moger was stronger than Farrell to begin with. He was simply getting old, and his stamina couldn't keep up, so he couldn't fight at full strength.
If Farrell had traded wounds with Moger, the younger Farrell might have won in the end.
After all, recovering from injuries took stamina, even for a Zoan Devil Fruit user.
As time went on, if Farrell could hold out,
Moger might be the one to lose.
Unfortunately, Farrell hadn't held his nerve.
Moger had won, but Farrell's dying counterattack had nearly taken a layer of skin off him.
Now Moger was drenched in blood, with less than a tenth of his stamina left.
Fortunately, his old internal injuries had already healed.
If he'd still been carrying those injuries into the fight, the outcome would've been hard to predict.
At that moment, the system panel appeared.
[After a not-so-difficult battle, you easily defeated Blood Skull Farrell. As a remnant of the old era, the moment he lost his dreams and drive to advance, he was destined to be cast aside by the times.] [You have gained Conqueror's Haki potential.] [Your Cellular Activity has increased slightly.]
Not difficult?
Moger's mouth twitched. Whatever you say, System.
As for the Conqueror's Haki potential he'd been dreaming of,
Moger focused, and an invisible aura suddenly burst out. Rocks and Cassius turned pale, as though they were staring at some primordial beast, and nearly fainted.
"Hmm, I've only just begun to master it. Looks like the only way to get good at using Conqueror's Haki is through battle."
Moger's Armament Haki and Observation Haki were both top-tier, so by drawing parallels, he'd easily learned how to use Conqueror's Haki.
But this so-called use was really just a one-button crowd clear, useful for dealing with cannon fodder.
He couldn't manage anything more advanced.
Moger's Conqueror's Haki still wasn't strong enough. He couldn't even knock out two rookie pirates like Rocks and Cassius.
"Take it slow."
Moger wasn't in a hurry. After all, this was only the beginning.
"Captain..."
Cassius's voice came from nearby. Moger turned to see the young pirate trembling slightly as he looked at him with a hint of pleading.
"I..."
"Cassius, Lily and the others must be heartbroken."
Moger spoke calmly as he looked at Cassius.
Moger admitted that, over the past five years, his drive had faded, and he'd mostly left Cassius to fend for himself.
His old crewmates had been the ones looking after Cassius.
But that wasn't a reason for Cassius to betray him.
He owed Cassius nothing.
If not for them, Cassius might have died in that village long ago.
So—
"I made the wrong decision."
As Cassius watched in terror, Moger swung his blade down.
"Now I'm going to make it right."
"Cassius."
"You don't owe us anything anymore."
Moger's blade severed the last thread tying him to the past.
He looked at another figure aboard the ship.
"Rocks, good job!"
"Hmph. Of course."
Rocks lifted his chin proudly, making Moger burst into laughter.
Now,
it was time for a new beginning!
Before you continue