It was Ochoku's Conqueror's Haki, an innate pressure bearing down on Patri Vic.
Even he was briefly stunned.
"Having Conqueror's Haki means you have the qualities of a king, and I am that king! In my eyes, you're nothing but a lowly apprentice."
Ochoku's face was grim, his eyes filled with boundless fury. Patri Vic's strength had him burning with rage.
"Swish!"
He turned and slashed at the Wood Dragon behind him. His Sword Qi was razor-sharp, like a finger from God, and cut the Wood Dragon floating in midair in two.
"As expected of a commander. You really are troublesome to deal with." Patri Vic's lips curled into a faint smile as he praised him.
"You bastard."
Hearing Patri Vic's words, Ochoku knew he was mocking him.
Even with one arm dripping with blood, he could still unleash immense power. Gripping his sword with both hands, he charged at Patri Vic.
"Bang?"
Patri Vic coated his arm in Armament Haki and relied on his powerful physique to clash head-on with Ochoku.
The pressure of Nintaijutsu weighed on Ochoku throughout, slowing his attacks and movements alike.
"Wood Style Wood Golem Technique!"
After a brief exchange, a gigantic wooden arhat appeared beneath Patri Vic's feet. Long tusks jutted from either side of its mouth, giving it a ferocious look.
Its enormous body was enough to intimidate Ochoku. A massive Wood Dragon coiled around the wooden arhat's arm, making for a truly imposing sight.
Staring at the huge arhat before him, Ochoku broke out in a cold sweat. But he wasn't afraid. Gripping his sword with both hands, he attacked Patri Vic.
The giant wooden arhat grabbed Ochoku, its immense strength leaving him unable to fight back for the moment.
"Bang, bang, bang!!!"
Patri Vic controlled the wooden arhat as it seized Ochoku and repeatedly slammed him into the ground. Each impact left a sizable crater.
The wooden arhat's strength left Ochoku no chance to resist. Being hurled around at such speed left him dazed, let alone able to fight back.
"Boom!"
Patri Vic controlled the wooden arhat and poured all its strength into slamming Ochoku hard into the ground.
A massive crater appeared, and smoke and yellow sand billowed across the battlefield.
Time seemed to stand still. After more than ten seconds, the smoke began to clear.
"Is he dead?"
Patri Vic made the wooden arhat step forward and saw that Ochoku's body wasn't in the crater.
"Looks like he isn't." Patri Vic calmly gazed into the distance.
Ochoku was no longer any threat to him, so even if he had escaped, Patri Vic wasn't worried in the slightest.
Besides, Ochoku's survival meant Patri Vic could stay with the Rocks Pirates a little longer.
The war in the Amondos Allied Nation was still raging, and Patri Vic ran toward the center of the battlefield.
The Rocks Pirates had spent half a day invading the Amondos Allied Nation.
Every commander in the Rocks Pirates had enough power to deal a devastating blow to an entire country.
Yet this time, the fighting involved not only a large number of commanders but also countless apprentice and regular crew members.
Even with all those forces, it had taken half a day.
The fighting ended that evening. The commanders who had disappeared after the invasion of the Amendos Kingdom returned one after another.
They were all injured. There was no doubt they had fought among themselves.
Rocks knew exactly what had happened. He swept a cold gaze over them all, then boarded the ship.
The crew's relationships were steadily worsening. Even Rocks was finding it difficult to keep them in line.
After all, the ship was full of ruthless criminals. It was impossible to make them submit completely.
The Rocks Pirates plundered every treasure stored in the Amondos Allied Nation. The country was truly enormous.
No wonder it was famous in the New World for being fabulously wealthy.
The day after the battle, shocking news spread around the world.
The Amendos Kingdom had a news agency correspondent who witnessed the war and survived.
He had also secretly photographed the new members of the Rocks Pirates.
His photography skills were impressive. Even Patri Vic hadn't noticed he was being photographed.
By attacking a World Government Member State, the Rocks Pirates had openly declared war on the World Government.
Their bounties rose once again.
Rocks Jibeck: 1.8 billion Berries!
Edward Newgate: 1.1 billion Berries!
Charlotte Linlin: 900 million Berries!
Shiki: 1.1 billion Berries!
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Patri Vic's bounty was also announced. The news agency correspondent thought he was just an ordinary pirate.
So his bounty was 100 million Berries.
"Got a bounty?" Patri Vic sighed helplessly.
To be honest, he didn't want to attract attention. If possible, he wished he had no bounty at all.
"Kyahaha... Ochoku, what happened to you? You look absolutely pathetic!"
When the crew gathered on deck, they saw Ochoku wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with one arm missing. He looked utterly miserable.
"Someone in the Amendos Kingdom managed to hurt you this badly? That's surprising. You're way too weak." Golden Lion folded his arms over his chest, cigar in his mouth, and couldn't resist teasing him.
Ochoku was a commander in the Rocks Pirates, after all.
As far as Golden Lion knew, Ochoku hadn't had any grudges with the other commanders.
That meant someone outside the ranks of the commanders had injured him. Could the Amendos Kingdom have a hidden powerhouse?
"Don't tell me you provoked Patri Vic and got taught a lesson?" A commander smirked and couldn't help teasing him.
"Hahaha... Ochoku, you're really pathetic. You couldn't even beat an apprentice!" Silver Axe laughed, resting his axe on his shoulder.
Of course, they were only mocking him. The commanders were bitter rivals, after all.
Trading taunts and jabs was part of their everyday life.
But despite their mockery, they didn't believe Patri Vic could have hurt Ochoku.
After all, Ochoku was a commander, while Patri Vic was only an apprentice.
"Shut up!"
Faced with the others' jeers, Ochoku growled, his face dark. He fixed his gaze on Patri Vic.
But when his eyes met Patri Vic's, a bead of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he quickly looked away.
The battle the previous day had left a deep shadow in Ochoku's mind. It was the first time in years of fighting on the sea that terror had driven him to flee.
Proud and fiercely protective of his pride, he couldn't accept having run away. But he still didn't dare provoke Patri Vic again, because he would die.
Still, he wouldn't forget this grudge. One day, he would have his revenge!
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