Snake People

A battle was underway on the field.

Xiluo versus John—the outcome was naturally one-sided.

However, the one being overwhelmingly suppressed was John against Xiluo.

Xiluo yelled and darted around the field, constantly twisting and dodging. The man named John pursued him relentlessly, his fists and kicks heavy and powerful, each blow blasting a huge hole into the stone-paved training ground.

Of course, it was not because John had been hiding his strength and suddenly erupted, beating Xiluo until he could not fight back. It was simply because—

"Like a cat playing with a mouse."

Louis spoke softly. Xiluo was far less kind than he appeared. Beneath that smiling face probably lay a cruel heart. The situation on the field made that obvious enough.

John was not particularly strong, something that was easy to see. His Doriki Value ranked in the lower-middle range of the entire training camp, and the only one of the Six Powers he had learned was Tekkai. He used nothing but that move over and over, and was not even very proficient at it.

Yet such a guy was actually chasing Xiluo all over the place. Xiluo wore an expression of utter terror, as though he might be taken out at any moment. John even looked delighted, apparently truly believing that Xiluo was all bark and no bite, and that one more push would bring him victory.

"Ah, I've had enough fun. Time to end this, meow."

The panic on Xiluo's face vanished in an instant. He grinned, revealing half a row of sharp teeth. His ever-narrowed eyes opened slightly, and there was not the slightest trace of amusement in those long, slit pupils.

"What?"

John froze.

Smack!

A fist had already struck him squarely in the face. His body flew out of control, spinning through the air before crashing heavily into the distance, completely motionless.

"Ah! I overdid it, meow!"

Xiluo suddenly slapped his forehead. "Doesn't that mean Mr. John won't be able to participate in the second round either, meow?"

"Well, whatever. I'll remember to apologize later, meow."

With a cheerful grin, Xiluo stepped off the field and sidled up to Louis. "That was close, meow. I almost got beaten! Mr. John was way too strong!"

"Was he? What a pity,"

Louis replied casually. "I would have liked to see what expression you'd make if you were defeated."

"Eh! Brother Louis, that's too mean, meow!"

Xiluo grinned.

Among everyone present, only Xiluo and Stuart were worth Louis's attention. Both were overwhelmingly stronger than their opponents. After one fight, Xiluo had not revealed even the slightest bit of his real strength. Louis did not even know which of the Six Powers he specialized in.

Fortunately, Stuart was much more straightforward in the match that followed.

His opponent was one of his lackeys. Even so, the lackey went all out. Perhaps he thought the same way Louis did: if he wanted to be valued more, he had to display greater talent.

There were rumors that he had already learned three of the Six Powers, perhaps even more. It now seemed the rumors were true. He immediately displayed two of the Six Powers and instantly defeated his opponent.

Soru!

His body suddenly accelerated, becoming completely invisible to the naked eye.

Tekkai!

Then he hardened his body and slammed directly into the opponent, who had no time to react. The opponent was sent flying as if struck by a locomotive, screaming as he crashed onto the field, unable to rise again.

The battle had taken one second. This was what a true instant defeat looked like. Though he had been so ruthless toward his own lackey, Louis had heard from Xiluo that, in private, the man had warned others to be careful around his lackeys, or he would not be polite. No wonder he could still keep several followers in this fractured training camp.

Louis nodded slightly. Not bad. This guy had a strong foundation and impressive mastery of the Six Powers. His Soru was incredibly fast. Forget his opponent—even Louis himself would find it difficult to do anything while facing such high-speed movement. He could only act after the movement ended. Yet this guy could use Tekkai while performing Soru. His training was indeed quite advanced.

"Wow! So impressive! Soru plus Tekkai, what an amazing combination, meow."

Xiluo laughed. "Is that Brother Louis's combination too, meow?"

"As for Brother Xiluo,"

Louis replied, "are you a Devil Fruit user?"

"Ah? A Devil Fruit user? Hahahaha, meow!"

Xiluo burst into laughter and said nothing more.

"Next group: Louis, Yerika."

After recording the score, the Instructor spoke directly.

"Good luck, Brother Louis! Don't go easy on her just because she's a beauty, meow."

Xiluo cheered Louis on.

"I am,"

Louis turned back and gave him a long look. "Twelve years old."

"Hahahaha, meow. Right."

Xiluo laughed first, then nodded in agreement. "Then just take her out, meow!"

Louis had gained a rough understanding of what sort of person Yerika was. As the only woman in the training camp, she had not received the treatment of being adored by everyone. Instead, she was heavily discriminated against. Women were the weaker group everywhere, even when that woman was quite formidable.

Perhaps because of that, her mentality was not normal.

Louis could tell from the murderous gaze she gave him. Even if she really wanted to kill him, she did not need to make it so obvious. This woman seemed to have suffered some sort of trauma. She was not very suited to being a spy.

"Boss Stuart, who do you think will win?"

On the other side, one of Stuart's lackeys asked. He was not shaken in the least by Stuart's earlier lack of mercy toward another lackey.

"Is there even a need to ask? Of course it'll be that woman. No matter how talented that smug Brat is, he's only twelve. How strong can he be?"

"I think so too!"

"Shut up,"

Stuart said solemnly. "Even at twelve, his Doriki is higher than all of yours."

"Yes."

The lackeys instantly fell silent.

"Still, that Brat's chances of winning are definitely not high. The difference in age is an insurmountable gulf!"

Stuart sneered.

"Battle, begin."

The Instructor was growing interested. Compared to Xiluo and Stuart crushing weak opponents, or the other weaklings pecking at each other, the battle between Louis and Yerika finally had the makings of a real highlight.

Bang!

The air trembled slightly as Yerika shot straight into the sky.

Geppo!

Though she had not mastered it to perfection, she was already fairly skilled. This woman's talent was indeed not weak.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several soft pops sounded through the air. Yerika was extremely fast. She stepped through the air several times, her body shifting position like a phantom as she rushed behind Louis, diving down with her right index finger extended toward the back of his head.

A combination of mobility and attack power? A wise choice.

That was what Louis thought.

He did not turn around. He did not turn around at all. Louis simply faced Yerika's attack with the back of his head.

"What?"

Her certain strike was evaded. Louis's body swayed like a willow branch in the wind, effortlessly avoiding Yerika's blow. Then—

Whoosh!

The distortion spread throughout his body. Louis's entire body instantly became like a sheet of paper. Curling backward, he coiled around Yerika's shapely body like a snake.

"What?"

Stuart, watching the fight, was greatly shocked. "Is that Kami-e? How can it be at this level?"

He suddenly gritted his teeth. "That Brat..."

"This is..."

The Instructor was stunned. "What a terrifying Brat!"

The body-softening of Kami-e was difficult to control. The body could only be softened through special methods in the first place, making precise or large movements extremely difficult.

"The last thing you should have done was close the distance with me. Kami-e—"

Louis's body was like a snake, with no sign that it contained anything called bones. He wrapped himself completely around Yerika like a rope, binding her tightly. His head emerged from over her shoulder and returned to normal. "Snake People!"

"Wow! A genius, he's absolutely a genius! Brother Louis, is it over already, meow?"

"Bastard!"

Yerika gave a low cry. Her right hand, which had attacked earlier, was not restrained. She turned it around and struck straight toward her own chest—toward Louis's back.