Joining the Corps Exam! One-Punching the Squad Captain!

"Have I been giving you too much face? Ask me again and I'll make you fly!" Luo Tian's eyes turned cold.

The pirate captain shuddered violently, scrambling toward the helm without daring to show the slightest bit of negligence, putting his all into steering the ship toward Beehive Island.

The next day, after a night of sleepless, nerve-wracking navigation by the pirate captain, the ship finally arrived at the headquarters of the Rocks Pirates—Beehive Island.

This island is known as the "Paradise for Pirates," a gathering place for all pirates in the New World, overflowing with desire, violence, and chaos.

Rocks chose this place for his base precisely because he valued its lawless environment, which made it easy for him to recruit ambitious powerhouses from all four seas.

The Rocks flag hanging from the ship ensured that Luo Tian and his group traveled unimpeded, with no one daring to approach for inspection.

Just as they docked, a loud shout suddenly rang out.

"It's him! This brat killed dozens of our brothers! We absolutely cannot let him go!"

Seeing that he had stepped onto his own turf, the pirate captain seized the moment Luo Tian was scanning the island and leaped off the ship.

He sprinted toward the shore, screaming at the top of his lungs in an attempt to draw attention.

However, his cries had not yet fully faded.

Hum—

A repulsive force struck first, passing through the pirate captain's body and launching him three hundred meters away.

Soon, nearby pirates gathered at the sound, their eyes filled with malice and murderous intent.

In the eyes of these people, any act of provocation against the Rocks Pirates must be repaid with blood.

Luo Tian couldn't be bothered to waste time on these small fries; with a flick of his mind, his figure blurred in place and instantly vanished.

[Space Leap]: Use your will to perform short-range teleportation, landing precisely at any designated point within your line of sight!

With a few flashes, Luo Tian crossed most of the harbor and the outer perimeter, teleporting directly to the central area of Beehive Island, which symbolized the core of its power.

The very moment his figure solidified!

"Swish—!"

A massive, crescent-shaped golden slash shot out without warning from the gate of a bunker built against the mountain, heading straight for Luo Tian's face!

Luo Tian remained expressionless, raising his right hand with his five fingers slightly spread, and a translucent void barrier instantly unfolded in front of him.

[Void Barrier]: Deploy a translucent space wall capable of deflecting all attacks!

"Clang—!"

The golden slash slammed into the void barrier with a deafening roar, energy rippling and scattering in all directions.

In the end, it was forcibly deflected and sent flying diagonally into the high sky, splitting the clouds on the distant horizon into a massive rift.

Luo Tian understood: it seemed that from the moment he stepped onto the island, his every move had already fallen under the eyes of the Rocks Pirates' top brass.

This level of vigilance and strength was truly worthy of the overlords of the New World.

The massive commotion caused by the deflection of the golden slash instantly attracted the attention of more pirates on Beehive Island, and they swarmed in from all directions.

"If I'm not mistaken, kid, you're not one of us, are you?" A voice filled with immense pressure sounded slowly:

"You've got some nerve, daring to barge in here all by yourself."

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, the overlord who ruled the entire New World—Rocks D. Zebek—appeared, surrounded by his officers.

Standing beside him were the shirtless, golden-haired Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, who was busy eating snacks, and the dual-blade-wielding Golden Lion Shiki—the slash from just a moment ago had clearly come from him.

These three were the core officers of the Rocks Pirates and the strongest among them.

The others were ordinary officers.

"Not yet, but I will be soon." Facing this lineup that could make the sea tremble, Luo Tian grinned.

Everyone naturally understood the unmasked ambition and the subtext of his desire to join in his words.

"Hahahaha!" Rocks let out a loud laugh:

"You've got a big mouth, but without sufficient strength, let alone joining us, I'm afraid it'll be hard for you to leave here alive today!"

The surrounding officers, such as Silver Axe, John, and Ochoku, all watched with the attitude of spectators, observing this ignorant and fearless young man with great interest.

For the Rocks Pirates, who dominated the New World, they had seen plenty of pirates who tried to climb the ladder by recommending themselves.

But most were just people who didn't know their own limits, and their final outcome was always ending up at the bottom of the sea as fish bait.

Under Rocks' top-tier Observation Haki, Luo Tian's aura was indeed much stronger than those previous challengers.

Furthermore, there was a strange ability hidden within his body, but that only piqued his interest slightly; it was far from enough to warrant serious attention.

"Gurarara... what an interesting kid." Edward Newgate crossed his arms and speculated:

"To be able to deflect Shiki's casual strike so easily, it must be some kind of special Paramecia fruit ability, right?"

Neither Rocks nor the officers had any intention of making a move immediately; to deal with a challenger of this level, there was no need for them to step in personally.

Naturally, there would be those who wanted to show off or uphold the dignity of the pirate crew who would step forward.

The central area of Beehive Island was usually the activity zone for officers and elite crew members.

Only when a summons was issued or a special event occurred were the captain-level figures of each division and outstanding official crew members allowed to enter.

At this moment, a large number of pirates who had heard the commotion had already gathered, witnessing with their own eyes how Luo Tian deflected the powerful slash from Shiki's subordinate.

Those ordinary crew members who knew they could never withstand such a blow looked on with complex expressions, unable to help but feel a sense of envy and awe toward the powerful figure standing in the center.

This was the instinctive yearning of the weak to become the strong.

"Hmph, a bunch of good-for-nothings, actually getting scared by some unknown brat!"

A captain-level pirate who prided himself on his strength stepped out from the crowd, his face twisted with disdain and anger.

"Kid, let me see exactly what gives you the confidence to storm this island all by yourself!"

"Oh?" Luo Tian gave a cold, cruel smile. "So, you're pretty brave, aren't you!"

"I'm super brave, alright!" the pirate captain shouted as he introduced himself:

"Remember my name, I am Zaosi, a user of the Zoan: Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Golden Eagle! My bounty is 510 million berries!"

Before his voice had even faded, Zaosi violently activated his fruit ability.

His body expanded rapidly, golden wings unfurled from his back with a "crackle," and his hands transformed into sharp talons, instantly shifting into a half-human, half-eagle form!

The significantly enhanced physical attributes of his hybrid form, especially his speed and power, filled Zaosi with overflowing confidence.

He firmly believed that with the formidable physique and strength granted by his Zoan fruit, he could absolutely tear this arrogant young man to shreds!

"Golden Eagle form? I think it would be more fitting to read that in reverse!"

Luo Tian couldn't help but quip, simultaneously raising his right hand and clenching it in the air toward the eagle-man charging at him.

Hum—

An irresistible gravitational force instantly locked onto Zaosi.

Suddenly, the charging eagle-man Zaosi felt his body lose control, and he was involuntarily pulled toward Luo Tian at high speed.

"What?!" Zaosi was struck with terror; he flapped his wings desperately, but he couldn't break free from this bizarre power.

In the critical moment, his combat instincts kicked in, and he quickly coated his sharp, hard beak in Armament Haki, intending to use the momentum of being pulled in to pierce his opponent's chest in one strike.

However, Luo Tian had long since seen through his intentions.

Just as Zaosi was pulled within a few meters and his beak was about to strike, the moment arrived.

Luo Tian suddenly clenched his right hand into a fist and raised it high, a wave of shock force condensing upon his knuckles before he threw a backhanded punch!

Whitebeard, is that you?

Whoosh—BOOM—!!!

A formidable shockwave erupted, centered on Luo Tian's fist!

The surrounding air was compressed to the limit before violently exploding, causing the very space to tremble intensely.

Zaosi's Haki-coated beak took the brunt of the impact; in the face of the terrifying shockwave, his so-called defensive Haki was as fragile as paper, shattering instantly!

Bang—

Luo Tian's punch slammed into Zaosi's chest, his sternum caving in instantly as blood mixed with visceral fragments sprayed wildly from his mouth and nose.

Zaosi was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the hard ground dozens of meters away and creating a deep crater. Dust and smoke filled the air, and his life or death remained unknown.

The watching pirates retreated one after another to avoid being caught in the residual shockwave.

They were shocked to discover that Captain Zaosi hadn't even managed to last three seconds.

"Gurarara..." Newgate analyzed:

"First, using a gravity-like ability to forcibly pull that guy Zaosi in, disrupting his flight rhythm and offensive posture."

"Then, using an even stronger shockwave to blast him away, creating a double-layered strike of internal and external damage."

"A decent combo, quite interesting."

Shiki, chewing on his cigar, glanced at the unconscious Zaosi in the crater, his tone tinged with disdain:

"Whose subordinate is this? This level of skill can be a captain? He couldn't even take a single punch from the opponent; when did the standards of our pirate crew get so low?"

These words made the nearby officer Ochoku look rather grim.

Zaosi was, in fact, a captain under his command.

However, he had a change of heart, thinking that if he could recruit this young man with the bizarre ability into his own ranks, it would perfectly compensate for the loss of strength caused by the captain's vacancy.

In the Rocks Pirates, the law of the jungle was the norm; the fall of the old often meant the rise of the new.

"Sorry, I didn't expect him to be so fragile," Luo Tian shrugged with feigned regret. "Just tell him to be more careful in his next life."