In a remote stretch of sea between Moonlight Province and the Sasba Kingdom.
Stories of the Golden Great Pirate Woonan were told throughout these waters.
Decades ago, the Golden Great Pirate Woonan had risen to prominence in the East Blue, making a habit of robbing bad people and vowing to find all the gold and treasure in the world.
After Woonan suddenly disappeared, all kinds of rumors began to spread, growing more and more outrageous with every telling.
Some claimed that the Golden Great Pirate Woonan owned a third of all the gold in the world and had hidden it away when he retired. The story was downright absurd.
As a result, countless pirates and bounty hunters searched for Woonan's golden treasure in the East Blue every year.
It had to be said: the average intelligence of people in this world was a little low.
Even Gild Tesoro, the current Gold Emperor, couldn't get his hands on that much gold.
A pirate who had left behind nothing but a legend in the East Blue had somehow become the subject of such outrageous tales.
Still, just because Wang Shi didn't believe them didn't mean no one else did.
Golden Dragon El Drago was a pirate obsessed with gold.
He had been investigating Woonan's golden treasure for years, searching these waters and lingering here for a long time.
He was determined to find the golden treasure left behind by the Golden Great Pirate Woonan.
He had no intention of venturing into the Grand Line.
"Captain!! This is bad! A fleet has appeared behind us!"
"What! Is it the Marines?"
"No, the flag looks familiar. I think it's the Goa Empire's flag."
"What? The Goa Empire, the one everyone's been talking about lately?"
"Yes, Captain. The waters we're in seem to belong to the Goa Empire..."
"Damn it, they dare interfere with my search for the golden treasure? I'll blow them out of the water!"
After a brief, blunt exchange with his men, El Drago rushed to the stern and immediately began using his sonic powers.
A golden light gathered in El Drago's mouth as he took aim at the distant fleet.
"Get ready to be destroyed!"
Laser Sonic Cannon!
El Drago unleashed a powerful laser beam.
But the next moment, blood burst from both his shoulders.
"Ah!!"
The excruciating pain made his head jerk wildly.
In an instant, the laser he had fired at the fleet behind them began sweeping erratically, even blasting a chunk off his own pirate ship.
"It hurts! It hurts!!"
El Drago stopped firing the Laser Sonic Cannon and collapsed to the deck, screaming. Two bloody holes had appeared in his shoulders.
"What an incredible sniper!"
Fallen Swordsman Goras, whom El Drago had hired, broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly ducked beneath the ship's railing, not daring to expose himself to a top-notch sniper.
He couldn't believe the enemy sniper had hit Captain El Drago with such precision from so far away.
Was this the strength of the Goa Empire, which had swallowed up four kingdoms in the East Blue?
They were incredibly powerful.
"Get someone to treat me!"
"Run!! You idiots!"
El Drago shouted frantically. This was the first time he had been wounded since gaining the Sound-Sound Fruit powers.
Every Marine and pirate he had encountered before had been sunk by a single long-range blast.
But today, things had gone wrong.
"Row faster! Get us out of here!"
Goras was scared too. He cursed at the underlings and even started rowing himself.
Aboard the fleet behind them.
Wang Shi banished and confiscated part of the incoming Laser Sonic Cannon.
"Not bad, Van Augur. That's what a sniper is supposed to do."
Wang Shi laughed. Pirate crews and Marines who had snipers in their ranks had never made proper use of them.
If they were just going to rush straight into a boarding battle, what was the point of recruiting snipers and gunners?
Few pirates in the East Blue had Haki, so guns and cannons could still do considerable damage.
"That energy wave is powerful—stronger than my Wind Blade, and it reaches farther."
Eric's expression was grave. The laser sound wave from this Sound-Sound Fruit user was incredibly powerful.
He probably couldn't withstand one of El Drago's shots.
But he was sure El Drago couldn't withstand one of his razor-sharp Wind Blades either.
It all came down to who hit first.
Whoever got hit first would die first!
"Another ability user?"
Zoro, Saka, and the others were all wary.
Over the past few days, they had seen how powerful Eric's Wind Blades were.
Right now, they really couldn't beat him.
Still, Zoro was certain that he would soon be able to cut through Eric's Wind Blades and figure out how to defeat him.
"Catch up! Don't let them get away!"
At Wang Shi's command, the entire fleet began to pick up speed.
Van Augur, sitting atop the mainmast, even fired another shot as if toying with them, knocking down the El Drago Pirates' flag.
Then he shot through the ropes holding up the pirate ship's sails, one by one, until the whole sail came crashing down.
"What marksmanship!"
Even sword fanatics like Zoro were amazed by Van Augur's superb shooting.
With the El Drago Pirates' sail shot down, their ship's speed plummeted.
In less than half an hour, the fleet had caught up to them.
Fallen Swordsman Goras had completely lost hope. The Goa Empire's army was too strong; they had no chance of winning.
"Help me up! I can still fire!"
Seeing the fleet closing in around them, El Drago, both arms wounded, hurriedly shouted.
He wanted to wipe out the warships at close range.
"Still want to struggle?"
Wind Blade: Dance!
Whirlwind Eric swung both hands hard, sending a dense barrage of Wind Blades slashing toward the El Drago Pirates.
Strike the ship before its crew—that was his usual method as a bounty hunter.
"What a dense barrage of Wind Blades!"
Saka's eyes were full of envy. Even now, he still couldn't unleash a Flying Slash.
The power of Devil Fruit abilities was indeed formidable.
"Hmph. We don't need Devil Fruit powers. One day, we'll be able to unleash Flying Slashes at will."
As a swordsman, Zoro had his pride. He wouldn't eat a Devil Fruit.
Perhaps it was precisely that conviction and confidence that gave him the chance to awaken Conqueror's Haki.
"Ah!!"
A chorus of screams rose from the El Drago Pirates.
To these East Blue pirate underlings, Eric's Wind Blades were practically unstoppable.
"Damn it!"
Laser Sonic Cannon!!
El Drago roared and fired a golden energy wave.
But in the next instant, his eyes widened in shock.
His vaunted, supposedly unstoppable Laser Sonic Cannon simply vanished right in front of him.
No matter how much sonic energy he fired, it seemed to evaporate, disappearing without a trace.
"How is this possible!"
"How could this happen!"
El Drago was utterly stunned. It was bad enough that the enemy sniper was so strong; now they also had such a bizarre, unfair ability.
"King of Exile! He must be the legendary King of Exile!"
Fallen Swordsman Goras shouted in terror and dropped to his knees in despair, no longer daring to resist.
"King of Exile? Are you the emperor of the Goa Empire?"
El Drago stopped firing his Sonic Cannon and looked at the elegantly dressed young man, fear creeping into his expression.
This was the emperor of the Goa Empire, who had exiled the kings of four countries and swallowed up their kingdoms.
King of Exile Wang Shi!!!