Line-Cutting Void

A clicking sound of jaws snapping echoed as Luo Ya sprinted away, with Ambuseton's crocodile maw snapping shut repeatedly at his heels.

Crushing through cargo and buildings along the way, Luo Ya seized an opening to veer sharply, causing Ambuseton to plow headlong into a stack of freight at the docks.

Taking advantage of Ambuseton being buried under the debris, Luo Ya plunged the giant Ryujin Jakka into the dock floor.

In an instant, dozens of towering pillars of fire erupted, surrounding the beast and converging toward the center.

The intense heat ignited the scattered cargo and ship sails, while the onlookers who failed to flee in time found their clothes and hair set ablaze.

The dozens of fire pillars converged and detonated in a single moment.

With a thunderous roar, the entire dock was reduced to ash, leaving only a streak of flame that shot into the sky before raining back down.

"General Ambuseton!" Amidst the crowd's cries of alarm, a massive, charred crocodile launched itself from the sky, descending toward Luo Ya.

The overburdened dock fractured inch by inch under the impact, leaving only a small patch struggling to hold together.

Dodging the strike, Luo Ya panted as he looked at Ambuseton, whose tail—previously ignored—was now raised high before slamming down heavily.

With a dull thud, the entire crocodile lunged at Luo Ya like an arrow released from a bow.

At such speed, Luo Ya had no room to dodge and could only brace himself with his sword; clack! Ambuseton's massive jaws clamped onto the giant Ryujin Jakka.

A sizzling sound erupted, accompanied by wisps of blue smoke.

Driven into a frenzy by the pain and realizing he couldn't crush the blade, Ambuseton clamped down on Ryujin Jakka and flung Luo Ya high into the air.

The crocodile then opened its maw wide, roaring at Luo Ya as he hung in the sky.

If Luo Ya were to fall into those interlocking teeth, even with the power of his Black Flame, he wouldn't die, but it certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

Furthermore, he had no doubt about the sheer effort it would take to recover if Ambuseton's bite force ground his entire body into mincemeat.

By now, the battle had raged from day into night, and there was no sign of when King Ambux would arrive to provide support; judging by Ambuseton's strength, Ambux would surely be no weaker.

Thinking of this, Luo Ya gritted his teeth, dispelling all sixteen fire blades, twisting his body in mid-air to sheath Ryujin Jakka.

Sword intent surged wildly, gathering within the blade, and just as he was about to fall into the crocodile's maw, he drew his sword in a violent flash.

Line-Cutting Void! A thin, black-red line streaked through the air.

Luo Ya landed inside Ambuseton's massive jaws, but the terrifying mouth failed to snap shut; Luo Ya stepped on the beast's lower jaw and landed on the ground.

He kicked the upper jaw. Under the force of that blow, the behemoth was split in two, the upper half of its head sent flying backward.

A fountain of blood sprayed out, drenching Luo Ya from head to toe.

Luo Ya wiped the foul-smelling crocodile blood from his face, lit a cigarette with a snap, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

The onlookers were too shocked by Ambuseton's gruesome death to speak, staring in disbelief at the severed carcass beneath Luo Ya's feet.

Under normal circumstances, Luo Ya really had no good way to deal with Ambuseton, especially after he transformed into his full beast form, crawling on the ground and keeping his weak points tightly protected.

The terrifying bite force of his maw left no opportunity to strike at the center.

Unfortunately, the beast had thrown Luo Ya into the air and then opened his mouth to catch him, and the Line-Cutting Void he had practiced so hard did not disappoint; the indestructible nature of his sword intent, now condensed into a single line, had been greatly enhanced.

It was a combination of factors that gave Luo Ya the chance to land a killing blow.

Otherwise, given Ambuseton's stamina, this would likely have been a protracted battle; it wouldn't have been decided in a mere day, as the powerhouses of this world were notoriously durable.

"Heh, so your King doesn't show up himself, and he doesn't even send reinforcements? Did he run away?"

Luo Ya exhaled a cloud of smoke and asked the crowd, as it was hard to imagine any reason for the lack of support other than cowardice.

"King Ambux will surely avenge his brother!" "You evil pirate!"

The crowd, having regained their senses, roared at Luo Ya in righteous indignation.

Swish! Swish! A few sword beams flashed, and most of the onlookers were sliced into pieces, lying on the ground and wailing.

"Are you all always this brave? Don't you know I have skills?" Luo Ya scratched his head, puzzled.

Just then, among the wailing crowd, the people who bore wolf-dog marks on their faces began to change.

Their entire bodies were enveloped in a blue-black light; regardless of age or gender, they grew long, pointed ears, and their muzzles protruded forward.

They transformed into wolf-like, dog-like figures matching their marks.

As the light faded, a multitude of dog-headed men stared at Luo Ya with glowing blue eyes until Luo Ya felt a chill, at which point they spoke in unison.

"Black Flame Swordsman Luo Ya, I am the King of this country, Ambux."

"Heh, what a bizarre ability. It seems that to defeat you, I'll have to kill everyone on this island."

"I have no interest in meaningless strife. That fool Seton is dead, and I can let you take his place. You came here for nothing more than a commission. Whatever he offered you, I will pay double."

"How generous of you, Your Majesty. Heh."

"I have prepared a banquet at the palace. I await your arrival." After saying this, the dog-headed men reverted to their original appearances, their bodies returning to the state in which Luo Ya had severed them, and clusters of blue flames flew from the air toward the palace.

Luo Ya soothed the vibrating Ryujin Jakka, looked toward the palace, and muttered, "It seems to be a soul-based ability as well."

Flicking the cigarette butt away, Luo Ya rushed toward the palace at full speed; after all, the number of bizarre Devil Fruit abilities was countless.

Luo Ya understood the principle that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Luo Ya sprinted all the way to the palace under the gaze of a massive crowd of jackal-headed men; everyone he encountered along the way had already been transformed into a jackal-headed figure with glowing blue eyes.

He reached the palace without any obstruction and groped his way into a grand hall.

The table was laden with an abundance of food and wine. A handsome and dashing man sat at the head of the table, sporting a short, golden beard on his chin. He wore golden, scarf-like armor across his chest, and his bare upper body revealed sharply defined muscles.

"You arrived quite quickly. Take a seat," Ambux said, gesturing with his hand.

Luo Ya scratched his head and sat down nonchalantly. Having fought intensely for an entire day, he was truly famished, so he didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat heartily.

Ambux shook his head, picked up a glass of wine, and sipped it elegantly.

Seeing that Luo Ya had nearly finished eating, he finally spoke, "Have you considered my offer?"

Facing Ambux's steady gaze, Luo Ya took his time finishing a glass of beer before slowly responding.

"You think you can bribe me with just this much food? I didn't realize that for someone so short, you have such grand ambitions." In reality, Ambux was not short; he was at least on par with Luo Ya.

It was just that in a world where the average height exceeded two meters, he did indeed appear small.

"First, regardless of what the person who hired you is paying, I will offer double. Second, I am a user of the Zoan-type Mythical fruit, the Anubis Fruit.

All those lowly commoners outside are under my control. Finally, that fool Seton wouldn't have lasted this long in my hands."

Ambux swirled his wine glass and spoke slowly.

Ambux's words were a combination of both carrot and stick; he presented generous terms while implying that Luo Ya would face death if he did not submit.

He also used Seton to demonstrate his strength, subtly threatening Luo Ya. Furthermore, he had shown great sincerity by revealing his fruit ability.

A normal person might have truly agreed.

Unfortunately, Luo Ya was not a normal person, and ever since he laid eyes on Ambux, Ryujin Jakka had been trembling frantically within his mind.

Had it not been for Luo Ya's suppression, it would have already burst forth to strike at Ambux.