Blood Unspent, Battle Unceasing

Out on the sea, a pirate ship sailed at an unhurried pace. Its black sails were fully unfurled, and a one-eyed skull flag danced lightly in the wind.

Belik leaned against the edge of the deck, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He gazed at the azure sea in the distance and narrowed his eye slightly.

If nothing unexpected happened, before long, a group of pirates would be waiting in formation by the shore, ready to present him with that unknown Devil Fruit.

"Boss Belik, what are you looking at?"

Dorok sidled up to Belik with a grin, looking relaxed and casual.

But a closer look would reveal the barely concealed excitement in the first mate's eyes.

"Nothing. I was just wondering how things are going on Doma's end."

Belik shook his head, glanced at his trusted subordinate, and answered blandly.

"What could possibly go wrong? That rundown fishing village isn't important. By the time the Marines notice, we'll already be long gone at sea. What problems could there be? As for that guy Doma's loyalty... heh heh, Boss, we aren't short on men aboard this ship now."

Dorok sneered, showing none of the warmth and friendliness he had displayed while accepting Doma's bribes. In his heart, only Belik counted as a brother. The rest of the lackeys were nothing more than replaceable tools.

"Heh heh, true enough."

Setting the matter aside, Belik did not mention it again. Eighty percent of Doma's crew were spies he had planted. If that man dared show even the slightest abnormality, plenty of the lackeys aboard would surely be delighted.

After all, there were only so many leader positions. If one person was gone, that meant many more opportunities for them.

"There are more people now, and more divided hearts. I have to stay on guard."

Belik touched his eyepatch, sounding as though he were speaking to Dorok, yet also muttering to himself.

"What are you saying? Boss Belik, even if the men below start causing trouble without knowing their limits, are you really not confident you can suppress them?"

Dorok did not agree with Belik's caution. He knew this one-eyed man inside and out. Belik's true strength was far beyond the superficial power he showed.

He even felt that his boss's five-million-berry bounty might be a little too low.

"Hahaha! You bastard only know how to flatter me. Once you gain the power of that fruit, you might just steal the captain's position from me."

Belik laughed and cursed at him. A strange glint flashed through his one eye as he half-jokingly teased Dorok.

"No, no. I'd rather remain a first mate who can freely collect benefits. The captain's seat belongs only to you, Boss."

Dorok waved his hands repeatedly, his smile somewhat stiff. Though he was much closer to Belik than most, he still did not dare answer carelessly on such a sensitive subject.

"Heh heh, is that so?"

Belik gave Dorok a long look and smiled meaningfully.

"Captain Belik, First Mate Dorok! We're almost there!"

A subordinate's shout interrupted their conversation. Belik and Dorok exchanged smiles, then slowly headed down from the deck.

"That ghost is a monster! Run!"

"Help! I don't want to fight a monster like that!"

"We'll be killed! We're definitely going to be killed!"

After Long Yi expended what little strength he had left to use Soru and instantly kill the enemy leader, the pirates immediately descended into utter chaos.

A huge phantom of a demon god roared soundlessly, its indistinct eyes filled with a thirst for slaughter.

Crimson blood stained his pure white coat. Long Yi's face was full of exhaustion and weariness that he could not conceal. His body trembled slightly, but his black eyes remained exceptionally bright.

He had become an insurmountable mountain, looming over the pirates' hearts.

"Get lost, or die!"

Forcing down the surging blood and energy in his chest, Long Yi shouted. He gripped the bloodied blade tightly, the killing intent around him nearly taking physical form.

"Run! Run!"

That murderous roar sounded like heavenly music to the pirates. Upon hearing Long Yi's warning, they abandoned their companions' corpses without a second thought and turned to flee.

"Whew... so this is temporarily over, then."

Letting out the pressure in his heart, Long Yi watched the pirates flee in panic, and the taut string in his mind loosened slightly.

Once an army was defeated, it collapsed like a mountain. The pirates fled for their lives even faster than they had charged forward.

Just as they began shoving one another aside to fight over the gangplank and prepare to board their ship and flee, the sudden appearance of two pirate ships on the distant sea reignited their confidence—and instantly sent Long Yi's mood plunging to the bottom.

"It's Boss Belik! The boss is here!"

"That ghost is dead!"

"Kill him! Charge back! The boss is here to back us up!"

Like a pack of greedy hyenas that had suddenly found their backbone, the panic vanished from their faces, replaced by their former viciousness and cruelty.

Belik's arrival was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the terrified pirates. Following in the footsteps of the strong, they knew no fear.

"Damn it, they still came."

The moment the two pirate ships entered his sight, Long Yi's heart tightened, and the hand gripping his sword hilt began to tremble.

That trembling was the silent cry of his body, the urgent excitement of his heart's desire for revenge, and the instinctive fear of knowing he faced certain death yet refusing to run.

Amid those indescribable emotions, Belik led the rest of his men ashore.

"So, who can explain where my Devil Fruit is?"

Looking at the corpses scattered everywhere, Belik's expression remained calm. This sea tyrant had long mastered the art of concealing his emotions.

The pirates who had survived Long Yi's blade stood silent as cicadas in winter. They lacked the courage to answer and dared not look up to see Belik's expression.

"Was it him?"

Though he had lost an eye, Belik's vision was still extraordinary. Ignoring the trembling pirates, he pointed at Long Yi in the distance.

"That's him! It's him!"

"Boss Belik, that damn ghost suddenly appeared! That's why we could never break into the village!"

"Boss Doma was killed by him! We really..."

With their backbone restored, the pirates raised their voices and all began insisting that it was not their side that was incompetent, but that the enemy was simply too strong.

They talked more and more excitedly, all speaking at once.

First mate Dorok cleared his throat, interrupting their complaints. As though they had remembered something, the pirates hurriedly returned to their previous state, lowered their heads, and stopped making any sound.

"A ghost? A Marine uniform? Looks like a Devil Fruit user. No wonder so many men were lost."

Belik glared darkly at Long Yi, in a terrible mood.

Men could always be recruited again, but he could not tolerate the mighty Belik Pirates having their edge broken by some wet-behind-the-ears ghost.

"All of you, go together. Give him a proper welcome."

Belik spoke quietly and rolled his stiff neck. The instant the pirates heard those words, it was as if they had received an imperial decree. They let out excited howls and charged at Long Yi without regard for their lives.

There was no knightly spirit, no one-on-one duel. This was a battle destined to be unequal, and Long Yi had no choice.

"At least I have to cut Belik once!"

More than a hundred pirates charged at once. Long Yi's pupils shrank, and fear instinctively rose within him. But he quickly came to his senses, slapped himself hard across the face, drew a deep breath, and prepared to fight to the death.

Caught up in this by chance and forced into a hasty battle, he was not arrogant enough to believe he had any chance of surviving.

But his blood had not yet run dry, his blade had not yet shattered, and he had no reason to fall here!

"Kill!!!"

Before the Belik Pirates could reach him, Long Yi roared and charged to meet them.

With unstoppable momentum and the resolve to die a hundred deaths without surviving, he drove strength through his legs. Using the burst of Soru, his body shot forward like a cannonball beneath the vicious gazes of the pirates, soaring high into the air.

Above him was the clear blue sky. Below him was a densely packed mass of pirates. Long Yi's eyes were bloodshot.

"Mountain-Breaking Strike!"

Man and sword became one, with strength enough to shatter mountains. He attacked the pirates like a man gone completely mad.

With a deafening boom, dust and smoke erupted in all directions. The shockwave sent many pirates flying backward while coughing blood, instantly carving out an empty space amid the pirate crowd.

"Upward Slash!" "Ghost Slash!" "Chain Thrust!"

Ghostly energy burned as purple flames danced along the blade.

Within the dust, Long Yi closed his eyes. Relying on the powerful perception honed through training, he darted swiftly through the panicked pirates like a vicious demon.

Behind him, Kazan's savage grin grew increasingly crazed.

"Don't panic!"

Hearing the endless screams around him, Belik's face twisted. After roaring out, his one eye suddenly turned a dim amber yellow.

Drawing his pistol, Belik's one eye shifted slightly. He quickly found Long Yi's trail and locked firmly onto his rapidly moving figure before pulling the trigger with savage force.

"Bang!"

That gunshot brought the melee to a halt. The large lead bullet struck Long Yi squarely in the left shoulder. The force of the shot knocked him backward, and he crashed heavily onto the beach.

"It's all over, ghost."

Belik wore a cold expression as he slowly walked toward Long Yi beneath the pirates' awestruck gazes. He crouched down in front of him and spoke softly.

"Go to hell with your hatred. You should never have provoked me."

As though delivering a death sentence, Belik aimed the gun at Long Yi's head.

"Ugh..."

Long Yi let out an incoherent groan. The agonizing pain of his wound mixed with weakness, and his consciousness began to blur. Yet when he looked at the enemy before him, he still smiled happily.

"You're at death's door. What are you smiling about?"

Seeing Long Yi smile, Belik's anger flared. Remembering the miserable casualties among his men, he moved the gun away from Long Yi's head and instead smashed the pistol grip hard into Long Yi's face.

Belik did not notice that when Long Yi suffered the blow and his face turned to one side, his motionless right hand suddenly sprang into action. A flash of cold light—a sharp blade, like a venomous snake that had lain in wait for ages—struck without warning!

Not good!

Belik screamed inwardly. Before he could react, every hair on his body stood on end! He instinctively leaned backward, but his throat went slightly cold. Terrified, he scrambled and rolled away from where he stood.

"Damn it... what a pity."

Unwillingness surged through Long Yi's heart, and he gritted his teeth tightly. He had underestimated Belik's reaction speed and lost his chance to die together with the brute.

As a swordsman, Long Yi knew very well that his ambush had not cut open Belik's throat or taken his life.

"Whew... whew..."

Belik panted heavily. Beads of cold sweat rolled from the top of his head down his cheeks. In just a few seconds, his clothes had been soaked through.

Covering the small cut on his throat, Belik was overcome with lingering fear.

So close, just a little closer! He, a notorious pirate, had nearly been dragged down with an unknown ghost before that ghost died.

"Beat him! Beat him hard! Don't kill him! I'm going to torture this damn ghost properly!"

The brush with death left Belik furious and humiliated. He pointed at the battered Long Yi with a crazed expression and shouted loudly.

The lightning-fast assassination attempt had frightened the pirates into stunned silence. Now, hearing their boss's order, they suddenly came to their senses. Clenching their fists, they approached Long Yi with vicious grins.

"Damn it, I'll deal with you properly later!"

Belik wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and buried his fear deep within. Ignoring the pirates, he walked alone toward Guya Village.

As fists and kicks rained down on Long Yi, his senses gradually went numb. Endless darkness slowly swallowed him bit by bit.

Is this as far as I go?