Bloody Butcher

Damn it, having the nerve to make trouble in the sector he was in charge of was simply courting death.

He had just been thinking that it had been a long time since any pirates had caused trouble, but then in the blink of an eye, a big one was thrown at his lap.

"Major Jin An, walk a bit slower, I... can't keep up with you..."

To keep up with Jin An, Kuzan had already used every ounce of strength he had, but the distance between the two of them was getting wider and wider, forcing him to cry out for a stop.

"You brat, do you not normally train properly?!" Jin An reined in his stray thoughts and slowed his pace a bit.

Hearing these words, Kuzan felt like he had eaten bitter gourd and lemon, his entire face scrunching up together; every day he did nothing but train besides sleeping, not even wasting the time it took to go to the bathroom.

As a result, not only was there no praise, but he was misunderstood like this—he really had grievances he couldn't voice...

Seeing Kuzan's expression, Jin An knew he had misunderstood, but who made him the higher-ranking officer? An apology was out of the question, so he would just give him a bit of compensation later...

"Let's still pick up the pace a bit; I want to find out the situation over there quickly..."

Saying that, without waiting for Kuzan's consent, he directly picked him up and flew into the sky, darting swiftly toward the previously pointed direction.

"Waaaaah!"

For a grown man to make that kind of sound, one could imagine what he was going through...

Above the clouds, Jin An's faint voice drifted over: "Keep yelling, and I'll toss you down."

He had already mastered all the abilities of the Azure Dragon Fruit, achieving complete dragon transformation, and he could also use the small dragon-man form perfectly.

The Azure Dragon Fruit had strengthened his physical qualities, raising both the upper and lower limits of his body significantly.

Yet there were also drawbacks: ordinary physical training could no longer improve his physique, and much like Kaido, he was virtually immune to mortal danger, leaving his ability development at a bottleneck.

The ability currently used for flight was Flame Clouds; through his exploration, he could use them in any form, with the intensity varying across different forms.

Amidst his drifting thoughts, they had already arrived above Saint Andre Island.

Jin An looked toward the interior of the island.

The people on the island were evacuating in an orderly fashion under the organization of the Marines, and panic was absent from their faces.

They knew that the waters surrounding Sorbet Kingdom had a very reliable Marine in charge of guarding them, and they trusted that person would protect all of them.

Jin An watched the actions of the Marine soldiers and nodded with gratification; this was what soldiers ought to do.

Distinguishing who was the enemy and who was the friend, uniting true friends to attack true enemies—only by doing this would enemies grow fewer and fewer, and the pressure on them as Marines would lessen.

His goal was to build a force that genuinely worked for peace, and that force already had the embryonic form of one now.

The island could be safely left to the Marines.

Jin An cast his gaze toward another direction of the island, where three pirate ships were approaching the island, the pirates aboard fully prepared.

Aboard the Bloody Butcher.

A tall, burly man stood at the bow, a frantic smile appearing on his scar-lacquered face, adding a trace of ferocity to him.

Henry Evan, an inconspicuous grunt captain under the command of the Rocks Pirates, chose to set up on his own after the defeat of Rocks.

Up until now, the Marines in West Blue were still carrying out great purges, leaving him with no choice but to risk nine deaths to cross Reverse Mountain and run to South Blue to throw his weight around.

"What a truly beautiful island... It'll do just fine as the starting point for me to begin conquering South Blue."

Henry Evan stared coldly at the small island before him, the smile at the corner of his mouth impossible to hold back.

"Boss, are we really going to attack this island? I feel like the atmosphere in these waters is a bit off..."

A crew member with a nervous expression uneasily surveyed the surroundings of the pirate ship, his heart lacking a shred of security.

"Are you telling me how to do my job?"

Henry Evan swept a faint glance at him.

"No... I didn't mean that... I just..."

The crew member was frightened by his aura and hurriedly shook his head.

Bang!!!

Along with the sound of a gunshot, a blooming flower of blood bloomed on the crew member's chest.

Drip, drop...

Crimson blood gushed out along the wound, the crew member's mouth widening in disbelief, the light in his pupils gradually dimming away.

"Hahahahaha!"

The nearby crew members watching the spectacle burst into loud laughter, not caring a whit about this person's death; a rookie was a rookie, daring to speak to the captain like that—if he wanted to court death, there was no need to be in such a hurry.

"When I was surrounded on all sides by the Marines, I didn't feel a shred of timidity; the Four Blues hold even less of a threat to me."

Henry Evan lightly blew the gunpowder smoke from the muzzle of his gun, a smile hanging on his face once more.

"Throw him to the sea to feed the fish!"

Without casting another glance at this subordinate, there could only be one voice on his ship, and he was the absolute authority.

His ship had no use for cowards; such scum would only hold him back.

He only required complete obedience, alongside extreme madmen, for he relished slaughter.

Henry Evan held only this thought in his mind, then swept his gaze across his crewmen.

Looking at this batch of subordinates who "upheld his ideology," he nodded in satisfaction.

"Wahahahahaha! Little ones! Give me your all in the slaughter, those foolish civilians on the island are your reward!!! Go ahead and do whatever you like!!!"

Henry Evan pulled out the long saber at his waist and played with it casually.

"An island this prosperous is a rare sight even in the Four Blues; this time we can pillage our fill!"

"That's right! Led by Captain Henry, we'll acquire even more treasure!"

"With Captain Henry's strength, even if Marines really do come, they're just coming to throw their lives away!"

The pirates bumped shoulders and laughed noisily, their hands involuntarily brandishing blades and firearms.

Henry Evan smiled with confidence; mere Marines—he had killed no less than 500 of them himself, and the ones he killed were Marines from the Grand Line.

The problem plaguing him right now was his lack of fame; once he finished plundering this island and expanded his notoriety, he could continue growing his numbers and conquer these waters step by step.

Thinking thus, Henry Evan laughed wildly, raised the arm holding the long saber, and swung it upward.

Following his action, the pirates who had still been making a ruckus suddenly grew solemn.

The pirate ship had reached the shore, cannons aimed at the town, ready to fire at any moment.

"Little ones! Revel to your heart's content!!!" Henry Evan roared loudly.

Over a hundred pirates gripped blades and guns, fully armed, exuding a fierce, bloodthirsty aura.

Rumble!!!

With a deafening crash, the cannons mounted on the pirate ship poured out their ammunition.

Henry Evan laughed heartily.

Yet before the smile on his face could fade, something caught him completely off guard.

Boom!

A violent explosion rose upward, rolling firelight and thick smoke slowly dissipating in midair.

The sudden turn of events brought the charging pirates' movements to a halt.

"Damn it! How did the cannonball suddenly explode in midair?!" Henry Evan was frantic with rage.

The black smoke generated by the explosion dispersed.

Everyone's gazes involuntarily landed upon the figure in midair.

That person wore a head of flowing long hair, clear eyes adorned with two curved willow-leaf eyebrows, his coat fluttering against the wind.

The young man came against the wind, and it was best described as a thousand trees of blossoms blooming all at once.

The Marine major looked down at the pirates in the distance, a cold smirk hooking the corner of his mouth.

"So it's you bunch of dogs coming to make trouble..."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with crystal clarity.

"Who gave you the gall to come run wild on my turf!!"