The gigantic Thriller Bark, large enough to hold an island, sailed toward Wano Country.
Its massive ram split the towering waves ahead, while every pirate aboard buzzed with excitement.
Moria stood at the bow as captain, his face and eyes filled with desire for fame and status.
Enter Wano Country, defeat the overlord Kaido, and become the new overlord.
That was Moria's only thought now.
Lin Ye sat in a corner of the deck, sheathed the sword he had been wiping, and let his gaze fall on the excited pirates without any change in expression.
Yet he was also looking forward to this battle.
After this battle, he would gain the true foundation needed to reach the pinnacle of the sea.
He would raise one ability to its highest level.
Moreover, Lin Ye wanted to see for himself what kind of strength the very strongest people on these seas possessed.
Moria was indeed one of the sea's top powerhouses right now, but compared with Kaido, who would become one of the Four Emperors in the future, there was surely still a considerable gap.
What awaited the Moria Pirates next would be a truly brutal battle.
The great ship cleaved through the waves, and a black line appeared on the horizon.
A pirate standing atop the sailing ship's towering mast peered into the distance. When he saw the black line gradually growing thicker, he immediately shouted.
"Captain, an island is in sight!"
He did not need to shout. Moria, standing at the bow, already had bright eyes blazing with fire.
"Hehehehe, men, gather up!"
Moria suddenly turned around, picked up the long blade beside him, and rested it on his shoulder.
Although Moria believed he was no weaker than Kaido, he would not underestimate this battle. This time, the entire crew would be deployed.
Upon hearing Moria's order, all the pirates began assembling.
Lin Ye also rose to his feet, hung his sword at his waist, and watched Moria approach with his blade over his shoulder.
With a mass of dark-clad subordinates behind him, Moria opened his huge mouth and revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"Hehehehe, men, Wano Country is here, right before our eyes!"
Moria swept his glaring eyes over the pirates present, lingering on Lin Ye for a moment before moving on.
"Kaido is strong. He is an overlord of the sea. But since entering the New World, we have never failed. Once we defeat Kaido's pirate crew, we will become the sea's new overlords."
Moria's voice was feverish as he roused his pirate subordinates.
Then every pirate became excited.
"Men, from the moment we set foot on that island, the war begins."
As Moria spoke, he turned and pointed his long blade toward Wano Country.
"Set course for Wano Country! Forward!"
At Moria's command, all the pirates immediately sprang into action.
"Kid, you don't seem to be looking forward to this war at all!"
Lin Ye turned his head toward the thickening black line at the end of the sea as Moria's voice reached his ears.
"Whatever. At most, it means killing people."
Lin Ye spoke, and Moria nodded repeatedly upon hearing him.
"Or being killed."
Lin Ye added.
Moria's eyes flickered at his words.
"You don't think highly of this battle?"
Moria asked, baring his teeth.
Lin Ye turned to look at the snarling Moria.
"That depends on whether you, Captain, can defeat Kaido of the Beasts Pirates."
"Hehehehe, of course I can. Your captain is invincible."
Moria burst into wild laughter at once, while pirates nearby erupted in cheers.
Seeing Moria's blind confidence, Lin Ye was rather speechless.
Perhaps it was precisely because he was so overly confident now that he would completely collapse after his defeat.
"Then I'll look forward to you defeating Kaido and becoming the sea's new overlord, Captain."
Lin Ye said expressionlessly.
"You brat!"
What Lin Ye had said sounded like flattery, but judging by his expression, it also seemed like mockery and ridicule.
Still, Moria knew Lin Ye's personality and did not dwell on it. He turned around and walked away with his blade over his shoulder.
That brat had too rotten a personality.
Men of the sea should be forthright and magnanimous.
How irritating!
Watching Moria leave, Lin Ye turned toward Wano Country.
The ship beneath his feet was moving quickly.
Wano Country was considered a massive island even in the New World.
Otherwise, Kaido would not have stationed himself here and made it his base.
Of course, Seastone was also one of his goals.
With his eyesight, he could see that Wano Country's island was extremely tall, surrounded by a ring of colossal reefs. Water poured down from the reefs, forming waterfalls.
But over the past year, Lin Ye had seen far too many strange terrains and environments, so this no longer surprised him.
However, figures were clearly racing across the enormous outer reefs.
Lin Ye bent his knees slightly, leaped onto the sailing ship's huge mast, and raised his eyes toward the direction from which the distant figures had appeared.
They were pirates.
Pirates from the Beast Pirates.
Lin Ye saw pirates atop several massive reefs turning their cannons toward them.
Seeing this, Lin Ye jumped down from the mast and landed directly at the bow.
"Captain!"
Lin Ye's sudden arrival caught Moria off guard.
Lin Ye pointed at the enormous reefs.
"Leave them to me!"
Moria turned to look in the direction Lin Ye was pointing.
"Hehehehe, then they're yours, kid!"
"I'm not called kid. My name is Lin Ye!"
Lin Ye turned to Moria and said seriously.
Hearing Lin Ye talk back to him, Moria ground his teeth together, then smiled.
"Hehehehe, fine then, Lin Ye. Combat Captain, those guys are yours."
Moria waved his hand.
Lin Ye nodded.
Just then, cannon fire rang out.
Dozens of black dots hurtled toward Thriller Bark.
Lin Ye raised his hand to grip the hilt of his sword. The blade slid from its sheath with a pleasant scraping sound.
The sword rang clearly, then dozens of Flying Slashes shot forth, cutting apart every approaching cannonball.
The cannonballs exploded in midair far ahead of the bow, and Lin Ye glanced at Moria.
"Captain, you only need to keep moving forward."
Before Moria could respond, Lin Ye had already leaped into the air. As his feet kicked against the air with explosive booms, his body shot straight toward the reefs.
"Hehehehe, that brat respects his captain quite a bit!"
Moria said with a grin, then swung the long blade in his hand and had Thriller Bark charge straight ahead.
"Someone's coming!"
"Fire! Fire!"
"Prepare the cannonballs!"
Pirates atop one reef saw a figure running through the air and charging toward them. They were instantly alarmed and began shouting, but what greeted them were Flying Slashes raining down from the sky.
The huge Flying Slashes carved massive sword marks into the reef.
Lin Ye landed without the slightest hesitation. His figure moved like a ghost, while the sword in his hand became the Scythe of death. In just a few blinks, the pirates on the reef were slaughtered clean. With a thunderous boom, the reef trembled as Lin Ye shattered it beneath his feet and launched himself toward another reef.
Under his blade, none could withstand a single exchange.
The slaughter continued as the giant sailing ship advanced.
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