Lin Ye knew of Moria's ambitions, but he had never cared.
The only thing he cared about was becoming stronger.
The dark blade flashed swiftly and precisely.
Although level-six Observation Haki could not glimpse the future, it could already clearly perceive everything around him.
And level-six Armament Haki had already reached the point where it could flow outward.
With just the combination of Observation Haki and Armament Haki, Lin Ye's strength had already earned him a place in the New World.
If he had to put a value on it, in this era before bounties had inflated, he would be worth eighty-seven million without a scale, and no less than two hundred million with one.
The pirates on the second pirate ship were more vigilant than those on the first.
Their captain had the highest bounty, one hundred and ten million. In the New World, she was already an absolute powerhouse among pirates. She had mastered Two-Color Haki, and her swordsmanship had reached the Iron-Cutting Realm.
She was incredibly fast.
Beautiful Sword Lia Xiluo.
The pirates aboard the ship were caught in the aftermath of the two Flying Slashes, and their numbers rapidly dwindled.
Lin Ye's eyes lit up.
Lia Xiluo was tall, and because swordsmanship required long periods of training and bloodshed to improve, her slender body was curved in all the right places.
She wore the short shirt and shorts commonly seen on women at sea.
Her features were also exceptionally gorgeous, making her a mature beauty.
She truly lived up to the title of Beautiful Sword.
"Gale Flow!"
The sword in Lia Xiluo's hand became an afterimage, and her entire body vanished with it, like a gust of wild wind sweeping forward.
The wind was merely an illusion.
Excitement flashed through Lin Ye's eyes. Without Two-Color Infusion, the greatsword in his hand turned blackish purple as he spun around.
"Divine Departure!"
Lin Ye fiercely stepped forward with his right foot and unleashed a slash infused with Conqueror's Haki.
"Impossible!"
When the slash came at her, terror flashed through Lia Xiluo's eyes.
She could not block it.
This blow reminded her of the strike she had faced from Kaido before—terrifying and impossible to resist.
But Kaido was one of the monsters of the sea.
The blade itself had not yet touched her, yet the slash had already arrived.
A huge diagonal wound appeared across Lia Xiluo's chest. Her slender body was flung away, falling toward the sea.
The air boomed as Lin Ye appeared beside the wound on Lia Xiluo's flying body. Expressionless, he raised the sword in his hand.
A descending slash.
Boom!
Her slender body smashed onto the deck, shattering it completely.
Lin Ye landed beside Beautiful Sword's corpse. Looking at the body with the huge crisscrossing wounds across its chest, two bubbles condensed above it.
[Pick up Armament Haki...] [Pick up Observation Haki...]
Not bad.
Lin Ye nodded to himself.
A level-one Armament Haki Trait and Observation Haki Trait could each be broken down into three Blank Traits. That was fairly decent.
It was just that he did not know about Conqueror's Haki.
After all, during nearly a year at sea, he had never encountered a pirate who possessed Conqueror's Haki.
Moria did not possess Conqueror's Haki either.
Perhaps that was why Moria had been able to make it all the way to Wano Country without obstruction.
If a great pirate truly mastered Conqueror's Haki, their combat strength would be far beyond that of ordinary pirates.
Although its use had not reached a very high level and could only be used to clear out some small fry, those who possessed Conqueror's Haki were exceptionally good at getting back up.
And their fighting will was incredibly strong.
Even Lin Ye himself could sense such changes.
His Conqueror's Haki had likewise reached level six. Though he kept it hidden and rarely used it, even when he did, it was like Divine Departure just now, with its power controlled to a certain degree.
Though they were enhanced separately, the results led to the same end.
Unless one faced Lin Ye directly, it was impossible to perceive the terrifying power of that strike.
However, before long, he should encounter a wielder of Conqueror's Haki.
And one of the figures standing at the very pinnacle of the sea.
Kaido of the Beasts Pirates.
But Lin Ye had no intention of standing out too strongly just yet.
Gecko Moria's confidence was currently swelling.
He would gain a great deal from this battle.
But before the main course, there was nothing wrong with having a little appetizer.
Lin Ye swept his gaze around.
The aftermath of his clash with Beautiful Sword had killed nearly all the pirates aboard the ship.
The dozen or so remaining looked terrified out of their minds, unable even to hold their swords and guns steady.
Lin Ye turned, and then his figure shot into the sky.
The pirates who had lost their will to fight all collapsed limply to the ground, while several glowing orbs flew toward Lin Ye.
Since they had become pirates, being buried in the sea was the most fitting end for them.
The pirates of Thriller Bark had already begun boarding actions.
However, the officers aboard were still outmatched against captains from the New World.
The moment Lin Ye landed, he saw an officer on the ship get sent flying by an axe. His chest had been split open, and even his organs could be seen as he flew backward.
A transparent bubble emerged after he hit the ground.
Lin Ye's mouth twitched.
"I am—"
The pirate captain, wielding a massive axe and transformed into a four-meter-tall bear-man, roared, but before he could finish, a sword had already pierced his throat.
"Oh, it's Captain Lin Ye!"
The pirates engaged in the boarding action had been stunned when they saw their officer get hacked to death with one swing of an axe.
But the next moment, the pirate captain who had just killed their officer was dead.
Lin Ye ignored their cheers. His body moved, and the slaughter began anew.
With Lin Ye's skill and speed, these people naturally could not stop his sword.
After the ship had been cleared out, Lin Ye had already vanished.
In a short time, five pirate captains with bounties of around one hundred million, along with the scattered pirates aboard their ships, had all died at Lin Ye's hands.
Moria seemingly did not want to be outdone by Lin Ye, so he directly exerted himself as well.
When he saw Lin Ye about to clear out the fifth ship, he gritted his teeth and launched two Flying Slashes, splitting and sinking the last two ships.
Standing at the rail of the fifth ship he had cleared, Lin Ye frowned at the sinking pirate ships, then looked toward Moria standing on a distant vessel.
Was that really necessary?
I never intended to take your position. Yet you stole my appetizer?
Lin Ye was rather speechless.
"Captain Lin Ye!"
Behind Lin Ye, pirate corpses were scattered across the deck. Some belonged to this pirate ship, while others were pirates from the three-masted ship who had taken part in the boarding action.
As for the survivors, they were excitedly rushing into the cabins to search for treasure.
Lin Ye watched as a pirate held out a long sword with a snow-white scabbard, his face full of flattery.
"Captain Lin Ye, this seems to be a famous blade."
Lin Ye's gaze fell upon the scabbard.
The scabbard was snow-white, and its craftsmanship was clearly exquisite.
The white scabbard seemed to be made from some kind of fish skin, with intricate and beautiful patterns upon it that appeared almost natural.
Raising his hand, Lin Ye accepted it and drew the blade. The sword itself was bright white, with two characters engraved upon it.
Yingxue.
Lin Ye thought about it, but he had no impression of it.
These people might truly have ties to Kaido, which meant they might often travel to and from Wano Country.
If that was the case, this sword might have been forged by a craftsman from Wano Country.
Or rather, most famous blades circulating across the seas were probably forged by craftsmen from Wano Country.
But it was probably not one of the Supreme Grade Blades. It was likely at the Fine Grade Blade level.
It truly was better than the one in his hand.
Before you continue