A Naval Shell Was Punched Straight Back

"I know you want to find out, but I'm not trying it for you."

A flash of fire lit up the sea.

The shell flew over the waves toward the North Cliff warehouse.

Su Hang pulled back his arm, grabbed the thick cable beside the heavy cannon, and wrapped it around both arms four times.

"Luffy, get into the stone ditch and keep your head down!"

"Will the shell hit the village?"

"This one's aimed at the warehouse. The next one might not be."

"What about you?"

"I told you to hide, not stand there asking questions."

Luffy jumped into the drainage ditch by the cliff and grabbed the wooden board Beckman threw over, holding it above his head.

Beckman grabbed Benns by the collar and dragged him away from the broken cliff edge.

"What are you doing about that shell?"

"There's a protruding rock to the left of the warehouse. Wrap the cable around it."

"You're going to launch yourself?"

"If I can't hit the shell, I'll launch myself away. Either way is better than staying here."

"You just got both your arms back."

"That's why I'm using the rope to spread the force."

Beckman threw the cable over the protruding rock, looping its end around a stone pillar.

Su Hang backed up as far as he could, his rubber legs stretching several meters along the ground.

"Any farther, and your shoulders will dislocate again."

"Then watch closely. If they come off, put them back on."

"I'm charging for it this time."

"Put it on Red-Hair's bar tab."

The shell swept over the cliff top, its shriek drowning out the waves.

Su Hang released the cable and shot forward close to the ground, his right shoulder slamming into the shell's side.

The metal casing pressed into his rubber skin, and the impact sent him flying sideways dozens of meters.

The cable went taut around the protruding rock, forcibly changing both their trajectories.

The shell sailed over the broken cliff and plunged into the sea beyond.

Su Hang was yanked back by the rope, his back smashing against the stone ground.

The thick rope wrapped around his arms snapped in two.

Luffy poked his head out from beneath the board.

"You knocked it off course!"

"If you saw it, then keep hiding."

"Is your shoulder still there?"

"For now."

Benns lay on the ground and laughed twice. His broken jaw made every word spray blood.

"That first shot was just a ranging shot. There are at least three more cannons on that ship. How many shells can you knock away?"

Su Hang rolled over and got to his feet.

"You government people always like introducing everyone else's weapons before you die?"

"That ship carries twenty heavy shells. Once the commander gives the order, all of North Cliff will be leveled."

"He plans to kill even you?"

"People who fail their missions have no right to go back."

"You sound pretty loyal. Why are you still inching toward Luffy?"

Benns braced himself against the ground, his right hand already reaching the edge of the stone ditch.

Beckman stepped on his wrist.

"Move again, and I'll break your hand."

"You're all going to die. What difference does a few seconds make?"

The support ship fired again.

This time, two bursts of fire lit up one after the other.

Beckman looked out to sea.

"The first shell is aimed at the warehouse. The second has a lower trajectory."

Su Hang followed the two black dots with his eyes.

"The lower one is headed for the village."

"No. It's aimed at the powder crates behind the warehouse."

Luffy looked up at the half-collapsed warehouse door.

"There's still gunpowder inside?"

Benns grinned, his mouth full of blood.

"One hundred and twenty pounds. Enough to send the mountaintop into the village."

"You were standing beside the warehouse when you fired earlier."

"I was going to wait until Red-Hair came up the mountain before setting it off."

"Your plan sucks."

Su Hang grabbed the remaining half of the cable, wrapped it around his left fist, and hooked his right hand around a protruding stone on the cliff wall.

Beckman stepped in front of him.

"You might be able to knock the first shell off course, but if the second hits the gunpowder, the whole mountain will collapse."

"Then I'll send it back."

"The shell casing isn't rubber. If you punch it head-on, your arm will break first."

"The first impact told me its speed. The second time, I just need to find the right point."

"You have nowhere to push off in midair."

"The cliff wall is my fulcrum."

Su Hang stretched his right arm back, his palm wrapping around the protruding rock. His five fingers locked around his wrist while his left leg coiled around the heavy cannon's base.

His rubber body stretched into a slanted bow, his cable-wrapped fist hanging beyond the cliff.

"Luffy, keep your eyes on the higher one."

"Why me?"

"Shout when it passes overhead."

"Shout what?"

"Anything. Just make it loud."

"Then I'll shout, 'Dinner's ready!'"

"Can't you think of something useful?"

"The shell's coming! Dinner's ready!"

The first shell skimmed over the cliff top and struck the warehouse's left wall.

Stone and wooden boards flew outward, exposing a corner of the powder crates hidden behind them.

The second shell followed right behind, flying straight toward the breach.

Su Hang let go with his right hand.

His body sprang out from the cliff edge, his left fist meeting the shell's lower edge.

The cable pressed against the metal casing first, cushioning his fist as it sank inward.

The impact traveled through his arm into his shoulder, stretching his rubber skin half a meter.

Su Hang did not let his fist recoil. His waist and abdomen tightened against the cannon mount as his whole body swung halfway around the shell.

"Go back!"

His fist drove up from beneath the shell, changing its direction and sending it flying back along its original path toward the sea.

Figures on the support ship began to run.

The helm was thrown hard to starboard, but they still failed to avoid the returning shell.

The shell punched through the middle of the mast, and the canvas along with broken wood crashed down onto the deck.

Gunpowder burned in midair as several sailors rushed toward the rail.

The third naval cannon had just been pushed out through its gunport when the burning sail covered its muzzle.

Luffy lifted the wooden board and stood in the stone ditch, pumping his fist.

"You sent it back! You really sent it back!"

"Don't come out. Benns is still alive."

When Beckman turned around, only a severed sleeve remained beneath his foot.

Benns rolled into the stone ditch, picked up the short gun that had fallen there earlier, and pressed its muzzle against Luffy's chest.

"Don't move!"

Luffy turned sideways, bracing both feet against the ditch walls instead of lunging at the gun.

"You only have one bullet left."

"That's enough to kill you."

"If you shoot, Su Hang will hit you."

"He's still outside the cliff!"

"But his hand can stretch over here."

Benns looked up. Su Hang's right fist had already crossed over the ditch opening.

The gun immediately turned toward the fist.

"Then I'll cripple his hand first!"

The bullet hit the rubber fist, stretching it backward.

The cable blocked the bullet, and all the force accumulated in Su Hang's arm.

Su Hang twisted his shoulder, and his rebounding fist crashed back into the stone ditch.

The short gun was smashed into two pieces first, then his fist struck Benns in the jaw.

The sound of breaking bone mixed with the clatter of the gun hitting the ground.

Benns was knocked out of the stone ditch, his body skidding across the ground to the warehouse entrance. He could not get back up.

Luffy looked down at the clothes over his chest.

"I didn't rush in."

"This time, you actually used your brain."

"I also figured out his gun only had one bullet left."

"How did you know?"

"He fired several shots at the tavern, then two more on the mountain. When he picked up the gun just now, I saw the chamber."

Beckman used his gun barrel to poke through the fragments of Benns's short gun.

"A seven-year-old who can count an enemy's bullets. Karp didn't beat you for nothing."

"Grandpa Karp counts when he beats me too, but he doesn't stop even after he gets to ten!"

Su Hang pulled his body back from the cliff wall.

When his feet touched the ground, they bent outward. He had to brace himself against the cannon mount before he could stand steady.

A system screen spread out before his eyes.

[The host has completed a battle independently for the first time.]

[Nika Core Basic Module unlocked.]

[Current compatibility: 3%.]

[Basic traits mastered: Stretching, Rebound, Blunt Force Cushioning.]

[Traits not mastered: Free Shaping, Awakening Resonance.]

[Warning: The host's muscular load has reached its limit.]

Su Hang flexed his left hand. The back of his fist was already swollen.

Even beneath his rubber skin, he could still feel the pain radiating from his bones.

"Only three percent. This fruit really is hard to handle."

Beckman picked up the oil paper Benns had dropped and unfolded its scorched edges.

"You can still see that system?"

"Yeah. It just praised me for being good at taking hits."

"That doesn't count as praise."

Luffy climbed out of the ditch and pointed at the support ship on the sea.

"Will they fire again?"

"The mast is broken and the fire has reached the deck. They need to save their ship first."

Beckman turned over the oil paper and peeled away the final layer of wax paper.

A line of dark red words appeared in the spot that had been blank, revealed by the heat.

"There's another layer to the code."

Su Hang took the wax paper. The system's vision converted the code into readable words.

"The final line says: Once Nika changes hands, execute a full-island purge."