Fighting Pirates Head-On

Not a sound.

A deathly silence.

The pirates surrounding Ye Qiong were all stunned.

That child they saw as young and frail had actually swung a large man around and smashed him to death!

"Damn it! Kill him!"

The pirates flew into a rage, their eyes bloodshot as several pistols opened fire at Ye Qiong.

Ye Qiong grabbed the corpse of the man on the ground and swung it as a human shield.

His Vajra Body had yet to reach the first level of perfection, so he could not ignore bullet damage. But how could he possibly be hurt by this world's shoddy firearms?

In the gap between the concentrated pistol fire!

Ye Qiong rushed toward two pirates, leaped into the air, and slammed both fists forward!

The two pirates were struck in the chest by his fists. Their eyes bulged, their chests caved in, and they were sent flying backward!

A pirate rushed forward to grab him in a bear hug. Ye Qiong spun on the spot and swept him away with a kick.

Then, with simple and brutal punches, he sent another two approaching pirates flying!

"Die!"

A tall, muscular pirate charged at Ye Qiong, his face twisted viciously as his right fist shot straight for Ye Qiong's forehead.

"Overestimating yourself!"

Ye Qiong did not dodge. He planted his stance and answered with a rising punch!

His young, slender fist rose from below to meet the pirate's sandbag-sized fist.

The two completely disproportionate fists collided!

The pirate's confident smile had not yet faded when, in the next instant, he felt an overwhelming force crash into him. His right arm snapped.

Ye Qiong swept out with his right leg, kicking him flying into the pirates charging over.

Stomp, punch!

More than a dozen pirates surrounded him. Every one who got close was sent flying back without exception. The scene was utterly shocking!

They could not withstand a single blow!

It was not that these pirate lackeys were too weak. Compared to ordinary people, these trained and ruthless pirates were far stronger.

But against Ye Qiong, faced with an absolute crushing advantage in skill and strength, they were nothing!

Before long, more than a dozen pirate brutes lay sprawled across the ground, dead or alive unknown.

Ye Qiong showed no mercy. These pirates deserved to die!

His hands were covered in pirate blood. His gaze burned like torches as he coldly watched the pirate captain return.

"I never expected you to possess such strength." The pirate captain held a steel blade, vicious light gleaming from his single eye.

When he stopped before Ye Qiong, his three-meter-tall body completely blocked out the sunlight, casting Ye Qiong in shadow.

"Kid, submit to me and become my subordinate. I can spare your life," the pirate captain said coldly.

He did not care in the slightest about the subordinates Ye Qiong had just killed.

"Disgusting!" Ye Qiong said disdainfully.

"What did you say?!" Veins bulged across the pirate captain's forehead as his entire body trembled with rage.

"I said you're trash. You make me sick!" Ye Qiong repeated with a smile.

"Kid, I'll kill you!!!"

The pirate captain's face twisted savagely as his steel blade cleaved down in fury, intending to split Ye Qiong in two!

The blade was fierce, accompanied by a shrill gust of wind!

Ye Qiong twisted aside to evade it. The blade struck the ground, sending sand and stones flying as it carved a crack into the earth!

He stepped on the back of the blade, sprang into the air, bent his leg at the knee, and drove it swiftly toward the other man's face.

Slap!

The pirate captain reacted quickly. His left hand formed a palm and blocked Ye Qiong's knee strike.

Ye Qiong felt as though his knee had struck a boulder. It could not move the man even slightly, so he used the force to retreat beyond the captain's attack range.

"This big guy is completely different from those other pirates!"

Ye Qiong was somewhat surprised.

"Hmph, kid, I, Gubali, am a pirate with a forty-million-Beli bounty! I'm not like those worthless scraps from before!"

Gubali sneered, stepping forward as his blade attacked Ye Qiong in flashes of snowy white.

Instead of advancing, Ye Qiong retreated. Fearless, he met the blade with his fists!

In his previous life, he had been a battle-loving man. After cultivating for three years, now that he had encountered an opponent against whom he could go all out, he could not have asked for more!

Ye Qiong directly cut into Gubali's side, his punches striking the man's toes, joints, and soft abdomen.

His slender body stayed close to Gubali, preventing Gubali's long blade from being used effectively.

As the fight grew fiercer, Gubali's eyes reddened. He simply discarded his blade and engaged Ye Qiong in close combat.

For a time, sounds rang endlessly along the shore. Fists collided, and thunderous impacts never ceased!

Watching the unexpected fierce battle on the shore, the pirates aboard the pirate ship were utterly shocked. They had never imagined that a mere child could fight their captain to a standstill.

Those fists that looked so slender and immature could actually clash with Gubali, who stood three meters tall and possessed immense strength, without being inferior in power at all!

"Damn it!"

Gubali panted heavily, his single eye staring bloodthirstily at the nimble Ye Qiong.

He too had never imagined that a child of around ten could take his heavy punches head-on!

Those were fists capable of shattering ordinary stones, yet the other party had received them with ease.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Gubali threw out both fists. Ye Qiong ducked beneath them and punched the joint of the man's thick arm again.

One punch, two punches, three punches... seven punches.

That should be enough.

A smile appeared at the corner of Ye Qiong's mouth.

"Hey, big guy, haven't you noticed that your punches are getting slower and slower?" Ye Qiong said with a smile as he evaded Gubali's attacks.

"Still haven't noticed? Something's wrong with your arms."

"You brat, are you too scared to fight me now?" Gubali roared in fury. His dwindling stamina had greatly reduced his speed, leaving him completely unable to deal with nimble Ye Qiong.

"How pitiful. An ignorant weakling." Ye Qiong smiled and stopped in front of Gubali.

Gubali secretly rejoiced. Inexperienced brat, you got careless. I'll smash you into pulp!

His enormous fist slammed downward, intending to smash Ye Qiong's head apart alive!

Ye Qiong smiled. Facing the descending fist, he neither dodged nor showed any intention of blocking.

Gubali's fist howled downward, but midway through the strike, his body suddenly trembled. An indescribable soreness and pain flooded wildly through his arm!

"Th-This is?!"

Gubali's only eye was filled with disbelief. His fist stopped abruptly above Ye Qiong's head, unable to descend even another inch!

"The outcome is decided!"

Ye Qiong slightly turned his body and assumed a shoulder-charge stance. His body sank, strength surged through his legs and waist, flowed smoothly through his entire body, and finally burst from his shoulder as he slammed fiercely into Gubali's chest.

Ancient Martial Arts technique—Mountain-Back Charge!

This impact carried the force of a thousand pounds!

Gubali's three-meter-tall body was hurled away by the blow, flying several meters backward off the ground. He spat blood foam and died!

Ye Qiong's slender body stood straight. At that moment, he was incomparably valiant, his momentum fierce and overwhelming.

His sharp gaze shot toward the pirates aboard the pirate ship in the shallow waters ahead.

"The captain was killed by him!"

"Monster! He's a monster!"

"Run! Start the ship, quickly!"

The pirates aboard the ship panicked and scrambled about, trying to sail away.

"Don't even think about leaving."

Ye Qiong stepped forward to stop them, but his body suddenly trembled and intense pain tore through his limbs.

It felt as if his muscles were being ripped apart inch by inch. An overwhelming sense of weakness surged in like a tidal wave.

"Damn it, at a time like this!"

He gritted his teeth and endured, barely keeping enough strength to remain standing.

The self-destructive training, the high-speed pursuit, and the life-or-death battle with Baguli had pushed his body to an extreme level of fatigue. His body and mind were already ravaged.

His body had reached the limit of what a human could endure.

Was this all he could do?

The pirate ship before him had already raised anchor and was lowering its sails. Once it set sail and left the island, how could he rescue Robin across the vast sea?

"Will you save me?"

Robin's words still echoed in his ears.

"I'll definitely protect you!"

His own promise still lingered in his heart.

Of course, he would not stop here!

Ye Qiong's trembling body moved forward step by step, staggering as his blurry vision gradually became clear again.

Strength burst forth from the depths of his heart like a spring, flowing through all four limbs and every bone!

It made him walk faster and faster.

In the end, his walk turned into a run. He charged at top speed toward the slowly moving pirate ship and leaped into the sea.

"He's catching up!"

"Use the cannons to attack him!"

The pirates aboard the ship screamed in panic.

A cannonball fell with a long whistling trail.

It landed in the sea beside Ye Qiong and exploded with a deafening boom!

Seawater sprayed everywhere!

Ye Qiong closed the distance at high speed as though unaffected. In the water, his hands paddled rapidly, and his speed did not decrease.

Another cannonball landed not far ahead of him. The blast made his body tremble slightly, and he spat out blood, which was quickly washed away by the seawater.

The distance to the pirate ship rapidly closed!

Twenty meters, ten meters, five meters... one meter!

Ancient Martial Arts technique—Eagle Claw Hand!

Ye Qiong formed his hand into a claw, his five fingers hard as iron as they struck the pirate ship's hull.

Crunch!

The solid, stone-like hull shattered like tofu beneath his strike, and Ye Qiong's fingers dug deeply into the wooden side.

Using several successive clawing grips for leverage, Ye Qiong leaped from the sea onto the pirate ship.

He stood proudly atop the pirate ship's railing. Not a single part of his body was free of wounds; blood seeped directly from his skin and dyed his clothes red. Only his eyes still shone brightly, terrifying every remaining pirate aboard.

"M-Monster."

Many pirates' legs went weak. They either knelt or collapsed to the deck, their faces filled with panic.

"Kill him! He's already nearly done for!" A pirate hurriedly raised a long gun.

Ye Qiong dashed before the pirate in a single step, seized the arm holding the gun, and twisted it apart with both hands. Blood sprayed everywhere.

"Get on your knees!" Ye Qiong said coldly.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Their will had already been worn away, and fear had seeped into their bones. Not a single pirate aboard hesitated. To stay alive, they lowered their heads and knelt.

These pirates, who could lick blades for money, could likewise abandon their so-called dignity and even wealth in order to survive.

After all, only by staying alive could they have a life to spend money.

The first mate, Ogu, wisely untied the ropes around Robin's hands.

Robin, her eyes swollen red, rushed into Ye Qiong's arms.

"It's already... all right now." Ye Qiong gently comforted her, patting her trembling shoulder. "Didn't I say it? I'll definitely protect you."

Then he raised his head again, his slightly cold gaze falling on Ogu, who was kneeling on the ground.

"I offer our pirate crew's most precious treasure, in the hope that you will show mercy," Ogu said earnestly, raising his head.

"What treasure?"

"A Devil Fruit."

Hearing those four seemingly magical words, Ye Qiong's pupils contracted slightly.

"All right." He nodded, and Ogu immediately threw out a treasure chest hidden behind his back.

Ye Qiong caught the chest with one hand and weighed it. It was neither too heavy nor too light, so he did not open it to verify its contents. He knew the other man no longer had the courage to deceive him.

"Come on, let's go home." Ye Qiong lowered his head and spoke softly. After Robin nodded, he took her hand, held her in his arms, and leaped from the pirate ship back into the sea.