The Furious Lion

Werther sat a while longer. Seeing that nothing worthwhile was appearing and that he had no money left to bid on anything else, he decided to leave.

It was almost noon, so he got up and headed straight to the auction house's back office to settle the payment.

After paying 102 million Beli, Werther finally obtained the methods for training Haki, along with that pocket watch.

He flipped through it briefly. More precisely, it was a notebook, though he had no idea who had written it. It had roughly two sections. The first covered the awakening and training methods of Armament Haki, taking up four-fifths of the notebook. The rest concerned Observation Haki, but it only briefly mentioned how to awaken it, with no detailed explanation of subsequent training methods. It seemed the notebook's original owner had not been particularly skilled in Observation Haki.

After giving it a cursory look, he put it away and headed directly toward the docks, because Werther knew the Furious Lion Pirates should still be waiting for him there.

When he arrived at the docks, Werther found the entire place completely blocked off by a large crowd of around a hundred people.

Werther showed no fear. If anything, he felt a trace of excitement and anticipation.

Gat stood at the front, looking at Werther with a half-smile, as though he were looking at a dead man. With a wave of his hand, his men formed an encirclement and slowly closed in on Werther.

Werther did not draw his swords immediately. Instead, he half-removed his trench coat. A ring of iron loops lined the inside of its middle, fitting neatly over his belt like an ancient battle skirt and hanging down to his knees.

He stripped off the shirt underneath and tossed it aside. This was experience accumulated from years of fighting. If too much blood splattered onto his clothes, they would become sticky and uncomfortable. Going bare-chested was better. Even if blood splashed onto him, Lightning Mode could instantly evaporate it clean.

He drew both swords and activated Lightning Mode. Without waiting for the enemy to approach, he charged straight in. Werther's principle in battle had always been to strike first.

The first enemy he encountered was a burly man wielding a warhammer. His face was twisted ferociously, but Werther was too fast for him to react. He could only instinctively raise the hammer's handle in front of his chest.

That might have worked against someone else, but not against Werther. One slash split the big man in two, and Werther moved on to find the next enemy.

Pale blue lightning and red blood flashed continuously through the crowd. At first, the Furious Lion Pirates still had some fighting spirit. But after only a few minutes, their enemy was completely unharmed while half their side had already died gruesome deaths. The luckier ones had been cut in two. The less fortunate ones had been chopped into several pieces by Werther, who had grown increasingly exhilarated by the killing.

The pirates' morale collapsed.

"Run! This guy's a demon!"

"I can't take it anymore! Save me, Captain! The enemy's too strong!"

"Spare me! Don't kill me! I surrender!"

Gat did not even need to give orders. The pirates frantically fled toward the rear.

Watching the pirates run, Werther did not pursue. Instead, he stood where he was and gathered a large amount of lightning into one sword. Then he stepped forward, gathered strength, and hurled the sword from his hand.

The sword, condensed with a massive amount of lightning, spun rapidly through the air, accelerating faster and faster. In the end, it formed a silver-blue wheel that flew toward the fleeing pirates.

Several pirates who had only just run a short distance were celebrating their good fortune when they heard a shriek behind them, mixed with crackling sounds. Before they could turn around, they felt their bodies become weightless. Then the entire world spun. Their bodies crashed heavily to the ground, and at last, everything before their eyes went black as they lost both consciousness and life.

Lightning also gathered in the palm of the hand Werther had used to throw the sword. The silver-blue sword wheel that had just severed several pirates flew back toward him in a manner that defied all physics. Werther grabbed the hilt, and the dense lightning on the blade gradually faded, returning to his body as its power returned to normal.

Werther had come up with this while researching techniques. It could not really be called a technique, only an application of lightning. It was a method developed by using lightning's cutting power and electromagnetic force.

During his spare time, Werther often pondered how to develop his techniques. But his lightning ability was simply too violent. Sometimes, after activating Lightning Mode at maximum power, the resulting speed became more than his body could withstand. Speed was power, and power created recoil. That was why Werther was so eager to learn Haki. He believed his strength would increase tremendously once he had it.

As he watched the remaining pirates flee in panic, Werther did not wipe them all out as he would have while carrying out missions in the past. Instead, he looked toward Gat, who had been watching from afar.

Holding both swords, Werther slowly walked toward Gat.

"If these trash are all you sent to deal with me, then I'm truly disappointed. I wonder how strong you are. If you're too weak, I won't let you die easily," Werther said coldly, staring at Gat.

Werther had originally thought that, judging from Gat's confidence at the auction house, his pirate crew should have had some skill. But now that he had seen them, they were fine for dealing with ordinary people. Against a strong opponent, however, they were nothing but cannon fodder. Other than wasting some stamina, they were useless.

"I never expected them to be of much use. They were only meant to test your strength. I have no idea how many pieces of trash like that I have under me. If my partners hadn't gone to escort a shipment of weapons, why would I need to act personally? You arrogant brat." Gat showed no regret or disappointment over his men's deaths and injuries. His face was instead full of gravity.

It seemed that although Gat spoke as though he did not care about Werther's strength, he was actually very wary. After all, Werther's speed was completely beyond what Gat could keep up with in his current state.

Gat took a deep breath. Then his originally gaunt body rapidly swelled like an inflated balloon. In only a few seconds, the skinny old man who had been under two meters tall transformed into a nearly five-meter-tall, muscle-bound half-man, half-beast monster.

Gat was now completely different from before. The clothes on his upper body had burst apart, revealing his powerful torso. Pale yellow fur covered his body. His muscular arms had huge feline claws, and Werther could even see paw pads and sharp nails on them. A bald tail dragged behind him, with a tuft of dark fur at its tip.

What drew the most attention, however, was Gat's head. It had completely turned into that of a male lion, though his original facial features could vaguely still be seen.

"Heh heh heh, heh heh heh. A Zoan-type Cat-Cat Fruit, Lion Form? Not a bad fruit." Werther recognized Gat's Devil Fruit at a glance, because the fur collar after Gat's transformation gave away his identity too clearly.

"Kid, you know your stuff. But you're still going to die here today." Gat was surprised that Werther had recognized his Devil Fruit so accurately.

Werther did not waste any more words on the beastman before him. Lightning gathered beneath his feet, and he rushed toward Gat at high speed.

Just as Gat prepared to receive Werther's slash, the current beneath Werther's feet crackled, and he suddenly changed direction at extreme speed.

Normally, it would have been impossible for Werther to change direction at such high speed. But after developing his use of electromagnetic force, he forcibly injected lightning into a large patch of earth beneath his feet, then used electromagnetic force to stop his forward momentum and execute a sudden turn.

Dry earth was not easily conductive, but Werther was driving lightning into the soil rather than conducting it through it. Thus, this move consumed quite a bit of energy and could not be used continuously.

Reaching Gat's side, Werther slashed directly at his arm.

Unlike before, Werther felt as though he had cut into an extremely hard substance, as if it were not a human body at all. He had only cut halfway through Gat's arm before finding it difficult to continue.

This was the first time Werther had failed to cut someone in two with a single strike, so he was somewhat surprised.

In that instant of surprise, Gat's other claw came howling through the air toward Werther's head.

Werther hurriedly retreated, but his sword was still lodged in Gat's arm. Abandon it? Impossible! He could only leap backward with all his might.

Though Gat was not as fast as Werther, he was still quite quick. As Werther leaped into the air, Gat's claw caught him at the neck.

After breaking free from Gat, Werther felt a cool sensation at his neck, followed by searing pain. He knew he had been injured, though the wound was not deep.

The feeling was too familiar. Being injured had been commonplace in the past. The large scars on his upper body showed just how many battles Werther had gone through. He was no longer the rookie who had just arrived in the pirate world, but a battle-hardened swordsman.

He did not touch the wound on his neck. Instead, he stared fixedly at the opponent before him, because this enemy was strong. Though Gat was slower than him, he was considerably stronger.

Soon, Werther discovered something even more unfavorable: the wound on Gat's arm had already stopped bleeding. It looked as though it would heal before long.

"An awakened Zoan Devil Fruit? Troublesome. But I like it," Werther muttered before charging at Gat again.

His opponent had an awakened Zoan Fruit, with powerful recovery and vitality. He could not fight a prolonged battle.

The clashes between swords and claws could be heard even several streets away.

Werther's swords moved too fast to see clearly, while Gat relied on his strength and recovery ability. He blocked attacks aimed at vital spots with his claws, endured strikes that did not target vital areas, and used the opportunity to counterattack Werther.

Although Gat appeared to be covered in blood from countless cuts, only Werther knew that he was not actually at an advantage. Earlier, when he had been unable to dodge, he had taken a punch. His chest was still faintly numb. Meanwhile, every wound on Gat's body was new; the earlier ones had already healed. What incredible recovery!

Realizing this, Werther stopped attacking and retreated several steps. As though he had made some decision, he tightened his grip on his swords.

Gat was not having an easy time either. Although he had awakened a Zoan Fruit, the madman before him had nearly slashed him a hundred times. He had no idea how much blood he had lost. A chance to rest was not bad. Before long, he would recover, and then it would be Werther's death.

Werther could not read minds. He did not know Gat's thoughts, nor did he care to know them, because he intended to decide the battle with one move. He could not drag this out any longer.

His arms hung naturally at his sides, both swords pointed straight at the ground, and he activated Lightning Mode at maximum power.

This time was different from before. Even when Werther activated Lightning Mode at maximum power in the past, only the color of his swords changed. But now, his entire body turned silver-blue!

Secret Sword: Swallow Reversal.

Every hair on Gat's body stood on end. He sensed that something terrifying was about to happen.

Before Gat could think any further, everything before him turned black, as though all else had vanished. Four intersecting blue-violet sword slashes appeared before his eyes and shot toward him at extreme speed. There was no time to dodge.

Gat knew that if he did not risk his life now, he would never get another chance. He threw a punch with all his strength, unleashing his ultimate move as he roared.

Raging Lion Heavy Cannon!

Fist and sword energy collided with a boom. The tremendous impact blasted a huge crater into the ground before them, while dust filled the surrounding area.

After a while, the wind scattered the dust and revealed the scene within.

Only one person remained standing: Werther.

Werther had surpassed his limits, slashing twice in an instant and creating four sword energies at once. But he was not feeling well either. Overusing Lightning Mode had left his entire body in agony, and he could barely stand. Still, it had all been worth it, because he had defeated the powerful enemy before him.

Gat had reverted from his Devil Fruit form. Werther's Swallow Reversal had shredded him to pieces, leaving behind nothing but a pile of mangled flesh.

"Heh heh heh, heh heh heh. What a satisfying battle," Werther laughed loudly.

But at that moment, a voice interrupted him.

A young man dressed like a nobleman looked at him with a smile.

"Oh? It seems you're quite pleased. On my territory, you killed pirates affiliated with my merchant guild. Did you think you could simply walk away afterward? How am I supposed to do business on these seas in the future? So die here, and accompany Gat, that greedy piece of trash, in death." The young man said this to Werther with a smile, then straightened his tie.

By then, several thousand people had surrounded the docks. There were pirates, noble guards, and even Marines.