The Life-Taking Sword aimed to kill with every strike. Ye Chen had never been particularly merciful, and the more ruthless a killing technique was, the more he liked it. Seeing Hendry's face turn purple, he nodded. "A cornered rabbit finally bites, huh?"
"Branding Iron Punishment!"
Hendry practically forced the words through clenched teeth. The moment he spoke, the air around Ye Chen grew scorching hot. Several sparks shot toward him from afar. Only when they drew close did he see that they were red-hot branding irons.
Just looking at them was terrifying, never mind being touched by one. The Pirates on deck were scared out of their wits, afraid the flying irons would land on their heads.
Ye Chen snorted and spun, his sword flashing faster. He knocked every branding iron back toward Hendry, who scrambled to dodge. Hendry escaped them, but the Pirates aboard his ship weren't so lucky.
"Ow..."
One Pirate took a branding iron square in the backside and sprang off the deck in pain. Even Ye Chen couldn't help praising the height of his jump.
What Ye Chen didn't know was that the man wasn't an impressive jumper. It just hurt so damn much that his body had moved on its own. When he landed, he rolled across the Deck in agony. The iron had stuck fast to his flesh, hissing and sending up black smoke. Before long, the flesh on his backside was charred.
Some were hit in the face, others in the legs. One Pirate had it even worse: a flying iron landed right between his legs. The result was easy to imagine. He howled like a ghost and soon died from the pain.
"Your Execution-Execution Fruit really is powerful."
Ye Chen pointed at the Pirates wailing on the deck and gave Hendry an