The Pirates' Counterattack

Lina couldn't help tightening her grip on her sword hilt. Her competitive spirit had been stirred.

Though she had once been nothing more than a sliver-health swordswoman, she instinctively paid attention to any news related to swordsmen.

Zoro was the most famous bounty hunter in the East Blue.

And he was a peculiar Three-Sword Style swordsman. How could she not know of him?

Her gaze fell on Kasli, captain of the Kasli Pirates, who had a bounty of 13 million Beli. Other than Blood Butcher, his bounty was the highest.

Gin said, "Then Red Fox is mine."

Good lord!

Each of them had picked the ones with the highest bounties, leaving only Matthew, captain of the Hurricane Pirates with a bounty of 11.8 million Beli, along with a few guys worth a million or so.

Ener shrugged. "Fine. I'll take care of the rest."

Blood Butcher, Kasli, Red Fox, and Matthew exchanged looks, their eyes filled with rage. These people were picking them out like merchandise.

To them, this was the greatest humiliation imaginable.

"Looking to die..." Blood Butcher, who had the fiercest temper, was the first to lose his patience.

He stared fixedly at Zoro. If looks could kill, Zoro would already have been sliced into a thousand pieces.

Ener turned to Lina and Zoro. "Want to compete?"

As he spoke, his hand settled on his sword hilt. His knees bent slightly, and he leaned forward into an attacking stance.

Lina smiled and assumed the same stance.

Zoro said nothing, but a hint of excitement appeared on his face as he too took the same stance.

Three people. Three swordsmen. The same stance.

No excessive words were needed. Perhaps this was the romance unique to swordsmen.

Gin said, "..."

Ener shouted, "One-Sword Style—Iaido—Flame Demon Slash!"

Lina shouted, "One-Sword Style—Iai Slash!"

Zoro shouted, "One-Sword Style—Iai: Praise Song!"

"Whoosh..."

The three vanished at once. When they reappeared, they were already behind their respective targets, slowly sheathing their swords in unison.

"Splurt..."

Wounds opened across the chests of Blood Butcher, Kasli, and Matthew, blood spraying wildly from them.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Zoro let out a strange laugh, then turned to look at Ener and Lina. These two swordsmen were absolutely the strongest he had encountered since setting out to sea.

He was extremely excited.

He truly couldn't wait to have a proper fight with the two of them.

Blood Butcher and Matthew slowly collapsed. Kasli alone remained standing... but not because he was the strongest.

It was because Lina was the weakest of the three in terms of strength. As a result, the power of her attack had been greatly reduced.

Lina's expression changed slightly.

She made up her mind then and there that she would train her strength from now on. Only then could she narrow the gap between herself and male swordsmen.

"Eek!"

Seeing the three people beside him get struck at once, Red Fox's face changed drastically. His mind was thrown into disarray...

Gin, who possessed extensive combat experience, naturally would not miss such an opportunity. With a burst of strength from his legs, he shot forward like a cannonball.

"Shield Crush!"

Even an iron wall could not withstand this attack. It was undoubtedly Gin's most destructive move.

"Not good!"

Red Fox's expression changed dramatically. By the time he noticed Gin's movements, Gin had already charged right in front of him.

Damn it!

He had actually made such a rookie mistake as losing focus in battle.

He was also the only woman among these pirates. In terms of strength, he was naturally a bit weaker than men. Thus, his fighting style had always been to keep his distance and win through techniques.

But it was too late now. Left with no choice, he raised the sword in his hand before him, hoping to block Gin's attack.

"Clang!"

Gin's attack could shatter even a heavy shield.

How could Red Fox's thin, light sword withstand it?

Unless it was a Grade Sword, it simply could not block this attack. His sword snapped with a sound, while Gin's tonfa hammer did not stop, its momentum undiminished.

Before Red Fox's terrified eyes, it slammed viciously into his chest.

Under that immense force, Red Fox felt as though his chest were about to explode. Pain made cold sweat pour down his face, and he was sent flying.

By sheer coincidence, he landed right at Ener's feet.

Ener lowered his head and looked. Good lord... one side had swollen up by an entire circle.

He couldn't help complaining inwardly, Gin really doesn't know how to treat women gently at all!

But complaints were one thing.

His leg was not slow in the slightest. He suddenly kicked out, planting his foot squarely in Red Fox's face.

Red Fox was knocked unconscious instantly.

"Ptoo..."

At that moment, Blood Butcher struggled to his feet. He then spat a mouthful of bloody saliva to the side.

Then, together with Kasli, he slowly turned around.

They faced off against Ener, Lina, and Zoro, then glanced at Matthew, who was still lying on the ground and had yet to get up.

Their brows furrowed.

The three people before them were already terrifyingly strong. If they lost this helper too, it would be two against three. They truly would have no chance of survival.

As for the other pirates, they exchanged glances.

Their eyes were filled with terror.

"Since when did the East Blue Marines have such ruthless monsters?"

They instinctively backed away, then sprinted madly toward the pirate ship. Only by getting aboard could they have even a sliver of hope of escaping.

Blood Butcher was an extremely huge man, standing over three meters tall. He carried a massive axe... then he locked onto Zoro.

"Whoosh..."

The huge axe in his hand flew out, its target Zoro.

Ener, Lina, and Zoro's pupils all shrank sharply. Being able to throw such an enormous iron axe like a concealed weapon meant his strength was absolutely terrifying.

Zoro wisely chose to evade, flashing three or four meters to the left.

But unexpectedly, there was a long iron chain attached to the axe's handle. After missing with the first strike, Blood Butcher suddenly exerted force.

He swung the massive axe up, then flicked it. The axe immediately came at Zoro again from a bizarre angle.

Ener and Lina exchanged glances, thinking, As expected, someone with an 18 million Beli bounty won't be taken down so easily.

But neither stepped in to help, because this was Zoro's opponent.

At the same time, Kasli moved as well.

This guy wore iron gauntlets on both hands and kneepads on both legs. Even his shoes were made of iron.

Clearly, he was a master of hand-to-hand combat.

With a burst of strength from his legs, he leaped high into the air, then threw a punch down at Lina from above.

Lina reacted quickly. She gripped her sword with both hands and swung it directly.