Defeat

Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Ener.

His gaze was also locked firmly on Gin.

This fellow was called the Demon Tonfa precisely because he was cold-blooded and merciless, refusing to show any softness even when enemies wept and begged for his mercy before him.

He was simply a man who killed without blinking an eye.

However, he did have a bright spot. That was that he knew how to repay kindness and was extremely loyal. In the original story, he was once saved by Sanji, and afterward, he could never bring himself to strike against Sanji.

He was also immensely loyal to his own captain, Krieg.

If Ener were taking the pirate route, this fellow would definitely be worth recruiting. He was strong, loyal, grateful... and ruthless to boot.

Pity that he was a marine.

Those who served as soldiers and those who acted as thieves naturally stood on opposite sides.

Gin sneered, "Sub-lieutenant? Truly laughable. Strength like yours surpasses most colonels in the East Blue."

Ener glanced sideways at Tashigi, who was still caught in shock. "Leave this person to me. Hurry up and go support Colonel Smoker, assisting him in subduing Krieg as quickly as possible so we can stabilize the public mood."

Tashigi: "..."

At this moment, she still found it hard to believe her own eyes. However, at this time, she understood what matter was most important.

Thus, she nodded, simultaneously waving a hand to the ones behind her. "Follow me..."

"Swish..."

Tashigi hoisted Shigure and charged toward the pirates who remained after a flurry of gunfire. She intended to smash through them in one fell swoop, thereby heading at maximum speed to the places in the town that had been plundered by pirates.

Seeing this, Gin wanted to stop her. Yet Ener blocked his path with a single flash. "Your opponent is me."

Gin's eyes narrowed. "You're courting death."

"Demon Tonfa..."

He watched the mallet-tonfas in his opponent's hands begin to spin, the wind they whipped up feeling precisely like the wailing of ghosts from hell!

Then, they viciously hammered toward Ener.

Seeing this, Ener thrust the Ice Demon forward to prop it horizontally, blocking this move.

"Heh..."

Seeing this, Gin couldn't help sneering, the mallet-tonfa in his other hand spinning as it smashed toward Ener's abdomen.

Seeing this, Ener narrowed his eyes slightly. One had to know that after acquiring the Sword Soul, he had gained not just sword techniques, but all the combat experience the Sword Soul had possessed in life.

He watched Ener erupt with force, forcibly driving Gin back before the fellow could smash into him.

"One-Sword Style — Iai — Freezing Slash!"

Ener first sheathed the Ice Demon into its scabbard, then assumed an offensive posture.

Gin's expression turned grave, and he also grew vigilant. Through these two exchanges, he had already understood that the strength of the person before him was even a notch higher than his own.

Yet the next second, Ener vanished from before his eyes.

When Ener appeared once more, he was already standing ten meters behind him, the Ice Demon in his hand slowly being sheathed back into its scabbard.

"Pfft..."

The clothes across Gin's chest were directly split open by a slash.

Naturally, the Ice Demon had also left a horizontal wound on Gin's chest that pierced clean through his entire body. The eerie part was that not the slightest drop of fresh blood flowed out.

Because the wound had already been frozen solid.

"Thud..."

Gin dropped to his knees, his kneecaps heavily striking the ground and producing a dull sound.

His mouth parted slightly, and the breath he exhaled turned out to be ice-cold. A layer of chill had even frosted over both of his eyes!

Because the frost from the wound had already invaded his entire body with cold qi. Had this been an ordinary person, they would have long since been frozen stiff and perished very quickly.

Yet at the very last moment before losing consciousness, Gin grit his teeth and pushed through. The gaze that had already grown somewhat unfocused regained its focus once more.

Finally, he slowly stood up, turning his head to look at Ener.

"Shield Crush!"

In the original story, the might of this strike was so great that even an iron wall could not withstand it, showing its formidable power.

Seeing this, Ener's pupils constricted slightly, and then a hint of appreciation appeared on his face. "Such strong willpower."

After saying that, his tone shifted. "However, you can't win against me relying purely on willpower."

"One-Sword Style — Ice Tiger!"

A burst of white sword intent surged from Ener's body, converging into a white tiger. Then Ener was seen putting strength into both legs, his entire body charging toward Gin.

"Clang..."

Ener's Ice Demon and Gin's mallet-tonfa collided fiercely together, powerful force continuously clashing between the two of them and forming wave after wave of shockwaves.

It blew the clothes on both of their bodies rustlingly loud.

Gin's strength was originally inferior to Ener's, plus he had already been severely injured. The two of them merely stalemated for seven or eight seconds before Ener's Ice Demon broke through Gin's mallet-tonfa, immediately slashing ruthlessly into Gin's body.

Under the powerful force, Gin's entire body was sent flying from the slash.

At the same time, beneath this strike, a massive wound was left on his body yet again.

This time, he never stood up again.

Ener turned his head to speak to the marines left behind on the warship under his command. "Tie him up and throw him into the ship's brig. I'm going to help Colonel Smoker and Corporal Tashigi."

"Sir..." As those marine soldiers looked at Ener, their gazes had completely changed.

There was no longer any of the previous disdain; what remained was only awe for the strong and adoration for a superior.

Meanwhile, Ener rapidly caught up to Tashigi, a trace of incredulity flashing through Tashigi's eyes. "That Gin..."

Ener: "Has already been locked up in the warship's brig."

Tashigi let out a startled cry in her heart. This fellow actually really defeated Gin? That's a major pirate with a twelve-million-beli bounty!

The scene of Ener saving her involuntarily surfaced in her mind, and as a result, something more entered her gaze when she looked at Ener.

However, she snapped back to her senses immediately.

Because by this time they had already entered the town, and a miserable scream rang out from not far away. Raising her eyes to look, she spotted a fierce and malicious pirate snatching a young woman from the hands of a middle-aged man.

Then, with a backhanded slash of his blade, he chopped off the middle-aged man's head.

The young woman cried out in grief, "Father..."

At that moment, another young man rushed out from the house. Wielding a chopper in his hand, he charged unhesitatingly toward the pirate.

Yet the trembling of his hands at this moment laid bare the terror hidden deep within his heart.

When he reached the front of the pirate, he stopped.

This cowardly behavior drew the pirate's merciless mockery. "Tsk tsk... Coward!"

"Ah..."

The young man let out a hysterical roar, "I'll fight you to the death..."

Then, wielding the chopper in his hand, he slashed toward the pirate.

The captured young woman couldn't help frantically struggling while crying out at the top of her lungs, "Brother... Don't..."

Because she understood that her brother was likewise no match for the pirate. Their father was already dead, and her brother was already her sole remaining family.

The pirate raised his leg and delivered a kick, sending the young man flying.

Immediately afterward, he couldn't help laughing out loud. "Hahahaha..."

"Huh?"

Yet the next instant, he felt the world spinning head over heels, while his line of vision continuously plummeted. In the end, he even saw his own body crash heavily to the ground.

That's right, it was his very own body.

How is that possible? The pirate found it hard to believe.

Immediately following that, he saw a blade appear before his eyes, a drop of blood sliding down from it. Instinctively shifting his line of sight upward, he instead caught sight of a tall figure bearing the character for Justice upon his back.

Only then did he understand that the marines had arrived, and he had already been decapitated by this marine.