Hadebein Island

Time flew by, and half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.

West Blue, Hadebein Island.

From afar, the island appeared entirely unremarkable, with lush vegetation and gentle terrain. But anyone familiar with the place would know that this was the largest gunpowder production base in all of West Blue, as well as the foundation of the greatest gunpowder dealer known as the Gunpowder King.

An utterly ordinary-looking two-masted sailboat slowly docked, attracting no additional attention.

Dawn and Robin stepped off the deck one after the other, onto solid ground. After half a year of training, Robin seemed to have grown a little taller. Her gaze had become steadier, and she carried a faintly capable aura forged through real combat.

Perched on Dawn's shoulder was a snow-white Little White Fox that looked utterly harmless.

Dawn was in no hurry to act. Over the past six months, he had systematically given Stella and Robin combat training, while gaining practical experience by targeting several notorious small gangs in West Blue and, incidentally, seizing some startup funds.

The two women's strength, especially their combined use of Devil Fruit abilities and physical techniques, had improved tremendously. Only after making thorough preparations had they finally arrived on this island.

The moment the two humans and one fox set foot on the island, they headed straight toward its depths. Yet after advancing only a few dozen meters, more than twenty guards wielding Flintlocks suddenly sprang out from the surrounding brush.

They moved swiftly and were clearly well-trained, instantly leveling their guns at Dawn and the others. The squad leader at the front immediately bellowed:

"Stop right there! This is private property, not somewhere ordinary people should be!"

The squad leader was actually somewhat puzzled. He knew by heart the appearances of every person in charge of the various forces qualified to conduct gunpowder transactions here, along with their attendants. Even if personnel changed, he would receive advance notice from above.

This was an unwritten rule between the various forces and the Gunpowder King. After all, gunpowder was hard currency. No one capable of operating in this business was an idiot, nor would they employ unreliable subordinates. These people before him had unfamiliar faces and extraordinary presences. They were certainly not ordinary folk.

Dawn acted as if he had not heard the squad leader's question at all. His pace did not slow in the slightest as he continued forward unhurriedly. He did not even glance at the dark gun barrels, as if they were nothing but air.

Seeing Dawn ignore him so completely, the squad leader's pupils contracted. He stopped hesitating and gave the order:

"Fire!"

"Bang bang bang bang—!"

Dense gunfire erupted, shattering the island's tranquility. A deadly barrage of lead bullets blanketed the two humans and one fox. More alarming still, several bombs with lit, sizzling fuses were mixed into the barrage.

Unlike elsewhere, where bombs were treated as a last-resort weapon, on this island—a gunpowder production base in its own right—they had become a standard means of attack.

Facing the sudden assault, Dawn did not even change his posture. He simply patted the White Fox on his shoulder.

Stella understood. Opening her tiny mouth, she spat out five highly compressed orange-red fireballs in rapid succession.

The first fireball precisely collided with the foremost cluster of lead bullets. The flames, compressed to their limit, exploded violently the instant they made contact.

The scorching blast and flames not only instantly melted the bullets' casings, but also caused them to detonate midair. The second and third fireballs followed immediately, dealing with the remaining bullets and several incoming bombs in the same manner.

The bombs' casings rapidly melted and detonated under the extreme heat, erupting with even greater booms! The fourth fireball cleared away the remaining scattered threats.

The fifth fireball, meanwhile, seemed to have eyes. It traced a graceful arc and struck the guards, who had been left dumbfounded after seeing their attack so easily neutralized!

"Boom—!"

Flames swallowed the crowd, and the terrifying destructive force of heat and explosion swept over them in an instant. Piercing screams rang out briefly before swiftly dying away.

The stench of scorched flesh and blood spread through the air. The first batch of guards had been wiped out completely beneath this overwhelming firepower.

After dealing with those guards, neither Dawn nor the others showed any unusual reaction as they continued onward.

After six months of tempering through clearing out small gangs, not only Dawn, who had long grown accustomed to killing and bloodshed, but even Stella and Robin had become used to such life-or-death scenes.

Mercy toward enemies was cruelty toward oneself. They had long carved that principle into their bones.

However, Hadebein Island's defenses clearly did not end there.

Only a few minutes later, after the two humans and one fox passed through a stretch of woodland, a second group of guards appeared in a relatively open clearing ahead.

The vast crowd vastly outnumbered the previous group. Looking ahead, they packed the path so densely that it was nearly blocked off completely. There had to be at least a thousand of them!

They were better equipped. Besides Flintlocks, many had several bombs hanging from their waists. Their eyes were fierce, and they were clearly seasoned desperadoes.

Obviously, the guards had some special means of confirming their comrades' deaths. Otherwise, they could never have assembled so many people in such a short time.

The leader of the thousand guards was a burly man with a scar across his face. He had no intention of wasting words on Dawn and the others. The instant he saw his targets, he waved his hand and gave the order:

"Fire at will! Take them down!"

An even denser barrage poured down like a raging storm. With so many lead bullets fired at once, there was no need to aim. Such saturating fire guaranteed a one-hundred-percent hit rate.

Dawn's eyes sharpened. He had been prepared. Spreading his arms, he faced his palms forward as the air he had stored and compressed in his dimensional space was released in an instant.

[Compressed Air Gatling]

Air Cannons containing terrifying kinetic force shot forth in an unending stream, precisely colliding with the incoming bullets. Bursts of invisible shockwaves and metallic fragments exploded through the air like fireworks, while piercing sounds of metal clashing and shattering rang out without end.

The few that slipped through were easily swallowed and melted by the wider fan-shaped flames Stella spat out once more.

Working together, the two of them effortlessly dissolved the first volley, one that could have instantly annihilated an army.

Watching their supposedly lethal attack get neutralized so casually, many guards instantly broke out in cold sweat, and the hands gripping their guns began to tremble.

Seeing this, the scar-faced commander gritted his teeth.

"What are you panicking for?! Keep loading! You know exactly what happens to anyone who deserts in battle!"

His words carried an intense threat. Clearly, the Gunpowder King's punishment for deserters was exceptionally cruel.

Hearing this, the guards forcibly suppressed their fear and began reloading in a frantic scramble.

But why would Dawn give them that chance? He knew full well the fatal weakness of Flintlock weapons—the frequent need to reload—and this gap was exactly what he had been waiting for!

He gave Robin beside him a look.

Robin understood. Crossing her arms before her chest, she shouted:

[Clutch]

In an instant, several pairs of fair arms abruptly appeared out of thin air on dozens of guards who were bent over reloading amid the dense crowd.

As if they possessed lives of their own, the arms swiftly and precisely locked around their necks, elbow joints, and knee joints.

"Aah!"

"What is this?!"

"I... I can't move!"

Though the number of people restrained was not high compared to the total, the sudden and bizarre attack was already enough. The trapped guards struggled and shouted in terror, while their panic spread swiftly like stones cast into a still lake.

The guards, whose morale had already been shaken, instantly descended into chaos. Their reloading motions became completely disordered, and some even accidentally pulled their triggers. The gunshots from misfires only deepened the confusion.

They were ultimately nothing more than hired thugs selling their lives for money. Faced with an overwhelming disparity in strength and such bizarre abilities, their desire for money was utterly crushed by their fear of death.

Seizing the opportunity, Dawn immediately unleashed Kurouzu. The chaotic crowd had no time to organize any effective resistance and were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Several minutes later, Dawn shifted his thoughts. The swallowed guards were released again like spat-out scraps, scattered across the ground. However, they had long since lost all life.

TO BE CONTINUED