Pirates: I Can Repel Anything

"Go down! Wahahaha!"

The moment he finished speaking, Burgess shot toward Chris like an arrow loosed from a bow.

His fist, as big as a sandbag, was already clenched, and his face was wild with excitement.

Chris folded his arms, glanced at Burgess, then turned to Doc Q.

"Watch closely, you two," he said calmly. "I'm going to teach you about a power only the strong possess."

"Haki!"

No sooner had he spoken than Burgess's huge fist came straight at his face.

"Quit lecturing us and hit the ground!"

"You're going to strike from my left," Chris said.

As soon as he said it, he tilted his head slightly to the right.

"What?!"

Burgess cried out, his face full of shock.

His punch had missed.

What was going on?

How had this guy dodged it?

Questions raced through his mind.

He wasn't the only one. Even Doc Q, watching from the side, looked stunned.

He knew very well how strong Burgess was.

Yet this was the result.

It was unbelievable!

Chris ignored their shock and spoke evenly.

"The power to sense another person's presence more keenly—that's Observation Haki."

Burgess refused to accept it. He roared,

"I don't believe I can't hit you!"

His fists rained down on Chris.

They were blindingly fast and vicious. A single hit would surely spell disaster.

"As you develop this power, you can sense the positions and number of enemies outside your sight—even what they're about to do next."

Chris kept his arms folded, ducking or turning aside as needed.

He looked utterly at ease, as though they were playing a children's game.

"As far as I know, some places call it Mantra. Different name, same thing."

Everyone nearby was stunned by the sight.

They could only stare.

"What's going on? That's terrifying!"

"Does the captain have a third eye? How else could he do that?"

"What third eye? Didn't you hear Captain Chris? It's called Haki. Uh... what kind of Haki was it?"

"Observation Haki. That's what Boss Chris said."

"You're incredible, Captain! I admire you from the bottom of my heart..."

Baccarat stood quietly to one side, her beautiful eyes shining. She saw no one but that commanding figure.

Her instincts had been right after all.

Chris was the one she had been waiting for.

Doc Q could no longer lie there. He sat up, his weathered face filled with astonishment.

"Observation Haki..."

He searched his memory, but he had never heard the term. He hadn't known such a power existed.

Just then, Burgess bellowed,

"Why is this happening?"

He had stopped attacking.

He couldn't hit the young man in front of him. What was the point of throwing another punch?

It was infuriating.

His anger had reached its limit.

He desperately wanted to understand what was going on.

"That was Observation Haki. Now for another kind."

Chris raised his right hand. In an instant, it turned jet-black and gleamed...

(A little early spoiler: Now that Burgess and Doc Q have appeared, Lafitte and Van Augur won't be forgotten. Everyone from Blackbeard's original crew will end up at Chris's side. Do you like these crew members? (*￣︶￣))

"This is Armament Haki."

"It's like wearing invisible armor. It's solid, and ordinary strength can't break through it."

Chris smiled faintly. "Your punches are powerful, and your attacks are fierce, but that's all on the surface."

"Enough!"

Burgess threw a furious punch and snarled,

"Then stop dodging! I'll beat you to death!"

"As you wish."

Facing Burgess's sandbag-sized fist, Chris simply threw a light punch of his own.

Their fists collided.

Boom!

After the explosive impact came a scream.

"Aah..."

Burgess went flying, hit the ground, and rolled backward.

Silence.

Everything around them fell quiet.

Every eye turned to Chris.

Worship. Admiration...

They looked at Chris as though he were a god.

"Follow me, and one day you'll wield this power too."

Chris folded his arms, his expression cool and proud. "Enough talk. If you want to grow stronger, come along."

With that, he led Baccarat toward the large ship.

"Wahahaha..."

Burgess got to his feet and laughed, ignoring the pain in his hand.

"I'm not passing up power like that."

Then he glanced at Doc Q and said quickly, "Whether you come along is up to you!"

Without waiting for Doc Q, he hurried after Chris, his face alight with excitement.

He lived for a fight and admired the strong above all else.

Defeating him had earned Chris his respect. Burgess was now willing to follow his lead.

There was nothing more to say.

"Cough, cough... Wait for me..."

Doc Q patted Stronger. The sickly horse trudged forward, carrying him one heavy step at a time.

Horse and rider alike looked like candles in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

It was a strange sight indeed!

Before long, everyone was aboard.

"Ship's rule: the strong command respect!"

As soon as Burgess boarded, he spotted the words carved into the mast.

"Captain, what does that rule mean?"

Chris put his hands in his pockets. "There's only one rule on this ship."

"Let your strength speak!"

Chris looked at the two of them casually. "If your fists are stronger than mine, you're the boss of this ship."

"So if you want to be captain, train hard. I'll be waiting for your challenge."

He had worked all this out before setting sail.

That was why he had carved those words into the mast himself the day before.

They were there to spur everyone aboard onward.

To keep their fighting spirit alive.

The weak were destined to be left behind.

"Captain, you're a man after my own heart! Wahahaha!"

Burgess was delighted. This was exactly the kind of pirate crew he had always wanted.

He was a pirate. If he had to follow a pile of rules, what was the point?

He might as well go home and farm.

Strength decided everything.

That was the best rule there was!

"A captain like that... I like him..."

Doc Q smiled, though it looked worse than a grimace.

Chris turned to his men and shouted,

"Men, raise the sails! We're off!"

"Yes, Captain Chris!"

At once, a pirate flag rose and fluttered in the wind.

It bore a white skull over two crossed swords. "Power" was written on the hilt to the left, and "Wealth" on the one to the right.

Chris had designed it himself.

Anyone could see what it stood for.

Burgess had no interest in the flag. He looked at Chris and asked with a grin,

"Boss, if we can fight for the captain's position, we can fight for division commander positions too, right?"

Chris nodded, his face expressionless. "Once we have more members, we'll find a place to fight it out and decide the division commanders' ranks."