Chapter 38

Deep down, they could not help believing what Chris said.

That made sense. People with Conqueror's Haki had a natural charisma that made their words easy to believe.

Besides, with Baccarat's Lucky-Lucky Fruit, there was no telling how many times higher Chris's chances of success had become.

Still, although the five of them were shaken, they soon regained their composure.

"Within five years? Do you even have the strength for that?"

Yonji was the most impulsive and reckless. Without thinking, he snapped, "All you do is spout nonsense. If you've got the guts, fight us and let your fists do the talking."

Niji nodded and sneered. "You really think you're somebody, huh? I'll kill you myself in a minute."

"I'm going first. None of you had better cut in!"

A cold gleam flashed in Ichiji's eyes, his voice utterly frigid.

Reiju said nothing. She sat quietly, studying Chris with her beautiful eyes, curiosity filling her gaze.

Who exactly was this young man?

Why did he talk so big?

Did he really have that kind of strength?

At that moment, Chris had captured Reiju's interest. She desperately wanted to learn more about the mysterious man before her.

"Good. Very good!"

Judge slapped the sofa and burst out laughing. "Everything you've said makes sense. You've filled me with hope for the future."

"But..." Judge's gaze turned cold as he stared at Chris and snarled, "Does a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you really have that kind of strength?"

"Do you think the Vinsmoke Family will work with just anyone?"

Chris shrugged and said calmly, "Looks like I'll have to fight again."

"In that case, let's find somewhere spacious and have a proper fight."

Three minutes later.

War House, Training Ground.

"This training area is reserved for the soldiers. The ground is sturdy, so it's perfect for testing your strength."

Judge looked at Chris and volunteered an explanation.

In his view, barring any unexpected developments, this young man would be the benefactor he needed.

No matter what, he had to treat Chris well and show some warmth rather than being too cold.

"Enough talking. If we're going to fight, let's get started."

Chris had no interest in the training ground. He did not even look around.

Yonji had held back for a long time and could not stand it anymore. He took the lead, about to leap out and fight.

But someone moved faster than him: Ichiji.

"As the eldest brother, I get to go first."

By the time he finished speaking, he was already in front of Chris, coldly uttering his attack's name.

"Sparks—Whirl!"

Flames instantly appeared on his right hand, blazing hot and shining pale gold as waves of heat rolled off them.

The air grew warmer in an instant, with faint wisps of white smoke rising through it.

The attack came with fierce, overwhelming force.

"Our big brother's going all out right from the start. He must really hate this guy!"

Niji kept his hands in his pockets, excitement written across his face. He could hardly wait to see Chris get thrashed.

Yonji scoffed and said disdainfully, "This guy Chris is way too damn arrogant."

"If our big brother hadn't gone first, I'd have tortured him good and proper and made him die in agony. Hahaha..."

(I really don't like these three. Their personalities are just too awful. So next chapter, they'll definitely get a thorough beating and learn how to behave. What do you think of them? Do you hate them too? (*￣︶￣).)

"Repulsion Fist!"

Facing Ichiji's fierce attack, Chris did not dodge. He spread the fingers of his right hand, instantly gathering a mass of white light.

Then he clenched his fist and drove it forward.

Bang...

An explosive crash rang out.

"Aah!"

Ichiji screamed as he flew backward.

He kept planting his feet against the ground, trying to steady himself, but the enormous white fist continued repelling him.

He could not stop at all!

Thud, thud, thud...

He kept flying backward and soon reached Judge and the others.

Shock.

Utter shock.

Seeing Ichiji in that state, all four of them wore horrified expressions.

"What's going on? Why can't our big brother stop?"

Niji stared at Ichiji's back in disbelief.

Yonji said quickly, "Forget that. Stop him first!"

As soon as he spoke, he leaped behind Ichiji and thrust both hands forward, trying to catch him.

But Yonji had clearly overestimated himself.

Chris's attack contained an enormous amount of repulsive force. It was not something they could block so easily.

The moment Ichiji's back touched his hands, Yonji was knocked backward in less than a second.

He was trying to stop a charging chariot with a mantis's arms—he had no idea how outmatched he was!

"Damn it! How is it this strong?"

Yonji cursed furiously. Unable to steady himself, he was carried backward by his older brother.

Niji had no time to be shocked. He hurriedly leaped behind Yonji, raised his right leg, and swept it forward with all his strength.

With a crash, Niji's foot struck Yonji in the back.

At last, he managed to stop the two of them.

"Couldn't you have found another way, Niji? Did you really have to kick me?"

Yonji looked at Niji, at a loss for words.

Niji waved a hand, frowning as he looked at Chris. "Forget that for now. We need to come up with a proper plan."

"This guy really is strong. One-on-one, I'm afraid none of us can beat him."

Ichiji nodded in agreement. "All three of us will attack together. Then we can take turns beating him up."

Judge looked at Chris and asked curiously, "Chris, what ability is that?"

Reiju remained silent, her beautiful eyes fixed on Chris. Her curiosity was overwhelming.

A single, simple punch had that much power. How frightening.

My instincts were right. He really is strong.

"I ate the Repel-Repel Fruit. That was a technique I developed, Repulsion Fist."

Chris seemed remarkably patient as he explained in detail, "I gather repulsive force together, shape it into a fist, and throw it. That's how it produces that effect."

"The Repel-Repel Fruit?"

Reiju knitted her lovely brows in confusion.

She had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and knew it was a paramecia Devil Fruit, but the encyclopedia indicated that this fruit was not particularly strong.

So why was it different in his hands?

She was utterly puzzled.

"I don't care what Devil Fruit it is. You're dying here today."

Niji looked at his two brothers and said viciously, "Let's use our strongest move and finish him off."

"I'm sick of looking at him. Let's just kill him."

Yonji nodded in agreement. "Forget torturing him. We might as well end this fight quickly."

Ichiji's gaze turned cold. "Then let's go."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The three charged toward Chris, light appearing on each of their hands.

Ichiji's was red, Niji's was blue, and Yonji's was pale white.

"Father, aren't you going to stop them?"

Reiju looked at her coldhearted father and asked with a faint smile.

Judge's expression was stern as he said coldly, "If he can't even withstand an attack from those three..."

"Then this Chris has no right to work with us. He might as well die!"

"That's what he gets for making fools of us!"

Reiju nodded and said with a radiant smile, "You're right, Father. This is a good chance to test his strength."

Her beautiful eyes turned toward Chris as she silently prayed that nothing would happen to him.

After all, she was different from the others. Gentle and gracious by nature, she did not want to see Chris hurt.

"Mixed-Color Burst!"

The three shouted in unison. Light blazed from their hands as they attacked with thunderous, ferocious force.

The light illuminated the entire training ground.

Chris paid their attack no mind and slowly raised his right hand.

"Mirror Repulsion!"

Boom, boom, boom...

Before their punches could even touch the mirror, all three were repelled.

"What?!"

The three flew backward in different directions, horror plastered across their faces.

They had never imagined that even their powerful combined technique would be deflected.

Just then, with a whoosh, Chris vanished and instantly appeared behind Ichiji. He coated his right leg in Armament Haki and lashed out with a kick.

With a bang, Ichiji was sent flying, screaming in pain.

Niji and Yonji followed right after him.

Before either could react, Chris had kicked them both away.

Screams rose one after another...

(Next chapter, the gorgeous Reiju will come aboard. Are you looking forward to her arrival? Do you like this beauty? Having her sail with Chris should be pretty interesting, right? ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)