Demon Pirates

But before they could make a move, the pirate ships had already begun rapidly closing in. These people probably had the same idea—they did not want to simply bombard the ship into pieces and lose its value in the end.

Relying on their numbers, many pirates stood on their decks, shouting and waving their heads around.

As the distance closed, dozens of guards instantly leaped into the air, using Geppo to step through the air as they rapidly flew toward the pirates.

But when the pirates saw this, they were not as surprised as expected. Instead, they calmly began repositioning their cannons to attack.

Nova watched everything unfold. These pirates were clearly unlike the Barlow Pirates he had encountered before. They seemed more like a disciplined force hardened by countless battles.

On the largest ship, a man in a black cloak and a black hat resembling that of a Western cowboy stood quietly at the very front, calmly watching the guards flying toward them.

Nova felt that this opponent might not be as simple as he had imagined. The expression on the man's face was certainly not the confidence that came merely from having superior numbers.

"Did you find the information on those wanted pirates I asked you to look into?" Nova asked Gogoya beside him.

"I did, Your Majesty. The group opposite us is called the Demon Pirates, and their captain is Kamolong. But he should have been on the Grand Line. I don't know why he has appeared here," Gogoya reported.

"Demon? What is his bounty?"

Nova asked again.

"Your Majesty, Kamolong's bounty is..." Gogoya said as he began flipping through the wanted posters in his hands. After searching for quite a while, he continued, "Your Majesty, his bounty is 50 million Beli!"

Even Gogoya could hardly believe what he was seeing. In this Great Pirate Era, a bounty of 50 million Beli was already extraordinarily high.

This was not like the era when the protagonist first began, where bounties casually climbed past a hundred million. In this era, pirates with bounties exceeding ten million were practically already great pirates.

Nova looked ahead with great interest. He was in no hurry to act. After all, he was not worried that his guards would be easily subdued by the enemy.

With a bounty of 50 million, there was almost no need to think about it—Kamolong was undoubtedly a Devil Fruit user. But why had someone originally on the Grand Line suddenly appeared in East Blue?

With that question in mind, Nova continued watching calmly. The soldiers stepping through the air were all on high alert. Though they had not yet reached the enemy ships, ordinary cannonballs were not enough to hurt them.

"Captain, their fighting style resembles the Marines'. Could they be Marines?"

Behind Kamolong, a lewd-looking man with extremely long hair stepped forward. Licking his lips, he spoke respectfully to Kamolong.

"Watch them first. Judging by their appearance, they probably aren't Marines, but they likely have some connection to them. Still, they're just a bunch of trash. There's nothing to worry about."

Kamolong wore a disdainful smile as he watched the guards preparing to charge and spoke to the men behind him.

"Understood, Captain."

The long-haired man revealed a sinister smile as he stared at the approaching guards, clearly harboring ill intent.

At the same time, using Observation Haki, Nova sensed something unusual aboard the enemy ship. There was an energy presence of tremendous strength there. For the moment, it was difficult to determine why they had come to East Blue or what their purpose was.

"Stay on the ship. I'll go take a look myself."

Nova smiled, then instantly vanished from the National.

When he appeared again, Nova was rapidly stepping across the water's surface as he headed straight for Kamolong's ship.

But the moment he landed on Kamolong's pirate ship, a massive blade slashed directly at him.

Fortunately, Nova reacted quickly. He leaped twice in an instant, evading Kamolong's first attack.

"Gururururu... I never expected there to be someone strong here."

Kamolong stared at Nova, who had just boarded the ship, a strange smile appearing on his face.

He held an enormous longsword, and judging by the force of that attack, Nova felt that he possessed at least the strength of a Vice Admiral.

"To be called strong by a pirate, I wonder whether that is an honor or an honor. A bounty of 50 million Beli is no small reward. Would you be willing to come with me to Marine Headquarters?" Nova asked with a smile.

"Gururururu... How ridiculous. If you want me to go to Marine Headquarters, we'll have to see whether you have the strength for it. If you do, then what harm is there in going with you?"

Kamolong still looked disdainful as he continued laughing at Nova.

"Then let's wait and see," Nova said.

The two stared at each other calmly. As for the other pirates on the ship, they hid in different places to watch the fight between them.

There was not the slightest hint of surprise on Kamolong's face. He appeared utterly calm, as though victory was already within his grasp.

"How many years has it been? No one has dared challenge me in all that time. You are the first. I have always pursued greater power upon these seas, so let me see what your so-called 'wait and see' looks like."

Kamolong said with a vicious smile.

The moment his words fell, the massive blade in his hand slashed toward Nova. The sheer force cracked a long fissure across the deck.

Although he dodged quickly, Nova still felt rather distressed. In his eyes, this ship should have become his property, and damaging it like this would surely lower its value.

That was what he thought, but Nova did not underestimate the man before him. Although he possessed great power, it had all been granted by the system. He lacked actual combat experience, and this battle was a valuable chance to gain some.

As Kamolong raised his blade again, Nova did not simply sit and wait. Yet he did not draw Demon Blade Muramasa. Instead, he intended to subdue this seemingly powerful man with his fists and feet.

He charged forward at top speed, using the Marine Six Styles. When he reached Kamolong, Nova shouted, "Finger Pistol..."

A finger shot rapidly toward Kamolong's face.

Sensing the attack, Kamolong immediately pulled back his blade to block. Such a basic strike could practically only serve as a test between opponents like them.

Though Finger Pistol was quite powerful among single-target attacks, it was still just a single-target attack and lacked any particularly strong adaptive properties.

When his attack failed to hit, Nova quickly pulled back. At that moment, countless small spikes suddenly shot out from Kamolong's body.

Nova was caught off guard, and his entire body was almost completely pierced by the spikes.

And these things were far from as simple as they looked. After the spikes pierced his body, Nova clearly felt his stamina draining away, while even his vision began to blur.

"Gururururu... Since you already knew my bounty was 50 million Beli, didn't you investigate who I am? I am a Spike-Spike Man who ate the Paramecia Thorn-Thorn Fruit. The spikes I release can also cause hallucinations."

Kamolong burst into laughter. In Nova's current state, let alone fighting him, even standing up would likely be difficult.

Nova was frustrated by his carelessness. He had clearly guessed that the other party might be a Devil Fruit user, yet he had still been so reckless.

It was all because he severely lacked combat experience. He possessed considerable strength, but in terms of actual battle experience, the gap between them was like heaven and earth.

This injury perfectly exposed his shortcomings. But even wounded, Nova still forced himself to stand. At the very least, he could not allow himself to fall, or he would truly have no chance left.

Kamolong was indeed powerful, but his weakness was also obvious. Having gone so long without encountering an opponent worthy of fighting him, he had become arrogant and did not take Nova seriously at all.

Using the last trace of his strength, Nova drew Demon Blade Muramasa. A powerful, sharp aura instantly swept across the entire sea.

"Flying Dragon Sword Style—Dragon Nest Flash—Bite..."

Nova instantly vanished from everyone's sight, leaving not even an afterimage behind. The powerful slash that followed nearly shattered the entire ship to pieces.

What he wanted was not to strike Kamolong. Nova knew very well that, as a Devil Fruit user, Kamolong could not be killed in one blow with Nova's current abilities. Otherwise, Nova himself would very likely die on the spot.

That was why he chose to destroy the ship. Under such circumstances, Kamolong, as a Devil Fruit user, would first have to ensure that he did not fall into the sea. No matter what, he would choose to retreat first.

In that brief instant, Nova jumped into the seawater. Not only could seawater make Devil Fruit users lose their powers, it also robbed them of the strength to resist. At the same time, it was the best way to dispel a Devil Fruit user's abilities.

After jumping into the sea, Nova slowly sank beneath the surface. But the spikes embedded in his body gradually vanished under the seawater's corrosion. Before long, Nova spat out mouthfuls of bubbles and swam upward with all his strength.

Fortunately, he had not eaten a Devil Fruit before. Otherwise, who knew what state he would be in now.

Clinging to a broken plank from the wrecked ship, Nova gasped continuously. There were still many pirates in the water who had fallen from that ship.

Kamolong stood on another ship, glaring furiously at Nova.

Even he had been surprised by that last strike. He had not expected Nova to unleash such terrifying power at the very end. He had truly underestimated him.

The guards who had been attacking the ships had all withdrawn. There was no point in continuing the fight, and with the pirates' superior numbers, there was no need to confront them head-on.

More importantly, the captain's true strength was still unclear. Though he had eaten the Thorn-Thorn Fruit, no one knew how far he had developed its powers.

After recovering a little strength, Nova stood on a plank in the water and looked at Kamolong, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

This man had truly given him a lesson in combat experience today. He had also made Nova clearly understand that if he wanted to take risks in the future, he first had to know enough about his opponent.

Though Kamolong's eyes were filled with anger, he remained where he was and said nothing.

After returning to the National, Nova appeared to have no intention of continuing to entangle himself with the other side. Gogoya, standing beside him, watched his king with a worried expression.

"Prepare to depart..."

Nova calmly instructed the people beside him.

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

Gogoya replied anxiously, then signaled Barlow to set sail.

Standing at the bow, Barlow turned around and shouted at the others, "Raise the sails and set off..."

As soon as his words fell, everyone hurriedly began preparing to depart.

The pirates on Kamolong's side also seemed to share an unspoken understanding. Not a single one of them attacked again.

Kamolong in particular clearly understood that Nova had not yet shown how much strength he still possessed. Even his final desperate strike had displayed such incredible power, much less now that Nova had recovered his senses and some of his stamina.

He did not want to risk the lives of all his men. Although the enemy ship was quite large, it did not seem to carry many valuables. Kamolong decided to treat the loss of his ship as a lesson and did not dwell further on the matter.

"Your Majesty, are you all right?"

Gogoya asked Nova worriedly.

As the distance between them and the pirates grew greater, Nova finally could not hold on any longer and collapsed onto the deck.

Though the seawater had weakened Kamolong's attack, the toxins left in Nova's body remained. He had only maintained his composure by forcing himself to endure.

At least they no longer had to worry about the pirates. The fact that they had not pursued them surprised everyone.

What they did not know was that Kamolong's Demon Pirates did not care about the meager valuables aboard their ship. What they cared about more was what was hidden beneath the waters where they had been.

If not for what was buried below, Kamolong would likely never have let everyone aboard the National go.