Buck shoved aside the trembling gunner beside him, ripped the tarpaulin off the second cannon, and lowered its dark muzzle toward Lin Xuan, only five meters away.
At this distance, the cannon was a gigantic shotgun.
"Die! I refuse to believe you're made of iron!" Buck roared, his eyes red as he thrust the torch in his hand against the fuse.
Hiss-!
The sparks from the fuse illuminated Buck's contorted face.
Lin Xuan stopped walking and looked at the muzzle, his gaze quickly turning cold.
"Pointing a toy like that at a swordsman? Looks like I overestimated you."
Lin Xuan sighed, feeling somewhat bored.
An instant before the fuse burned out, the wooden sword in his hand moved.
This time, a heavy, dark-gold current of air coiled around the wooden sword.
"If that's all you've got, disappear along with this pile of scrap."
The wooden sword swept sideways.
There was no flashy move name, just a horizontal swing filled with power.
Hum-!
A golden, crescent-shaped blade wave appeared out of thin air, formed entirely from compressed, high-density spiritual pressure.
The flash had barely emerged from the muzzle before the golden light swallowed it.
There was no explosion.
Before everyone's stunned eyes, the heavy cannon, Black Axe Buck with his frenzied expression behind it, and half the bow deck slid away soundlessly, like butter sliced by a hot knife, their severed surfaces smooth as mirrors.
A few seconds later.
Crash!
The severed section of the ship crashed into the sea, throwing up huge waves. The entire pirate ship rocked violently, groaning under the strain.
Lin Xuan stood at the edge of the cut, the sea breeze stirring his bloodstained short hair. Not even the hem of his clothes was disturbed.
"All done." He shook out his slightly sore wrist, ready to head into the cabin to find some good liquor.
Suddenly, a burning gaze fell on his back.
Lin Xuan paused and looked back.
At some point, the half-dead Moss Head had climbed aboard the precariously listing pirate ship.
Zoro was soaked through, his wounds whitened by seawater. His chest heaved, and he could barely stand.
But his eyes were extraordinarily bright as he stared fixedly at the wooden sword in Lin Xuan's hand, the image of that golden slash still lingering in his pupils.
"Flying... Slash..."
Zoro's voice was hoarse and faintly trembling. "That was... a Flying Slash that only a master swordsman can wield!"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the fellow who might pass out at any moment, a trace of interest stirring within him.
His body had already reached its limit, yet witnessing stronger swordsmanship had sent his spirit soaring.
"Hey, you can barely walk." Lin Xuan rested the wooden sword on his shoulder and said lazily, "If you're looking to pick up the spoils, you can have the treasure aboard this ship. I only want the liquor and meat."
"Shut up!"
Zoro abruptly clenched the white Wado Ichimonji between his teeth, drew the other two swords at his waist, and took a Three-Sword Style stance.
His presence changed abruptly, like a lone wolf on the verge of death.
"I don't know who you are... but now that I've run into you, I'll never forgive myself if I don't take a swing at you!"
Zoro's words were muffled as he roared, the fighting spirit in his eyes almost spilling out. "Let's settle this!"
Lin Xuan glanced at the two swords with their slightly rolled edges, then at Zoro's still-trembling calves, and scoffed.
"Settle this? With you in your current state?"
He stood casually, his eyes cold. "Too weak. As you are now, you don't even deserve to make me hold my sword with both hands."
"You bastard!"
Zoro's pale face instantly flushed red.
"Oni Giri!"
He roared and turned into a green afterimage, his three swords crossing as they drove straight toward Lin Xuan's chest. This was his strongest strike at present.
The strike was fast, vicious, and precise.
But in Lin Xuan's eyes, the movement had far too many openings.
"Too slow."
Lin Xuan did not even swing his sword.
The instant Zoro charged up to him, he merely extended his left index finger in a seemingly casual poke.
Clink!
A crisp sound rang out.
Zoro felt as though his all-out strike had hit an iron wall.
Lin Xuan's finger had landed precisely on the point where his two crossed swords bore the force, forcibly halting his entire charge.
"Wha..." Zoro's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
With just one finger?
"Your swordsmanship is decent, but that's all."
Lin Xuan's cold voice sounded beside Zoro's ear. Then the wooden sword rapidly grew larger in his vision.
There was no technique, only sheer strength.
"Go down and clear your head."
The wooden sword slammed into the two swords Zoro had crossed in defense.
Crack-!
A teeth-grating sound of shattering rang out.
The two ordinary katana in Zoro's hands shattered like glass.
The enormous impact blasted into Zoro's body. He felt as though a rhinoceros had struck him head-on, and he flew backward uncontrollably.
The Wado Ichimonji clenched in his mouth also flew free, embedding itself in the deck some distance away.
Thud!
Zoro slammed heavily into the ship's railing, rolled to the ground, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
But he paid no heed to the pain, nor did he go to retrieve the famous sword.
He struggled to lift his head, staring fixedly at the young man whose breathing had not even changed.
How could... the gap be this huge?
I couldn't even withstand a single move?
"Who... exactly are you..." Zoro asked, panting.
Lin Xuan walked over and pulled the Wado Ichimonji from the floor.
He flicked the blade with a finger and listened to its pleasant, clear ring before turning to look at Zoro's ashen face, a smile curling his lips.
"Want to know?"
Lin Xuan tossed the sword back to Zoro and slipped both hands into his pockets, standing with his back to the setting sun, his shadow stretching long.
"Remember this. On this boring sea with nothing but pirates and marines, I come from somewhere different... a place called the Soul Society. And I am the captain of the 11th Division of the Gotei 13."
Lin Xuan's voice was quiet, but it reached Zoro's ears clearly.
"Gotei... 13..." Lying on the wet deck, Zoro struggled to repeat the unfamiliar term, his fingers digging tightly into the gaps between the planks.
"Don't look so sheltered." Lin Xuan glanced down at Moss Head, his tone contemptuous. "With your current strength, you wouldn't even count as small fry there. If you want to challenge me, at least try making it into the top hundred first."
Of course, Lin Xuan had made all that up on the spot.
But to Zoro now, those words weighed on his heart like a mountain.
The top hundred...
Zoro's pupils contracted violently.
With swordsmanship this terrifying, an organization like that actually existed?
At that instant, his eyes, dulled by his crushing defeat, suddenly burned with fighting spirit again.
It was not merely fear, but even more an ambition like that of discovering a new continent.
"The top hundred... huh?"
Gritting his teeth, Zoro propped up his bleeding body and shakily tried to stand again.
He stared at Lin Xuan's departing back, his voice hoarse but resolute. "Fine... remember this! One day, I'll fight my way into that Gotei 13 and cut you down from that position!"
Lin Xuan did not turn around, merely waving a hand casually.
"Then you'd better get stronger fast. Don't die along the way, kid."
Right now, he only wanted to see whether this sinking ship still had any decent liquor.
Lin Xuan stepped over the wood fragments littering the ground and headed toward the tightly shut cabin door.
It was a thick oak door secured with a large brass padlock.
"What a pain."
Lin Xuan frowned, not bothering to look for a key.
He casually flicked the wooden sword upward.
Bang-!
Pure violence.
The thick door and its frame burst into a shower of splinters with an explosive crash.
Dust billowed everywhere.
Lin Xuan stepped into the dim cabin.
Beside a large iron chest in the corner, two slender figures stood frozen.
By the sunset streaming through the doorway, Lin Xuan got a clear look at them.
On the left was a girl with short orange hair, clutching a bag of treasure; on the right was a girl with long purple hair, trying to stuff a gold watch down the front of her clothes.
Both remained frozen in the act of stealing, their bodies trembling violently.
When Lin Xuan's gaze swept over them, the orange-haired girl, Nami, reacted first.
She instantly hid the money bag behind her back and forced a fierce expression onto her face, but her voice trembled:
"D-don't come any closer! We're Boss Black Axe Buck's trusted people! If you dare touch us, Boss Buck is right outside, and he'll blow you to pieces!"
Beside her, the purple-haired girl, Carina, hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Th-that's right! Get lost if you know what's good for you!"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over their deathly pale faces before glancing at the gold coins at their feet, an amused curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
Using a dead man as a shield?
He said nothing, merely carrying the wooden sword still stained with Zoro's blood as he advanced toward them step by step.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the cabin, each one treading on the two girls' heartstrings.
The air seemed to freeze.
Lin Xuan stopped three paces in front of them, his tall figure completely overshadowing both girls.
He slowly raised a hand and reached inside his clothes.
Nami and Carina closed their eyes in despair.
Before you continue