Kill!

As the dagger was about to pierce Dunn's body, Engels could not help looking smug. The dagger was coated with a Transcendent poison refined by a Potion Maker, one that could eat away at even a Transcendent physique.

Unless Dunn's constitution had reached 25 points and granted him the Transcendent Feat of elemental resistance, this terrifying poison would rapidly corrode the area around the wound, creating weaknesses in Dunn's Transcendent defenses and regenerative abilities.

To buy this poison, Engels and Grant had spent practically everything they had.

That was right. Engels had been Grant's man from the very beginning, and the other captains had known about it from the start as well.

Dunn and his companions had actually joined this expedition as prey.

From the very first day Dunn and his companions arrived at Cutlass Harbor, Engels, Grant, and the others had already set their sights on them.

Just as Engels was secretly gloating, a large hand caught his dagger-wielding wrist with perfect precision. The dagger was only a finger's breadth from Dunn, but that hand clamped around his wrist like an iron vise, preventing him from advancing another inch.

Unfortunately for them, Dunn had also seen through their ill intentions from the start.

But his excessive confidence in himself had led him to play along and join them.

As a result, he had nearly met his end here.

Caught in Dunn's grip, Engels's smug expression instantly froze.

Feeling the irresistible strength gripping his wrist and seeing Dunn's indifferent expression, Engels swallowed and asked unwillingly, "When did you find out?"

At this distance, Engels, who had a rough understanding of Dunn's strength, knew that death was all but inevitable. Even if the others wanted to save him, they would never make it in time.

"When you were still in your mother's belly."

Keeping Engels pinned with one hand, Dunn extended a finger on the other.

He activated Shigan.

Under Engels's despairing gaze, Dunn's Shigan pierced his throat at lightning speed.

Then Dunn withdrew his finger with a pop, and blood slowly flowed from the hole Shigan had made.

Engels felt only a chill in his throat. He instinctively raised a hand to cover the bloody hole, let out two rasping sounds, and collapsed limply to the ground.

After landing the blow, Dunn casually tossed Engels's arm aside, without even the slightest desire to look at him again.

He first turned toward Green. Although Green was in a bad situation, he looked as though he could hold out for a while longer.

Reassured, Dunn turned his attention to the people before him.

Grant, Astor, and Hawkins.

Feishman and two other pirates were surrounding and attacking Green.

All of this had happened in mere seconds.

One moment, they had been ready to cheer Engels for a job well done.

The next, Dunn had killed Engels with a single Shigan. The enormous reversal left them unable to react for a moment.

But while they stood stunned, Dunn would not wait for them. He swept his gaze around, confirmed his target, and immediately moved.

Soru!

Only when Dunn vanished from sight did the three snap back to their senses.

"Watch out!"

Realizing that Dunn was about to attack them, they immediately went on full alert. Grant, a perception specialist, reacted first and shouted at Astor.

That was right. Dunn's target was none other than Astor. Dunn was not someone who liked holding grudges. After all, if he had a score to settle, it was best settled on the spot.

Astor had also seen the figure suddenly appear before him. Alarmed, he felt a chill shoot up his spine to the top of his head.

The next instant, Dunn still raised his finger and thrust it at him.

Whoosh!

His finger, as hard as steel, sliced through the air with a fierce whistle.

Naturally, Astor would not sit there waiting to die. He twisted his body desperately, trying to dodge Dunn's Shigan.

Squelch!

Astor's efforts were not wasted. Thanks to his desperate dodge, Dunn's Shigan only pierced his right shoulder.

Before Astor could feel the joy of surviving disaster-

Whoosh!

Another whistle cut through the air.

No!

By the time he reacted, it was already too late. A chill swept through his throat, and all strength instantly left his body.

Squelch!

This time, Shigan struck Astor squarely in the throat.

Astor was dead!

"Damn it, let's attack together! I refuse to believe taking so many hits in a row hasn't affected him at all!" Seeing this, Grant gritted his teeth and spoke to Hawkins beside him.

Grant knew full well that there was no way back now. Against Dunn at full strength, it would take at least four captains and Engels, all in perfect condition, just to put up some resistance.

And that depended on Feishman, the [Martial Artist] with the strongest close-combat ability, holding Dunn off head-on while the others coordinated to interfere.

But now Fisherman, who had been surrounding Green to kill him, was instead being tied down by Green. Engels, their main damage dealer, had died for nothing, and the others had exhausted themselves in the earlier fighting. That was precisely why Dunn had killed Astor in an instant.

Now Grant could only coax Hawkins into going forward to delay Dunn briefly, then seize the chance to escape.

As long as he put enough distance between them, Dunn definitely would not pursue him relentlessly. After all, Green's situation was still critical.

So, immediately after speaking to Hawkins, Grant shot straight toward the doorway like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Grant's plan was good, but reality was cruel.

Grant was clever, but did that make Hawkins a fool?

Grant had barely run any distance when his vision blurred, and he saw Dunn blocking his path.

What happened? Was Hawkins killed that quickly?

Although he did not know what had gone wrong with his plan, he had no time to think about it now. At a moment like this, Grant, as a pirate, did not lack the courage to fight for his life.

With a turn of his wrist, Grant swung the long blade in his hand fiercely at Dunn in an elusive, untraceable arc.

Bang!

Dunn casually raised an arm and effortlessly blocked Grant's strike. The blade struck his flesh-and-blood arm with a dull thud.

Immediately afterward, Dunn turned his hand over, grabbed the blade, and pulled hard before lashing out with a kick. Grant felt as though a massive hammer had struck him, and he flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

The long blade instantly left Grant's hand and ended up in Dunn's grip-a true Bare-Handed Blade Seizure.

The next instant, Dunn closed in, using Soru to appear before Grant before he could react.

The long blade came slashing down.

In the final moment of Grant's life, he turned to look at where he had been standing earlier, only to see Hawkins still standing right there, without having moved at all!

What was he doing?

Giving up resistance and waiting to die?

With that question, destined never to receive an answer, a head flew into the air.