Mysterious Confidence in Iron Body

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Bullets shot forth one after another. The gangsters chose to strike first, and in an instant, gunfire rained down. No one could survive such overwhelming firepower.

Previously, only their boss could.

"Iron Body."

Wilton puffed out his chest.

He had absolute confidence in Iron Body. Paired with his perfectly powerful muscles, a mere hail of bullets was nothing to him. Even under carpet-bombing-level firepower, he had a mysterious confidence that he could withstand it.

And if he could not, he would activate his ultimate. Then he would become a tough guy again.

Clang, clang, clang.

The dense barrage of bullets struck Wilton's body as if they were hitting a steel plate. Perhaps it was an illusion, but sparks even flew. Every gangster's eyes widened.

This was the first time they had seen someone besides their boss withstand gunfire.

And he was doing it with his body.

It was utterly absurd.

"Fire the cannon! Fire it!"

A gangster roared himself hoarse. Then, a burly man in the crowd hoisted a rocket launcher and fired straight at Wilton. An explosion erupted, and billowing black smoke spread through the area.

Before the smoke from the blast could disperse, Wilton gripped a dumbbell in one hand and Bartholomew by the neck in the other. Another dumbbell lay on the ground. He simply spun in place, and two slashing shockwaves spread outward without blind spots.

In that instant, the world fell silent.

The gangsters in every direction were all sliced in half. Intestines and organs spilled across the ground, and the pungent stench of blood filled the air. The entire scene resembled a living hell.

Wilton would not show mercy to pirates and thugs like these.

Feverish Spin.

Cheng Yaojin's second skill. He spun his twin axes to slash at enemies, creating two omnidirectional slashing shockwaves that dealt two instances of AOE damage to enemies within range.

It also had a healing effect.

Iron Body.

One of the Six Powers.

Power was pumped into the rigorously trained body, granting it the hardness of iron. Once cultivated to a certain level, even bullets, blades, and swords could not pierce it. Its principle was to accelerate blood flow and speed up muscle movement.

However, this move had a flaw: while using Iron Body, one could not move freely, essentially becoming a living target. But Jabura of CP9 was an exception.

He was the only CP9 member who could freely attack while in the Iron Body state, using Iron Body martial arts.

Now, there was Wilton as well.

To achieve the ability to move and fight while using Iron Body, he had spent an enormous amount of time and energy training it like a madman. The pain and difficulty had brought him nothing but tears and hardship, but in the end, his efforts had paid off.

That was why he had such mysterious confidence in his Iron Body. First of all, once he entered the Iron Body state, he was not a living target. It could also enhance both his attack and defense.

And he had his ultimate, Justice Potential, along with Recovery and Healing as safeguards. So why should he not be mysteriously confident?

As for how he had used the second skill while holding a dumbbell in one hand and Bartholomew in the other, it was because those skills had no strict activation requirements. Even barehanded, Wilton could use every one of them.

His Observation Haki spread outward.

He accurately sensed Buggy and his group fleeing. Wilton slung one dumbbell over his back, then gripped the other in his left hand while clutching Bartholomew with his right. With an explosive burst beneath his feet, he shot into the sky.

Far away.

Buggy, Alvida, and the others were fleeing in miserable condition. Every one of them had been thoroughly frightened. This time, they had narrowly escaped death. Luckily, that hulking Marine had gone after Bartholomew.

"Damn Marine, I'll remember this."

Buggy cursed as he ran, clearly holding a grudge against Wilton.

Beside him, Alvida was barefoot, as though she wore a pair of invisible skates. Compared to Buggy and the others' miserable flight, she moved far more smoothly.

From time to time, she even performed difficult skating maneuvers, displaying the allure of a mature woman. She was practically winning at life.

"This has been such rotten luck. Not only did we fail to find Monkey D. Luffy, we even provoked Loguetown's underworld boss. And that hulking Marine has no gentlemanly manners whatsoever."

"Marine, wait for my revenge!"

"What was that sound?"

Suddenly.

An intense shriek tore through the air, growing closer and closer. Buggy and the others all felt a sense of foreboding and turned to look at the sky. Their previously vicious, cursing expressions instantly went pale.

Explosive Double Axes.

In Buggy's terrified gaze, Wilton raised the dumbbell and Bartholomew high overhead, plunging straight down at them like a missile bringing warmth.

Rumble—

The ground all around them exploded as a powerful shockwave rapidly spread. Buggy flew apart in Chop-Chop pieces, screaming in agony. Alvida suffered the same fate.

As for Mochi, Cabaji, and a lion from the Buggy Pirates, they were smashed into the ground and knocked unconscious. It was already a blessing that they still clung to a breath of life.

Because Wilton had coated that strike in Armament Haki.

"Damn it, that hurts!"

"Armament Haki."

Compared to the other pirates operating in the East Blue, Buggy undoubtedly knew more. He knew what Haki was. After all, he had once been an apprentice pirate aboard the Roger Pirates.

He knew things were truly troublesome now.

"Where's my leg?"

Most importantly, his lower leg was gone.

Could it be—

He stared fixedly at the center of the gradually dispersing dust. His lower leg was pinned beneath a dumbbell. No matter how hard he tried, he could not pull it free.

"Run!"

Alvida was truly terrified. She scrambled up from the ground and sped away into the distance. Her relationship with Buggy was merely a partnership, and their goal had been to kill Monkey D. Luffy.

When disaster struck, of course they would fly separately.

She had no reason to throw away her life.

That hulking Marine was far too powerful. Neither she nor Buggy could deal with him. It was better to let Buggy use the last of his value to delay him and create an opportunity for her escape.

Every year on this day, she would remember Buggy for one second.

And burn him some paper offerings while she was at it.

"Hey! Alvida!"

Seeing Alvida flee in a flash without even leaving a word behind, Buggy's brain instantly shriveled. He had been planning to make a desperate stand, but now his mentality completely collapsed.

That cowardly bitch.

Was the friendship of their partnership really so fragile?

"Buggy, I'll avenge you someday. Stall this Marine for now."

"One death is better than two!"

"Goodbye."

Alvida skated away at high speed, her voice growing ever more distant from Buggy.

"Stupid woman, we still have a chance if we join forces."

In just that short time, Alvida had vanished. Buggy's shouts grew quieter and quieter. He glanced at the unconscious Mochi and Cabaji nearby, gritted his teeth, and decisively turned to flee without even bothering with his lower leg.

Just one lower leg.

Just two subordinates.

As long as he preserved his life, he could get a prosthetic someday, or recruit more subordinates.

He, Clown Buggy, could still rise again.

The sea was this cruel.

After apologizing to them in his heart, Buggy put all his strength into running.

"Unexpectedly decisive."

Watching Buggy and Alvida flee in two different directions, Wilton was slightly taken aback. Then the ground exploded beneath his feet as he leaped forward. He would capture Buggy first.

Explosive Double Axes.

"Ah~"

"Why aren't you chasing that woman first?"

Feeling the air tear behind him, Buggy turned around in fright, and his head swiftly left his neck.