Don Krieg and his men stared at Ages hovering in the air, their eyes wide with shock.
Seeing how composed Ages was, Don Krieg felt his heart sink. He knew he had fallen into a trap. His face darkened as he said, his voice low.
"Kid, who are you really?"
Ages pointed at himself, looking utterly puzzled. He smiled calmly and said.
"Me? I'm Ages."
Don Krieg felt as though Ages was making a fool of him. Veins bulged as fury raged in his heart, and his face grew so dark it looked as though it might drip water. He said in a low voice.
"Hmph! Kid, don't play games with me. What was your purpose in luring me here?"
Ages narrowed his eyes into crescents and smiled, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"My purpose? To bury every last one of you here today. Satisfied with that answer, Chieeef Don Krieeeg?"
As Ages finished, he deliberately drew out the words "Chief Don Krieg," his voice full of mockery. It was as though, in Ages's eyes, Don Krieg and his men were already lambs waiting for slaughter.
Ages's mocking words were like a lit fuse, setting off the rage in Don Krieg's heart.
Furious with humiliation, Don Krieg stopped arguing with Ages and shouted to his thousand-plus men.
"Blast that brat out of the sky! Today, I'll tear him limb from limb!"
As Don Krieg spoke those last words, he ground his teeth until they chattered.
"Yes, sir! Brothers! Open fire! Shoot the brat dead!" the sharp-faced man ordered the others.
The thousand-plus men present raised their rifles and pistols and fired at Ages.
The battle erupted in an instant!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Countless bullets flew at Ages as thick as raindrops.
Ages remained calm and composed. Facing the barrage of bullets, he extended his left hand and held his open palm before him.
Seeing Ages act so arrogantly, Don Krieg sneered and said with disdain.
"Hmph! Death's staring you in the face, and you're still putting on an act..."
Before Don Krieg could finish, the sight that unfolded before him left him too stunned to speak. He stood there, eyes wide and mouth agape, utterly shocked.
Every one of the countless bullets flying toward Ages stopped in front of his left palm, as though pulled by some invisible hand, and hung motionless in the air.
The expressions of the thousand-plus men were astonishingly alike at that moment: every one of them stared in shock at the breathtaking sight.
The sharp-faced man stared at the scene in the air and stammered in astonishment.
"Wh... wh... wh... what's... going on?!"
Ages savored the shocked looks the utterly wicked pirates below gave him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said.
"Hehe, here, have them back."
With that, Ages reached out with his left hand toward the countless bullets suspended before him, grasped at empty air, and swept his hand toward the crowd!
Don Krieg saw Ages's movement and immediately sensed danger. He shouted to the others.
"Everyone! Get out of the way!!"
Unfortunately, Don Krieg's warning came too late.
A series of sharp sounds rang out as the bullets cut through the air...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
The countless bullets in the air turned around and shot toward the crowd.
"Aah!!!"
Screams rang out one after another!
In the blink of an eye, a quarter of the thousand-plus men had fallen.
Ages looked down from high above at the pirates wailing on the ground. He shook his head and sighed.
"Ah, my control still isn't good enough. If it were, I should have been able to shoot more of them."
The main reason Ages had only been able to shoot a quarter of them was that his control was still insufficient. He couldn't yet control each bullet precisely. With his current strength, he could only control all the bullets at once and send them toward one place.
If Ages learned Observation Haki, he would be able to sense and control each bullet precisely. And then he wouldn't need to devise any schemes or tricks; he could take them all on by himself...
Though Ages could currently only control all the bullets at once and shoot a quarter of the men, the result still terrified everyone present who had survived.
"That brat's not human, not human! He's a devil!"
A pirate who couldn't bear the sight stared at his companions, who had been laughing and talking with him earlier that day but now lay dead on the ground. He clutched his hair with both hands, his eyes nearly splitting as he muttered incessantly.
Bang!
A low sound rang out.
Don Krieg struck the deranged pirate on the crown of the head with his palm, killing him.
Don Krieg snorted and looked around at the crowd, whose faces had filled with terror at the deranged pirate's words. He bellowed.
"Hmph, useless trash! All of you, listen up! That brat isn't a devil. He's just a Devil Fruit User. We only have to stop firing bullets. What are you afraid of?"
Ages looked down at Don Krieg trying to rally the others. A contemptuous smile curved his lips as he muttered to himself.
"Want to fight back?"
Just as Don Krieg was about to say more to rally them.
Ages sneered, a bloody light flashing in his eyes. He said calmly.
"Heh, then I'll leave you without the courage to fight back."
Ages raised his left hand and snapped his fingers loudly.
The snap rang out, followed by a piercing cry for help.
"Ah! Chief Don Krieg, save... me!"
The sharp-faced man's entire body suddenly began to swell!
BOOM!!
In the blink of an eye, the sharp-faced man's body swelled up like a balloon and burst apart with a boom...
The sharp-faced man's blood and mangled flesh sprayed over the crowd.
The lush green grass was instantly spattered with bright red blood and chunks of flesh.
A thick smell of blood filled the air...