“Lord Jora, there’s a very strange ship ahead.”
On the turbulent sea, aboard a pirate ship filled with distorted art, a pirate in the lookout tower lowered his telescope and shouted toward the deck’s sunshade bar.
“A very strange ship?”
Many pirates on the ship came to the railing, eager to see for themselves.
From under the sunshade, a stout woman with striking sharp features, curly hair, wearing triangle-framed glasses, and adorned with lip gloss, put down her juice and straightened up to look.
“That ship looks so creepy. Could it be a ghost ship?”
“It’s not even dark yet. Don’t ghost ships only appear at night?”
“It doesn’t have a pirate flag, so it’s not a pirate.”
“If we don’t stop, we’ll crash into it.”
Some of the more timid pirates gulped as the two ships drew closer, increasingly feeling the eerie and terrifying presence of the Death.
“Oh ho ho ho ho!”
“Avoid it. We need to head to Dressrosa to meet up with Trebol. The young master said it’s time to implement the takeover plan.”
Jora reclined back into her deck chair. She was on a mission from the young master and didn’t want any unexpected complications.
Moreover, that ship looked anything but normal.
It was shrouded in an extremely heavy ominous aura, not like anything from the living world.
“Yes!”
“Helmsman, change course.”
“Roger!”
The deck became slightly busy as the ship changed direction.
“Something’s wrong. That ship is also changing direction.”
“It’s heading straight for us.”
In the lookout tower, a pirate lowered his telescope.
“Prepare for battle.”
Jora swiftly got up from her lounge chair, her somewhat ugly face turning grim. “I want to see who’s seeking death.”
“Yes!”
In an instant, all the pirates geared up, armed with the most advanced firearms, and even the cannons were aimed at the slowly approaching skull ship.
“Strange, there doesn’t seem to be anyone on board.”
“Could it really be a ghost ship?”
“Do ghost ships have vegetation on them?”
As the ships got closer, many people gulped. That bizarre and creepy ship exuded no sign of life. Was this really happening at twilight?
“Whoosh!”
Just as everyone was in a daze, a figure suddenly appeared on the previously empty railing of the ship, crouching and ominously looking down at them.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“A ghost!”
In that instant, all the pirates’ hair stood on end, retreating in terror.
The atmosphere had already reached a peak of tension.
Now, with a sudden appearance, it could be a heart attack-inducing moment for those with weak hearts. Even Jora was startled, nearly losing control, despite her age and having already gone through menopause.
Bang! Bang!
Several pirates’ guns went off, bullets whistling toward Hermes.
Hermes had initially planned to have a conversation, but these pirates clearly lacked any sense of decency, greeting him with bullets.
They were indeed true pirates.
Tekkai hardened.
The bullets hitting him felt like mere tickles.
Hermes, also a domineering individual, had zero tolerance for pirates and thugs. And since they had attacked him first, the coolest way to handle it was to return the favor.
“Gatling.”
Raising his hands in a gun gesture, continuous streaks of finger bullets began to rain down.
Ratatatatata.
The rhythmic sound, interspersed with the noise of flesh being pierced, created a macabre symphony. Rows of pirates fell screaming, staining the deck red with blood.
“Damn it, it’s an enemy!”
“Fire! Fire!”
“Kill him!”
The pirates were quick to respond, immediately launching their counterattack.
Rocket launchers were set up.
They showcased the true meaning of maritime combat, their counterattack smooth and seamless.
But all the attacks on Hermes only raised some black smoke, tearing his clothes without inflicting any real harm.
“Destructive Art!”
Jora could no longer sit still.
She immediately launched her attack, using her Art-Art Fruit powers.
From her palms, she released large amounts of transparent, bubble-like smoke, surging toward Hermes.
Anything hit by the smoke would turn into a piece of art imagined by Jora. She could decide whether it was flattened or rounded.
Hermes wasn’t foolish.
He knew the world of pirates had many decisive Devil Fruit abilities. This ugly old lady was clearly a Devil Fruit user, and it was best to avoid contact.
He instantly vanished from the railing, reappearing four meters away, grabbing a pirate, and throwing him into the transparent smoke.
Upon impact, the pirate turned into a distorted human-shaped vase, wobbling on the ground. Though still alive, he couldn’t even stand.
“Oh ho ho ho, you managed to dodge my attack. So annoying!”
Jora’s coquettish voice was sickening as she covered her face with her hands, twisting her emaciated body. The act was a visual assault, hitting Hermes with a massive wave of disgust.
From the neck down, Jora’s figure was quite attractive, curvy, and shapely.
But paired with her heavily made-up, wrinkled face, and at her age of sixty or seventy, acting cute and coquettish was unbearable for any normal person.
Hermes clenched his teeth, almost retching.
“Rankyaku.”
Without holding back, Hermes kicked, sending a one-meter high, crescent-shaped white slash tearing across the deck toward Jora.
“Rankyaku, are you a Marine?”
Hurriedly dodging, Jora’s expression turned serious.
As a member of the Donquixote Family, Jora was experienced enough to recognize Rankyaku, one of the Six Powers, indicating Hermes might be a Marine.
“You’ve got some knowledge!”
As Hermes spoke, he continued to attack, kicking down several nearby pirates before sending another kick towards Jora. This time, he used the Mini-Mini Fruit, making the Rankyaku abnormally large.
Jora’s hair stood on end.
The slash had been only a meter high before, now it was over ten meters tall, splitting the pirate ship.
His Rankyaku wasn’t like the one she knew. Was the Six Powers really this terrifying?
“Motherf***er.”
“Paradise Art.”
Jora went all out, launching her ultimate attack.
More colorful smoke poured from her hands, quickly covering the area, turning everything it touched into murals or art pieces, including some pirates.
The Rankyaku slash, upon contact with the smoke, transformed into colors, turning into paint splattered on the ground, losing its sharp, destructive power.
“Oh ho ho ho, I’m an artist who ate the Art-Art Fruit. Who exactly are you?”
“Art-Art Fruit?”
Hermes pondered, finding her familiar. Wasn’t she one of Doflamingo’s subordinates?
Was he already crossing paths with Doflamingo just after setting sail?
The pressure was on!
“Who are you? Tell me your name! I am a subordinate of Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo.”
Seeing Hermes stop attacking, Jora threw out her threat. To her, the young master was invincible. Since he had forced the World Government to recognize him as a Warlord by seizing Heavenly Tribute, their status had risen.
Not everyone could afford to mess with the Donquixote Family.
A nobody like this would surely be scared.
After all, he was a Warlord. Since the Marines announced the formation of the Warlords, only four had been confirmed, and the young master was one of them.
In the underworld, the young master was the Dark Emperor.
Who could compete with the young master?
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