Night.
It deepened.
A crescent moon hovered in the sky, occasionally obscured by dark clouds, making the ground alternately bright and dim.
At this moment, the Dog-Dog Pirates’ base was ablaze with a large bonfire in front of the house. Many pirates sat around having a feast, showing no signs of preparing for a fight.
After all, their opponent was just a kid.
Some pirates who had been watching for entertainment had already left. It was late, and the kid named Hermes Jörmungandr probably wouldn’t show up.
The daytime challenge was just bluster.
Unbeknownst to them, Hermes, full and well-rested, had already stealthily entered the house, heading straight for the 38-million bounty captain, Joya.
Actions speak louder than words. Hermes aimed for the strongest right away.
This was his style, aggressive and direct.
Inside the luxuriously decorated house, Joya lay alone on a tiger-skin-covered throne, surrounded by empty bottles. He seemed to have drunk a lot.
Outside, it was noisy.
Hermes, in his five-millimeter form, darted and jumped, moving like a flea. He was agile and fast.
Seeing the snoring Joya, Hermes attacked immediately.
He grew to fifty centimeters and launched a Shigan, the air tearing as his attack aimed for Joya’s throat.
But unexpectedly, Joya, who seemed to be asleep, suddenly woke and shifted. Hermes’ Shigan hit his shoulder instead, the air filling with the smell of blood.
This unexpected move caught Hermes off guard.
“Kid, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Blood soaked his arm, but Joya seemed unfazed by the pain. His face twisted, his body rapidly grew, and sharp fangs and hair sprouted. Moments later, a humanoid Dachshund stood before Hermes.
Despite its comical and cute appearance, the aura it exuded was violent, like a rabid dog.
“So, you were pretending to sleep.”
With three swift backflips, Hermes created some distance, calmly facing the half-beast Joya.
“In nature, a dog’s nose is the keenest.”
Joya’s nearly four-meter-tall form cast a shadow over Hermes’ 1.77-meter frame, exuding a strong sense of oppression.
Joya had detected Hermes’ unfamiliar scent soon after he entered the house, waking up but continuing to pretend to sleep.
He hadn’t expected Hermes’ attack to be so fast, leaving him injured and on the defensive. But such injuries would heal in two or three days for a Zoan-type user.
Joya already knew about Hermes’ shrinking ability.
He had deliberately left the house empty to make Hermes drop his guard. He wanted to crush Hermes’ bones personally, otherwise, his anger wouldn’t be appeased.
“Kid, you’ll die miserably.”
Joya began to advance towards Hermes, extending sharp claws that could easily tear through flesh.
“A Dachshund, huh.”
Without hesitation, Hermes bravely charged at Joya, focusing all his strength in his hands, aiming for Joya’s throat and side.
Every move was deadly.
Bang!!!
Joya didn’t face him head-on but quickly rolled back, supporting himself on one hand to deliver a sweeping kick. This move alone showed he was no ordinary opponent; he had experienced many battles.
Caught off guard, Hermes was tripped. As he fell, he instantly shrank to five millimeters, dodging Joya’s grab.
As Joya pulled back, Hermes returned to normal size, launching a Shigan at Joya’s side. However, Joya’s quick reaction blocked it with his tail.
They exchanged a brief clash, then separated and stared each other down.
Pressure.
Unprecedented pressure.
Hermes’ heart was racing. From his first move, he knew this Dachshund was far beyond the pirates he fought earlier.
Combined with the speed, attack, and defense of a Zoan user, Joya was the strongest opponent Hermes had faced since his debut.
Joya was also surprised. This seemingly frail kid had some serious skills.
Almost simultaneously, they charged at each other.
At the last moment, Hermes shrank to fifty centimeters, dodging Joya’s grab and aiming a Shigan at his vitals. The underhanded attack made Joya’s tail bristle.
Withdrawing his second strike, Joya retreated to avoid it. Hermes seemed to anticipate this, sticking to him like glue, reverting to normal size to strike Joya’s heart with another Shigan.
The sound of a strong impact echoed, blood dripping on the floor.
Two blood holes appeared in Joya’s chest as he retreated, crashing into a pillar, his face showing pain. But before he could catch his breath, Hermes attacked again.
Barely dodging, two finger marks appeared on the pillar.
“You’re courting death.”
Joya enraged, blocked Hermes’ continuous attacks with one hand, then kicked out. Hermes instantly shrank to thirty centimeters, dodging, then leaped up, returning to normal size, delivering a whip-like kick to Joya’s head.
Crash.
Tables and chairs shattered as Joya slid five or six meters on the floor, quickly flipping back up, and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
But the injuries weren’t severe.
Hermes noticed this too.
No wonder Zoan users were tough; their physical resilience was remarkable.
“What a troublesome ability.”
Joya’s face darkened. The kid’s shrinking ability could evade many of his attacks. Without this power, he could easily crush a hundred of him.
“Kill!”
They clashed again, neither gaining the upper hand.
They fought without fixed stances, relying on reflexes, attacking vital points when possible, and defending when not.
Gradually.
Joya accumulated many wounds, while Hermes had several gashes on his chest, exposing bone.
In the continuous battle, Joya began to adapt to Hermes’ shrinking attacks, making Hermes’ situation more difficult.
Outside.
Despite the noise, no one noticed the fight inside, partly due to Joya’s earlier command to stay away and partly because most pirates were too drunk.
They hadn’t taken Hermes seriously.
Or believed he would show up tonight to die.
Boom!!!
A loud explosion shattered the wooden house’s wall, sending a dark figure flying into the pirate crowd, causing screams.
At that moment.
All the pirates sobered up.
“My hand, my hand is broken.”
“Who’s crushing me?”
Curses erupted everywhere.
Lying among the pirates, Hermes spat blood, quickly shrinking to five millimeters, darting through the crowd unnoticed.
Five millimeters was too small, and in the chaos of the night, only a few who were directly hit noticed.
“Captain.”
“Captain, you’re injured?”
Joya, covered in wounds, emerged from the house, his sharp eyes scanning around.
“That kid is here, among the crowd. Find him for me.”
“What?”
“The kid really dared to come.”
“Everyone, be careful. The kid can shrink to flea size.”
“What the…”
Many pirates were dumbfounded. Flea size?
How to find anything in this darkness?
But the captain’s order was absolute.
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