At this moment, Rougishu Hyuga, whom Commander Adekin praised as having a heart of gold, sat with a gloomy expression on the head of a serpent-like Sea King. All around him were the remnants of large ships shattered by collisions.
Sea Kings, though fierce, belong to the deep sea. It is rare for them to surface, and for Rougishu to almost be shipwrecked by one was akin to winning a grim lottery.
This incident further solidified Rougishu’s decision not to consume a Devil Fruit. Unless one could create a second battlefield in the sea or sky, like Aokiji or Doflamingo, the treacherous Grand Line always posed the risk of shipwreck and death.
A sudden storm brought down even a great pirate like the Golden Lion. This showed that his destiny had abandoned him and highlighted the elemental weakness of Devil Fruit’s powers.
A ship’s helm embedding in his brain could only be explained by the storm temporarily nullifying his abilities. The Roger Pirates, who avoided consuming Devil Fruits, thus reaped the benefits.
Because of this, Rougishu placed great value on the Rokushiki technique Geppo (Moonwalk) and the rarely mastered Life Return, often jokingly called the “seventh form of the Rokushiki.”
The importance of Geppo needs no explanation—it is essential for both aerial combat and rapid escapes.
Life Return, on the other hand, was Rougishu’s conceptual cornerstone for dominating the seas.
After all, his limit for diving was fifteen minutes, and he could maintain peak combat effectiveness for only five. Hunting super-giant Sea Kings at ten thousand meters depth posed insurmountable challenges—not just in terms of combat power but also due to the crushing pressure and limited breath-holding capacity.
So, if he could use Life Return to temporarily alter his body and adapt to such extreme deep-sea conditions, his seemingly crazy idea might become a reality.
“This is… the smell of gunpowder…” The scent of smoke carried by the sea breeze pulled Rougishu from his musings. Standing on the trembling Sea King’s head, he gazed into the distance.
…
Two fleets were in a tense standoff in the boundless sea, the atmosphere heavy with anticipation of battle.
“Captain Jacks, if you let us go, I can offer an entire ship’s worth of supplies,” a middle-aged nobleman said with a mix of firmness and diplomacy. “But if you insist on a fight to the death, we will not back down!”
To emphasize the noble’s words, a unified battle cry rose from his fleet, something ordinary merchant ships could not muster.
“Hey! One ship’s worth of supplies won’t satisfy my appetite. Hand over all your goods, and we might be able to strike a deal!” The hawk-nosed pirate captain grinned maliciously.
“Watch your appetite, or you might choke,” the noble said, anger flashing in his eyes.
“Hey hey! No need to worry about me, General Louis.”
“You…” Louis’s anger flared, his grip on the railing bending the wood, but he managed to restrain himself. “A third, no more than a third of our supplies!”
Clap, clap, clap!
Jack mockingly applauded. “Well, General Louis, you’re quite adaptable. Your offer is tempting, but I’m an honest pirate. When I say I’ll kill your family, I mean it!”
“After all, if I bring back the head of the Guardian of the Kingdom of Hisca… General Louis, King Azka will surely reward me handsomely!”
“What? The Kingdom of Azka is collaborating with scum like you?” Louis asked incredulously.
“Hehe, General Louis… you’re adorably naive. In wartime, any means to secure victory is fair game. Why would King Azka care about rules when he can ensure victory?”
“In that case, there’s nothing more to say. I’ve killed more pirates like you than I can count!”
“General Louis, I must show you the difference between land and sea battles! Landlubbers like you are no match for the Jacks Pirates!”
Jack ordered arrogantly, “Listen up, everyone! When we attack, go easy on them. Selling them to slavers will fetch a good price!”
“Hahahaha!” The surrounding pirates laughed heartily, contemptuously looking down on the kingdom’s inexperienced marines.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannons roared, and waves splashed.
It became evident that sea battles were different from land battles. The kingdom’s marines, undefeated on land, struggled to stand on the swaying sea, let alone fight back. They were at a severe disadvantage the moment the battle began!
“Hahaha! What kingdom’s marines? They’re just like mountain bandits to me, utterly pathetic!” Jacks laughed disdainfully, recalling his past encounters with self-proclaimed “Mountain Bandit Kings.”
“Captain, something’s wrong. There’s a Sea King behind us, staring at us for a long time…” a pirate nervously reported.
Luckily, Jack controlled his anger, glancing back. “A Sea King? Fire the cannons!”
“Wait, Captain, that’s a Sea King…” The pirate before Jack sweated; attacking such a massive creature required courage.
Bang!
The speaking pirate fell straight down, blood gushing from his forehead, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Jack blew the smoke from his gun, turning to another trembling pirate. “Do you need me to teach you what to do?”
“N… no need. I’ll go prepare the cannons…” The pirate, driven by an intense will to live, stumbled away.
“Humph! A Sea King surfacing is just a big target. I’ve heard their meat sells for a fortune on the black market. Looks like Lady Luck is finally on my side!”
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