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Chapter 12: Admiral of the Navy, Kaido's Son, Arkin!
Chapter 12: Admiral of the Navy, Kaido's Son, Arkin!
Arkin.
This man was the subject of many rumors on the high seas.
Son of Kaido, admiral in the navy, and responsible for countless maritime disasters—wherever there was uncertainty, his shadow loomed.
Of course, that was in the past.
Sag's impression of Arkin was favorable—a man of strong moral character, loyal to those he cared about, and unwavering in his dedication to his captain's orders.
Such a man was worth recruiting into a pirate crew.
"A pirate?"
Before Arkin could speak, Klik laughed boisterously, his head thrown back. After a good while, he abruptly lowered his head, the veins in his eyes more prominent than ever.
"Is Klik now being mocked by a little pirate? Do you expect me to join your pirate crew?"
"No,"
Sag replied with a smile, "I have no interest in you, specifically."
Although he couldn't quite recall the specifics of the plot, he lived in the East Sea and was familiar with the rumors surrounding the active pirates there.
'Boss' Klik was known for his despicable and cruel nature. If Arkin embodied loyalty and righteousness, then Klik represented their antithesis—a man who would disguise himself as a merchant to attack commercial ships and join the navy to assault military vessels.
Even when recruiting pirates, one had to be discerning.
"I've really been underestimated!"
Klik's face twisted with malice. "Kill him!"
Clang!
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold light flashed out from the darkness, suppressing the campfire's glow.
The cold light flickered rapidly, and half of the pirates cried out in pain as blood sprayed from their bodies, causing them to fall to the ground.
Lily appeared in front of the fallen pirates, flicked her rapier, and once again summoned the cold light as she charged at the remaining pirates.
Her swordsmanship was indeed formidable.
The remaining pirates bled and fell to her attacks, and the cold light turned towards Klik.
Clang!
The sharp rapier struck a round shield.
It was a large circular shield that blocked the rapier's assault.
Unbeknownst to them, Palu had donned his equipment—his body encased in two large circular iron shields, with smaller shields on his hands, elbows, and knees, and his head and boots adorned with something resembling fireflies.
"You actually fight with a sword. How shameless of you," Palu said to Lily.
"?"
Lily paused, confused.
This guy was covered in shields, and he mocked a swordsman for using a sword?
"Never mind, I'll still defeat you!" Lily declared.
"Defeat me? Impossible!"
Palu extended a finger. "In the past 62 battles, I've only lost once. I am the Iron Wall Man, undefeated in all but one fight. Incidentally, I've only bled once, too. This suit of shields has only ever been broken by my captain, and now I've repaired it, making it even stronger!"
He casually flicked his crescent-shaped bangs and bared his white teeth. "I am Shield Man, the handsome and impenetrable Palu. That's who I am. I'm quite experienced, wouldn't you say?"
What an idiot, Lily thought.
She raised her rapier slightly, shifted her body to the side, and assumed a fencing stance. With a swift movement, she drew her blade, transforming it into a cold light that stabbed straight at Palu's face.
Clang!
Palu was quick to react. He raised one hand, and a shield blocked the rapier's attack.
"Give up," Palu said. "Your strength isn't enough. These shields of mine can even withstand cannon fire from a warship!" He laughed gleefully.
Swoosh!
But in the next moment, a streak of blood appeared on his shoulder.
"Absolute defense?" Lily asked, her expression cold.
The shield's defense didn't cover his entire body; there were gaps, and his shoulder was exposed.
"Ouch! Blood!"
Palu turned his head to look at the blood on his shoulder. The foolish smile on his face transformed into sheer terror as he frantically banged the fireflies on his shields together.
"It hurts! I'm in danger! I'm in mortal peril!"
The fireflies emitted a bright light, and with a loud roar, they ignited into flames. The fire engulfed all the shields, including the firefly-like stones on his helmet.
"Flame Palu!"
Palu spread his limbs, and between his fingers were more of the firefly-like stones, now ablaze. "Burn, burn it all down!"
"Hmm?"
Sag, seated nearby, narrowed his eyes. "Hey, if you burn down the forest, you'll be locked up for a long time."
Lily's eyebrows furrowed, and she suddenly flashed to Palu's side, her rapier lightning-quick as it stabbed at his weakly defended side, aiming to pierce his neck.
If that firefly-like stone could ignite... They were in a forest!
Smack!
As the rapier lunged forward, a foot kicked it high into the air, and at the same time, a dull thud sounded out. Palu's back shield shattered, the impact causing his eyes to roll back, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Captain Arkin, it's you again," he whispered, trembling.
Arkin retracted his foot and slung the iron ball-adorned cane over his shoulder. He glanced at Palu and said, "Palu, this is a forest. No fires are allowed."
"Are you rejecting my proposal?"
"Sag asked quietly.
Arkin turned to face Sag, "I'm still Klik's combat captain. A little pirate like you can't take down the boss, so it's best if you leave now!"
"Oh, but your boss doesn't plan on letting me go," Sag replied.
Sag smiled slightly, and his body suddenly disappeared.
Bang!!
A huge fist wearing diamond boxing gloves slammed down, shattering the broken piece of wood and creating a deep pit in the ground. The force of the punch stirred up a gale that snuffed out the campfire.
Sag reappeared next to the pit, looking surprised. "Not bad at all."
Klik had now donned golden steel armor and stood up straight. With a sinister expression, he said, "You're pretty fast, kid, but can you outspeed a bullet?"
Bang, bang, bang!
The round, shield-like shoulder pads and the hip guards suddenly opened up, revealing several guns that fired sparks at Sag. As the bullets flew, Klik's body lunged forward in a jump, raising his fist to strike again.
With bullets and his attack coming at him, how would he dodge now!
"Paper Art."
Sag spoke calmly without moving from his spot, but his body twisted slightly, causing the bullets to graze past him without even grazing his skin. Then he extended a hand forward.
Bang!!
The ground beneath Sag's feet sank slightly as he looked at the astonished Klik and said, "Not only am I fast, but my strength is also no weaker than yours."
Klik's strength was indeed not weak; he could easily lift a one-ton weapon with one arm. A single punch from him would be enough to kill an ordinary person.
But this kid actually caught it!
Was his body capable of such immense strength?
Klik gritted his teeth and opened the shoulder pads again to reveal the guns.
"At such close range, how can you dodge now!"
The gun muzzles sparked, and bullets shot out.
"Iron Block."
Clang, clang, clang!
The round bullets struck Sag's body and then fell to the ground powerless.
Sag smiled, "It seems I don't need to dodge at all."
The Six Styles were indeed useful.
Bullets were useless?
He could withstand Klik's punches and was unfazed by the bullets.
Klik widened his eyes, and the first person who came to his mind was the straw-hat kid who had defeated him!
Could this be another such pirate?!
No!
He wouldn't fail again!
Klik leaped backward, creating distance, and shouted, "Arkin, take him down, and I'll forgive you."
"Yes, boss!"
Arkin bent his knees, stomped the ground with a 'dong,' and charged at Sag like a cannonball.
Swish!
Just then, a cold glint flashed from the side, and Lily's rapier gleamed as it stabbed toward Arkin.
Arkin twisted in mid-air to dodge Lily's stab, and the iron ball on his cane deflected the rapier. He swung his other cane, but Lily retreated, dodging the blow. She steadied her rapier, intending to stab again, but only stabbed at air.
Arkin stomped the ground again, paying no heed to Lily, and reached Sag. He twirled his canes, creating a circular motion with immense force, and the sound of breaking air signaled a powerful strike.
Arkin was an obedient man. Although he had gained enlightenment, this trait remained unchanged. Since the target was this pirate, he wouldn't attack anyone else.
He would complete his orders first.
Sag sidestepped, dodging the descending iron ball, but halfway down, the ball suddenly changed direction. As Arkin twisted his wrist, the cane traced a semi-circle in the air and struck Sag's waist with tremendous force and weight.
Bang!
Sag's body swayed slightly, but instead of counterattacking, he exclaimed, "Amazing!"
He didn't hide his appreciation. "You have a lot of combat experience, much more than I do. Join my pirate crew, and you'll have a better life than following Klik."
In truth, Sag didn't have much combat experience.
He hadn't even practiced martial arts for long. His adoptive father hadn't allowed him to learn martial arts and had wanted him to lead an ordinary life. After his father's death, Sag had been busy building his business and surviving, and that's how he had stumbled upon this "cheat."
As for combat, he had fought people before, but not everyone was a strong opponent, especially in the East Blue.
Besides, with his bad luck, the first pirate he tried to capture turned out to have no bounty, so where would he find capable fighters?
Ennio had been the first genuine strong opponent he had encountered.
As for Arkin, while Sag could dodge his attacks using 'Shave' and 'Paper Art,' he knew he couldn't avoid them all in a real fight.
In his eyes, this man was stronger than Klik!
"I'm sorry, Boss Klik, but he's still my captain!"
Arkin said solemnly, "I believe he will come to his senses, and when he does, our Klik Pirate Group will once again be the overlord of the East Blue!"
"Whether or not he becomes the overlord, I don't know, but he probably won't come to his senses,"
Sag pointed to the side, "because he intends to kill you as well."
Klik, who had jumped out of the fight, now wore a gas mask, and the shoulder pads on his arms had been removed and combined into a weapon in his hand. A round hole in the surface was aimed directly at them.
(End of Chapter)
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