https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-139-The-Fool-Hawkins-That-Golden-Throne-is-Mine-/12610919/
Chapter 138: Renee, the Ship's Sprite
Chapter 138: Renee, the Ship's Sprite
At the same time, in the castle's corridors...
"Charge! Show 'em what you got!"
Renee brandished her mechanical hammer, baring her tiny tiger teeth. Facing the onslaught of stone knights, she casually swung her hammer, sending it crashing through and pulverizing a heap of them.
These stone knights did not regenerate. Instead, after being smashed to bits, they were intermittently charged with sparks, preventing the rubble from writhing and merging.
Ever since she first smashed a statue and learned of their ability to fuse, Renee had been using her power.
Fusion requires energy, even for something like water to flow. As a Dynamo, she could impose a counterforce on these stones, hindering their reunion, thus rendering the stone knights incapable of merging.
Renee's ability allowed her to infuse anything with energy. For objects like these statues, which were inherently inanimate, her power was even more effective.
To Renee, the unkillable stone knights posed no real threat.
Unable to trouble her, the stone knights and the corridor's doors alike crumbled like tofu under the force of her hammer.
Humming a tune, she marched on, smashing any stone or door in her path without a second thought.
"What a dump! Nothing but stones, and not a single door in sight! How am I supposed to explore and find some treasures in this godforsaken place? Sag, where are you?!"
Renee's voice echoed through the deep corridors, reverberating off the walls.
The flickering torches on the walls cast an eerie ambiance, filling the corridors with a profound silence that bordered on terrifying.
However, Renee was far from being a timid soul. Despite her young age, she knew a fundamental truth as an ability user: the ability user is the solution to all problems, and there aren't that many strange things in this world.
Even ghosts wouldn't exist out of thin air; they had to be ability users in disguise.
Otherwise, how could one explain the presence of these eerie moving statues in these deep corridors? Any ordinary kid would've been scared out of their wits by now.
As Renee continued calling out, the flickering torchlights suddenly flickered rhythmically, as if a gust of wind had blown through, or an extra layer of shadow had been cast.
Mysteriously, a thin line of blood appeared on Renee's fair neck.
"Counterforce!"
In the instant she felt the pain, Renee's pupils contracted, and she shouted out in defiance. A burst of sparks erupted from her, counteracting any force imposed on her.
As an ability user, she was aware of her own physical frailty. Sag had also taught her that, due to her young age, it was more suitable to focus on ability development rather than any rigorous training.
However, while developing her abilities, she couldn't neglect her self-protection. In the past, she always had someone by her side for protection, and not just any crew member, but someone of a junior officer's caliber—Meowth, Parsee, and even Arkin would take turns accompanying her.
She was, after all, the true heart and soul of the Death Harbinger. There was a saying among sailors that loving and cherishing a ship would give birth to a ship's sprite—a mythical being that had never been seen, but whose importance was rumored to be second to none. And the importance of Renee, the true sprite of the Death Harbinger, was undoubtedly of the utmost significance.
Legend spoke of a ship's sprite donning a wooden hammer and a little raincoat, appearing only in the thickest of fog to repay kindness by repairing and controlling the ship.
The true ship's sprite, Renee, was ever-present on the ship, constantly controlling it and occasionally producing little inventions that brought convenience to the crew.
Sag knew her worth, and what he instilled in her was the concept of her own paramount importance. In times of need, anyone could be sacrificed as long as her life was preserved.
After all, the senior officers were more than capable of self-preservation, and only Renee fell short in that regard. Thus, when acting alone, she followed Sag's instructions to the letter, counteracting any anomaly with the utmost urgency.
Just like she was doing now.
"Show yourself, you damn ghost!"
Renee unleashed her power, the sparks entwining her mechanical hammer. She swiftly swung the hammer in a wide arc around her.
Smash!
At the spot where her neck was, the hammer struck something, embedding it into the wall with the force of its momentum.
It was a dagger! But aside from the dagger, nothing else was visible.
"Blow this place sky-high!"
Boom!!
Renee spun around, the mechanical hammer's muzzle opening up. She fired a shell at the ceiling above, blasting a hole through it and causing a shower of debris.
Without pausing, she extended her mechanical hammer, empowered by the counteractive sparks that enveloped her. She smashed the hammer into the walls on both sides behind her, creating two large holes and letting the falling rubble pile up, forming an obstacle that cut off her rear escape route.
Simultaneously, this action also helped Renee narrow down the location of her target.
With nothing behind her, that only left the front!
Under the influence of her power, the mechanical hammer disassembled and transformed. The muzzle, which had been open for firing, now morphed into three gun barrels. Renee twisted the hammer's handle, and sparks shot out from the gun muzzles.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
A torrent of lead bullets poured forth, raining down on one corner of the corridor ahead.
"You can't get away!"
Renee shouted, "I'll blow out your guts!"
"Heh heh heh."
Just as she was about to twist the handle again, a low, mocking laugh echoed from the right side of the corridor ahead.
Without wasting breath on idle chatter, Renee swung the head of her hammer toward that direction and pulled the trigger.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The lead bullets struck their target, sparking furiously, but they merely clattered to the ground, failing to hit anything.
"So it's an ability user, no wonder the assassination failed."
From directly in front of Renee, a figure distinct from the surrounding stones gradually materialized, taking form in the air and solidifying into a person.
The figure, dressed in black ninja attire with a head wrapped in black cloth, exuded an air of mystery.
However...
"A monkey?" Renee blurted out in surprise.
The person before her was shorter, with short arms and legs, a bulbous nose, small eyes, and thick lips, resembling a little black monkey at first glance.
"It's a human!"
A vein popped out on the ninja's forehead, and he shouted, "My name is Matolang. I'm the Intelligence Captain of the Anu Kingdom, sent by the king to kill you all!"
"A talking monkey!"
Renee aimed the hammerhead and twisted the handle, "Go die, you toothless monkey!"
Tat-tat-tat!
Lead bullets sprayed out from the three gun barrels, but the monkey-like short statured man jumped agilely, dodging the bullets with lightning-fast reflexes.
His speed was astonishing, and his agility in the air was remarkable.
As he jumped, Matolang threw several daggers at Renee, but as they reached her side, a counterforce was applied, causing them to spark and fall to the ground.
"You're a pretty fast monkey!"
Renee raised her long hammer and continued to fire bullets. However, the agile figure dodged the bullets in mid-air. Just as she prepared to aim again, the person suddenly vanished from sight.
Losing her target, Renee was left bewildered.
"Heh heh heh, you can't find me," a voice echoed from the left side of the corridor ahead. Renee immediately fired several rounds in that direction.
She missed again.
"Not only are you a Ability User, but I am also one," the voice continued. "I consumed the 'Deception Deception' fruit, which enables me to mask and blend in with my surroundings, making myself invisible. I can even hide my aura. You won't be able to detect me, and ultimately, I will shatter your ability."
As the voice appeared beside Renee, she instinctively swung her mechanical hammer.
Boom!
The wall caved in under the force of the hammer, empowered with kinetic energy. At that moment, a shadow appeared on Renee's other side, approaching her temple. But as it touched her, the shadow transformed into a dagger, and the counterforce caused it to lose its momentum, halting just as it made contact with her skin, leaving a small drop of blood on her temple.
"You son of a—"
Renee's eyes narrowed, and she swung her hammer again. However, just as she moved, the dagger fell to the ground, and its wielder had disappeared without a trace.
"Come and catch me if you can, little brat. You'll never catch me, no matter how hard you try. Aren't you itching to hit me? Well, you can't." Matolang's voice echoed through the air, seeming to come from everywhere, disorienting Renee.
His tone was filled with mockery.
When two ability users couldn't counter each other, the next comparison was physical strength. Matolang's speed was incredible, and with his agility, Renee's attacks couldn't land. Furthermore, he seemed to have the upper hand in terms of endurance.
However, he, too, was at a stalemate, as Renee's ability to counteract his attacks proved troublesome.
Most of his attacks were illusions, and he didn't expend much energy. Additionally, as an adult, Matolang had the physical advantage over the young girl.
In situations like these, the goal was to exhaust her stamina until her abilities weakened, which would lead to her demise.
Matolang was a master of psychological warfare, using his words to goad his opponents into wasting their energy. Many had fallen prey to his taunts, depleting their strength and becoming easy prey.
Children were especially susceptible to provocation, and it was even easier with a hot-tempered child like Renee.
There was just one problem...
"You're just a cowardly monkey, hiding all the time. Your mama must be ashamed of you. Are you trying to crawl back into her womb? Let me tell you, I'll hammer you into monkey mincemeat and stuff you back into her belly!" Renee shouted angrily, her eyes flashing with fury.
She continued, her words laced with curses, "You're so short, when I'm your age, I'll be kicking you around like a soccer ball. Old monkey! Old soccer ball! All wrinkled and gross, I won't even feel it when I kick you!"
"I'm not a monkey, nor am I a soccer ball!" Matolang shouted back, unable to withstand the barrage of insults.
It seemed he had met his match in this foul-mouthed child.
"Kinetic Impact!"
Renee heard the voice and swung her hammer, smashing a pit into the ground in front of her and sending stones flying.
Once again, she missed her target.
"You little runt from Lilliput, when I find you, I'll bash your head so hard it'll pop out your ass! " Renee snarled, her baby teeth bared in a fierce grin.
She only refrained from cursing in front of Sag and the other senior officers. As for the rest of the crew, who hadn't experienced her foul-mouthed tirades?
Bellamy, taking after Sag, was often called a "golden retriever reject." Parsee was a "turtle," Miote a "gorilla," and even Arkin had been dubbed a "black monkey."
As for the newcomer, Hawkins, though she hadn't had the chance yet, she already had a nickname in mind for him.
Bad gambler, con artist, or Lily's knockoff!
She only put on an act of innocence in front of Sag. Lily and Marika were her partners, so she didn't curse around them, but that didn't mean she was truly well-behaved.
Cursing was Renee's nature, and aside from that, she thought like Matolang. As long as she found his location, one blow from her hammer would be enough to take him down. If he remained silent and simply launched sneak attacks, how much stamina would she have to expend to counter him?
If this kept up, she would eventually lose.
She had to force him out!
"You want to provoke me?"
Matolang's voice suddenly began to shift, changing his position with almost every word, making it hard for Renee to pinpoint his location.
"It's useless. I'll keep my eyes on you. The moment you relax, the moment you die. The best counter is for you to die. No matter how much you provoke me, I won't fall for it."
Since he couldn't win through mockery, Matolang decided to simply ignore the foul-mouthed child and treat her outbursts as flatulence. As long as he emerged victorious in the end, he would find a way to torture this brat.
"Go to hell, you've never seen a dead person before, have you? When you appear in front of me, I'll show you what death is! Do you think hiding from me will work? Do you think I'll only use my abilities? I have Sag on my side!"
Renee's eyes narrowed in concentration, her mouth still spewing insults. "We'll just wait here. Either I find your position and hammer your shit out of you, or Sag finds me and punches your shit out along the way. Either way, your shit is coming out of your ass along with your head today!"
Beneath the cursing and her fiery temper, Renee remained calm and collected, for she knew just how formidable Sag was.
She understood that as long as she didn't make any mistakes, her opponent would eventually fall.
Once he revealed himself, she could just beat him to a pulp with her abilities.
Until then, she could continue her verbal assault.
"Hmph, the king is the strongest. He is the god of this country. You're just a bunch of pirates, mingling with the descendants of criminals. You will soon follow in their footsteps and be executed by the king!"
Bang!!
Renee hammered in the direction of the voice, smashing a section of the corridor wall.
At the same time, several daggers flew down from above, appearing above Renee's head. The counterforce she applied negated their downward momentum, causing her to move out of the way, and the daggers fell harmlessly to the ground.
However, this sudden movement brought a glint of joy to Matolang, who had just landed on the ground.
He had found her weakness!
This brat was unable to deal with attacks from above.
So, Matolang, still camouflaged with his surroundings, leaped back into the air and landed on top of Renee's head. With a dagger in each hand, his eyes turned vicious as he fiercely stabbed downward.
He intended to turn this foul-mouthed brat's head into a dagger rack.
But just as he lunged downward, a long-handled hammer struck his short stature, sending him flying with tremendous force back down to the ground.
Bang!!
The immense force made Matolang's head buzz, and blood trickled from his eyes. His mouth opened wide as he spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to maintain his ability and thus becoming visible.
"I guessed right!"
Renee bared her tiny tiger teeth, her eyes gleaming with madness. "I knew you'd look for my weakness to attack. Now, I'll stuff your head up your ass!"
From the moment she dodged the descending daggers, she knew something was up.
The counterforce ability wasn't without its drawbacks. When dealing with gravity pulling objects downward, even if she negated the daggers' force, the gravitational force would remain, forcing her to maintain her ability.
In such situations, to conserve stamina, the only option was to move out of the way and deactivate her ability.
This was her weakness.
When dealing with extremely powerful forces, her ability wasn't yet developed enough to completely negate them. The same was true for forces borrowed from the sky; she couldn't eliminate their effects entirely.
But it also presented an opportunity. This guy would definitely return to the sky to look for another opening, and that would be the perfect time to strike.
Just like now!
"Impossible!"
Matolang struggled to speak, raising his hands above his head to block the descending hammer. "How did you know when I would attack? It's impossible!"
Renee was taken aback by his words, and a strange red dot flashed in her excited eyes.
She didn't know exactly when he would attack, but she had a feeling that the bastard was above her, so she had taken her chance.
"How I knew is none of your business! The fact is, you're finished!" Renee shouted, sparks flying from her small hands to the mechanical hammer she was wielding.
"Kinetic Impact!!"
As long as the hammer's mass was sufficient, Renee could indefinitely apply kinetic energy until her stamina ran out. And the force she could exert was greater than that of anyone else!
Boom!!
As the kinetic energy continued to build, Matolang's head was hammered into his body, his feet creating a pit in the ground that expanded into a semicircular shape, sending him flying into the hole. A cloud of dust rose from the impact.
Renee retracted her mechanical hammer, turning it back into a regular long-handled hammer that she slung over her shoulder. She scoffed at the cloud of dust, her lips curling in disdain. "I said I'd stuff your head up your ass, and that's exactly what I did. Did you think I was joking?"
With his physical attributes, he couldn't withstand her attack.
And likewise, Renee had emerged victorious.
(End of Chapter)
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