Chapter 1001

"This is undoubtedly a one-hit kill!"

"In just an instant..."

"Five formidable pirates were simultaneously one-hit killed, without even a chance to react—let alone fight back; the very idea of resistance is absurd."

"My god!"

"Is this even real? Or am I dreaming?"

"How could something like this happen?"

Old John's spirit trembled violently.

He stared blankly at Lu En, then turned to gaze at the cold corpses beside him.

Especially...

When he saw the blood-red holes in the corpses' foreheads, and the faint traces of blood on Lu En's index finger.

This sight intensified Old John's shock even further.

"Did he kill five pirates in an instant—using only one finger?"

"What kind of terrifying power is this?!"

"An utterly unimaginable level of combat strength!"

"How can there be someone this strong in this world? And he's only five years old."

"Isn't he just too terrifying?"

Old John was deeply moved and utterly unnerved.

He knew clearly.

Those five pirates had been wiped out in the span of a single glance—during an impossibly brief moment when no one could react.

Killed clean by a five-year-old boy—using only one finger!

Thinking of this, Old John froze stiff as a statue.

"S-So strong...!"

"Such power..."

"Could a boy of only five truly possess this?"

"It's simply astonishing!"

"It completely shatters all understanding!"

"Could this boy really be only five? At five, he wields such strength? Is he even human? He's clearly a monster!"

"Just now... what kind of monster was I talking to?"

Recalling everything that had just happened, Old John's heart surged wildly.

He couldn't believe it.

Just moments ago, he had been conversing with a monster of this caliber.

And worse,

He had once regarded the boy as someone to be looked down upon.

But now,

After seeing Lu En's power, Old John would never again see him as an ordinary child.

Simply because...

Lu En's strength was far beyond anything Old John could comprehend.

"In my entire life, I've never encountered a being this powerful!"

"Hard to imagine..."

"That one day, I'd meet a warrior of this level—and he'd be a five-year-old boy."

"This is simply beyond reason."

"Unprecedented!"

"Shouldn't a warrior of this level be famous across these seas?"

Old John thought, his heart reeling with awe.

He felt immense relief...

Relief that he had encountered such a terrifying monster!

And even formed a meaningful friendship with him.

Otherwise,

He didn't believe...

That he could have survived the ambush by those pirates just now.

That, clearly, was impossible.

The reason he lived...

Was entirely because of that five-year-old boy.

Nothing more!

"He is simply too strong."

"Beyond imagination."

"Across these seas, he certainly cannot be counted among the weak."

Old John gazed at Lu En's figure, his eyes filled with awe, gratitude, reverence, and shock.

He had once imagined...

And even prayed...

Someone could come to save him.

But he, in the end, never thought of it.

The one who saved him…

Was that boy who stowed away on the Peace!

The terror of his strength was so great that even Old John could not see its end.

"It was as if…"

"His strength has no limit!"

"Merely by showing a fraction of his power, I felt it."

"That boy, his strength is unfathomably deep."

"Far more terrifying than any sea pirate I once encountered with a bounty of tens of millions of Berries!"

"Could a five-year-old boy truly possess such strength? Even if he had begun cultivation since birth, he should not be this powerful!"

Old John's worldview was nearly shattered and collapsing.

For a long while,

Huh!

Huh!

He continuously adjusted his breathing, forcibly suppressing the intense tremor within his heart.

He lifted his head,

He looked at Lu En and let out a bitter laugh: "Young friend, I never imagined your strength had reached such a level. This is truly beyond expectation."

"Your life-saving grace…"

"I dare not forget!"

Upon hearing this,

Lu En maintained his calm smile and shook his head: "No need for such gratitude. It was merely a trivial matter."

"A trivial matter?"

"Yes…"

"To a powerhouse of this level, dealing with just a few pirates is but a minor, effortless act."

"The mindset one holds toward matters depends entirely on one's level."

"For me, DeNuo Zhao, such a task is nearly impossible. But for young Lu En, he need only flick a finger to resolve it effortlessly."

"And this, is the gap!"

"A gap as vast as heaven and earth!"

Old John suddenly understood.