Chapter 164

"One more demon man—Oren—is still missing."

"The demon man Oren is the top priority of this operation."

Qingzhi thought.

Beside him,

Lu En stared silently at the group of pirates surrounding them.

His eyes held a hint of anticipation, eager to strike.

"Over three thousand pirates…"

"If I let loose, I could kill for a very, very long time."

"I really want to act right now!"

The oppressive, deadly atmosphere, combined with the icy stares of the pirates, stirred Lu En's blood.

That fury,

that brutality,

that madness,

countless negative emotions, sought to completely dominate Lu En's mind.

"Calm down!"

"Now is not the time to act."

"Besides, this is Qingzhi's domain—I'm merely an observer."

"I can't steal Qingzhi's spotlight."

Lu En took a deep breath and suppressed the violent urge within him.

A flash of red fury flickered in his eyes, then quickly cooled and faded.

Moments later,

among the three thousand pirates who had fully surrounded Qingzhi's group, a path parted through the crowd.

From this path,

a man of immense, towering stature slowly walked forward—nearly six meters tall, his body covered in muscle, powerfully built, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted.

Merely by appearance, he radiated overwhelming pressure.

Like a small mountain…

A massive, terrifying aura slowly emanated from his body.

The moment he stepped out of the crowd, every pirate's excitement ignited.

"It's the boss! The boss himself has come!"

"These marines are done for…"

"I didn't expect these marines would provoke the boss into acting himself."

"Now, every single marine here will meet a gruesome end—torn apart by the boss's bare hands."

"Boss Oren! Tear them apart!"

The pirates roared in excitement, faces alight with fervor.

A clamor of noise.

Utter chaos.

Yes!

The six-meter-tall giant stepping forward from the crowd was none other than Oren, the demon man—the captain of the Demon Man Pirates, a notorious pirate with a bounty of sixty million Berries.

"Marines…"

"Who gave you the nerve to invade territory under the control of the Demon Man Pirates?"

"I was about to strike you myself—but you marines actually had the audacity to attack us first!"

"Since you've done this…"

"Today, I'll bury your entire marine branch alive! From now on, the entire Flowing Island will belong to the Demon Man Pirates!"

Oren grinned savagely, his steps halting.

He lifted his head,

his eyes filled with murderous intent, fixed on Qingzhi.

Then…

When he clearly saw Qingzhi's face, Oren's savage grin froze—his expression stiffened, the smile vanished instantly.

In an instant,

a chill shot from his soles straight to the crown of his head, raising goosebumps all over his body.

Hair stood on end,

cold dread gripped him.

The mighty, terrifying aura he had projected upon entering…

At this moment,

vanished in an instant.

Turned to nothing,

dissipated into thin air.

"Y-You're…"

"Qingzhi?!"

Oren's eyes widened in terror and shock, locked on the expressionless Qingzhi before him, as he screamed in a voice choked with fear.

"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Aokiji — how could he have come to Chuanliu Island?!"

"A monster of this caliber…"

"He actually traveled all the way from Marine Headquarters just to deal with our Demon-Person Pirate Crew?"

"How could this be?!"

How terrifying was the strength of Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Aokiji?

Oren knew perfectly well.

This was one of the top combat forces standing at the very pinnacle of this sea!

One of the new-generation pillars of the Marines!

A thorough-and-complete monster!

The moment he saw Aokiji, Oren's entire heart nearly froze through.

"Not good!"

"That monster Aokiji actually came in person!"

Oren's throat went dry, shock and fury mingling within him.

His gaze shifted,

He forcibly dragged his pair of terror-filled eyes away from Aokiji, and looked toward the young, small figure now standing at Aokiji's side.

Compared to his own massive six-meter-tall frame…

That young figure standing beside Aokiji instantly appeared especially tiny.

In Oren's eyes,

He was regarded as nothing but an ant!

"The target!"

"That little brat…"

"Is the breakthrough point for our Demon-Person Pirate Crew!"

Just then.

Oren fixed his greedy, covetous gaze tightly on Lu En's figure.

"That monster Aokiji is far too dangerous, far too terrifying. If we don't find a target we can use to coerce Aokiji, then today our Demon-Person Pirate Crew is very likely to be buried in this sea forever."

"Although I don't know why Aokiji would choose to bring a little brat along to take part in the operation to encircle and annihilate our Demon-Person Pirate Crew."

"But Aokiji's actions have undoubtedly given our Demon-Person Pirate Crew a sliver of hope!"

"As long as we grab this little brat…"

"The current dire situation of our Demon-Person Pirate Crew can be completely reversed at once!"