Chapter 44

Thump, thump!

Nojiko seemed to have inherited someone’s style; she showed no mercy the moment she struck.

Using both fists and legs, she was like a tiger among a flock of sheep; in the blink of an eye, fifty or sixty pirates were mowed down as if they were being cut like grass.

The remaining pirates were struck with horror, only then realizing that this blue-haired beauty blocking the country path was no ordinary person—she was a fierce beast through and through!

Behind the crowd.

Gin’s gaze narrowed slightly.

He suddenly hunched his body, staring coldly at Nojiko in the distance, his iron-ball tonfa spinning and swinging in his hand, constantly scraping against the ground and sending sparks flying.

This woman’s strength was not bad; even he wasn't confident in a quick victory. To avoid dragging this out, he had to strike her skull directly and kill her on the spot...

Just as he was about to throw it, a burst of arrogant laughter suddenly resounded across the shore:

"Hahaha, Lord Pearl has arrived!"

Thump!

A tall, long-limbed man, his entire body strapped with steel shields, jumped off the ship and landed directly in front of Nojiko.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!! It’s Captain Pearl!"

"Has he finally made a move!"

The pirates looked excited, raising their arms to cheer and root for him. "Wait for death, woman! This is Captain Pearl, known as the 'Iron Wall Man' of our fleet!"

"That’s right! It is I!"

Pearl grinned, his hands gripping the shields slamming heavily together.

Hmm?

Nojiko looked him up and down, taking in his unique getup, and couldn't help but shake her head in silence. "Some 'Iron Wall Man'—you're nothing more than a coward who likes to hide inside a turtle shell!"

The moment her words fell, she suddenly stepped on the air with Moon Walk, arriving above Pearl’s head, and delivered a heavy punch from top to bottom, smashing fiercely toward the center of his forehead.

Boom!

A dull sound of metal colliding rang out, but Pearl had raised his arms side-by-side to block in front of him, and the shields on his elbows blocked the strike perfectly.

So painful!

Feeling the numbness from the violent vibration in his arms, Pearl felt a surge of horror in his heart.

This damn stinking woman, what great strength!

But when he lowered his arms, he let out a triumphant laugh: "Useless! Useless! This level of punching is soft and weak; it’s impossible to break through my defense!"

"You should know, I have never shed a single drop of blood in battle—not a single drop!"

He held up his index finger at Nojiko. "Unscathed—that is the best proof of how powerful I am..."

Swish!

A blade’s light suddenly flared, and a biting sword Qi whistled through the air, sweeping across Pearl’s body.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant. Pearl’s body remained motionless, but a line of blood suddenly appeared on his index finger, spreading vertically; in a flash, it extended from his head to his toes.

Pearl discovered with terror that his vision seemed to be splitting.

His left eye saw the shield on his chest divide into two halves, the cut as smooth as a mirror, while his right eye caught a glimpse of the right side of his body slowly tilting.

Clang! Clang!

The left and right halves of his body, covered in shields, fell to the ground one after another. The internal organs at the cross-section were still twitching slightly, and intestines and blood had already splattered the ground.

"Captain Pearl!!!"

The surrounding pirates looked as if their eyeballs were about to pop out.

In so many battles, they had never even seen anyone break through the captain’s defense, yet at this moment, the captain had been sliced in two by a single sword strike?

Slap!

The tall girl landed on the ground, her long black hair tied into a high ponytail behind her head, adding a touch of heroic spirit to her appearance.

She tilted her head slightly, glanced at the blade, and gave her wrist a slight flick; the bloodstains on the pure white blade faded away completely.

One of the 21 Great Grade Swords, Wado Ichimonji!

"Are there any others who want to die?"

Kuina’s gaze was cold. She turned the Wado Ichimonji, casually performed a sword flourish, and aimed it at the terrified pirates in front of her. "You can take two steps forward and try it."

Gulp.

The surrounding pirates swallowed hard. Despite each of them holding sharp blades, they all subconsciously took a few steps back.

This village... what on earth is going on with this village!

It’s clearly a remote, rural place, so why are the women coming to block the road more terrifying than the last!!!

"You’ve finished eating too?"

Nojiko withdrew her fist, sighed with some disinterest, and glanced sideways at Kuina. "You’re a guest; if you came over without being full, it would make us, the hosts, look very rude."

"Yeah, just finished."

Kuina nodded lightly. "Brother Xia Nuo said he wanted to wash the dishes and wouldn't even let me help. Since I was idle, I just came over to take a look first."

"That’s my brother! You’ve already been invited onto the ship, calling him Captain is enough!" Nojiko gritted her teeth.

"He is two years older than me, after all."

Kuina pushed up her glasses, unconcerned.

Hearing this conversation.

Whether it was the fleet admiral Don Krieg who had just stepped off the ship, or Gin who had automatically come to his side, their expressions had darkened significantly.

Just finished eating?

Came over to take a look because they were idle?

What big talk! It sounded as if the two of them had just come over for a stroll to digest their food and could solve them in the process.

And what was even more outrageous...

Was that Xia Nuo, the main target they were looking for!

Thirty warships had been dispatched, pressing down on the border, and over a thousand pirates had already stormed the shore!

And you, damn it, are still busy washing dishes?

"Hey, hey, hey, we’re being looked down upon..."

Don Krieg’s face was livid, the temple on his forehead throbbing. He suddenly squeezed a chilling laugh through his teeth. "This really makes me angry. Gin, you are not allowed to move. This time, I will do it myself!"

"Understood, Leader."

Gin looked at him with some surprise, hesitated for a moment, and then reminded him, "That black-haired woman who appeared later, her swordsmanship is very powerful; don't underestimate her..."

"Nagging, do I need you to tell me that!"

Don Krieg grinned hideously and drew his Great Battle Spear. His heavy armor refracted a dazzling light under the sun. With a boom, he used the recoil force to leap up, smashing the spear down toward Kuina below.

"In the end, you’re just small fry, only good for dealing with an idiot like Pearl. I am the Overlord of the East Blue! The fleet admiral Don Krieg with a bounty of 17 million Berries!!!"

"Can your sword Qi slice through my golden armor? Besides, this Great Battle Spear of mine weighs a full ton. I want to see if you little brat can take it!!!"

Golden armor?

Kuina looked up calmly at the massive figure closing in, and spoke softly:

"One-Sword Style, Three Thousand Worlds · Swallow Return."

Whoosh!

In just an instant, her figure had disappeared from where she stood. While dodging the Great Battle Spear, her blade slashed out diagonally.

Swish, swish, swish!!!

Sword light erupted, turning into three silver arcs that instantly covered Don Krieg’s entire body.

Before he could react, the circular shields on his two shoulders had already shattered with a boom, and the armor on his upper body also collapsed into metal fragments with a clatter.

And the final sword Qi precisely knocked away the golden Great Battle Spear in his hand, pinning it to the trunk of a coconut tree nearby.

"..."

Don Krieg’s 2.43-meter-tall body froze in place, not daring to move a muscle, because at this very moment, a cold sword tip was pressing against his throat, one centimeter below his Adam's apple.

"Frog in the well."

In Don Krieg’s panicked gaze, Kuina smiled slightly:

"Do you want me to make it clear to you? Two months ago, I had already grasped the Breath of All Things and stepped into the realm of a Master Swordsman. From then on, there is nothing I cannot cut, be it gold, silver, copper, or iron."

(End of chapter)