Chapter 108: At This Moment, the Time of Annihilation

Shilou’s confusion went unanswered; he could only regret, deep within, that he had boarded too late, failing to comprehend the captain’s intentions from every word and gesture.

Fortunately, he had not arrived too late.

The reason Golden Lion was so energized and delighted to gather his old crewmates was because the captain had assigned positions to each member of the Morning Star Pirates:

Captain: Barzab Seven.

First Mate: Jorakol Mihawk.

Honorary First Mate: Golden Lion Shi Ji.

Combat Captain: Tenghu Yisheng.

Medical Captain: Bartholomew Kuma.

Logistics Captain: Jin Ni.

Intelligence Captain: Rain Shilou.

First Division Captain: Dongli, Buloji.

First Division Crew: Oymo, Kasi, and the remaining unreported former members of the Giant Pirates: Lei Ting, Biyuelun, Xigu.

Four giant crew members, each around one hundred and thirty years old, were in the prime of their giant lifespan, each possessing the strength of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.

Even Shilou was no match for Dongli and Buloji, the two division captains.

Yet the captain had withstood their ultimate combined technique, Ba Guo, without a single scratch.

For seven full days, Dongli and Buloji had each exhausted themselves daily, unleashing Ba Guo a total of forty-nine times against the captain.

The first forty-eight times, the captain had absorbed them all unharmed.

The last time, had the two division captains not dodged quickly, they would likely be lying flat on their backs right now.

This was one reason why the two division captains were eager to return to Elbaf.

The captain was simply not human!

That technique, the Radiance, was unforgettable to Shilou; even great swordsmen like Mihawk and Tenghu burned with a battle lust they had never felt before.

The captain’s only named sword technique—

The Thoughtless Slash.

All other sword techniques could be collectively called: Basic Attack, Strong Basic Attack, Continuous Basic Attack, Continuous Strong Basic Attack.

After eating and drinking their fill, the crew swiftly tidied up, washing dishes and disposing of kitchen waste.

What normally took thirty minutes was completed in under five.

Because Mihawk and Tenghu were about to challenge the captain.

Honeycomb Island shore.

Jin Ni sat on Kuma’s shoulder; Shilou and Tazolo stood side by side, with four giant crew members watching behind them.

To avoid damaging Honeycomb Island, Saiwen faced away from the island, with Mihawk and Tenghu standing ready before him.

Tenghu’s expression was more solemn than ever, his eyes brimming with bloodlust long dormant.

And Mihawk’s hawk-like eyes were sharper and brighter than ever before.

Mihawk was deeply grateful he had joined Barzab Seven in forming this pirate crew two and a half years ago—especially after witnessing the Thoughtless Slash.

Tenghu and Mihawk both agreed:

Individually, neither could currently withstand the captain’s sword technique, so they had uncommonly chosen to combine forces in an attempt to block it.

Both understood that only by directly facing the Radiance could they truly feel—

The sword technique in which Saiwen had perfectly fused Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Lunarian flame, and his own physical strength to their ultimate limits.

“Captain, draw your blade.”

Saiwen nodded slightly, but instead of drawing his sword from his waist as usual, he pulled Dream One from his chest, wreathed in purple lightning.

【Thoughtless Slash Training Experience: Fusion Progress 41%, Unlocked Feature: Weapon Soul Fusion】

This was the result of Saiwen’s seven-day endurance against forty-eight giant combined attacks—henceforth, Dream One would be stored within his body.

He would draw it from his chest only when needed.

The advantage: Saiwen could now enjoy Dream One’s full 100% boost to Haki at all times, without needing to grip the blade.

The only possible downside: not carrying a sword at his waist felt like losing the demeanor of a swordsman.

Perhaps when his Thoughtless Slash fusion progress reaches 100%, Dream One might even restore itself as a divine weapon.

Saiwen drew Dream One from his chest,

Yet in the onlookers’ eyes, it was but an instant—not because time slowed, but because Saiwen’s speed had reached its absolute limit.

Zizizizizi~

Near the shoreline, streaks of purple lightning spread outward from Saiwen’s body.

Seeing this, Mihawk and Tenghu unleashed their strongest sword techniques, chaining multiple strikes in rapid succession, slashing forward without pause.

Mihawk: …

Tenghu: “Gravity Sword, Gravity Blade—Tiger…”

Blue flying slashes and gravity waves converged, surging forward with the might to cleave mountains and sever oceans.

It was clear that if these layered sword waves struck Honeycomb Island’s soil, they would leave behind chasms like rifts.

Just as their combined attack neared Saiwen, as Dream One slashed forward, Saiwen’s voice followed.

“Now, the Moment of Annihilation.”

The flying slashes that once cleaved mountains and oceans, the gravity waves that once shattered earth and cracked land—crushing the surrounding space into distortion—were utterly erased by the Thoughtless Slash’s Radiance.

No earth-shattering aftermath, only silent annihilation, as if they had never existed.

These were forces of entirely different tiers.

Fortunately, their relentless, frenzied strikes had at least absorbed some of the power, yet still failed to fully obliterate the blade’s glow.

In the end, Mihawk chose to stand firm and absorb the blow; Tenghu refused to be called a low-tier pirate by the captain.

Even as they pushed their Armament Haki to its peak, they were still flung back by the residual blade light, blood spurting from their bodies with two sharp pops, like red petals scattered in the wind.

Behind them, the sea was cleaved cleanly in two by the blade’s glow, exposing the ocean floor.

Immediately after, two splashes echoed.

Pong~ Pong~

The crew members who had come specifically to watch stood frozen, not even blinking, afraid they might miss a single moment.

Saiwen’s voice broke the silence.

“What are you all staring at? Oymo, go pull those two high-tier pirates out of the water.”

Saiwen now deeply regretted having previously discussed the difference between low-tier and high-tier pirates with Mihawk and Tenghu.

Now, both companions had chosen to stand their ground.

How foolish!

Though if it were Saiwen himself, he would have done the same—after all, retreating now meant a lifetime of retreat; if one lacks the courage to face it directly, how can one ever become the strongest swordsman?

Once, Saiwen had worried that the Thoughtless Slash required too long to charge, and no fool would stand still waiting for him.

Now it seemed, such fools on the sea were as countless as fish crossing a river.

Especially if Saiwen were to further explain the fundamental difference between high-tier and low-tier pirates, such fools might line up from Honeycomb Island all the way to Mary Geoise.

“Oh, alright, Big Captain.”

Oymo and Kasi hurried over and pulled Mihawk and Tenghu ashore—both bleeding heavily from the chest but grinning.

“Barzab Seven, I am a high-tier pirate.”

“Captain Saiwen, I am a high-tier pirate.”

Saiwen raised both hands and gave Mihawk and Tenghu a thumbs-up.

“I, Barzab Seven, acknowledge Mihawk and Tenghu as high-tier pirates.”

With that, Saiwen turned to the ship’s medic, Kuma.

“Kuma, quickly remove the pain and injuries from these two high-tier pirates.”

Kuma stepped forward, his fat hands pressing together, and from Mihawk and Tenghu’s bodies, he expelled two massive crimson spheres.

Before the other crew members could move,

Saiwen’s back ignited with flaming wings; he reached into one crimson sphere and absorbed all the damage contained within both.

“Ssshh~ That’s some serious buildup.”

The instant Thoughtless Slash was Saiwen’s strongest attack—but it drained him terribly; he estimated he could only swing it thirty times before exhaustion.

Still, compared to when he faced Dongli and Buloji in the Garden of Flowers months ago, he had grown immensely.

Only when he enters his twenties and his body fully matures will Saiwen truly begin his peak.

For now, the most important thing is improving the Thoughtless Slash’s accuracy.

In real combat, aside from fools who want to be called high-tier pirates, anyone with sufficient speed can dodge the attack.

Previously, Deputy Captain Lei Li had dodged it.

Seeing Saiwen stand motionless after absorbing the damage, Jin Ni poked him with her finger.

“Captain, are you alright?”

“What could possibly be wrong with me?”

Saiwen looked up at the sky above the sea: “I’m the captain of two high-tier pirates!”

Above the Honeycomb Island waters, Marco, who had just arrived, awkwardly waved.

“Saxi bù lǐ dā nà, Saiwen xiao ge.”

“Saxi bù lǐ dā nà, Xiao Ma ge.”