Chapter 59

Luo En stared at Zefa and said without the slightest courtesy.

"The Marines pride themselves on being the justice of the sea, don't they? Then why have they allowed these people to become so despairing and numb? Isn't it because they've betrayed their hopes time and time again?"

"Don't give me that nonsense about not being clear on the situation. You can't even protect the peaceful lives of ordinary people on a small island like this, and you've let pirates run amuck here for so long. What is the Marines if not incompetent? Or is it that the Marines already knew, but turned a blind eye, thinking a small island and a mere few hundred civilians weren't worth dispatching troops and warships for?"

51, a killing-intent-laden slash (4/5)

Luo En was, for once, somewhat angry.

Both at the evil-doing pirates and at the incompetent Marines.

He thought of the small island where he had lived when he first came to this world.

The two islands were about the same size, and the populations were similar too—both towns of a few hundred people.

If that island had become like this, and the people he was familiar and close with had ended up in such a miserable state…

Luo En was furious just thinking about it.

Listening to Luo En's words, Zefa was silent for a long time.

"The Marines may indeed be incompetent; this old man cannot refute that. But this old man can guarantee that the Marines would never turn a blind eye or refuse to dispatch troops."

"The reason we even know the situation on this island is because one person from this small island risked their life to escape and deliver the news. Only then did we learn what had happened."

"You don't need to explain that to me."

Luo En walked past him. "I only believe what my own eyes see."

On his way toward that battlefield, Luo En slowly drew Lei Qie from his back.

The killing intent within him was settling into stillness.

………………

"Hee hee hee hee, as long as I have blood by my side, I'll never lose!"

The hideous-looking Ghost Hand swung a pair of blood-and-black demon giant hands, casually tossing aside a drained corpse, and charged at Ain with a sinister grin.

Ain back-jumped to dodge the strike.

"Grow, grow!"

Binx danced his strange Growth Dance, using his Devil Fruit power to send vines coiling toward Ghost Hand.

But the moment those terrifying demon giant hands yanked them, the vines were torn apart.

"Rankyaku!"

Ain launched another Rankyaku.

Ghost Hand used his giant hands to shield his front. Although the white slash wave cut a wound into the giant hand, it was quickly repaired by wisps of blood energy.

"Hee hee hee hee, useless!!"

Ghost Hand grinned hideously at Ain. "Your attacks are useless against me! But the moment I touch you even once, you're done! I haven't tasted the blood of a pretty Marine girl yet—slurp!"

Ain tightened her grip on the sword in her hand, a glint of trouble flashing through her eyes.

Her Devil Fruit ability required her to touch that guy's body.

But if she got close to him, she would be touched by his demon hands, and her own blood would be drained away.

Moreover… her current Devil Fruit ability could only make him regress three years at most.

To rob him of his fighting ability, she would probably need to touch him multiple times.

This guy… is he really only worth 37 million Beri?

"Die!"

Ghost Hand swung his massive demon right hand, thick with a fierce stench of blood, and clawed toward Ain.

Ain bit down slightly, Yaguan, both hands gripping her blade hilt tightly, ready to go all-out against him.

"Get out of the way."

A calm voice sounded in her ear.

Then she saw a small figure pass by her side, holding Lei Qie that flickered with Lei Guang, walking head-on toward Ghost Hand, who was charging at her while swinging his massive demon right hand.

"Luo En?"

Ain's eyes widened slightly, then, as if she had realized something, she immediately shouted: "Be careful of his hands, don't touch—"

"Armament Haki, coating."

"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form: Setting Sun Twist."

After Luo En whispered softly, his figure flashed and appeared mid-air, his body inverted.

The invisible Armament Haki coiled around his hand, and now Lei Qie, blazing like the sun with scorching flames, slashed down from the air.

Ain saw only an arc-shaped slash, like a golden thread, flash and vanish before her eyes.

The next second.

A powerful wave of scorching heat blew her hair.

Boom!

Those massive, hideous demon hands slammed heavily into the ground.

Ain stared, dumbfounded.

"M-my hands, my hands?!"

Before Ghost Hand could even register what had happened, a sudden intense pain struck, and only then did he realize both his arms were gone—severed clean at the roots.

The stumps were still burning with scorching flames; the pain of the wound being cauterized was almost unbearable to the extreme!

Luo En, who had fallen from mid-air to the ground, didn't even glance at Ghost Hand's miserable state.

With an expressionless face, he sheathed his blade, and under Ain's stunned, frozen gaze, walked toward the warship as if nothing had happened.

…………………………

After arresting every member of the Ghost Hand Pirates, including Ghost Hand himself, soothing the civilians on the island who had endured so much torment and humiliation, and recording the island's location with a Log Pose, the warship finally slowly departed from the small island.

Inside Zefa's room.

Ain was reporting the situation to Zefa.

Zefa was taking notes as he listened. After Ain finished describing Ghost Hand's abilities, Zefa frowned slightly.

"If what you say is true, Ghost Hand's strength is definitely worth far more than a 37 million Beri bounty."

"Teacher, I checked—Ghost Hand's bounty was set four years ago, and it hasn't been updated in four whole years."

Ain said.

"Four years to develop his Devil Fruit ability even further... that would explain it,"

Saying this, Zefa took off his sunglasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone carrying a hint of vexation.

"To think we went four whole years without noticing what that Ghost Hand pirate crew has been doing—the Marines really are getting more and more useless, just like that boy said."

"Teacher, about how high a bounty would Ghost Hand's current strength qualify for?"

Ain asked.

"Based on your description, his current strength should qualify for at least 60 million Beri."

"Sixty million Beri..."

Ain was somewhat shocked.

"A pirate captain with strength close to a 60 million Beri bounty, yet Luo En cut off both his arms in a single strike... truly hard to imagine. So it turns out his strongest skill is swordsmanship."

Zefa could not help but sigh.

Listening to his sigh, Ain's expression grew complicated, and that stunning slash involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, it would be hard to believe that such a slash came from the hand of an eleven-year-old boy.

"What is he doing now?"

Zefa looked at Ain and asked.

"When I came, I saw him practicing Soru on the deck."

"How does it look?"

"Mm... seems about the same as before."

Zefa nodded upon hearing this.

"Understood. You may go back first."

"Yes."

After Ain left.

Zefa took out a Den Den Mushi and placed a call to Marine Headquarters.

"Zephyr? It's Zefa."