"He's here! Now we're dead, we're dead!" The burly man and his subordinates were filled with terror, fear, and their bodies trembled.
"Who is he?" Bege asked calmly.
"Heavy Punch Homan, a super-criminal with a bounty of 110 million Berries! His fists can easily smash a large ship. He once killed over a hundred people on Guki Island before escaping to Sabaody Archipelago. He's the second strongest criminal in the lawless zone. No one targeted by him has ever escaped."
"We're all going to die, all going to die." The burly man grew more and more terrified as he spoke, his legs shaking. His subordinates were even so scared they wet themselves, showing just how terrifying this Heavy Punch Homan was.
"Who are you people, daring to cause trouble in our territory?" A bloodthirsty grin appeared on Homan's fierce face.
"We're bounty hunters. We're here to capture you and collect the reward, of course," Bege said calmly.
"Bounty hunters... capture us and collect the reward... Hahaha..." Homan suddenly burst into laughter. He looked at the criminals gathering around him, pointed at Bege and his crew, and laughed even louder. "He says he's going to capture us and collect the reward..."
The surrounding criminals roared with laughter, their faces full of mockery and cold sneers.
"Even the Marines don't dare to act recklessly in our territory, and a few mere bounty hunters dare to? You guys are really tired of living." From the crowd, another slender middle-aged man emerged. He was expressionless, with narrow eyes like a venomous snake. Even those ruthless criminals showed fear at the sight of this man, automatically making way for him.
"The... the... the Skinner..."
"Roose Bolton!"
The burly man and his crew were so terrified at the sight of this man that they collapsed to the ground.
Bege glanced at the man. Those cold eyes, like a viper's, were unsettling.
"He's the most ruthless criminal in the lawless zone, the Skinner—Roose Bolton, with a bounty of 160 million Berries. He captures every enemy and then skins them alive. It's said he has a room filled with the skins of his enemies," the burly man said, his voice trembling with increasing fear.
Skinning people alive!
Even Bege felt a chill hearing that.
Roose Bolton held a thin, long knife, like a scalpel, making a few light gestures towards Bege and his crew. His gaze, like he was looking at dead men, was accompanied by a sinister grin. "I'm going to peel your skin off, bit by bit, and then hang it on a banner to let everyone know that the lawless zone is our territory. No one can try to capture us here."
"Long live Boss Bolton! Long live Boss Bolton..." The criminals cheered enthusiastically.
"Capture them alive for Boss Bolton to skin!" The criminals surged forward, climbing over walls and rooftops, surrounding Bege and his crew, and attacking.
Modi and the others stepped forward, expressionless, their gazes unwavering as they looked at these criminals.
"Yohohoho, Captain, leave these people to me," Brook said with a light chuckle.
Bege nodded silently.
Brook stepped forward, holding his cane sword. He lowered his body, becoming a blur as he moved through the crowd of criminals, appearing behind them a moment later.
"Aubade Coup Droit..."
"Swallow Banderole!"
Brook completely sheathed his thin sword. The pirates' pupils dilated, blood spurted from their bodies, and then they fell to the ground, the thudding sounds blending together.
In an instant, he had eliminated dozens of criminals.
"What?!"
The criminals stared at the strange-looking Brook, their eyes filled with shock and terror.
"What kind of monster is this? Die!" Heavy Punch Homan's eyes narrowed. He took a step forward, covering two meters in a single stride, and threw a punch at Brook as he neared him.
Brook, sensing the threat, hastily drew his sword.
"Prelude: Au Fer!"
The sharp blade struck the iron-clad fist. Brook's sword energy failed to pierce Homan's gauntlet, but Homan's terrifying power sent Brook flying.
Bege moved in a flash, appearing behind the airborne Brook and catching him. The force of the impact didn't budge Bege in the slightest.
"Captain, I let you down," Brook said, ashamed.
"It's alright. Your current strength isn't enough to deal with criminals over 100 million," Bege shook his head. He had some understanding of Brook's current strength, so he wasn't disappointed.
Homan strode forward menacingly. Bege looked at this man – fierce, wild, domineering, and truly a powerful warrior.
If he could be brought under his command, he would undoubtedly enhance his strength.
Just...
It was a pity. This man was a ruthless criminal, without morals or righteousness. Keeping such a person by his side would be a disaster.
He couldn't be kept alive!
As Bege sighed, Modi stepped forward, confronting Homan.
Homan gazed at Modi, his eyes narrowing. Then, he explosively threw a punch, the immense pressure of the fist creating a howling gust of wind.
Modi drew his sword in a single fluid motion, clashing instantly with the iron fist. Sparks flew, and a powerful gale swept outwards.
Modi held his sword with one hand, unmoving, his expression unchanged. Homan's heavy punch hadn't pushed him back an inch.
Homan's expression changed, becoming even more serious. Someone who could easily block his heavy punch was at least a top-tier fighter on his level.
"Your fist does have some weight. Hank and Brook weren't wronged in their defeats," Modi said lightly.
"You can block one of my punches, you're not bad. Come on, take another!" Homan's expression turned ferocious, and he threw another punch, the force radiating outwards, wild and unrestrained.
"One Sword Style—Wave Slash!"
Modi unleashed a slash, a sharp blade of energy sweeping outwards. Homan punched the blade of energy, causing it to shatter and dissipate.
"Nice attack, but it's not enough to hurt me," Homan roared with laughter, his iron fist striking again.
Modi calmly watched Homan, sheathing his longsword. Then, his eyes sharpened, and he exhaled lightly.
"Is that so?"
"One Sword Style Iai—Raging Wind Wave Slash!"
As the longsword was drawn, a massive, sharp blade of energy shot forward, reaching a height of three meters. The lower part of the energy blade dragged along the ground, instantly slicing it open.
Homan's expression changed drastically. He planted his feet, taking a firm stance, and roared. Blue veins bulged on his right arm, and a white light appeared on his fist.
"Impact Punch!"
Homan's expression turned ferocious once more, his posture shifting, his power erupting again. He punched, shattering the air, striking the gigantic energy blade.
A terrifying shockwave shattered the blade of energy, and this shockwave ripped through the air, charging wildly towards Modi.
Modi blocked with his sword. The violent shockwave slammed into him, pushing him back over ten meters. Then, with a slash of his sword, he split the shockwave. The two halves of the shockwave struck the walls of the buildings on either side of Modi, shattering them.
Homan stomped on the ground, shattering it, and charged forward with explosive force, throwing another devastating heavy punch.
"Good timing!" The fighting spirit blazed in Modi's eyes. Abruptly, he sheathed his longsword, stepped forward, and stomped the ground, suddenly accelerating.
Like a flash of lightning, like a raging storm, in the blink of an eye, the two were face to face.
Their eyes met, and they attacked simultaneously.
"Impact Punch!"
"One Sword Style Iai—Windfall Slash!"
The violent shockwave and the extremely sharp blade of energy collided instantly.
A deafening sound, like a bomb exploding, shook the area. The explosive force spread out, sweeping across the street as if a hurricane had struck.
Both men were thrown back by the force of the explosion, each retreating more than ten meters.
Homan's expression was extremely grim. The iron gauntlet on his attacking fist was shattered, and his massive fist was covered in countless cuts, with one wound so deep it exposed the bone.
Blood dripped from his fist.
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