The next day, Noah got ready to start.
Bloody Hand, Baal.
Captain of the Bloody Hand Pirates, 10 million Belly.
He had bloodied many villages and defeated a Marine Colonel from East Blue Branch 77.
Baal, truly a common name and an unoriginal pirate moniker.
This was the target Noah had chosen for his hunt this time.
Through information from a black market dealer, Baal was currently in Moro Village.
He was reportedly preparing to trade slaves with a slave ship.
Bloody Hand Baal was the most common type of pirate on the seas today, committing all sorts of atrocities like burning, killing, and looting, and also capturing children to sell as slaves.
After all, nobles loved that sort of thing; a child could be sold for a good amount of Belly.
Baal was actually being quite discreet for this transaction in Moro Village, but his subordinates were not.
After a few drinks, they spilled everything without needing to be asked.
Pirates, after all, brag about how many bad deeds they’ve done, how many people they’ve killed, and so on.
If a young girl serving them drinks flattered them a bit, Baal would brag about anything, even if he wasn’t wearing any pants.
Information that everyone already knew was resold by the black market dealer for a small profit, which was a good deal for them.
Of course, this information alone wouldn’t earn Noah any Belly.
The dealer also mentioned that Baal was currently in a corner of a residential area far from the port.
The transaction would happen at night, and then he’d just take the money and leave.
Trading in a residential area was something Noah hadn’t considered.
This pirate with a coarse nickname was not only vicious but also cunning.
If not for the loud-mouthed subordinate he brought along, it really would have been difficult.
Baal felt bitter, but Baal didn’t say it.
The few crew members he brought to escort the slaves this time were carefully selected.
If there had been anyone else with a normal brain on the ship, he wouldn’t have brought this subordinate along.
What kind of people were pirates in the Four Seas?
Firstly, illiteracy was highly probable.
They were people from ordinary backgrounds, lacking skills, without any moral compass, scumbags who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
Give them a knife, and when things were going well, they’d join in the burning and looting.
When things turned south, they’d be the first to run away; that was the norm.
The more evil pirates would, to a certain extent, head to the Grand Line.
Those who remained in the Four Seas were of this caliber.
Noah slowly approached the residential area, then disguised himself to some extent, hiding his sword.
He casually walked past the houses where the transaction was to take place.
He observed out of the corner of his eye: there were four lackeys standing at the entrance, and after circling around, he saw two more at the back.
He carefully unleashed his newly acquired Observation Haki and circled again.
This time, he vaguely sensed people in two nearby residences watching the transaction site.
He investigated himself but still missed the lookouts.
This Baal is something else.
Is he too cautious?
He should be difficult to deal with.
Noah decided to make a few more preparations and catch Baal and the slave traders red-handed that night.
Although he was seeking a breakthrough in swordsmanship, external factors needed to be dealt with first.
Impetuous bravery was not his path.
His tactic was to first eliminate the pirates on lookout outside, then drive them out of the houses through the back door to avoid harming the slaves inside.
During this process, he would use traps to clip their wings and finally drive them into the final battle area to eliminate them, then retreat.
The battle plan, referencing the Souls series, could be considered a standard textbook for small-scale stealth combat, a lesson learned by countless players from other worlds at the cost of their lives.
First, he prepared two bags of lime powder and sprinkled iron nails in the alley behind the back door.
Night fell, and the hunt was about to begin.
Around just after dinner, a slave trader arrived at the transaction location with four subordinates.
Noah also began his move.
He first dealt with the pirates in the residential houses.
He moved slowly inside the rooms, holding his breath, covering their mouths, slitting their throats, and taking them down in one fluid motion.
This was not Noah’s first kill.
Not long after arriving in this world, he had stabbed a pirate who was guarding him.
The same process was repeated for the lookout in the other house, and then for the two at the back door.
He knocked on the wall at the corner.
“Huh?
Sounds like someone’s there.
Lieu, go check it out.”
“Damn it, it’s me again.”
The pirate named Lieu reluctantly walked over.
As soon as he rounded the corner, he fell silent.
The remaining pirate waited for two minutes without a response.
Sensing something was wrong, he prepared to raise the alarm, but it was too late.
With Noah’s current physical abilities, two minutes were enough for him to kill someone and then move to the rear through a detour.
Muffling the mouth, slitting the throat, dragging away, he was like a skilled craftsman.
Noah declared, “The One-Armed Wolf is with me.”
He sprinkled iron nails at the back door and then went around to the front entrance to prepare for a forceful assault.
With the four of them standing together, there was no tactic left.
He took a deep breath, held the hilt of his sword, and slowly walked towards the front entrance of the residential house, focusing his mind and activating Observation Haki.
“Who’s there!
Kid, get lost.
Come any closer and I’ll cut you down.”
As if he hadn’t heard, he continued forward, walking faster and faster, quickening his pace, jogging, accelerating, sprinting.
The changing rhythm made the pirates at the door sense something was wrong, but it was too late.
Noah’s speed of 29 points far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Before the pirates could even draw their weapons, Noah’s blood-soaked figure was already upon them.
Unsheathing his sword, he performed a Drawing Slash.
The first pirate fell with a look of bewilderment.
Turning his wrist, he used a downward diagonal slash, cleaving through the two pirates behind him.
Finally, with an upward diagonal slash, he took the life of the last man.
Even after the fourth man fell, the enemies had not drawn their weapons.
Before becoming a Swordmaster, there was no need to name basic sword forms; speed, power, and precision were enough.
A downward diagonal slash refers to cutting from your upper right to your lower left.
An upward diagonal slash is the opposite.
They are described this way to give a more swordsman-like feel.
At this moment, Noah felt his sword was so cold and his heart so warm.
He broke through the door and charged in.
As the screams from the doorway reached inside, everyone in the house quickly drew their weapons.
They were all hardened men who had faced death before, so they were mentally prepared for this situation.
The moment the door was broken open, a cloud of white powder rushed in.
He threw the two bags of lime powder and cut through the air with his sword, sending the powder forward with the force of his swing.
Most of the people inside were hit.
Then, he charged into the crowd and went on a killing spree, typically taking down one enemy with each strike.
Noah’s excellent swordsmanship was one factor, but the enemy’s momentary panic and limited vision also contributed.
How could ordinary pirates withstand this?
Didn’t you see how the invincible hero Miao Renfeng in “The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain,” who could defeat everyone, was severely limited after losing his sight?
However, not everyone was caught.
Baal and his second-in-command were alert and dodged back a couple of steps.
Seeing Noah’s overwhelming momentum, they decisively retreated towards the back door.
The moment Baal pushed the door open, he noticed his two lookouts at the back door were gone.
He immediately slowed his pace and observed his surroundings.
But his second-in-command, without any consideration, ran past Baal.
He might have even been lucky that he was running faster than his boss that day.
“Ah… you—/%￥#”
A scream of agony, and the second-in-command rolled away clutching his foot.
Hmph, iron nails.
How despicable. Get faster updates on g.com.
Baal stepped over his subordinate and continued to charge forward.
By this time, Noah had finished killing everyone inside.
He shook his sword, flicked off the blood, and inspected it.
It hadn’t rolled, so the quality was decent.
At this moment, the only living beings inside were the children in the cages.
He thought for a moment.
All the nearby pirates had been eliminated, so there was no immediate danger.
He decided to chase Baal first.
With the commotion he had caused, someone from the town would surely come to investigate, so he couldn’t stay in one place.
He drew his sword and left.
At the back door, he saw the subordinate still writhing on the ground and casually ended his life with a quick slash before sprinting away in pursuit.
As he reached an intersection, he suddenly sensed danger with his Observation Haki.
With a backward lean and a backflip, he retreated into the alley.
At that moment, several strands of hair fluttered down from the air.
Baal emerged from the shadow of the corner, holding his sword.
“Tch, what a shame.”
Fortunately, he had just acquired his Haki before this encounter, otherwise, he would have died just now.
The brush with death gave Noah clarity, and he realized how cruel and cunning this opponent was.
“You know, the last guy who tried to take my life, I chopped off his limbs and hung him from the mast for two days before he died.
I wonder how long you’ll last, heh heh heh.”
Noah raised his sword, saying nothing.
“You’ve got good skills.
Why don’t you join me?
Be my first mate, and we’ll conquer the East Blue together.
Treasure, beautiful women, whatever you want, we’ll have it.
What do you say?”
Noah still raised his sword, saying nothing.
Baal first used threats and intimidation.
When that didn’t work, he switched to enticing Noah with gold and women, hoping to shake his resolve.
However, his seasoned tactics had no effect, and he knew this was indeed a formidable opponent.
He stopped talking.
Further conversation would only put him at a disadvantage.
Both drew their swords and met in a clash.
In an instant, they had switched positions.
“Hm?”
Noah frowned.
In that fleeting moment, Noah had unleashed three slashes, while Baal had only unleashed two.
Yet, the places where Baal was cut did not bleed.
“Hahahaha, I admit your swordsmanship is far superior to mine.
But you’ve already expended so much energy.
If you can’t win quickly, you’ll be the one to die.”
Seeing the metallic glint under Baal’s torn clothing, Noah understood that this pirate was truly a survivalist.
But so what?
*Huff… breathe… huff… breathe… huff… breathe…* He calmed himself, feeling the breath of the sword.
Slowly, Noah raised his saber.
He looked up at Baal, his gaze devoid of killing intent, which made Baal feel a sense of foreboding.
A deathly aura enveloped him.
The last time he felt this way was when he first set sail.
Baal licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and charged.
He was confident that this time, he would not be the one to die.
They crossed paths once more.
“This time… I bet wrong…”
Noah’s sword broke, and Baal was cut in two.
The realm of Steel Cutting, achieved!