After five men dropped in succession, the Sea Rat captain stopped the rest of his crew.
All five were dead, each with a finger-sized hole in the center of his chest.
Their faces were frozen in terror, as though they had witnessed something horrifying in their final moments.
The remaining pirates hesitated, no longer daring to advance.
More than thirty of them had charged into the forest together, yet five had suddenly fallen without anyone seeing what attacked them.
The unknown was always the most frightening.
“Boss, what attacked us?” “Did none of you see anything?” The pirates shook their heads.
They hadn’t seen a thing.
The Sea Rat captain narrowed his eyes.
He had caught a glimpse of a shadow each time one of his men fell.
The holes in their chests didn’t appear to have been made by a weapon.
They looked as though someone had pierced them with a finger.
Was that even possible?
An ordinary finger couldn’t punch through a man’s chest.
Whoever was hiding ahead of them had to possess extraordinary strength.
“Come out!” the captain shouted.
“Whoever you are, show yourself!” “You dare kill members of the Sea Rat Pirates?
You must have a death wish!” “Search the forest!
Find him and tear him apart!” At his command, the pirates rushed forward together.
They were still afraid, but with their captain leading them, they regained some courage.
High above them, Jiro looked down from a tree.
“You’re nowhere near good enough to find me.” “I’ll save the captain for last.
The rest of you can go first.” He raised one leg.
“Tempest Kick.” A sharp arc of compressed air shot from his foot and sliced through the forest, instantly killing one of the pirates.
“Tempest Kick.” “Tempest Kick.” Jiro attacked once, then changed positions before striking again.
As long as they couldn’t locate him, he remained completely safe.
He had found his own way to use the Six Powers for ambushes.
Pirates fell one after another without ever catching sight of their attacker.
The crew quickly descended into chaos.
“Shave.” “Finger Pistol.” “Finger Pistol.” After a month of missions and training, Jiro’s Finger Pistol had reached level nine, while Iron Body had reached the maximum level of ten.
He had also mastered all Six Powers and was steadily raising the level of each technique.
Once he achieved complete mastery, perhaps he would comprehend an ultimate technique of his own.
Even a certain leopard had developed the Six King Gun.
The number of pirates dropped rapidly.
As fewer men remained, the Sea Rat captain grew furious and chased after the shadow moving through the trees.
Unfortunately for him, he was far too slow.
Against Jiro’s level-six Shave, he couldn’t even keep up with his movements.
Jiro vanished, reappeared, and another pirate fell.
Some were struck down by Tempest Kick, while others were pierced through the chest or head by Finger Pistol.
Jiro always aimed for a decisive blow; he had no interest in giving his enemies a second chance.
“Shave.” “Finger Pistol.” The final subordinate collapsed.
All thirty-odd pirates had been defeated, leaving only their captain standing.
The Sea Rat captain roared in fury and charged.
“Bastard!
I’ll kill you!” His body transformed.
Dark fur spread across him as he grew into a giant rat, his speed and strength increasing dramatically.
His sleazy appearance remained unchanged.
“Oh?
A Zoan-type Devil Fruit.” Jiro raised a finger.
“And it turned you into a rat.
I wonder how strong your defenses are.” “Shave.” “Finger Pistol.” The two rushed toward each other.
The transformed captain ignored the incoming Finger Pistol, intending to endure the attack long enough to kill Jiro.
“You want to trade blows?” Jiro asked with a smile.
“You don’t actually think you can hurt me, do you?” “Iron Body.” His chest hardened like steel.
Their attacks landed at the same time.
The rat transformation had increased the captain’s defenses, and Jiro’s Finger Pistol met slight resistance.
His finger still pierced the captain’s body, though the attack failed to reach his heart.
The captain’s eyes lit up.
This was his chance.
“Die!” He swung his claws at Jiro with all his strength.
The sharp claws tore through Jiro’s clothes but failed to break his skin.
It was as though they had struck solid steel.
“No…” Since Finger Pistol hadn’t finished the job, Jiro clenched his other hand into a fist.
Armament Haki coated it, turning the entire fist black.
The captain sensed the danger immediately.
If that punch landed, he would die.
“No!” Jiro’s fist struck him.
Bang!
One punch was all it took.
This punch carried thirty years of Armament Haki.
Scared yet?
“Oh dear.
I used too much strength.
What a pity.” His level-two Armament Haki was already remarkably powerful.
Against someone this weak, it was overwhelming.
As expected of the East Blue.
The captain had completely wasted his Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
He hadn’t developed its true potential or even displayed the speed one would expect from a rat.
Trying to compete with Jiro in raw strength had been a terrible decision.
“They’re all dead.
How disappointing.” The pirates had been too weak to offer him any useful combat experience.
Jiro headed to their ship and dealt with the remaining crew members onboard.
The vessel now belonged to him, along with everything it carried.
While searching the ship, Jiro discovered a strange fruit covered in unfamiliar patterns.
A Devil Fruit.
He was fortunate enough to notice it before leaving.
Jiro hid the ship along with the gold and supplies he found onboard.
He wouldn’t have to worry about money for quite some time.
“The most valuable thing here is this Devil Fruit.” “I wonder what kind it is.
Zoan, Paramecia, or Logia?” He put it away and prepared to leave.
Jiro paid no attention to the bodies left behind in the forest.
Wild beasts would soon smell the blood and come looking for food.
Few people visited this part of the island.
By the time anyone discovered what had happened, there would be little evidence left.
When Jiro returned to the mountaintop, Garp happened to be finishing another climb.
The boy looked at him suspiciously.
There was a faint smell of blood on his father, and it was different from the scent left by hunting animals.
It was human blood.
Had his father killed someone?
“Why are you staring at me?” Jiro asked.
“Jump down.” Garp turned toward the cliff but continued watching him from the corner of his eye.
He was now certain that his father had killed people—quite a few of them, judging by the smell.
Garp didn’t ask any questions.
He stepped over the edge and jumped.
As he fell through the air, he stared toward the rear of the island.
Who did Dad kill?
And how many were there?
Once he landed, he intended to search the area thoroughly.
Perhaps he would uncover one of his father’s secrets.