“Who goes there?!” Jelaka yelled in shock, quickly recovering his aggressive demeanor.
Raizen’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Me?
I’m just a passing Marine.”
With a flex of his arm, Raizen sent Jelaka stumbling back several steps.
However, upon getting a clear look at Raizen’s face, the pirate burst into mocking laughter.
“Hahaha, it’s just a Marine brat!
Hey, kid, are you even weaned yet?
Open your eyes and look closely!
I’m this year’s Supernova, ‘Mad Dog’ Jelaka, with a bounty of 220 million Berries!”
As he spoke, he coated his spiked mace in Armament Haki and swung it down viciously toward Raizen’s head.
“Die, you damn Marine brat!”
“Mr.
Raizen, watch out!”
The Marines behind him rushed forward to help, but Jelaka’s mace had already landed squarely on Raizen’s head.
The sheer force of the blow pierced through the deck, sending splinters flying into the air.
“Gahahaha!
You damn Marine brat, were you so terrified by the name of Jelaka that you forgot how to dodge?”
Jelaka laughed maniacally, but as he pulled his mace back, his laughter abruptly died in his throat.
The wood splinters settled, but the expected sight of the Marine brat’s head exploding like a crushed watermelon never happened.
Not only that, but there was not a single drop of blood.
When he looked closer, he realized the Marine kid’s head had turned as black as pitch.
Armament Haki!
“How’s this possible?!”
Jelaka froze.
How could a mere Marine brat possess Haki of this caliber?
Did the Marines produce another monster?
Raizen exhaled softly, his head slightly lowered.
“The force is decent, but compared to Instructor Zephyr, you’re still leagues behind.”
As he spoke, the pitch-black color spread from his head down his torso.
In mere moments, it completely covered Raizen’s muscular physique, leaving only a golden pattern glowing between his eyebrows.
“I’ve been at the training camp for so long that I almost forgot how I used to live.
I should thank you for helping me find that feeling again.
As a reward…”
Raizen clenched his right fist and raised his head, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.
“…please go to hell!”
The next instant, Raizen bent his knees and vanished from his spot.
The terrifying force of his launch shattered the deck beneath his feet.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Jelaka, the black Armament Haki flowing fluidly over his right fist.
“Fist Bone: Impact!”
“Bastard, don’t look down on me!”
Cold sweat poured down Jelaka’s face.
This damn Marine brat was too fast.
He only had time to raise his mace horizontally in front of his chest and coat it in Armament Haki, desperately trying to block the incoming attack.
But it was useless.
Raizen transformed into an unstoppable force of impact.
Without dodging or holding back, his fist smashed directly into the mace.
The immense kinetic energy drove the weapon straight into Jelaka’s unprotected chest.
With a deafening boom, the overwhelming force sent Jelaka and his mace flying.
He crashed through the remaining cabins of the battered ship in a series of explosive thuds before finally plunging into the sea, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
The mace was covered in cracks, and Jelaka’s internal organs had been completely pulverized by the impact of his own weapon.
It was obvious he was not going to survive.
A single punch, and the entire battlefield fell dead silent!
The remaining pirates stared in dumbfounded horror.
Unable to maintain their grip, their swords clattered onto the wooden deck.
“H-how’s this possible?
The captain…
he was a great pirate with a bounty of 220 million Berries!
He was this year’s Supernova!
How could he be killed in a single punch?
Is this Marine brat a monster?!”
Panic spread through the pirate crew like wildfire.
It didn’t take long for them to abandon their weapons and drop to their knees in surrender.
“P-please don’t kill us!
We surrender!”
In stark contrast, the surviving Marines erupted into massive cheers.
“Mr.
Raizen is incredibly strong!
That was a 220 million Berries bounty, and Mr.
Raizen took him out in one punch!
As expected of Vice Admiral Garp’s disciple!”
“That’s right!
Long live Mr.
Raizen!”
The kneeling pirates looked shocked, but then a wave of realization washed over them.
So he was the disciple of the Marine Hero, Garp.
It made perfect sense that he possessed such monstrous strength.
Raizen waved his hand, and the Armament Haki receded like the tide, revealing his bulging muscles underneath.
He shook his head, his tone laced with disappointment.
“What a weak pirate.
Gone in a single punch.
If I’d known, I would’ve held back a little so I could play a bit longer.”
Raizen turned his head to look at the approaching Marines.
“Can a pirate of this level really get a bounty of 220 million?
What exactly did he do?”
The Marine who had called out the warning earlier gave a dry laugh.
“‘Mad Dog’ Jelaka is a notorious pirate from the South Blue.
Not only did he commit every crime imaginable—burning, killing, and looting—but he also repeatedly attacked towns and villages.
He even hijacked a World Government vessel once, which is why his bounty was set at 220 million Berries.”
Raizen understood immediately.
So this guy’s infamy far outweighed his actual strength.
He only got such a high bounty because he robbed a World Government ship.
No wonder he was so weak.
He looked down at the pirates kneeling on the deck, his voice dropping to a low, chilling register.
“I don’t care if you rob the World Government, but since you’ve repeatedly attacked innocent towns and villages, it seems I’m better off killing you all.”
He had a clear moral code when it came to killing pirates.
If they were a crew that had never done anything evil—essentially an adventure crew, like Luffy’s crew before Enies Lobby—he could let them off the hook and just throw them in a cell.
But since they had committed atrocities, they absolutely could not be spared.
[Ding!
Congratulations to the host for successfully killing a great pirate with a bounty of 220 million Berries.
Rewarded with a copy of Basic Swordsmanship Techniques!]
‘Basic Swordsmanship Techniques?’
Raizen curled his lip, feeling that the reward was somewhat redundant.
However, holding onto the belief that anything produced by the system had to be top-tier, he decided to take a look anyway.
To his surprise, the so-called basic techniques contained within were far more advanced than what Instructor Bogard had taught him.
By combining the two, a flurry of new ideas for sword techniques instantly popped into Raizen’s mind.
Casually picking up a standard Marine longsword, Raizen looked at the pirates and flashed them a kind, gentle smile.
“I just happened to get a few new ideas in my head, and I need you guys to help me test them out.
If you can take one strike from me without dying, I’ll let you go.”
Hearing this, the pirates froze for a second before expressions of wild ecstasy washed over their faces.
They immediately turned and ran for their lives.
Their ship was not far away.
As long as they jumped into the sea and dodged the attack, they could safely escape once this Marine brat left!
Seeing the pirates diving into the ocean one by one, the Marines beside Raizen grew anxious.
“Mr.
Raizen, this…”
Raizen gave a light chuckle and coated the longsword in his hand with Armament Haki.
Then, a bubbling stream of water materialized out of thin air, condensing into a pale blue, flowing water blade that attached itself to the sword.