Splurt!
Blood gushed like a fountain, and the scar-faced pirate's gruesome head soared high, landing with a thud on the table before him.
Scarlet droplets splattered, covering Jimmy's face entirely.
The boy stood frozen like a wooden plank, staring at the headless corpse still clutching him tightly, his lips trembling like leaves in the wind.
"What?"
After a brief moment of deadly silence, the tavern erupted with the sounds of chairs and tables crashing.
The pirates jumped to their feet, staring in shock at the bloody and brutal scene.
"Who is that guy? How did he kill Pete with just one strike?"
"Pete might have been a braggart, but he was still a pirate with a bounty of 9 million Berries. How could he be killed so easily?"
"No warning signs at all. That guy is dangerous. Find out who he is and which pirate crew he belongs to!"
Some pirates followed Hawkins outside.
Meanwhile, the tavern owner scrambled to his feet, rushed forward, pried open the headless corpse's arms, and tightly embraced his terrified son, staring blankly at the tall, blonde figure walking out of the tavern.
"When did such a formidable swordsman come to the Kingdom of Prince? Hey, young man, can you tell me who you are?"
As soon as Hawkins stepped out of the tavern, he saw the street outside packed with hundreds of sword-wielding pirates.
Leading the group were three men with fierce and imposing auras.
The speaker was a middle-aged man with two broad-bladed swords at his waist.
Hawkins glanced at him briefly, ignoring the giant over four meters tall standing beside him.
"I have no obligation to tell you. We are not on the same path."
With that, he started walking toward the other side of the street.
The middle-aged man, Sees, was momentarily stunned, then curled his lips into a cruel smile and slowly gripped the hilts of his swords.
"Well then, let me ask you one more question."
He slightly bent his body, pressed his feet to the ground, and in an instant, disappeared from his spot, appearing in the air behind Hawkins, his swords flashing in the sunlight like intersecting scissors aimed at Hawkins' neck.
"Did you kill Troll?"
Clang!
Sparks flew as a long, narrow-bladed sword suddenly appeared, blocking the strike of the broad-bladed swords.
Hawkins turned, gripping his sword, his face indifferent, and his gloomy eyes devoid of any emotion.
"I don't know any Troll."
"Really? But I can't trust you. Ha ha ha, since I can't trust you, it's better to just kill you."
Sees, wielding his swords, was blocked by Hawkins' single sword and fell to the ground, his cruel smile growing wider.
At that moment, the pirates from the tavern came out.
When they saw the crowded street, they were initially surprised.
But upon recognizing the faces of McJones, Sees, and Hooton, they immediately tensed up and retreated.
"It's McJones!"
"What do they want? Even the Slasher Sees and the Cyborg Hooton are here."
Standing three meters tall, with his body covered in metal pipes and his shoulders and elbows shielded with metal plates, Hooton opened his large, dark mouth and shouted in a grating metallic voice at the fleeing pirates:
"Listen up, you scum!"
"We have a task for you now. Some troublemakers have infiltrated this city, and I want you to spread out and find them immediately."
The pirates exchanged nervous glances, hesitating.
They weren't part of the Great Bug Pirates, so there was no reason to help them.
A short, stout pirate whispered, "We're from the Great Hammer Pirates, there's no reason to help you."
Boom!
Hooton raised his arm, and the shield on his shoulder slid open, revealing a hole from which a fist-sized shell flew out, striking the stout pirate in the face.
In an instant, the violent explosion produced thick smoke.
The stout pirate didn't even have time to scream as his head was blown apart by the shell.
Flesh and blood splattered everywhere, covering the surrounding pirates, who nodded frantically at Hooton in fear.
"No problem! We'll find those troublemakers!"
"Get lost!"
Hooton sneered, waving at the large crowd behind him.
"You go search too!"
"Yes, sir!"
The pirates dispersed in all directions like a tide.
On the other side, Sees was frantically attacking Hawkins.
Three swords clashed rapidly in the air, sparking and ringing with metallic clashes.
"Dual Sword Style! Storm!"
The more Sees attacked, the more excited he became, leaping high into the air and stabbing his swords down at Hawkins in a frenzy.
The sword tips flashed continuously, creating dozens of points of light that covered all of Hawkins' escape routes.
Hawkins' face remained expressionless.
Facing the storm of stabs, he sheathed his sword.
"Ha ha ha, you've given up? You have a good sense of your abilities! Now die!"
Sees laughed as he lunged down.
Hawkins raised his head, bent his body sharply, gripping the sword sheath with his left hand and the hilt with his right.
Sees' eyes narrowed as he saw the movement.
"Iai Sword Technique!"
Hawkins drew his sword with lightning speed and struck.
"Iai—Shadow Flash!"
The bright sword light cut through the descending storm, hitting Sees' swords solidly.
Clang!
Sees grunted, his body flew back over ten meters, and he landed on the ground.
He shook his hands holding the swords, his face turning grim.
"How can you know the Iai Sword Technique?"
"Enough! I don't have time to play here. I'm really pissed off now!"
The four-meter-tall one-eyed giant took a step forward, stepping over Sees' head, clenching his right fist, and lunged directly at Hawkins.
Boom!
The massive fist pierced the air before him, carrying a strong gust of wind, and aimed at Hawkins' face.
Hawkins sheathed his sword again, bent down, and drew the sword once more!
"Iai—Shadow Flash!"
The sword slashed again, drawing a bright silver arc, hitting the target instantly.
"The speed of your draw is indeed fast, but..."
Jones grinned, and a faint black sheen appeared on his clenched fist.
It was this black sheen that blocked Hawkins' powerful Iai strike, not even scratching Jones' skin.
"Your strength is too weak!"
The fist pressed down, crushing the sword, and with lightning speed, struck Hawkins' chest.
Boom!
Hawkins gritted his teeth as he was blown back, blood spurting from his clenched teeth.
"Armament Haki!"
"Not bad, you even know about Haki? Ha ha ha! Do you want to join me? I can spare your life."
Jones laughed loudly.
"He can't join you. If he did, this mission would indeed become hellish."
Before Jones could finish his sentence, a calm voice sounded beside him.
Suddenly, a transparent hemispherical dome descended from the sky!
"ROOM!"
────────────────────────────────────
"Power stones if you like them"
"If you want an early access join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"