Twister was feeling frustrated.
Ever since four years ago, when Colonel Falin and several naval bases combined their forces to besiege him, his pirate crew of over a thousand men had been severely crippled. If it weren't for a fortunate storm sent by the heavens, his crew would have been wiped out. Even so, only a few stragglers remained—just a handful of strays left from the original crew.
And half a year ago, when he fought a young brat, he was actually taught a lesson. That damn red-haired kid—what was so special about him? He had been a pirate apprentice aboard Roger's ship, right? So what? He had connections with the Pirate King, but that didn't make him anything special! But who would have expected that the brat had gotten so strong?
And now, in these past few days, one by one, his crew members had been disappearing—more than ten had gone missing, and despite sending people to search, there had been no trace of them. He was a seasoned pirate who had roamed the seas for decades—what kind of situations hadn't he encountered? And yet, on this tiny island, someone dared to challenge his authority? That person was going to pay a painful price for it.
Twister was gnashing his teeth in frustration when a tall, lanky pirate with yellow hair burst into the captain's cabin. "Captain! There's a suspicious little girl who boarded our ship!"
"Oh?" Twister raised an eyebrow.
"Report, Captain! That little brat just set our sails on fire! And she also stole a bunch of our treasure and your treasured Devil Fruit!" The yellow-haired pirate continued, "The brothers are already getting ready to catch her! Everyone suspects she's connected to the disappearance of our crew!"
"What?" Twister's anger flared. "The Devil Fruit was stolen? Gather everyone and catch her immediately!" He waved his hand dismissively, signaling for the pirate to leave. "Catch her quickly! Anyone who dares challenge the Twister Pirates needs to be properly taught a lesson!"
"Yes, Captain!" The yellow-haired pirate bowed and exited.
"Someone dares to trouble me? Let's see if they can come and go as they please!" Twister poured himself a full glass of strong liquor and downed it in one gulp.
"Really?" A strong gust of wind suddenly swept through the room, and the yellow-haired pirate who had just left crashed through the door, flying back in, seemingly lifeless.
Then, a man walked into the captain's cabin. The man stood about 178 cm tall, wearing a worn but neat black trench coat. His face was hidden behind a grotesque skull mask, but his piercing eyes shone through. The long sword in his hand dripped with fresh blood from the tip.
Twister narrowed his eyes. "You're the one who's been causing me trouble these past few days?"
The man merely gave a disdainful nod in response.
"Good kid!" Twister sneered in fury. "What's your name? Daring to cause trouble for me!"
The man slowly removed his mask, revealing a plain face with intense, penetrating eyes. He adjusted the nonexistent glasses on his face. "First D. Shantlan. First, that surname—you haven't forgotten it, have you?"
"Hahaha! So it's a worthless member of the First family!" Twister laughed loudly. "That family still has someone alive? I thought all the trash from that family had died out! You, a worthless fool, escaped with your life eight years ago, and instead of living with your tail between your legs, you dare come seeking revenge?!"
Shantlan knew that Twister was trying to provoke him, but he still felt his anger rise. He slashed the air with his blade. "Shut up, you're looking for death!"
"You're still too green!" Twister twisted his joints unnaturally and dodged Shantlan's attack.
Twister then took down the Spiral Dagger hanging from his waist. With both hands spinning it like a blender, he thrust it forward. "Spiral Double Stab!"
Shantlan parried with his Fukuoka Ichimonji, blocking Twister's counterattack.
Shantlan had been through countless battles and was not easily swayed by emotions. Before the fight began, he had already coated his entire body with Armament Haki (a form of willpower that hardens the body like armor), knowing that without it, he wouldn't be able to handle a pirate of Twister's caliber.
Armament Haki wasn't like internal energy, it was more like a form of armor or weapon. If not used, it didn't offer any benefits to the user. Even someone as powerful as Red-Haired Shanks had lost an arm due to carelessness when facing a mere near-shore King of the Sea.
"You little brat, I'll annihilate you! Spiral Double Stab!" Twister's hands spun even faster, and the Spiral Dagger stabbed forward like a drill.
"Hmph!" Shantlan was not to be outdone. He disregarded the Spiral Dagger's attack and swung his sword straight for Twister's head.
If Twister didn't change his tactics and kept charging forward like this, he could certainly create a large hole in Shantlan's chest, but he'd also be cleaved in two by Shantlan's blade.
Twister was startled by Shantlan's reckless and fearless fighting style. He had no deep grudge against Shantlan and didn't have the resolve to fight to the death. He wasn't about to engage in a mutually assured destruction scenario. So, he had no choice but to change his approach.
Twister retreated reluctantly, but Shantlan pressed forward relentlessly. Out of the ten exchanges, nine and a half were attacks, with Shantlan disregarding all openings and focusing entirely on offensive strikes aimed at fatal points.
Twister was growing increasingly frustrated. His speed and power were on par with Shantlan's, and his fighting experience was vast. As an ability user of the "Twist-Twist Fruit," he could twist his body in any direction, which gave him a significant advantage in wielding his unique weapon, the Spiral Dagger. But now, he was being overwhelmed by a kid who had barely begun to grow up, which made him even more infuriated.
"You brat, don't get cocky!" Twister said while parrying. "Don't think you have the upper hand now, but it won't last long."
When Shantlan didn't respond, Twister added, "That little girl who burned our sails—she's one of yours, right? I'll tell you this, we've already caught her and are 'taking good care' of her! Making sure she's 'comfortable'!"
Twister couldn't help himself. It's a well-known saying: "If you hold out long enough, you'll lose." But facing Shantlan's relentless assault, he had no other choice but to try and distract him.
"Still, he's just a kid…" Twister thought to himself.
"You dare!" As expected, when Shantlan heard this, his face turned anxious, and his swordplay slowed just slightly.
"Perfect chance! Spiral Thrust!" Twister immediately seized the opportunity, launching a spinning strike.
"Pfft—" Blood splattered as Shantlan dodged the counterattack and retaliated by slashing a foot-long gash across Twister's left arm. Fortunately, Twister had dodged quickly, or his entire arm would have been severed.
"Idiot!" Shantlan sneered. "Do you really think Robin could be caught so easily? With your useless lackeys, you think you can catch my girl? Wait a hundred years!" And with that, the clash of blades resumed.
Shantlan had no intention of letting his guard down. He had only feigned a gap in his defense to lure Twister into attacking, and it had worked.
Twister realized he'd been tricked by a kid and was furious. But right now, he could only defend, with no chance to counterattack, and could only desperately resist.
Twister was growing desperate, and so was Shantlan. If the fight dragged on, who knew whether Robin would actually be harmed? Even if some of Twister's minions came back, their interference could make a huge difference in this one-on-one battle.
Indeed, on a normal day, Shantlan would never have bothered with Twister's lackeys. But today, the two were evenly matched, and it was Shantlan's fearlessness and reckless resolve that gave him the upper hand. However, despite his advantage, he couldn't yet overpower Twister. As the saying goes, "When two experts clash, only a narrow margin matters." Even the slightest distraction from a lackey could turn the tide.
Both combatants, each with their own thoughts, continued to battle fiercely for several hundred exchanges.
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