The trio landed on deck. The people on board fell silent, nervously staring at the three men now in their midst.
"So that's it! You plan to annihilate us first and then have your underlings board and plunder our supplies, is that it?!" Kaneshiro instantly figured out their plan.
"You guessed right. Unfortunately, there's no prize," the brown-haired man said lightly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, a flicker of disdain deep within them, even though they were surrounded.
"Enough talk. Let's get started," the stout man in the white suit said, frowning impatiently. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. In the next second, he moved! The brown-haired man gave a sinister smile and moved in tandem!
The two of them were like a pair of hurricanes, incredibly fast. Before the crew could react, two blurs of motion shot out. Several sailors were sent flying without even uttering a cry, crashing against the railings, motionless. It was unknown if they were dead or alive.
Only the tall, slender man in the middle, with refined and cold features, hadn't moved, watching his two companions perform.
After the two sailors were sent flying, the two brothers within the encirclement paused and looked at the remaining crew.
The man in the white suit rubbed the Tiger Claw on his right hand and said threateningly, "Killing you offers us no benefit. If you know what's good for you, bring out all your treasures and supplies yourselves."
The implication was clear: if they didn't know what was good for them, a massacre would ensue. Though it offered no benefit, there was no downside either.
At these words, the deck fell silent once more. All the sailors instinctively turned their gazes towards Kaneshiro.
Beads of cold sweat unknowingly trickled down Kaneshiro's forehead. It wasn't that he was reluctant to lose these goods; if it were truly possible, he would willingly trade this entire ship's cargo and funds for their lives. But the Goren Three Brothers' reputation in the New World was notorious. They were former bounty hunters with connections to the underworld. Moreover, the three of them were veterans of the New World; they likely knew about the Red Leaf Company's dealings with Doflamingo… Yet, they still targeted his ship. This meant someone wanted his life left here!
"Is it him…?!" Kaneshiro secretly gritted his teeth, his fists clenching involuntarily, his eyes filled with fury.
The trio's gazes followed the sailors' and finally settled on Kaneshiro, a look of understanding flashing across their faces.
"Are you the captain?" the brown-haired man asked as he walked towards Kaneshiro. "Then… what is your decision…?"
"Forget it… I can tell by your look." The brown-haired man raised the sharp cutlass in his hand. Sunlight reflected off the blade, giving off a chilling glint. He stopped in front of Kaneshiro, the sharp cutlass held high above his head.
Kaneshiro closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate. No one knew that, at this moment, he had placed all his hopes on that other man, hoping he would intervene.
"Heh…" Seeing this, the brown-haired man sneered, a cold killing intent erupting from his face. He wasted no more time.
The sailors' expressions changed. They wanted to stop him, but the moment they moved, the man in the white suit also moved, intercepting them. Wiping the gems on his Tiger Claw, he said in a low voice, "I think you all can go start moving the valuables now. Don't do anything foolish that will cost you your lives."
The sharp cutlass hanging over Kaneshiro's head was about to fall. Everyone could almost envision Kaneshiro's head rolling on the deck.
Just at that moment, a calm voice reached the brown-haired man's ear: "Hey, that fellow… he's my person. If you want a fight, come fight me." The rapidly descending blade froze abruptly, hovering less than five centimeters above Kaneshiro's neck.
The brown-haired man's pupils contracted slightly. The Goren Three Brothers all looked in the direction of the voice.
The surrounding sailors parted, revealing the open deck behind them. In the center of the deck, a tall man sat cross-legged on the ground, his back to everyone. He held a wine glass in his hand, filled nearly to the brim with red liquid. As everyone looked over, they saw the man down the contents of the glass in one gulp.
"Did my gamble pay off…?" A huge weight lifted from Kaneshiro's heart. Only then did he realize the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat.
"Is that so?" The brown-haired man retracted the sharp cutlass from above Kaneshiro's head. He walked towards Wilder, saying, "Can you speak for this ship?"
As he advanced, the sharp cutlass in his hand was raised again. The tall, slender man and the man in the white suit watched this scene quietly, neither stopping him nor speaking. They were confident in their combined strength. Even if the person with his back to them was a Warlord, they wouldn't be afraid. Besides… what were the chances of such a coincidence?
Wilder heard the words from behind but didn't answer, merely pouring himself another full glass of wine and downing it in one go.
The brown-haired man stopped, his sharp cutlass now poised above Wilder's head.
"You shouldn't be a weakling," Wilder heard the brown-haired man say from behind him. He continued, "But you also shouldn't be a truly strong person. A truly strong person wouldn't be so arrogant as to leave their back exposed to an enemy."
The blade's edge touched the skin of Wilder's neck, the contact carrying a hint of coldness. Wilder kept his head lowered, saying nothing.
He poured another full glass of wine. The brown-haired man's brow finally couldn't help but furrow slightly. He squinted, glancing at the point where the blade met the neck. "You must be a pirate new to the New World, right? Your journey ends here."
"I didn't expect the two major shareholders of the Red Leaf Company to be so in sync, making the same decision. Unfortunately for him, that fellow chose the wrong person," the brown-haired man muttered, slightly turning his head to glance at Kaneshiro. Then, he raised his blade from Wilder's neck, only to bring it down again with heavy, swift force!
"Die!"
Spurt! Blood splattered. The onlookers' eyes slowly widened. Wilder retracted the hardened swamp spikes that had formed on his back.
He stood up and turned around, one hand resting on the brown-haired man's shoulder. His low voice reached everyone's ears: "You should be an old hand in the New World too. Don't talk so much trash during a fight. Do I really need to teach you that?"
Wilder's eyes looked towards the other two. With a light push, the brown-haired man fell backward limply. Five or six fist-sized bloody holes on his body gushed warm blood.
The deck was eerily silent. Everyone was still reeling from what had just happened. Only when their gazes focused on Wilder's expressionless face did a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts.
Only then did everyone understand: turning his back to the enemy wasn't arrogance; it was a ploy built on strength. This man had left his back exposed to the enemy merely to create an opportunity for a one-hit kill! The thought sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
One of the Goren Three Brothers had died in an instant. This reversal was something no one had expected. The expressions on the faces of the remaining two were now frozen, their pupils trembling slightly. They couldn't believe it; their brother had died just like that! Died right before their eyes!
At this moment, the people on deck felt as if the surrounding temperature had dropped to freezing point. The two Goren brothers looked up, their eyes, filled with killing intent and fury, fixed on Wilder.
"Warlord of the Sea—Lucifer Wilder!"
They had recognized Wilder. They practically bit out the words.
"My pleasure," Wilder said coolly, staring at the two as swamp began to secrete from his right hand.
He wouldn't be careless. These two were not weak. Compared to him, they were strong, though the disparity between them and himself wasn't as great as the disparity between himself and a Marine Admiral. In such a situation, carelessness could easily lead to an upset. Therefore, it had to be a quick battle!
Wilder didn't want to make the same mistakes as Doflamingo and others in the original story. He wouldn't wait for them to make the first move!
Wilder moved—but not his body. The swamp moved!
Thump! His right hand slammed onto the deck without warning. Swamp rapidly gushed from his hand, spreading out from it as the center, incredibly fast. In an instant, the entire deck was covered in a thick layer of swamp!
"Kaneshiro, sink their ship!" Wilder commanded. The swamp on the deck suddenly surged, rising high on both sides like two opposing miniature tsunamis, crashing down on the two Goren brothers! "Understood!" Kaneshiro trembled with excitement, giving the order to the sailors who had been deliberately spared by the swamp!
At this moment, the two Goren brothers' feet were already covered by the swamp, their bodies steadily sinking. Seeing the swamp crashing down from above, both their expressions changed!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Just then, a dense barrage of cannon fire erupted from the ship. Cannonballs shot out from the ports on the port side, striking the hull of the opposing vessel.
"Bastard!" Seeing this, the stout man in the white suit was furious. He turned to glare at Wilder, wishing he could kill him with his eyes. He understood: the other party wanted to cut off their escape route and, in doing so, distract them! "So… you're determined to keep us here?" the tall, slender man said, looking at the swamp pressing down from above.
He raised his hand, his expression calm, his voice even. "If that's the case, then we can only fight to the death."
In the next second, his hand released something like a shockwave, effortlessly blasting apart the swamp above them, scattering it! "Is that… a shockwave?" Wilder's hand had already left the deck. He looked at the slender man, a slight arch to his eyebrow.
After dispersing the swamp above, the slender man grabbed the man in the white suit. Palms facing down, he once again unleashed that same kind of wave towards the swamp beneath their feet. Instantly, the swamp beneath them was pushed outward in a circle, and the two of them broke free from its restraints.
Before the displaced swamp could flow back, the slender man, still gripping the white-suited man's hand, threw him forcefully towards Wilder. He himself then kicked off the deck and also charged at Wilder.
"Die!"
Freed from the swamp, the white-suited man's Tiger Claw glinted coldly. He gripped it tightly in his right hand, descending rapidly from the air.
"Hmm?" Wilder's Observation Haki sensed the thick Armament Haki imbued in the Tiger Claw. He shifted his feet slightly and simultaneously sidestepped.
Boom! The sharp Tiger Claw grazed past Wilder's front, landing on the swamp and instantly blasting a large crater in it, exposing the deck beneath.
The man in the white suit, seeing his attack miss, wasn't surprised. The opponent was a Warlord, after all. If he were hit so easily, he wouldn't live up to his title. Thinking this, he tightened his grip on the Tiger Claw. Seeing the swamp about to flow back, he was about to move away, but just then, he suddenly felt his body constrict. His limbs and torso were bound.
"Terrifying attack power. I can't let you do that again," Wilder's voice came. His right hand had, at some unknown point, transformed into a swamp serpent, tightly coiling around the white-suited man's body.
"How is that possible?! So fast!" The man in the white suit was horrified. Less than a second had passed from when he launched his attack to when he tried to retreat. He hadn't even felt anything, and in the blink of an eye, his body was already bound! All of this happened within two seconds. The slender man's attack also arrived. The moment Wilder ensnared the white-suited man, something like a shockwave had already reached Wilder's front.
Wilder was forced to sever the connection between his right hand and the swamp. His body flashed and disappeared from the spot! "What!?" The slender man's pupils contracted. He was about to turn his body but couldn't keep up with Wilder's speed.
"You really make one worry, you know," Wilder appeared above the slender man, his right foot stomping heavily onto his back. The impact instantly arched the man's body, blood spraying from his mouth as he fell from mid-air.
The shockwave-like attack landed on the man in the white suit, dispersing the swamp serpent coiling around him and also causing a flicker of pain on his face.
Without time to think, his figure flashed and disappeared from his original spot. He reappeared the instant Wilder stomped on the slender man, thrusting his weapon at Wilder without any warning!
Thump! Wilder, arms raised in a blocking posture, was sent flying backward. In mid-air, he stomped on the air with his right foot, arresting his momentum.
But in the next instant, the slender man's attack came. Both of them had now escaped the swamp's restrictions. The tables had turned; they were about to launch a counterattack!
A shockwave-like ripple reached Wilder the moment he stabilized himself. Wilder's eyes narrowed slightly. Before his body could react, he was dispersed by the ripple! "Looks like some kind of Paramecia ability, probably based on a principle similar to vibrations or sound waves. It only has striking power, no other strange abilities. However, it's not like vibrations either; it doesn't have that freakish function of being able to hit a Logia's elemental body to some extent." Wilder instantly thought of many things after taking this hit, gaining a preliminary understanding of the opponent's ability.
His body scattered into the swamp below. Wilder writhed and re-formed his physique.
But the moment he re-formed his human shape, a fist gripping a Tiger Claw and a foot covered in Armament Haki were already sweeping towards him! "The game ends here." Having figured out the enemy's capabilities, Wilder had no more reservations.
Smack!
Smack!
Two crisp sounds. Wilder's hands firmly gripped their respective wrist and ankle, clamping down like iron vises. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't move an inch. Wilder's strength far surpassed theirs.
Swamp crawled up their wrists and ankles.