Bang! Bang!
Nojiko seemed to have inherited someone's ruthless style — the moment she struck, she held nothing back.
Her fists and legs moved like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, and in the blink of an eye, fifty or sixty pirates were sent flying, collapsing like wheat being cut down.
The remaining pirates froze in terror, finally realizing that the blue-haired beauty blocking the country road wasn't some ordinary woman at all — she was a monster in human form!
At the back of the crowd, Gin narrowed his eyes slightly.
He crouched a little, locking his cold gaze onto Nojiko. His iron-ball mace spun slowly in his hand, scraping sparks off the ground.
This woman was strong. Even he couldn't guarantee a quick victory. If he didn't want to waste time, he'd have to land a single, decisive blow — right to the head — and kill her instantly...
Just as he was about to hurl his weapon— a wild, booming laugh echoed from the coastline:
"Hahahaha! Captain Pearl has arrived!"
Boom!
A tall, muscular man — his body covered in iron shields — leapt from the ship and landed heavily in front of Nojiko.
"Whoa! It's Captain Pearl!"
"He's finally taking action!"
The pirates cheered, thrusting their weapons in the air.
"You're finished, woman! This is our fleet's 'Iron Wall Man' — Captain Pearl!"
"That's right! That's me, Pearl the Great!"
Pearl grinned broadly and smashed his shield-covered arms together with a clang.
Nojiko sized him up, taking in his ridiculous armor, and shook her head helplessly.
"'Iron Wall Man,' huh? Sounds more like a turtle hiding in its shell."
The instant her words fell, she used Geppo to leap into the air above him — and threw a fierce, downward punch straight at his head!
Boom!
A heavy metallic sound rang out. Pearl had crossed his arms in front of him, the shield plates on his elbows perfectly absorbing the strike.
So much pain!
The shock from the impact made Pearl's arms go numb — his heart trembled.
What insane strength!
But lowering his arms, he gave a triumphant laugh.
"Useless! Completely useless! A soft punch like that can't possibly break through my defense!"
"Do you know, in all my battles, I've never shed a single drop of blood — not one!"
He raised a finger at her.
"Being unscathed — that's the proof of how str—"
Slash!
A flash of steel. A chilling gust of sword energy whistled through the air, slicing across Pearl's body.
For a heartbeat, time seemed to stop.
Pearl froze — and then a thin red line appeared along his raised finger, stretching downward, splitting his head, chest, and legs cleanly in two.
His vision split apart — his left eye saw his chest armor cleaved open like a mirror-smooth surface, while his right eye saw his right half slowly tipping over.
Clang... clang...
Both halves of his armored body hit the ground, guts still twitching, blood splattering everywhere.
"Captain Pearl!!!"
The surrounding pirates stared in horror, eyes bulging out.
They'd never seen anyone break through Pearl's defenses — yet now he had been sliced neatly in half with a single strike?!
Tap.
A tall girl landed gracefully. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, giving her a heroic, commanding air.
She tilted her head slightly, inspecting her blade. A flick of her wrist, and every trace of blood vanished from the pristine white sword.
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords — Wado Ichimonji.
"Anyone else wants to die?"
Kuina's cool eyes swept over the trembling pirates. She twirled her sword effortlessly and pointed it at them.
"Go ahead — take two steps forward. I dare you."
Gulp.
Every pirate swallowed hard. Despite clutching their weapons tightly, their bodies moved on their own — retreating several steps backward in perfect unison.
What the hell is with this village?!
A tiny countryside place like this... yet every woman here is terrifying!
"You done eating?" Nojiko asked, retracting her fist, sounding somewhat bored. She glanced sidelong at Kuina.
"You're a guest, you know. If you came all the way here without finishing your meal, it'd make us look rude as hosts."
"Mm. Just finished," Kuina replied softly.
"Brother Shanu said he'd wash the dishes and wouldn't let me help. I was bored, so I figured I'd come check things out."
"That's my brother!" Nojiko snapped, gritting her teeth.
"You've already been invited onto the ship — just call him Captain! That's enough!"
"He's two years older than me," Kuina said casually, pushing up her glasses.
Hearing this exchange, both Krieg — the Fleet Admiral himself — and Gin, who'd come to his side, darkened their expressions.
Just finished eating?
Came over because you were bored?
What arrogance!
It sounded as though these women thought they could crush his entire fleet just to kill time!
And to make matters worse— the person they'd come for — that damn Shanu!
He'd sent thirty ships, over a thousand men, to invade this island — and that guy was still… washing dishes?!
"Oi, oi, oi... they're really looking down on us…"
Krieg's face turned purple with fury, the veins on his temples throbbing. He let out a chilling laugh through clenched teeth.
"This really pisses me off... Gin, stay out of this. This time, I'll do it myself!"
"Understood, Boss," Gin said. He hesitated, then warned quietly,
"The black-haired one… her swordsmanship is incredible. Don't underestimate her."
"Blah, blah, blah — you think I need reminding?"
Krieg sneered, drawing his golden battle spear. His thick armor glinted blindingly under the sun as he launched himself into the air — crashing down toward Kuina!
"Don't kid yourself! You're just a small fry who killed an idiot like Pearl! I am Krieg — the Warlord of the East Blue! A fleet admiral with a 17 million bounty!"
"Let's see if your sword energy can cut through my golden armor! This spear weighs a full ton — let's see if you can even block it, brat!"
Golden armor?
Kuina looked up calmly at the massive figure descending toward her.
Her lips parted slightly:
"Ittō-ryū: Sanzen Sekai — Tsubame Gaeshi." (One-Sword Style: Three Thousand Worlds — Swallow Return)
Whoosh!
In an instant, she vanished.
Her sword flashed — once, twice, thrice — a silver storm of arcs sweeping across Krieg's massive form.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
Before he could even react, the round shields on his shoulders shattered, his upper armor burst apart in a rain of metal shards—
And the final stroke sent his golden spear flying, embedding it deep into a nearby palm tree.
Krieg froze, towering at 2.43 meters — motionless.
A cold blade hovered a centimeter from his throat.
"Frog in a well," Kuina said softly, her calm voice cutting sharper than steel.
"In case you haven't realized... two months ago, I already grasped the Breath of All Things — and stepped into the realm of a true Swordmaster."
"Since then... gold, silver, copper, iron—"
She smiled faintly.
"None of them can withstand my blade."