"Ahhhh! My hand!"
Apoo trembled as he got up, blood continuously gushing from his severed arm.
"Kid, who exactly are you?!"
Terrified, he became even more incredulous when he saw that Renji had a shoulder insignia that represented only a Petty Officer.
"How can a mere Petty Officer possess such skill? I'm a Supernova!"
"Hey, I'm talking to you! I am Lieutenant Masao! You dare not respond to an officer's command! I don't care which unit you're from..."
Masao was still chattering beside him. Renji was too lazy to respond, merely releasing a wisp of Conqueror's Haki precisely towards him, silently.
Boom!
In an instant, Masao involuntarily took two steps back, his gaze towards Renji now tinged with awe.
"You!"
As the smoke and dust slowly dispersed, Masao's gaze shifted, and his expression suddenly changed drastically.
"You are! Scratchmen Apoo! A Supernova with a bounty of 198,000,000 Berries!"
Unconsciously, Masao's voice became shaky, and he retreated step after step.
A pirate of this caliber was not someone a mere Lieutenant like him could afford to provoke. At the very least, a Rear Admiral would be needed to deal with him. And in fact, an ordinary Rear Admiral wasn't a match for Apoo at the moment.
The onlookers also showed signs of fear upon hearing Masao's words.
"What! This guy is a member of The Worst Generation. They are devils who kill without batting an eye."
"More than that. I even heard that wherever they pass, not a blade of grass grows, and even babies can't cry."
"What's going on with this mere Petty Officer? How did he provoke such a dangerous individual?"
Masao was sweating profusely. He was ready to make a run for it at any moment.
Under the 360-degree, no-dead-angle perception of the Heavenly Six Eyes, everyone's voices were heard by Renji.
Dangerous, huh...
Perhaps.
He just didn't know if Infinity (Lv. 2) could withstand this guy's sonic explosions. If it couldn't and his head got blasted, with his current level of Reverse Cursed Technique, there was a high probability he'd be done for. But that was only in an experimental scenario.
Just as Renji expected, judging from his long-distance observation and close-range engagement just now, it was impossible for the current Apoo to take him down.
If a sonic attack of that magnitude could touch him, his Heavenly Six Eyes would have been for naught.
"Nameless Petty Officer, you're a good man. I'll go call for reinforcements now, hold on."
Renji didn't bother with the fleeing Masao. Apoo's attention wasn't on such a deserter either.
Seizing an opportunity, Apoo suddenly leaped into the air, and at the same time, his remaining hand flicked towards his chest.
Waves of invisible sonic blasts shot out, and a victorious smile appeared on Apoo's face.
His Devil Fruit ability attacked invisibly. Many opponents hadn't even figured out what was happening before they were cut in half by him.
Looking at this kid's reaction, it was most likely the same.
"Die!"
A sinister grin appeared on Apoo's face, as if he had already seen Renji being cut in half.
However, in the next second, Renji's figure actually vanished just before the sonic slash arrived.
What?! What's going on?
Apoo was greatly alarmed. A figure had already appeared above his head like a ghost.
Crack!
Renji sensed the spot he had just been in. The sonic waves cut through like a blade, even severing hard bricks.
Quite a good power, indeed.
Seeing this, Renji no longer hesitated. He raised his leg high, aimed at Apoo's head, and then a kick imbued with both Cursed Energy and Black Flash slammed down fiercely.
Boom!
Apoo's body was once again blasted into the ground, but this time, he quickly got up and launched several sonic explosions towards Renji.
Boom... Boom...
Apoo, with his somewhat disheveled hair, unleashed a barrage of explosions, leaving himself breathless, yet he didn't even touch a single hair on Renji.
"Damn it! How is this guy so fast?"
"Mr. Apoo! We're here!"
Shouts came from afar, as a considerable number of pirates swarmed over.
Amidst his shock and anger, Apoo finally calmed down upon hearing his subordinates' shouts. As a pirate with a bounty of nearly 200,000,000 Berries, he quickly began to analyze.
'This kid is extremely fast, I can't do anything to him. Fortunately, although he's fast, his strength isn't that great. That powerful move he used at the beginning seems like it can only be used once.'
'I won't die.'
With this thought, Apoo's mind settled. In his opinion, the Marine in front of him no longer had any means to kill him.
Renji's figure flashed to the side, watching Apoo who could still continuously attack. He knew that the kick just now hadn't caused him much damage.
Guys who become Supernovas are indeed not simple. If it were Miguel, he'd probably be a corpse by now, right?
Haa, is it my physique that's too weak after all?
Apoo's subordinates have also arrived. I can't keep playing around like this.
No choice, I'll just have to finish him off instantly.
Apoo, who was on high alert, kept his eyes fixed on Renji. When he met the latter's gaze, he suddenly felt a bad premonition.
But then he thought of his subordinates right behind him. He could have them stay and take the damage. He didn't believe Renji could do anything to him then.
"What's your name? Someone who can beat me, Apoo, into this state shouldn't be nameless."
Renji didn't answer. He merely curved his lips into a smile, and extended a finger, the dazzling red light shining once more.
"Damn it!"
Apoo's soul almost left his body at the sight. He did not want to experience the power of that move a second time.
Boom!
Sonic waves and Cursed Energy exploded simultaneously, and dust and smoke once again filled the field.
Apoo lost his vision in the dust and smoke, leaping up to move to a place where he could see clearly.
Just then, a cold light suddenly flashed. The cold light rapidly magnified in Apoo's eyes. In a life-or-death moment, he exerted all his strength and barely managed to evade it, at the cost of his last remaining arm.
With a flash of his figure, Renji was already in front of Apoo.
"Spare my life, I'll do anything."
Just then Apoo's vision spun. His head even flew out of the smoke-covered area, drawing a graceful parabola in the air before thudding to the ground.
This scene was witnessed by Miguel, who had arrived just in time.
"Holy crap, boss! You alone just...!"
"Mr. Apoo, we're here! Hold on!"
Not even mourning Apoo's death for a moment, the unknown pirate bystander immediately arrived on the scene.
At the same time,
In an auction house in Area 1, several individuals who would shock the world in the future were gathered.
"Congratulations, Charlos-sama, for successfully bidding on the mermaid for 500,000,000 Berries!"
***
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