The dark clouds overhead split open at some point, allowing rays of sunlight to beam down, perfectly illuminating half of the floating platform.
Goku's black hair fluttered in the wind, the tips tinged with a golden halo that gave him a strangely divine appearance.
He shielded Sanji, Zeff, and the others, glaring at Kennard without turning his head. "You guys should step back for a bit. I'm going to give this guy the beating he deserves."
After watching the battle for so long, he had reached his limit with Kennard's cowardly and shameless tactics.
Especially after seeing Sanji and the others nearly get hurt by such underhanded tricks, he couldn't hold back any longer; he had to personally teach this scoundrel a lesson.
"Hey, kid..."
Patty, his face bruised as he gripped his large knife, ready for a life-or-death struggle against Kennard, froze when he saw Goku step forward.
Wasn't this the incredibly bold kid who stayed behind to eat in the restaurant even after hearing the Blood Demon Pirates were coming? Why did he suddenly come out, and...
He glanced at Kennard's hand and noticed the giant hammer was missing. Then he looked at the captain's expression; Kennard was staring fixedly at Goku. Patty's jaw dropped.
Wait! Was that hammer kicked away by this kid just now?!
Sanji, propped up by others, struggled to look up. His eyes wavered as he stared at Goku's back.
"Patty, let's move back. Don't get in his way," he commanded quickly.
"But..."
Patty and the other chefs hesitated.
"Back off. This little guy isn't ordinary. Don't worry about him," Zeff said, his gaze deep as he observed Goku.
Hearing their boss's word, Patty and the others finally moved, supporting the two injured men as they retreated.
Soon, only Goku and Kennard remained on the field.
Standing in the shadows, Kennard shook his numbed arm and narrowed his eyes at Goku.
A brat with a tail?
Only now did he notice the tail behind Goku. Before this, he hadn't bothered to give Goku or Nami a second look, dismissing them as fools who didn't know how to run away.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Son Goku!"
Son Goku?
Kennard searched his memory but found he had never heard the name before.
However, something suddenly clicked. He glanced at Nami, who was still inside looking through the window, then turned back and asked coldly, "Are you two bounty hunters?"
He remembered his subordinates telling him a few days ago about a new duo of bounty hunters—a man and a woman—who had appeared in the East Blue and captured several pirates in a short time.
One of the rumors claimed the male wasn't an adult, but a child.
At the time, he had scoffed at it, mocking whoever was brainless enough to spread such news before putting it out of his mind.
Looking at Goku, who had jumped out and shown such skill, along with his female companion, Kennard couldn't help but wonder: was the rumor true?
"That's right, we're bounty hunters."
Before Goku could answer, Nami poked her head out and gave Kennard a confident smile.
With the enemy reduced to just one person, this was a heaven-sent opportunity!
As long as it was a one-on-one fight, she believed Goku would never lose.
"We weren't actually planning to catch you this time, but you made Goku angry. Don't blame us for what happens next."
"So it's true. A bounty hunter who's still wet behind the ears," Kennard sneered, finding the reality of the rumor absurd.
Since when did brats like him start becoming bounty hunters?
Once he accepted the fact, he gave a cold laugh. "Stop talking big. The bounty hunter capable of catching me hasn't even been born yet."
"Since you've decided to jump out and seek death, I'll finish you off first before I deal with those chefs."
Although Goku possessed great strength, Kennard wasn't particularly worried.
He was just a kid! No matter how well he could fight, he couldn't possibly turn the tide against him.
After finishing his sentence, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. He struck first, throwing a heavy iron fist toward Goku.
Goku easily performed a backflip to dodge the strike and even stuck out his tongue. "Blehh! You can't hit me like that."
Kennard's eye twitched. For a man three meters tall, trying to punch a kid barely a meter tall was proving to be a logistical nightmare.
He scanned the ground, snatched up a broadsword, and swung it at Goku with a twisted grin. "Don't be in such a hurry. I'm going to take real good care of you. A brat like you must have very sweet blood."
He licked his lips as he spoke.
Clang!!
The broadsword carved chips out of the wooden floor. Goku, having jumped to the side, frowned at the pirate's expression. "You're disgusting!"
With that, he lunged forward, kicked off the ground with all his might, and leaped into the air. Maintaining a flying kick posture, he drove his foot toward Kennard's chest.
Bang!!
In an instant, Kennard's eyes bulged. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the deck.
"Cough, cough! Hack!"
He collapsed on the ground, coughing uncontrollably. Although Goku's kick hadn't shattered his armor, the impact had rattled his internal organs, leaving him struggling for breath.
"D-Damn it!"
He gritted his teeth and scrambled up. In those eyes that were usually cold and fierce, a hint of terror finally appeared.
No one had ever managed to injure him like this while he was wearing his armor.
How could this brat in front of him manage to do that?!
Thinking fast, he suddenly grabbed an unconscious pirate and hurled him at Goku.
While the kid's vision was obstructed, Kennard raised his fist. Two hidden daggers shot out from the mechanism in his metal gauntlets like lightning!
Whiz—!!
"Watch out!"
Seeing this unfold from behind, Sanji's face paled as he shouted a warning.
The daggers were fired second but caught up to the flying pirate instantly. Their terrifying sharpness pierced right through the pirate's body, streaking toward Goku behind him!
Puch! Puch!
A smirk of success formed on Kennard's face.
But a second later, the smile froze.
The sound of the blades striking wasn't the sound of flesh, but of wood hitting the wall.
His target was standing perfectly fine on the other side, hands behind his head with a cheeky grin. "Hey! I already know you're a sneaky jerk. How could I fall for a dirty trick like that twice?"
Then his expression turned serious. "But you really are a piece of work, doing that to your own crewmates."
"You little brat!"
Seeing his scheme fail, Kennard's facial muscles twitched. He scrambled to think of what dirty trick could possibly take this kid down.
But by then, Goku was already in front of him. A confident smile played on his lips as he said seriously, "Using dirty tricks is shameful. Open your eyes wide and see what a real fight looks like!"
"Afterimage Technique!"
Shua!!
To Kennard's disbelief, Goku seemed to split into four identical figures, surrounding him completely.
The five Gokus were in various poses—some in a horse stance, some jumping with arms wide, some making faces. Their movements and expressions were so lifelike they all seemed real.
Kennard's head whipped around, his eyes darting between the five Gokus while cold sweat poured down his forehead.
"What the hell is this move?! How can one person become five?!"
"Is... Is it a Devil Fruit power?!"
Terror welled up inside him, but a lifetime of slaughter allowed him to crush the fear, replaced by a look of sheer desperation.
"I don't believe all five are real!"
He swung his broadsword, instantly slicing through one of the Gokus.
To his shock, the blade passed through nothing but air.
Although the Goku he hit dissipated, a new one appeared almost instantly in another spot.
"Hehe! Guess which one is me?"
All five Gokus made faces simultaneously, sticking out their tongues and laughing.
Terrified and enraged, Kennard slashed wildly at the Gokus, but the results were the same every time.
"Aaaaah! Damn you, kid! Where are you?!" He roared in impotent rage, unable to find Goku's true body.
Outside the battle, Patty and the other chefs watched with their mouths agape.
"How... how is this kid—no, how is this young hero pulling this off? Kennard is being toyed with like a child."
"That's Kennard we're talking about, the rising overlord of the East Blue! He's being beaten so badly he can't even fight back!"
Shock flashed in Sanji's eyes as he sighed in admiration. "A sight like this... it's truly beyond imagination."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]