Chapter 4 - 4 – Hakoku! (Conqueror of the Sea)

Aboard the Blood Skull Pirate Ship— "What!?" As Magnus leapt from his ship and sprinted across the sky toward the island, the pirates on the Blood Skull ship looked like their eyeballs were about to fall out. "Is that guy... flying?!" "That's White Wolf Magnus, isn't it!?" "Captain, bad news! White Wolf Magnus just ran away!" Thud! Captain Farrell kicked the panicked pirate aside. "Shut up! You think I didn't see that myself!?" "Full speed ahead!" In the New World, people flying wasn't anything strange. But being able to use "flight" techniques like that wasn't something everyone could do. Farrell, for example, definitely couldn't. So he could only furiously order his helmsman to steer toward the island where Magnus had landed. "Captain Farrell, what about the ship?" The young pirate who had leaked Magnus's whereabouts pointed nervously toward the burning vessel, already set aflame from the cannon fire. "Who cares about that piece of junk?" Farrell looked annoyed. At their current pace, it would take about thirty minutes to reach the island. By then, Magnus would've had more than enough time to recover. The bombardment was meant to wear Magnus down. But now a damn island had popped up out of nowhere? "Damn it!" Magnus when tired and Magnus when fully rested were two very different beasts. Even if he still had the advantage of defense, a fair duel with a legendary pirate wasn't a fight Farrell had any confidence in. Irritated, Farrell's gaze toward the young man grew cold. With fake concern, he said, "Since you care so much about that ship, why don't you go over and put the fire out yourself? Maybe you'll save it." Farrell had noticed that besides Magnus, there was one more person on the ship—his helmsman, probably. Since Magnus had just abandoned the ship, it was clear he didn't care if that guy lived or died. Typical pirate behavior. When disaster strikes, it's every man for himself. Magnus's actions matched Farrell's stereotypes perfectly. "Fine!" To Farrell's surprise, the young pirate actually gritted his teeth and dove into the sea, swimming toward the burning ship. To that, Farrell had only one word: Idiot. Unnamed Island— Even with the system's help healing his internal injuries, after running over ten kilometers using Geppō (Moonwalk), Magnus was still gasping for breath. After all, he was still old. "Since I already ran, those Blood Skull idiots shouldn't still be chasing the ship, right?" What was an old, beat-up ship worth anyway? In this sea, pirates killed for fame or fortune. If there was no gain, why bother? Right now, they should be focused on chasing him. Because with every passing second, his stamina was recovering. And once he was fully recharged and tucked away on the island— Who was hunting whom? That might flip. But if something went wrong... "Well, then Rocks is just unlucky. He's up against a guy with a 160 million Berry bounty. With future inflation, that'd easily be over a billion." This was also why Magnus didn't charge straight onto their ship. Come on, he was seventy. Going full berserk might've worked thirty years ago. But just then, his idiot system popped off again. Only this time—Magnus's old, slightly clouded eyes suddenly shone with razor-sharp clarity. [When paths cross, the brave win. Cowards run. Facing a pirate in the twilight of his years, you should stand tall—not flee.] [Mission: Defeat Blood Skull Farrell head-on.] [Reward: Conqueror's Haki aptitude. Slight boost to cellular vitality.] Conqueror's Haki aptitude! Magnus hadn't expected the system to offer such a generous reward for just beating someone like Farrell. In the New World, Haōshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) users were as common as grains of sand. But this ability— You either had it or you didn't. Without Conqueror's Haki, you could never truly step onto the top tier of this world. Even if your mastery of the other two Hakis was flawless, beating someone with peak-level Conqueror's was almost impossible. At its highest levels, Conqueror's Haki could suppress Kenbunshoku Haki, and its coating surpassed even Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). Unfortunately— Magnus did not have it. So no matter how hard he fought, reaching the top was always out of reach. A barrel holds only as much water as its shortest plank. Now— That plank had a chance to be reinforced! "Blood Skull Farrell, huh..." The old pirate licked his lips, eyes locking onto the ship rapidly approaching the island. For the first time, a vicious grin split his face. "If the system's this generous, then do me a favor, Farrell— And die for me." This era's ships still used oars alongside sails. Under Farrell's furious orders, his men rowed desperately—cutting the 30-minute journey down to 20. That meant Magnus had only a 15-minute head start on the island. "You can't possibly have recovered fully in that short time!" Farrell stomped onto the bow, eyes sharp as he stared at the island. His biggest fear was that Magnus would now go into hiding. If that happened, he'd have to scatter his forces across the island to hunt him down. That would completely ruin his original plan— Which was to send his crew to wear Magnus down, then finish the job himself. That tactic had worked on countless stronger foes. If Magnus went into hiding, they could be picked off one by one. "You gonna hide, White Wolf Magnus!?" Suddenly, Farrell's pupils contracted. A grin crept onto his face. Because he saw— Magnus standing right there on the beach. "Hahahaha! White Wolf Magnus! If you're in such a hurry to die—then allow me to grant your wish!" He would kill White Wolf Magnus and let this fossil of the old era become his stepping stone. "Fire the cannons!!" Farrell bellowed, ready to strike— But before the sound of his voice had even fully faded, Magnus, standing on the beach, began slowly walking toward them. An overwhelming aura exploded from his body. From the day he first set sail at eighteen, through decades of daily training and honing his craft— Magnus's mastery of technique had already reached perfection. And the giant race's ultimate technique—Hakoku (Conqueror of the Sea)—was the pinnacle fusion of skill and strength. White fur began to sprout. His thin frame expanded. The wind howled violently. The air compressed. The very space around Magnus seemed to turn into a vacuum. Unlike his earlier strike aboard the ship— This time, Magnus was going all out. To truly unleash the ultimate technique. "Hakoku!" With a low roar, Magnus swung his blade. The compressed air blast exploded outward like a giant cannon. Even Rocks—far behind, still trying to put out flames aboard the ship—saw the slash. And under that attack— The ocean split in two. Everything in its path— Was obliterated. Including— The Blood Skull Pirate Ship. The once-pristine vessel shattered into splinters. Dozens of pirates aboard were annihilated by the shockwave—without a shred of resistance. In just one strike— Magnus destroyed the Blood Skull Pirates' ship, And with it, Farrell's life's work. In that moment, Rocks even forgot about how Magnus had "set him up" earlier. His messy black hair whipped in the wind, his face red with excitement. "That technique— I HAVE to learn it!" (End of Chapter) [Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome] [Thank You For Your Support!]