A Display of Skill #35

Author's note: Just a quick reminder that double and even mass releases are still on the table. This one is a freebie, but the next one will cost ya'll. If the next chapter gets 250 or more power stones then there will be another double chapter release coming up.

Or you know, just subscribe to my p-word site and GIVE ME YOUR MONEY. I post double updates there more often, so that also works.

...

"What's this now...?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow as I noticed three people running at the end of the street, seemingly chasing a slim, relatively tall girl with pink hair, stuffing her face with pizza as she sprinted.

"Isn't that...?" I remarked to no one in particular and promptly stepped aside as the girl reached me. We locked eyes as she sprinted past me, and I merely smiled politely, to which she replied with a scowl, much to my amusement.

'Jewelry Bonney... It's a shame she's still a little girl...' Shaking my head as I watched the pink-haired girl sprint away, I resumed walking. 'I might have tried to take her in otherwise...' I mused, stepping aside as the men chasing her ran past me.

'Whatever... I need to focus on the task at hand...' I thought, ignoring the racket behind me as I headed for the southern docks and quickly reached my destination after a five-minute walk.

"Now... if I were a murderous piece of shit pirate... where would I hide..?" I muttered as I scanned the southern waterfront, not knowing where to start searching for Roshio.

Speaking of my target, he was a tall, tanned man with long light-blue dreadlocks and a bounty of twenty-five million Beris, which he earned by indiscriminately killing everything and everyone who crossed his path.

I only realized he was the pirate Bellamy killed in a bar in Jaya over a game of cards after seeing his wanted poster, but that's neither here nor there.

Suddenly, I heard loud screaming from a nearby warehouse and saw several people running out of it as I turned to investigate. "Probably there..." I said with a chuckle, unwrapping the bandages covering my spear as I headed towards the building.

...

"I warned you, didn't I...?" Roshio calmly said as he stomped the head of a man lying on the floor. "You knew what would happen if you went to the Marines... and you went and did it anyway..." He added as he put more strength into his foot, causing the poor man's head to burst open with a sickening crunch.

"Now I'll have to flee the island without finishing the deal..." Rosho went on as he scanned the area, looking at the various workers inside the warehouse. "But not before I kill every one of--" He continued, pausing and jumping aside as he noticed a spear flying toward his head.

"Sorry to break it down to you... but you ain't going nowhere..." said a tall, muscular young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes as he calmly walked into the warehouse.

"Who are you? A bounty hunter?" Roshio asked with a frown, but the young man didn't reply as he merely stood there sizing up the pirate captain. "Typically, I'd just kill you and get it over with, but I'm in the middle--" He added, trying to shoo Cedric away, but the latter didn't seem to be in the mood to listen.

Ignoring Roshio's words, the young man lowered his posture and suddenly charged straight towards him, much to the pirate captain's displeasure and annoyance.

"Hurry up and kill this guy!" Roshio exclaimed with a scowl, prompting his crew members to let go of the dock workers and charge Cedric, each brandishing a sword or a flintlock pistol.

The young man didn't seem to pay them much heed as he upped his pace instead of stopping, even as the first pirate closed the distance and swung his blade at the blonde's neck.

Cedric merely ducked under the blade swing without slowing down and managed to strike the pirate's windpipe, crushing it from an awkward angle that would typically generate zero strength.

The blonde didn't spare the man another glance as he reached into his jacket and retrieved a revolver, pulling the trigger and planting the fired bullet in the head of another pirate trying to shoot him with a flintlock.

Cedric quickly reached his target after taking out five more pirates, and Roshio immediately drew his cutlass sword and swung it at his neck as soon as he was within swinging distance.

Grinning, the young man waited until the blade was an inch away from his face before getting on his knees and sliding past Roshio. Cedric suddenly put his hand on the ground, maneuvering his body to stand on his left hand without killing his momentum, much to everyone's shock and confusion.

He didn't seem to care much for the pirate's reaction as he raised the revolver with his free hand and fired the five remaining bullets in its chamber with surprising accuracy despite his less-than-ideal posture.

The thundering of the gunshots snapped Roshio. He quickly reacted to the danger and deflected the bullets with his sword, causing the previously stunned pirates to cheer at the impressive display.

Cedric merely raised an eyebrow at Roshio's actions as he put strength into his hand and pushed himself off the ground, landing next to his spear with an acrobatic flip.

"You've got tricks... I'll give you that much..." Cedric said with a smile as he dislodged his spear from a wooden chest, causing it to break into pieces, revealing the various weapons inside.

"You're not so bad yourself. It's a shame that I'll have to kill you," Roshio said as he brandished his sword. "How about it? You wanna join my crew?" he asked with a grin.

"Hard pass..." Cedric replied with a scoff as he charged toward Roshio, and the latter didn't seem to care as he tightly gripped his sword and prepared to resume the fight.

The young man quickly closed the distance, and Roshio made the first move as he swung his sword at him overhead. Instead of dodging, Cedric raised his spear and blocked the attack.

And before the pirate could react, the young man pushed Roshio back, causing him to stagger. Cedric took advantage of his awkward posture as he raised the spear and spun it before bringing it down on the pirate captain's head.

Roshio quickly gathered his bearings and jumped back to dodge, causing the sharp tip of the spear to hit the floor and crack the tiles. Still, Cedric looked unfazed as he jumped into the air, using his weapon as leverage to deliver a devastating kick to Roshio's abdomen.

The pirate captain could only grunt in pain as his body folded. The force of the kick instantly chased all the air out of Roshio's lungs and sent him flying back.

Intent on ending the fight while the pirate captain was down, the young man picked up his spear and charged toward him, jumping into the air halfway through his charge.

Taking a deep breath, the young man gripped his spear with both hands and raised it over his head as he stretched his spine backward, causing his head to almost touch his heel.

However, just when Cedric was ready to bring down the spear on Roshio's head and end the fight, the unexpected happened as the eastern wall of the warehouse exploded open, and a dark-skinned man in a long windbreaker walked through it.

The young man turned to investigate the noise, and Roshio instantly took advantage of his momentary distraction by rolling away and avoiding a direct hit. Furthermore, the blast from the impact sent the pirate captain flying away, much to Cedric's frustration.

He wanted to lunge at Roshio and finish the job, but he had to stop as a small object flew right in front of his face, hitting a wall some distance away and exploding.

"I don't know what's going on here..." The dark-skinned man, Gem, said as he picked his nose and fished out a tiny booger. "But I need that pirate alive," he added as he rolled a piece of snot into a little sphere, putting it between his middle and thumb fingers as if to flick it.

"Well, that's too bad..." Cedric calmly remarked with a frown as he turned to Gem, having instantly recognized him. "I just so happen to need his head," he added with a scowl.

"Also, throw another booger at me, and I'll seriously make you regret being born," the young man concluded without bothering to hide his disgust as he looked at Gem.

"Is that so...?" Gem blankly said as he raised his hand and aimed the tiny booger straight at Cedric. "I'd like to see you try," he added as he flicked the little piece of snot toward him.