Chapter 5: Battle with the Sea Kings!

Time gradually passed, and before Zhao Feng had realized it, five years had gone by.

Over the course of five years, Zhao Feng's fame grew larger and larger, not just in Baterilla, but in most parts of the South Blue.

Most people knew him as a famous bounty hunter who ruled with an iron fist in this region of the sea, undefeated by any pirate who went after him.

Although his name had not spread everywhere, who in the South Blue didn't know about the Flaming Metal Fist!?

Of course, part of this was due to the Flaming Metal Fists technique, which he was able to upgrade from Core Level to High Level in just one year thanks to his Spiritual Eye.

He could find flaws and loopholes in any technique and even develop it according to what he deemed appropriate, elevating its level through a short period of study.

Now at this level, the Flaming Metal Fists technique allowed him to actually release flames from his fists thanks to the extreme friction generated.

In addition to its powerful effect in raising the level of his physical strength and fists (cultivation level), it could be used as an overwhelming combat technique.

In this sea, everyone believed that he was a user of a very powerful Devil Fruit, which was a reasonable misunderstanding.

In the real world (the world of the King of Gods), everyone knows that the Flaming Metal Fists technique is just a useless Core technique when the user reaches the 2nd rank... so they surely wouldn't believe that Zhao Feng became a Martial Artist in the 6th rank using only this Core technique!

Yes, he had already awakened his inner strength four years ago! Without relying on any breathing techniques, without relying on any strength, speed, or endurance-raising techniques!

And also without relying on any Long-lived medicinal herbs, only on the flesh and blood of giant sea monsters and giant animals on deserted islands, and some rare plants that responded to his Spiritual Eye and found that his body needed them.

After all, in terms of resources, this world was millions of years behind his original world. This is what he discovered in the five years he spent here.

Yes, those five years did not go to waste, and Zhao Feng reached the 6th rank as a Martial Artist, preparing to enter the elite group of Martial Masters in the 7th rank before leaving the South Blue towards the Grand Line.

...

On the slope of the last island in the South Blue, which directly overlooks the Calm Belt, a massive man stood like an arrow.

He had thick black hair and bushy eyebrows. His gray eyes seemed lifeless at first glance, but after staring into them for a while, anyone would feel drawn to them as if staring into the abyss of the dream world.

The man appeared somewhat young, only 27 years old. His body looked polished like that of a professional bodybuilder, but his large muscles looked elegant and harmonious.

He was currently only wearing pants because he was preparing to jump into the sea.

This man was Patrick, the famous Flaming Metal Fist, or more precisely, Zhao Feng.

"How can I enter the 7th rank? I feel like the inner strength breathing technique that I can bring out from the Flaming Metal Fists technique is not enough for this level even after raising it to the third level..."

Zhao Feng was currently in a dilemma... After all, he was currently in a bottleneck... one that would not exist if it were not for the scarce resources in this world, unfortunately.

After all, he had spent five years here and had barely reached the peak of a Martial Artist. If he were the original Zhao Feng, he would have found this incredible result and would have felt proud for the rest of his life. However, since he was not and he knew that the protagonist would reach the same level and surpass it in a few months, the current Zhao Feng felt only sadness.

"The resources here are really scarce... I have to enter the Grand Line as soon as possible. I can't get more from just the South Blue."

As soon as he said that, Zhao Feng jumped into the sea and, with the momentum of a continent-crossing rocket, dove deeply towards what is called the "Nests of Sea Kings." His inner strength, which had reached the peak of the 6th rank, was already raging.

He wanted to rely on the pressure of the seawater and the life-and-death situation in the Nests of Sea Kings to push him to the next rank.

In other words, he wanted to get into a deadly battle!

And this is what he found. As soon as he reached a depth of 1000 meters below the surface of the sea, he began to feel a suffocating pressure on his body. It was clear that the pressure of the seawater here was unbearable for ordinary humans.

But for a Martial Artist at the peak of the 6th rank, it was still bearable.

Soon, shadows the size of mountains appeared in the distance, and it became clear that he had already entered the territory of the sea kings who sensed his arrival, as they recognized him as an intruder seeking trouble and not a small lost fish.

A sea king, a giant electric eel with a size of 500 meters, approached Zhao Feng and quickly crushed him with his electric tail.

The size of the tail looked like a falling sky! Zhao Feng quickly spread his inner strength and his body stiffened completely as if turned into a piece of steel. Blazing marks could be seen like runic letters scattered on his fists.

Boom!

The sea king's electric eel tail collided with Zhao Feng and sent him flying.

Zhao Feng penetrated the deep waters and began to suffocate.

Even if a Martial Artist had dense inner strength, he could not hold his breath for too long. He could only stay underwater for an hour, relying on oxygen in his blood... in his case, when he burned his blood to penetrate, the duration was much shorter, as he was also burning the oxygen in his blood.

It can be said that Zhao Feng's current situation is a matter of life and death.

Anyway, even if he died, this was just a simulation world... he could die as much as he wanted here.

At this moment, the sea kings surrounded Zhao Feng from all sides... without proper strength, whoever comes to the sea kings' territory must have already written his testament.

Zhao Feng shouted, emptying his last breath, and advanced towards the sea kings with flaming fists... in his eyes, even though these sea kings were terrifyingly large, they can only be compared to high-level deadly beasts... he himself was close to this level!

"Whether to advance towards Martial Master or to die... it all depends on this battle of life and death!"

Zhao Feng's fists turned into a bright orange-white color due to the intense heat, just like Sanji's leg.

His fists were fast, leaving behind shadows of multiple fists like Luffy's own rapid-fire punches.

His blows tore through the tentacles of the colossal Kraken king, causing it to wail in a loud voice.

The intense battle had started in the most brutal ways...