05: The Island Whose Peace Was Shattered

Ron found that combining the Sun Breathing Technique with extreme training made his Vitality growth even more impressive than expected. Before mastering the technique, two months of intense training only increased his Vitality by 12 points. But after mastering the technique, he gained 57 Vitality points in just five months. He could feel that the growth of his body's Vitality was getting harder the further he progressed.

"It looks like it's going to snow," Ron said, glancing up at the dark, cloudy sky. "I'd better head back early today, or Aunt Mary will give me another lecture. She's been worrying about me a lot these past few months."

As Ron made his way back to the mountain house, he moved through the forest swiftly and nimbly, like a monkey. Soon, he could see the house from a distance. At that moment, snowflakes began to fall.

"Huh? Uncle Brian?" Ron spotted Brian rushing toward the mountain house. He knocked loudly on the door, which was soon opened. Brian urgently said something to Aunt Mary, whose face turned pale with fear as she covered her mouth in shock. Then, they both hurried off toward the town.

A sense of foreboding rose in Ron's chest. "Could something have happened to Old Man Harris?" Without hesitation, he followed them.

He sprinted along the forest path, overtaking Mary and Brian, and reached the town ahead of them. As soon as he arrived, a gunshot rang out.

"That way…" Ron quickly rushed over, squeezing through the crowd of onlookers. The sight before him made his eyes widen.

An elderly man lay on the ground, clutching his wounded arm in pain. Harris and several other men glared furiously at a group of about twenty pirates. The pirate captain, who wore a pirate hat, held a smoking gun.

"Ha, stupid old man. All I asked for was some money, and you had to make things difficult," sneered the pirate captain, his face twisted with arrogance.

He glanced at Harris and the others. "What's this? You think you can stand up to me?" He aimed his still-smoking gun at Harris.

"This here is Samoatti, a pirate with a bounty of 1.5 million berries. I'd think carefully if I were you," sneered a skinny pirate beside the captain. "If you piss him off, who knows what might happen to this little island."

Harris clenched his fists, his body trembling with rage. He wanted nothing more than to beat the pirates into the ground, but his rational mind held him back.

Samoatti smirked and fired a shot at the ground in front of Harris. "Hmph, you're just a bunch of cowards. How boring."

"Alright, boys, tear down that tavern and take everything—money, booze, all of it!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Hee hee, I've been waiting for this!"

"I'm going in first!" A group of pirates, eager for action, stormed into the tavern, smashing and looting as they pleased.

"No, no! You can take everything, but please, don't destroy my tavern!" cried the elderly owner, who lay bleeding on the ground. Desperately, he crawled toward the tavern's door, dragging his injured arm behind him. He grabbed one of the pirate's ankles, but the pirate kicked him away.

"Stupid old man, get lost. If you want to die, don't do it near me."

Seeing this, Harris could no longer hold back his anger. He lunged forward, catching the pirate captain off guard and landing a powerful punch on his face.

"Get… off this island!" Harris roared. His punch sent Samoatti, the infamous pirate with a 1.5 million berry bounty, flying several meters.

Mary and Brian arrived just in time to witness the scene, their faces filled with shock.

"Harris!" Mary cried out.

"What a punch," Ron thought to himself in admiration. The strength, speed, and power of Harris's punch were all impressive. Although Harris's Vitality points were only 50, his strength surpassed that.

The pirate, Samoatti, was sent flying five or six meters before crashing to the ground. His crew finally reacted.

"Boss!"

"You dared to hit the boss? You must have a death wish!"

"Kill them all! Don't let any of them escape!"

The pirates drew their weapons and charged at Harris and the others. The men behind Harris, who had been itching for a fight, grabbed hammers and other tools and ran forward to meet them.

With a fight about to break out, the crowd quickly backed away.

"Mary, get back! I'm going to help Harris!" Brian shouted, drawing his fish knife as he rushed into the fray. He had been eager to take down some pirates himself.