Chapter 48

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"Hey, you're our new partner? You look very reliable indeed. I didn't expect that without this goddess having to make a move, Zyhark could summon such a powerful ally," Aqua greeted King proactively, seemingly very satisfied with this partner who exuded "reliability" from head to toe.

"Goddess?" King suppressed the panic in his heart and asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, I am the goddess worshipped by the Axis Cult, the Goddess of Water, Aqua!" Aqua said proudly, patting her chest.

"Hello, I am King, the seventh-ranked hero in the Hero Association," King tried his best to communicate with Aqua.

"Hero? Does that mean you have conquered the Demon King?" Aqua suddenly became spirited.

According to her worldview, whether it's adventurers or heroes, one can only earn the title of a hero after defeating the Demon King.

"Conquered the Demon King?"

King looked down at the adventure game of the young girl hero he had brought over, shocked by the other party's "predictive" ability, and coughed lightly, "Well, you could say that."

"Hahaha, not bad at all, I acknowledge you!" Aqua laughed lightly, patting King's shoulder.

King was startled by this action but maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, continuing to engage Aqua in a discussion about heroes and demon kings.

Obviously, the communication between the two was completely off the mark...

Zyhark, standing to the side, ignored their conversation and was deep in thought.

Suddenly, the flickering lights of the disappeared wishing pool reappeared in his field of vision.

[Wisher partner "Aqua" successfully accepted the wisher, this wish is now complete]

"Damn it..."

[Choose one of the following three abilities]

[Super-powerful Modification: The body below the head is completely replaced with steel machinery, gaining powerful thermal weaponry suppression capabilities (the first step from man to mech, though replacing parts might become a big problem)]

[Speed may not be your limit: Gain speed far exceeding physical fitness (Running fast is good, but remember to be safe, don't end up a solitary warrior)]

[The Power of a Sexy Prisoner with Sacrifice: Sacrifice sexual orientation to gain perfect eight-pack abs and combat potential (A shortcut to becoming a pervert)]

Compared to the previous time when he had to make a tough choice between two options, Zyhark didn't hesitate much and focused his attention on enhancing speed.

As analyzed earlier in the square when facing the Buggy Pirates, he currently had only defense, with all other physical capabilities being quite ordinary, making it hard to gain the upper hand in offensive moves.

Even with the ability to catch the trajectory of bullets and cannonballs through Observation Haki, the sluggish coordination of his body made it difficult to evade, significantly increasing the threat level of ordinary pirates against him.

Once speed was epically enhanced, all the above deficiencies would cease to exist.

Whether it was dodging, pursuing, or fleeing, everything would become effortless and as one desires!

More importantly, speed is power. Paired with his already formidable physical defense, his attacking power would also rise to a new level.

Although he was very worried about King's addition, Zyhark had to admit that he couldn't refuse this wish reward!

Unfortunately, there was no option for a one-punch, one-kill.

If there had been, even going bald would have been no issue at all!

He felt a bit regretful.

"Zyhark, Zyhark, what were you about to say?"

Aqua's voice interrupted Zyhark's thoughts.

"Nothing much, I mean, welcome to the team, King!" Zyhark smiled and extended his palm toward King.

With things as they were, they could only take things one step at a time from now on.

Looking on the bright side, maybe King's super luck aura could offset Aqua's unfortunate luck?

Seeing King stand still and cautious, he added, "Don't worry, I'm well aware of your situation."

"What do you mean?" King raised an eyebrow.

"About the fact that you're actually a NEET."

"…I understand." King felt like he had been shot in the knee.

Zyhark was about to introduce King to the current situation of the world when a red light flashed in his eyes.

"Regarding the specific information about this world, I'll have to explain it to you later."

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge cannon sound came from outside the maritime restaurant, with water splashing at the entrance.

Following the stairs, the three of them arrived on the second deck of the Endless Dream.

Looking up, they saw the skull flag with a big red nose fluttering in the wind from the direction of Orange Town's port, with the fully prepared Buggy Pirates sailing after them!

"Guys, fire the cannons hard and bring down that damn maritime restaurant!"

Buggy, draped in bandage, sat in a high position. After emergency treatment by the ship's doctor, he who had bitten his tongue was now able to speak clearly.

He raised the long sword in his hand, his clown face filled with rage.

His fierce eyes stared intently at the opposite side, determined to make those three who dared to make a fool of him pay a price!

Wait, three?

The information from the pirate hunter mentioned that their core members were only two.

Buggy squinted his eyes, taking a closer look at the man standing beside Zyhark with his arms crossed.

The tall figure, somber and indifferent demeanor, and the three familiar fierce scratches on the left eye...

"Besides Zyhark and the blue-haired girl, they have such a guy on their ship?"

Buggy's eyes moved. Whether it's Zyhark, who masters dual Haki, or the girl with Devil Fruit powers, neither seemed like ordinary fodder from the East Blue.

Being their partner, this seemingly strong blond man must also be extraordinary!

"The world led by pirates, the one standing at the bow, is that the captain of the pirate crew...?"

As Buggy sized him up, King was also observing Buggy.

Even facing the danger of being bombarded, his face showed no significant emotional fluctuations.

But inside, he was already in turmoil: indeed, the world of fierce and brutal pirates is terrifying!

Zyhark glanced at King, who was cautiously standing by, and Buggy in the distance, somehow feeling an invisible clash of Conqueror's Haki in the air.

Was that...

The clash of their King's Haki?

"They want my special bullets? Then give it to them!"

"Guys, fire the Buggy Balls at them!"

Buggy, snapping out of his shock, issued the command.

After all, he had fought in the New World with Roger, and King was not yet renowned.

So, although Buggy felt an inexplicable pressure from King, he wasn't scared enough by an unknown to turn tail and run.

As long as their unharmed maritime restaurant was sunk in the vast ocean, victory would surely be his!

"Understood, Captain Buggy!!"

The pirate gunners immediately brought out more powerful special bullets for loading, quickly turning the cannon barrels toward the Endless Dream, swaying in the waves.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The special bullets with clown patterns whistled out, flying directly towards the Endless Dream with the sound of the wind tearing through the air.

"Aqua..."

Zyhark was about to remind Aqua to use water for defense, but the usually unreliable Aqua had already taken a step ahead, guiding the sea water to form a water curtain in front of the Endless Dream.

Boom boom boom!

The powerful bombs exploded upon hitting the water curtain, creating a spectacular display of fireworks.

The water curtain, torn apart by the explosions, turned into fine droplets, raining down like a torrential downpour.

"This ship is home to ten years' worth of fine wine gifted to me by Makino, how could I possibly let you damage it willy-nilly!"

Aqua, surrounded by clear streams of water, stood firmly on the deck as an unbreakable barrier to protect the wine, showing a surprisingly reliable side despite usually focusing on rather peculiar priorities...

Seeing this, Zyhark finally let go of his worries and began to warm up, getting used to the body enhanced by speed.

The most immediate change was that his entire body felt much lighter, and his legs were filled with unending power.

This also notably improved the coordination of other body parts, such as punching speed and reaction times.

"Aqua, I'll leave the defense of the Endless Dream to you. Use the water to send me over," Zyhark said, looking at the Buggy Pirates who continued to load their cannons, his eyes brimming with combat intent.

Now that the shortcoming of speed had been addressed, there was no need for excessive planning and arrangement. It was time to head straight over and settle things!

Real battle is the only standard to test one's strength. The Buggy Pirates would be a good practice target.

"Make sure to give that annoying red nose a good beating!"

Seemingly sensing the subtle changes in Zyhark, Aqua's lips curled into a cute smile, her hands gripping the goddess staff that was conjured.

As divine power flowed in, the tightly closed buds of the staff gradually opened, and the mini magic circle lit up.

A turbulent water column burst forth, shooting towards the Buggy Pirate ship in the distance.

Zyhark leaped into the water column without hesitation.

However, instead of standing on top of the water column and surfing towards the enemy ship to make a dramatic landing, he found himself sucked into the water stream the moment he touched it.

Unable to control his body, he was helplessly swept along by the water column...

As he was carried by the water, Zyhark drew a graceful arc in the air before accurately landing next to the Buggy Pirates' ship!

Splash!

Water splashed all around as he hit the sea.

"Ah, huh?"

Aqua blinked her wise eyes on the deck, clumsily retracting the goddess staff and hastily raising a water curtain in front of her, pretending to be seriously guarding the Endless Dream.

"Should've known better than to trust this unreliable person. I might as well have swum over myself..."

Zyhark emerged from the water, looking up at the pirates gathered at the railing. He sighed and, using the ship's side as a step, leaped high into the air with a powerful burst of speed, landing steadily on the deck of the pirate ship.

"Hahaha, what a foolish fellow, coming over here to seek death on his own!"

Buggy slowly stood up from his seat, his clown-painted face full of smugness.

He had been worrying about how to break through the opponent's water curtain, but to his surprise, Zyhark foolishly came to their ship alone.

"Men, get him, and there will be a hefty reward for capturing him for me!"

At Buggy's command, the fierce-faced pirate lackeys shouted loudly, drawing their blades and surrounding Zyhark on the deck.

The sharp blades reflected a chilling light. One of the pirates dressed in circus attire couldn't hold back and swung his long sword at Zyhark with all his might.

Bang!

The deck shattered on impact, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"Huh? Where is he?"

The pirate blinked in confusion, looking at the empty space on the deck.

"Watch out, behind you!" the other pirates hurriedly warned.

As he turned around in panic, his vision was already filled with a rapidly approaching fist.

With a muffled "thud," Zyhark punched the pirate lackey, sending him flying into the ship's railing. The pirate's neck twisted awkwardly, knocking him out cold.

With the boost in speed, the sheer force of his physical attacks turned out to be much stronger than he had anticipated.

Zyhark bent down to pick up the fallen long sword, swinging it skillfully a few times before lifting his eyes to the gathered pirates: "So, who's next?"

The pirates, frightened by his ghost-like speed, hesitated. They were used to bullying others in Orange Town but had never encountered such an opponent.

The depth in his eyes made them unconsciously step back.

"What are you panicking for? We have over fifty men here, and he's just one. It's fifty against one, the advantage is on our side!"

Buggy, sitting back and relaxing with his legs crossed and one hand propping up his face, displayed a nonchalant demeanor full of disdain.

"Right! With Captain Buggy and the officers behind us, we have nothing to fear from him!"

"Exactly! Let this clueless fool see the terror of the Buggy Pirates!"

Remembering the formidable figure sitting behind them, the pirates, previously losing heart, suddenly became energized as if infused with adrenaline, their faces alight with fierce determination and confidence.

Bang!

Among the crowd, a pirate with a flintlock pistol took the lead, aiming at Zyhark on the deck and pulling the trigger.

Despite most of their firearms being soaked by Aqua's summoned flood, a few had been stored on the pirate ship.

With a loud gunshot, the dark bullet whistled towards Zyhark, aiming directly for his head!

Zyhark's eyes flashed red as his Observation Haki activated quietly.

Having been able to perceive the trajectory of bullets even before, the main issue had been his body's slow response, making it difficult to evade in that fleeting moment.

Now, avoiding such threats had become much less challenging for him.

He remained still, merely tilting his head slightly to effortlessly dodge the lethal bullet.

Clang!

The bullet grazed past his cheek, lifting a few strands of hair before striking the ship's iron railing, sparking a shower of sparks.

Almost instantly after dodging the bullet, Zyhark, wielding the long sword, propelled himself forward with his legs, charging into the midst of the pirates like a wolf among sheep.

Startled and unprepared, the pirates hastily drew their swords to fight.

With his indestructible defense and swift speed, Zyhark quickly subdued over fifty pirate lackeys within minutes. Some were knocked out on the spot, while others lay on the deck groaning in pain.

"Damn you... even if you defeat us all, you'll never be able to beat him, to beat Buggy..."

The few conscious pirates struggled to lift their heads, looking back with hope.

Then, they were dumbfounded.

The luxurious leather sofa was empty; not only was Buggy gone, but also Mohji, Cabaji, and Richie had vanished without a trace, leaving only a sun umbrella swaying in the sea breeze.

"Eh? Where are Buggy-sama and the officers?!"

(End of Chapter)