I never expected… to meet a monster like you in a place like this.
Fukuro licked his lips, speaking in a low voice.
Although his opponent wielded Haki, he did not believe he would lose.
In his own words, he—Fukuro—was a once-in-a-century prodigy, the pride of CP9 and the World Government. A genius who had mastered every technique of the Six Powers while still a boy, an invincible existence.
"You're pretty good yourself. Tell me your name—my hands have never killed a nameless man."
Barrett chuckled lightly.
"World Government Special Intelligence Agency—CP9. I am Fukuro! Remember my name, so that in hell you'll never forget the one who cut you down!"
Fukuro narrowed his eyes and snapped back.
"Heh heh… what a big mouth."
Barrett let out a strange laugh, Armament Haki spreading across his body like black armor. With a single step, he lunged straight at his opponent.
Fukuro wasn't timid either. He instantly used Soru to widen the gap between them, then launched a ranged attack with Rankyaku.
From the earlier exchanges, Fukuro had realized his enemy was a close-combat monster, skilled in raw physical power. That was why he chose to immediately open distance and strike from afar.
But he had underestimated Barrett's speed.
Back then, Fang Yi had only barely managed to fend off Barrett using Soru's speed, frustrating him greatly. Since then, Barrett had honed his speed relentlessly. And now—if one relied on Soru alone, there was no shaking him off.
So when Fukuro thought he had successfully outpaced Barrett and prepared to counterattack, he suddenly realized Barrett was already at his side.
Too late to react—Barrett's fist smashed into his abdomen.
If not for Tekkai absorbing part of the blow, that punch alone would have ended the battle instantly.
On the sidelines, Shanks hadn't moved a finger. Instead, he sat comfortably on the ship's rail, watching the fight with great interest—as if enjoying a show, only missing some snacks.
"Yo~ Barrett, still playing around? Shanks, give me a hand here! Damn, this ship's hold is loaded with supplies!"
A while later, Fang Yi emerged with Tiffani and Jessica, lugging box after box from the warship's storage.
"On my way!"
Shanks grinned, hopping down to help carry the loot.
Fukuro, locked in battle with Barrett, couldn't help glancing over at them.
"You dare get distracted in the middle of a fight? You're asking for death!"
Barrett seized the opening and hammered a fist toward Fukuro's chest.
"Damn—Tekkai!"
Unable to dodge, Fukuro braced himself.
Bang!
Barrett's punch struck home, his fist driving into Fukuro's chest so hard his face contorted grotesquely.
"Impossible… how… is he this strong…"
At last, Fukuro couldn't hold out any longer. Barrett's punch sent him flying.
Boom!
He crashed through the warship's cabin wall, leaving a gaping hole.
"Tsk, tsk… poor bastard. Judging from his uniform, he's CP9, right? Huh… so CP9's gotten this strong? To think he could fight Barrett head-on for this long."
Fang Yi glanced at the man as he flew past, murmuring in surprise.
At this stage, Barrett hadn't yet reached the god-slaying, Buddha-crushing heights of his future self. But in Fang Yi's eyes, he was already no weaker than a Marine Vice Admiral—and against some, he could even claim victory.
"Yeah. His strength is real. He even called himself a once-in-a-century prodigy of the World Government!"
Shanks answered, hauling a crate on his shoulder.
"Huh? Once-in-a-century prodigy?" Fang Yi blinked. "Wait… isn't that phrase usually used to describe Rob Lucci? Could it be him? But… the age doesn't match up."
"Yep! That's what he said himself. And honestly, he is pretty damn good."
Shanks nodded.
"Then I'd like to see… what the World Government's 'once-in-a-century genius' really looks like."
Fang Yi stopped what he was doing, curious to confirm the man's identity.
"Oi, Captain! We agreed—this guy's mine!"
Barrett immediately barked in protest, afraid Fang Yi would steal his opponent.
Fang Yi's face darkened.
"I just want to take a look at his face, alright? Who said anything about stealing him from you?"
"You brats… don't get cocky with me!"
From within the wreckage, Fukuro staggered out, his expression twisted with fury.
"Eh?" Fang Yi tilted his head, studying him. "He does look a bit familiar… but not Lucci. Where have I seen him before…"
"Hey—are you the so-called greatest genius of the past hundred years?" Fang Yi asked casually.
"You bastard—you dare doubt me?!"
Fukuro roared, enraged.
"Captain, seriously—this fight's mine. Take the supplies back to the ship!"
Barrett said helplessly.
He knew Fang Yi had a way of riling opponents into shifting focus. The last thing Barrett wanted was for his hard-won battle to get stolen because Fukuro decided to challenge Fang Yi instead.
Fang Yi shrugged, lifting another crate onto his shoulder.
"Fine, fine. But hurry it up! Tiffani's planning a feast tonight. We scored a lot of food, so it's worth celebrating."
With that, Barrett stepped in again—not because he was in a rush, but because he feared Fukuro might abandon him to go after Fang Yi.
"By the way, Captain, today's haul has some great ingredients. Get Wang Zai to catch us some fresh fish too—we're having a seafood banquet tonight!"
Barrett called out even as he exchanged blows.
"What, the fish tank's empty already?" Fang Yi asked, surprised.
He remembered they had stocked it with plenty of fish.
"Dummy. You guys dumped a shark in there! It ate everything else! Back at Water 7, I even had to buy food to keep it alive—or it would've starved by now."
Tiffani sighed helplessly.
"What? A shark? When did that happen?!" Fang Yi's eyes widened.
"If it wasn't you, then it must've been Shanks! No one else on this ship would do something that reckless."
Tiffani shot him a look of exasperation.
Shanks only widened his innocent eyes, as if to say, Don't look at me.
But Fang Yi wasn't fooled. On this ship, only he and Shanks would pull something like that. Barrett was always training, and Tiffani and Jessica would never mess with a shark.
So if he hadn't done it, then the culprit could only be Shanks.
When they finally checked the fish tank, Shanks stared at the small shark inside, dumbfounded.
"You're telling me this little fish ate everything we caught?"
"Little fish?! Even if it's small, it's still a shark! And how the hell do you look at that and see a 'little fish'?!"
Tiffani snapped.
"Ah—sorry. I thought it was some tasty fish, so I tossed it in. Captain, when you designed the tank, you should've made two. Then we could've kept them separate."
"And somehow that's my fault? Forget it. We'll just eat it tonight. They say shark meat's pretty good. Tiffani, any problem with that?" Fang Yi waved dismissively.
"No problem at all. I've wanted to cook it for ages. I just didn't have the right ingredients—until today."
Tiffani replied cheerfully.
Meanwhile, the shark, still blissfully swimming in its tank, had no idea its doom was sealed.
"Come on. Let's check on Barrett. It'd be embarrassing if he somehow got himself killed out there."
Once the dinner plan was settled, Fang Yi and Shanks headed to the deck.
"Yo~ looks like that was quite a fight. You even had to use your Devil Fruit, huh?"
When they arrived, they saw Fukuro sprawled on the deck, utterly defeated, unable to move. Barrett, however, stood clad in an iron-plated armor—his body merged with the warship's steel using his Fusion-Fusion Fruit powers.
"As expected of the Government's elite. They're no pushovers."
Barrett exhaled, straightening up.
"Oh? That strong, huh?" Fang Yi asked curiously.
"At the very least, their physical strength isn't inferior to yours. In fact, in some ways, it's even stronger."
Barrett nodded.
Fang Yi only smiled faintly. He didn't bother telling Barrett that he wasn't the same as he'd been days ago.
Not only had he drawn another Body Inheritance (Small), but he had also spent fifty thousand points to purchase the limited Body Inheritance (Medium).
His physique had undergone a qualitative leap.
The only downside was that his point balance had plummeted to just ten thousand. That was why he wasn't very interested in fighting Marines or Government agents right now.
What he needed were bounty hunters and criminals—the higher the bounty, the better.
But in the first half of the Grand Line, pirates with bounties over 100 million were still rare.
"Taking out CP9 agents… that should boost our bounties again."
Fang Yi looked around at the warship's deck—every Government soldier was down. He grinned.
It had been a long time since their bounties had risen. Barrett's especially—it was still frozen at his pre-Impel Down level, utterly mismatched to his current strength.
"Let's go. Hopefully next time, I'll find another opponent this entertaining."
Barrett dismissed his iron armor and leapt back onto the Dragon Wolf, smiling lightly.
"Don't worry. In the New World… there are plenty of strong opponents waiting. You'll have more fights than you can handle."
Fang Yi smiled knowingly.
If he needed high-bounty criminals to earn points, then it was inevitable—
The Dragon Wolf Pirates would carve a bloody storm across the New World.