Chapter 14: Fire Serpent Slash
Higuma's brown-red coat fluttered. The steel sword in his hand gleamed coldly as he pointed it at Kaizen Reiya, a look of arrogant pride on his face.
"What's wrong, kid? Scared now? My boss, Higuma, is a Level 20 bandit! He's killed countless men! How can a Level 9 nobody like you possibly win?"
One of the bandit leaders, Sixth Brother, laughed loudly.
"Besides the Triple Slash, my boss has an even more powerful move: the Fire Serpent Slash! A single terrifying, blazing serpent can melt steel and burn you to ashes in an instant!"
Fifth Brother put on a boastful expression.
"My boss has something even more terrifying: the Thirty-Six Windstorm Slashes! He can send out twenty blades instantly and chop you into mincemeat!"
Second Brother also spoke arrogantly.
"You brat, you don't know your own limits, daring to provoke our boss. Today, I'll let you learn what it means to be utterly crushed, what it means to wish you were dead!"
Sixth Brother, relying on Higuma's presumed dominance, added.
When Kaizen had detonated the Glue Cannonball earlier, these three had fled faster than anyone. Now, seeing Boss Higuma gaining the upper hand, they scurried back to sneer at Kaizen.
Pfft!
However, at that moment, the supposedly invincible master, Higuma, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
It turned out that the moment the Glue Cannonball exploded, the bandit leader had already been injured by its overwhelmingly violent energy.
Hearing his three subordinates desperately boasting for him, his pride couldn't take the hit, so he had been desperately enduring, pretending to be the master. Unfortunately, he couldn't hold it any longer, and a mouthful of blood finally sprayed out.
"Pfft! So Boss Kaizen had already injured him! And he was still trying to keep up the act! Now he can't take it anymore—exposed!"
"What do you know? He calls that 'using your life to look cool.'"
...
Disdainful looks fell upon Higuma's face.
His face burned with shame and fury. He shot a venomous glare at the Second, Fifth, and Sixth Brothers.
This mouthful of blood had exposed him. All the grand boasts his three idiots had just made now became a massive irony.
If they weren't facing an enemy, he would have long since flown into a rage and slapped these three fools senseless.
"Brother Yi, you're amazing! I have a beautiful little sister, just turned sixteen this year..."
"Brother Yi, do you like them young and innocent? I have an aunt..."
"Brother Yi, I'm very strong! If you need someone to carry bags or do hard labor, come to me..."
...
Kaizen was speechless, an awkward look on his face. Is this really the time? The Level 20 bandit leader across from us isn't dealt with yet, and you're all getting so cocky, introducing your aunts and cousins... Let's wait until after we win, brothers.
Unlike the jubilant faces of the Windmill Villagers, Kaizen remained very calm, without their blind optimism. The lesson of the Second, Fifth, and Sixth Brothers' embarrassing boasts was right there. Kaizen wasn't stupid enough to act like them.
According to the claims of those three, this bandit leader had actually mastered three powerful sword skills, and all of them had reached the Major Achievement level.
Generally speaking, players below Level 30 were usually considered skilled if they had one martial art reach Major Achievement. Mastering two to Major Achievement made you a genius-level player. Mastering three placed you among the elite. As for four or more? That was monstrous.
In other words, this arrogant guy was actually a genius among native players.
Kaizen felt a wave of frustration. This was somewhat different from his previous life. It seemed this new One Piece world had undergone some unpredictable changes.
It was probably related to the mutation of the world's core consciousness. First, the number of secret manuals, treasures, and natural resources had multiplied several times over, causing both beasts and humans to become stronger.
Just as Kaizen was lost in thought...
"Fire Serpent Slash!" The bandit leader Higuma, seizing the moment Kaizen was slightly distracted, pulled out a fiery red pill and swallowed it. His face quickly regained its color, his vigor restored. He swung his sword. A blistering wind rushed forth, and an arm-thick serpent of fire roared as it charged toward Kaizen.
Kaizen felt the scorching heatwave; his hair curled slightly at the ends.
"This is a bit troublesome!"
Kaizen frowned. "Against a Level 20 player, I can only rely on my Swift Boots. If I compete head-on with martial arts, I definitely can't win. A Level 8 fighting a Level 20 with brute force is just asking for death. The gap is too big."
"My surprise attack with the Swift Boots has already put him on guard. He's definitely prepared now. Trying to suddenly close in for another sneak attack is impossible."
"Fortunately, the Glue Cannonball detonation earlier did injure him. He's now using the Fire Serpent Slash, but he doesn't dare to exert his full power recklessly, for fear of aggravating his injuries. If it weren't for that, I'd be in a much worse position right now."
"I can't beat him in close combat, but I can fight him at range using the Swift Boots to control the distance." Kaizen thought to himself.