(send power stones please)
"BANG!!"
Dead of night.
The sky hung low and heavy, like rain was on the way. The sudden crash yanked the doctor out of sleep. A lightning bolt split the darkness—briefly lighting the room through the window.
"G-GHOST!!"
A hysterical scream exploded out of the doctor's throat, so loud it felt beyond human limits.
Hermes—already pale and drenched in blood—somehow turned even paler.
Reflexively, he swung his hand.
SMACK.
The doctor's terrified, twisted face snapped to the side. His cheek instantly reddened, and he rolled to the foot of the bed, nearly pissing himself.
Anyone would. Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing a blood-soaked man standing beside your bed? That's the kind of fear that sends your soul straight out of your body.
"Shut up. It's me."
That slap left the doctor dazed.
Hermes coughed once and sat down on a chair nearby, as casual as if this were his own home.
That voice…
That shameless posture…
The doctor's soul finally crawled back into his body. Holding his face and baring his teeth in pain, he climbed off the bed and shuffled closer. Another flash of lightning—now he could see clearly.
It was Hermes.
The same weak, hollowed-out look like his lower back had been scooped clean.
Real. Alive. Still breathing.
"You bastard," the doctor snarled. "I almost got sent to the afterlife because of you."
He was furious.
A few seconds ago, he'd just experienced a full-body "near-death thrill." One more second and he might've been scared into a heart attack.
"Less talking. Same rules."
Hermes looked even weaker than before, but he wasn't worried.
If anything, he was excited—almost giddy.
Observation was triggering more and more often. One or two more rounds and he'd be able to control it actively.
Compared to that, what was a little injury?
As long as he didn't die—everything was profit.
"Asshole. This time you pay extra," the doctor cursed. "Don't think being Hermes Jormungandr gets you special treatment."
He kept swearing, but his hands didn't slow at all.
Like always, he pulled a medical kit out of nowhere and began cleaning Hermes's wounds with practiced ease. No discount just because Hermes was famous or because he "cleaned up evil."
Hermes didn't answer. He just closed his eyes.
The doctor finding out his identity was inevitable. And after spending so much time around him, Hermes had a decent read on the man.
For now, the doctor was… usable.
"So you still didn't kill Two-Wheel Gunslinger Kokos?" the doctor asked, still cursing—partly to distract Hermes from the pain, partly because curiosity was eating him alive.
He truly hadn't expected Hermes to be this terrifying.
Two pirates worth tens of millions, killed back-to-back.
This skinny body… what kind of monster-strength was hiding inside it?
"I could kill him," Hermes said through clenched teeth, veins climbing up his hands. "But that thing still has some use to me."
It hurt.
So damn much.
His defense still wasn't hard enough. Look at the top monsters on the sea—none of them were fragile. All of them were freaks who refused to die.
If he wanted to stand firm in this era, he needed more than just "skills."
He needed toughness.
Endurance.
Recovery.
Sustained output like a pile driver.
"…Fine," the doctor muttered, and didn't ask further.
He knew where to stop.
Human relations and survival instincts—he had those.
Soon enough, Hermes was wrapped in bandages again.
Treatment time: still within five minutes.
Ridiculous.
"Now get out," the doctor hissed, already moving to clean up the scene. He wasn't about to let a repeat of the last raid happen.
"Same as last time," Hermes said, waving casually. "Put it on my tab."
And he vanished into the night without a shred of politeness.
"Yeah yeah, get the hell out," the doctor cursed, grabbing a broom and mop and starting to work while spitting venom.
He wasn't worried about Hermes skipping out.
After all these times… there was at least a tiny bit of trust.
Ten Days Later
A violent clash erupted in town.
As soon as Hermes recovered, he went straight to find Kokos—his chosen "victim."
The moment they met, sparks flew. The fight was instant, fierce, and terrifying.
A bunch of locals saw it up close.
This time—
Kokos couldn't hit Hermes nearly as easily.
Observation triggered more and more frequently. Kokos was starting to feel pressure.
BANG BANG BANG!!
Bullets tore through the air, smashing into walls and storefronts, kicking up clouds of dust.
"So that's Pirate Hunter Hermes Jormungandr…"
"The man with the twin pistols is Kokos, captain of the Two-Wheel Pirates. Bounty: forty-four million."
"Today we finally see them in person."
The battlefield became a wreck. People retreated far away, watching the kind of fight that would've killed normal men instantly.
"Damn—Jormungandr is in trouble!"
"He's been forced into defense the whole time!"
To most spectators, Hermes looked like he was losing.
Wounded, unable to launch attacks, forced to defend until his injuries stacked up.
But anyone watching carefully could see it—
Hermes's success rate at dodging was climbing higher and higher.
"Today you die here," Kokos panted, eyes icy. "And Mayute will still belong to the Two-Wheel Pirates."
"You want to kill me?" Hermes scoffed. "You're not qualified."
Kokos's arrogance made Hermes laugh internally.
If Hermes weren't training Observation, Kokos would already be dead.
Then Hermes did something even more insulting.
He closed his eyes.
Completely.
The disrespect was so blatant it made Kokos's killing intent spike like a blade.
"Too far…!"
BANG!
A bullet shot out, ripping the air apart.
Hermes—eyes closed, mind empty—felt everything around him go quiet.
Time slowed.
The bullet's path became clear.
He tilted his body slightly.
The bullet brushed past.
A second bullet followed instantly.
Hermes slipped away again—effortless.
From passive triggers…
He was now actively calling it.
It was becoming smooth.
Controlled.
"Another bullet dodged…"
"How is that possible?"
"Is that even human?!"
Mouths fell open.
This fight shattered their understanding of reality.
Dodging bullets wasn't supposed to be possible.
"Like I said—no wonder he killed Captain Joya and Chainman."
Even hardened pirates were shocked. Once they remembered Hermes's job, many turned uneasy.
What if they were next?
"What did you do?" Kokos's mind started cracking as the fight dragged on. "This isn't right!"
He remembered the first battle—Hermes had needed his Devil Fruit just to barely avoid the shots.
Now Hermes was dodging like it was nothing.
Did his own aim deteriorate?
That made no sense.
"Hah…"
Hermes exhaled, blood still on him, but smiling.
"I did it."
Even though he'd taken more damage—
He was happier than he'd ever been.
Observation was fully mastered.
He could trigger it whenever he wanted.
Kokos had lost his value.
Kokos could no longer threaten him.
BANG BANG BANG!!
Bullets screamed toward Hermes.
Hermes walked forward anyway.
He turned his head slightly.
Shifted a shoulder.
Stepped sideways.
Each motion was minimal.
Each dodge was clean.
Elegant.
Almost lazy.
To the crowd it looked like a miracle.
To Kokos it looked like a nightmare.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Two meters.
Even at one meter—still dodged.
How?
How could anyone dodge at that range?
"This is impossible!" Kokos roared, eyes bloodshot. "You can't dodge my shots! What the hell are you doing?!"
He froze for a fraction of a second—
And Hermes struck.
A finger thrust like a spear.
Finger Pistol.
Kokos's chest erupted with blood. Then a roundhouse kick sent him flying through roadside stalls. He crashed into rubble, coughing blood.
"I can't lose…"
"I'm Two-Wheel Gunslinger Kokos!"
He kept firing wildly with both pistols.
It didn't matter.
Hermes walked through the bullets like a ghost.
From the moment Hermes fully controlled Observation—
Kokos had lost every advantage.
And Hermes countered him perfectly.
One minute later—
Kokos's last unwilling roar died in his throat.
He collapsed into the blood and stopped moving.
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