"How could this happen, how could this happen, why am I so unlucky."
Looking at Gu Yina's overly young and beautiful face, Qiao Biluo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his heart constricting, roaring inwardly.
With the Float-Float Fruit, once proficient, the captain's strength would indeed be a cut above ordinary pirates, but "ordinary pirates" did not include the person before him!
Since Blue-haired Gu Yina had appeared, where was Silver-haired?
As if struck by an idea, Qiao Biluo abruptly turned his head and looked down at the bottom of the ship. As he saw the silver-haired youth behind the captain, who seemed to have been there all along, emitting no aura whatsoever, Qiao Biluo's heart sank into the abyss.
He dared not move, nor even utter a warning.
Because, from the moment Gu Yina appeared, a faint, almost imperceptible sharpness had been lingering around him. This sharpness was so potent that, as a swordsman, he felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar, every pore of his body stinging.
He admitted that, at this moment, no matter how resilient his heart, he could not help but feel fear. Faced with such an enemy, even with all his might, he stood no chance of victory. And this sharpness, like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, told him that any slightest movement would result in his immediate death.
"Yo! Pirate," Commander Kong Tai asked with a smile, looking at the burly man in front of him, who was bent over with his hands on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably along with the island like someone having a seizure, "What are you doing?"
This guy was quite amusing. He looked like he hadn't had the Devil Fruit for long. Thinking of Shiki, and then looking at this burly man, Kong Tai's lips curled upwards as he mused, "It seems not everyone can utilize the power of a Devil Fruit from the start, even if they know how to develop it."
"Who is it?"
Hearing the voice from behind him, Ya Li Haide's body stiffened for a moment, then he quickly surged forward. He hadn't encountered anyone who could sneak up behind him so silently since he awakened his Observation Haki. Therefore, at this moment, he could no longer concern himself with the nearing completion of his control over the island below.
After charging a distance, Ya Li Haide stopped, turned, and looked behind him.
"This..."
When he truly saw who was standing behind him, even with his hardened will, honed over many years, it showed signs of collapsing. He had spent many years in the New World; he had seen Four Emperors. He had even attended Charlotte Linlin, that monster's tea party and knew the strength of a Four Emperor. He was confident that with the Float-Float Fruit, given enough time, he might not reach the monstrous level of a Four Emperor, but with the fruit's mobility, he could contend for the New World titles alongside two of the Four Emperors. This was why, the moment he obtained the Float-Float Fruit, he had wanted to seize the territories of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido. This fruit did not grant him overwhelming power, but rather, once proficient, it inherently placed him in an invincible position. But who was the person before him? It was the true monster among monsters, the one who had just killed two Four Emperors, the undisputed strongest in the world, Silver-haired Kong Tai!
"How do I fight?"
Ya Li Haide stared at Kong Tai, his mind racing, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. He knew he couldn't win, no matter how he thought about it. If he couldn't fight, then he could only flee. But fleeing from the person before him? He glanced at the blue-haired girl floating in front of his pirate ship, his heart constricting. Charlotte Linlin could fly, Kaido could fly, and even these two powerful, flying monsters couldn't escape from the two individuals before him. What made him think he could?
"There's no choice."
Gritting his teeth fiercely, Ya Li Haide's towering physique suddenly knelt before Kong Tai.
"Hahaha!! Brother Silver-hair, you are my idol! I never thought I'd meet you here. Could you give me an autograph?"
Ya Li Haide knelt on the ground, looking up at Kong Tai with an expression of expectation and flattery. Yes, this was the only possible path to survival he could think of. While he hadn't witnessed Silver-hair's cruelty to pirates firsthand, the newspapers were full of it. That ruthless style of showing no mercy and utterly annihilating pirates upon encounter had made Kong Tai the person pirates least wished to meet. Ya Li Haide hadn't expected that merely by coming down to test their Devil Fruit abilities and control a small island for fun, they would encounter the number one target pirates dreaded the most. He wondered if he was cursed by death itself.
Seeing the flattering expression on Ya Li Haide's fierce face, Kong Tai was somewhat speechless.
"You..."
"Don't you have a pen?"
Before Kong Tai could finish speaking, Ya Li Haide, still kneeling, shuffled towards Kong Tai, fumbling in his pocket for something. "Hahaha!! I've been waiting for this day! I have a pen, I have a pen."
"Getting closer..."
Seeing that Kong Tai offered no resistance to his approach, a hint of ferocity flickered in Ya Li Haide's downcast eyes. "Closer, closer..." As Ya Li Haide drew nearer, Kong Tai remained completely unguarded. Kong Tai stood casually, watching Ya Li Haide rummaging in his pocket with his head lowered, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He then slightly shifted his body to look at the mother tree the tavern owner had mentioned, leaving his side exposed to Ya Li Haide.
"Good opportunity."
The moment Kong Tai turned, Ya Li Haide, who had been acting docile, exploded with power. The savage aura unique to a Great Pirate seemed to thicken the very air around him. A monstrous, bloody aura erupted from his body. He had known from the beginning that he wouldn't escape easily. No matter what he thought, the man before him, who was so cruel to pirates, would never let him go. He had been a pirate his entire life, and the naive thought of being spared by simply begging for mercy had long been cast into the abyss by his experiences. Just as he wouldn't spare someone begging for his mercy, he didn't believe Kong Tai would. Therefore, he had feigned weakness from the start, searching for the only glimmer of escape.
Targeting the unsuspecting Kong Tai, Ya Li Haide thrust his hand downwards. Suddenly, a circular stone wall rose around Kong Tai, layer upon layer of stone surging inwards, instantly engulfing him.
"So arrogant!"
Standing up, Ya Li Haide looked at the constantly stacking stones before him, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. If he could just stall the man before him, he might have a chance to escape. As for Gu Yina, although she had the Lightning-Lightning Fruit, he was confident his stamina would allow him to escape from that brat.
**Bang—!**
With his legs bent, the ground beneath Ya Li Haide, centered around his legs, sank violently as if under immense pressure. Ya Li Haide glanced at Qiao Biluo, who stood at the bow of the ship, a hint of apology in his eyes. His own escape was a matter of luck; as for his brothers and subordinates, they seemed insignificant compared to his own life. Although Qiao Biluo had grown up with him, sailed with him as a pirate, and he indeed considered Qiao Biluo a brother, but...
He averted his gaze, and without hesitation, Ya Li Haide shot towards the sky like a spring. What were brothers? Brothers were for selling out at critical moments!