Chapter 412: The Wind General, Gallagher
Against the fierce headwind, Zhou Ning stood on the neck of the Spiral Dragon, looking down from above at the Headwind below.
Countless pirates lifted their gazes toward him, ready to attack at any moment. Even the Wind General, Gallagher, stepped out of the captain's cabin and raised his eyes to meet Zhou Ning's.
As one of the ocean's overlords from the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, the Spiral Dragon was no ordinary eight-star monster. It could summon massive whirlpools in the sea to swallow ships whole, or unleash spiraling waves through the fins along its body that devoured everything in their path. Among non-legendary creatures, its attack power was second only to the legendary "Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
What surprised Zhou Ning was that—perhaps due to his upgraded template—the strain of summoning the Spiral Dragon wasn't nearly as great as before. This time, he could maintain it for quite a long duration.
As the dragon soared above the Headwind, Zhou Ning patted its scaled head, signaling it to drop lower. The dragon swept past the masts in a wide arc, and at that moment, a colossal spiral-shaped torrent erupted from its jaws, crashing onto the pirate ship's deck.
The deck below erupted in chaos. Hundreds of pirates thrust their blades skyward, all missing their marks. The Spiral Dragon climbed back upward immediately, only a few stray musket shots grazing its side. The bullets clinked harmlessly off its scales. Meanwhile, many of the deckhands were caught in the spiraling water pillar, flailing helplessly as the entire area descended into turmoil.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Zhou Ning pressed off with the tip of his foot, leaping from the dragon's back. Midair, his weapon changed—now blazing with solar fire—the sword Andúril, Flame of Elendil. Both hands gripped the hilt as he fell like a meteor.
[Silver Light Falling Blade (Advanced): A slash infused with powerful Ripple energy, delivered midair toward enemies below. Creates a wave of Ripple shock, dealing 175% weapon damage with a chance to stun nearby enemies.]
The downward strike landed with a thunderous boom, releasing a shockwave that stunned seven or eight pirates in the blast radius. Zhou Ning followed with Divine Departure, wiping them out in a clean sweep.
As the Spiral Dragon continued its aerial assault, Zhou Ning turned his calm gaze toward the swarm of fierce, broad-shouldered northern pirates before him. Not far ahead stood the Headwind's formidable officers: the first mate, "Hurricane" Spike, the second mate, Sea Serpent Steinbeck, and on the upper deck—Wind General Gallagher himself.
With the clan creed empowering him, along with his arsenal of extraordinary abilities—and the First Emperor title granting him a natural 135% intimidation bonus against pirates—Zhou Ning was confident he could stand against Gallagher.
Aboard the Wings of Freedom, Richie Burke stared, awestruck, at the distant Headwind. He watched Wayne Sturwell leap from the dragon's back to face an army of over a thousand brutal pirates—alone—against the notorious and ruthless Wind General.
The storm howled around them, whipping Wayne Sturwell's coat like a banner. But his face showed not a trace of fear—his expression utterly calm. Surrounded by a thousand enemies, he looked instead like he was the one besieging them. The sight sent a thrill through everyone who saw it.
So this was the legendary God-Slayer, Wayne Sturwell. Richie Burke felt his blood boil at the sight—if not for his northern discipline restraining him, he would've charged across the waves to fight beside him.
On the Headwind, Zhou Ning didn't hesitate. Surrounded by pirates on all sides, he unleashed his attack. In an instant, a massive wave of Conqueror's Haki radiated outward from him like a silent explosion.
Under the clan creed's amplification, his already master-level Conqueror's Haki transformed in color—from deep red to dazzling gold.
The Headwind began to quake violently. Cracks splintered across its deck. Pirates near Zhou Ning collapsed, eyes rolling white as the golden aura crushed their spirits into unconsciousness. The pressure carved a clear, empty path through the chaos.
Even "Hurricane" Spike and Sea Serpent Steinbeck, both powerful in their own right, staggered and lost focus for a moment. The remaining pirates were the most disciplined of the lot—but Zhou Ning gave them no chance. He drew Ebony and Ivory, activating both of his ultimate skills—Seventh Wing Movement and Vengeance.
Golden wings of light unfolded from his back—majestic and radiant, reminiscent of the sun itself, yet larger and more commanding.
He advanced along the deck in smooth, flowing motion, firing with precision. Along his path, golden feathers of pure Haki formed and detonated one by one, lighting the ship in a storm of explosions.
Conqueror's Haki. Seventh Wing Movement. Vengeance.
Three wide-area abilities layered together—turning the deck into a massacre. One after another, pirates fell with heavy thuds, leaving behind a trail of fading life and rising experience points.
Though the narration seemed long, less than twenty seconds had passed since Zhou Ning had leapt from the Spiral Dragon's back.
By then, Wind General Gallagher finally made his move. Raising his hand slightly, he drew the very air into motion. The light dimmed; the wind deepened to a violent murmur. Two massive cyclones materialized on either side of Zhou Ning, converging toward him with terrifying speed.
There's a saying among meteorologists: If you're not absolutely certain, never let two hurricanes collide—what follows is a tornado beyond your control.
A vision flashed through Zhou Ning's mind again—two cyclones merging into a single monstrous vortex, hurling toward him—while Gallagher raised a massive flintlock pistol and pulled the trigger.
The world spun. At such close range, not even his Observation Haki could react in time. Zhou Ning's hand instinctively gripped the hilt of the Cortés Sword as he summoned the Spiral Dragon downward in a desperate dive. But before he could stabilize, the tornado swallowed him whole.
High above, Gallagher's second flintlock gleamed as he took aim once more.
A chill shot through Zhou Ning's body—the unmistakable sense of death brushing against him.
Bang!
The Spiral Dragon dove just in time, its massive body taking the bullet meant for him. It let out a sharp, pained roar as its health bar plummeted to less than one-third, blood loss ticking down at 300 per second.
Had that shot hit him instead, Zhou Ning knew—he'd already be a corpse.
Clang!
He drew the Cortés Sword in a flash of steel. With a thought, the tornado hurled him skyward—then backward across the deck. His Transcendent-level body control allowed him to twist midair and regain balance, landing cleanly in a powerful downward slash—
Silver Light Falling Blade!
The strike hit like thunder.
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