As the cannonball approached, Daz Bonez moved like a specter, his left arm slightly raised. His bronze skin instantly took on a cold metallic sheen as the power of the Slice-Slice Fruit activated. His forearm transformed into a blade half a foot wide, slicing diagonally toward the projectile's trajectory.
"Clang!"
Sparks exploded across the cloud surface as blade met cannonball. Instead of shattering as expected, the projectile was deflected by the force of the slash, grazing the ship's hull before detonating in the distant sea of clouds.
Daz Bonez lowered his arm, revealing a faint scorch mark where the blade had reverted to skin.
The Shandia tribesmen's gasps cut short. That had been a Burning Cannonball capable of piercing Cloud Iron—yet this man had sliced it away.
"Interesting," Wyper muttered, his pupils contracting. The cigar slipped from his lips, crushed underfoot on his Cloud Skateboard. He swung the Burning Cannon behind him, and a tribesman caught it seamlessly. In the same motion, his long spear hissed from its sheath, its cold gleam trailing across the clouds. His left hand slapped against the bulging pouch at his waist, triggering the Wind-Spray Shell with a sharp click.
A powerful gust erupted beneath the Cloud Skateboard, propelling him like an arrow toward the deck. A white afterimage streaked across the clouds as the spear split the night air with a shrill whistle that made eardrums tremble.
"Shall I kill him?" Daz Bonez asked, feet rooted to the deck, his right hand already a half-foot blade. His voice betrayed no emotion.
"Do it," Ryan said without looking up, tapping his cigar against the deck. "Don't dirty the ship."
Before the words fully left his lips, Wyper's spear was already at Daz Bonez's face, the air twisting into spiraling shockwaves.
Daz Bonez didn't flinch. His right blade slashed horizontally—then abruptly shifted at the last moment, skimming along the spear shaft with enough force to send a numbing tremor through Wyper's grip.
"Tch." Wyper twisted midair with the Wind-Spray Shell's boost, dragging his spear in a silver arc aimed at Daz Bonez's side.
Daz Bonez's left arm morphed into a shield-like blade, blocking the spear's shaft while his right blade slid along the deck toward Wyper's supporting ankle—a ruthless, low strike embodying the Cut-Cut Fruit's precision.
Wyper jerked his knee up, the Wind-Spray Shell on his left foot roaring as it lifted him half a foot to evade the slash.
In that instant of suspension, Wyper's left hand snatched a dagger from his waist and slapped it against his belt. A Flash Shell detonated, flooding the deck in blinding white light.
Daz Bonez instinctively narrowed his blade-like eyelids—only to feel searing pressure clamp onto his shoulders. Wyper had used the flash as cover, driving his knee into Daz Bonez's torso while locking his arms in a crushing grip.
"Now!" Wyper roared, his voice cracking with pain as the Impact Shell in his left palm erupted between them.
"Boom—!"
A shockwave rippled across the deck. Daz Bonez grunted, forced back three steps, his left arm trembling uncontrollably. Beneath his bladed skin, his muscles burned as if pierced by needles.
Wyper fared worse—catapulted backward by the recoil, he slammed into the ship's railing with a dull thud. Blood trickled from his lips, staining the deck in dark splotches.
"Damn, you're hard," Wyper spat, staring up at Daz Bonez with unconcealed disbelief.
To ensure the hit, he'd absorbed most of the Impact Shell's backlash in his right shoulder. His entire arm was numb, his wrist screaming as if dislocated—yet his opponent had barely staggered, his breathing still steady.
Daz Bonez didn't move. His bladed right arm lifted slowly, the edge glinting coldly.
Ryan exhaled a smoke ring, watching the standoff with amused detachment, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Daz Bonez, the infamous West Blue assassin, was ruthlessly efficient—his strikes embodied speed, precision, and lethality. The Slice-Slice Fruit didn't just grant him steel-cutting sharpness; his body itself was tempered like refined metal, shrugging off ordinary attacks.
As for Wyper? The man was recklessly stubborn, charging in like a madman with an Impact Shell, relying on brute force like some greenhorn.
"We can't let Wyper fight alone!" a Shandia warrior bellowed, brandishing a spear as he charged.
The cry ignited the others. Dozens of tribesmen surged forward, weapons raised, battle cries tearing from their throats.
Raki clenched her teeth, gripping her dagger—embedded with an Impact Shell and Heat Shell—before joining the charge.
BABE hefted his four-ton bat like a meaty barricade, while Zala leaned against the mast, needle-like spikes slowly emerging across her skin.
"Fools," Ryan murmured, flicking ash from his cigar. An invisible pressure erupted from him, a tidal wave of dominance crashing over the deck. The lead Shandia warriors stiffened mid-step—then collapsed, eyes rolling back.
Only Raki and one other remained standing, but their bodies shook violently, faces pale, breaths ragged.
Wyper's focus shattered at the sight of his fallen comrades. Horror and concern flickered in his eyes—just long enough for Daz Bonez to strike. A blur of motion, a cold arc of steel—Wyper barely twisted his spear in time. The blade grazed the shaft before biting deep into his shoulder.
Blood gushed, staining his tattered hide crimson.
Wyper choked back a groan, his balance failing as he crashed onto the deck.
"Tch. The 'War Oni' of Sky Island?" Ryan scoffed, gazing down at Wyper like a bug underfoot. He flicked his cigar. "Dispose of him."
Daz Bonez raised his blade without hesitation. Sunlight traced its edge, illuminating Wyper's pain-twisted face as the weapon descended in a lethal arc.
"Wait!"
Raki's voice rang out, trembling but defiant. Her dagger shook in her grip, yet she glared at Ryan. "W-we didn't mean to offend! Please—spare Wyper! Spare our people!"
Daz Bonez's blade froze three inches above Wyper's skull, its edge humming with restrained lethality.
A killer never disobeyed orders. He merely waited.
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