"Pirate ship, a pirate ship is coming."
On the island, near the harbor, stood a watchtower. A young man on it, spotting the pirate ship, picked up a conch shell and blew into it.
Wooooo.
Following the sound of the conch horn, the residents of the small island town began to stir. They emerged from their homes and gathered at the town entrance.
From the crowd, a burly elder stepped forward and declared loudly, "Werner, take torches made of stinkwood and lead the elderly and children to the cave at the foot of the mountain."
"Aisley, take your men and sail all the oak boats to the back of the mountain. Drive the sea snakes towards the front."
"Bill, take your men to man the cannons and aim them at the sea. When the sea snakes arrive and are weakened by fighting them, open fire."
"The rest of you, bring your muskets and weapons and join me to meet them."
"Be warned, if they kill the sea snakes too easily, do not attack. Negotiate with them."
After the burly elder finished speaking, the villagers began to act.
...
"Captain Leon, we'll reach the island in five minutes at most."
On the massive lion-headed warship, a portly man gripping the helm shouted.
"The first magnetic point the Log Pose detected. It seems this is the starting point of one of the seven routes on the Grand Line."
Not far behind the helmsman stood a burly man, about 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles. He was Leon, the captain of the Lionheart Pirates.
He looked at the island in the distance and smiled, "Our Lionheart Pirates' journey on the Grand Line begins here."
"The island doesn't look big, hehehe. I wonder if there are any strong individuals on it," a man with short, ear-length white hair chuckled. He wore a black trench coat, his arms crossed, and two curved swords at his waist.
"We should still be careful. This is the Grand Line, after all."
Leon waved his hand. "Everyone, prepare for battle."
The Lionheart Pirates' fighters immediately grabbed their swords and spears, gathering by the ship's railing, waiting for the ship to approach the island.
But in the next moment, with a boom, the pirate ship trembled violently.
"What's going on? Did we hit a reef?"
Leon frowned. The ship shook violently, but he seemed unfazed. He strode to the ship's railing and looked down, only to find nothing in the water.
"Over there, it's a sea fish, a giant black fish." The white-haired man stood on the other side, looking into the distance. A colossal black fish was charging towards them from underwater.
"A fish over forty meters long can't possibly smash our ship. Don't worry. Raise two more sails and speed towards the island."
Leon said dismissively.
But just then, a ship worker ran out from the cabin, shouting, "Boss, we're leaking!"
"Leaking? Are you sure? Did a fish smash our ship?" Leon frowned. "This ship is made of ironwood from the South China Sea, how could it be smashed by a sea fish?"
"Moreover, three compartments are damaged. Two more hits like that and our ship will sink," the worker yelled.
"How is this possible?"
This ship had been hit by a seventy or eighty-meter dolphin not long ago, and it was completely fine.
This sea fish was less than fifty meters long, and it had already smashed three compartments?
Boom.
The hull was hit again, trembling once more.
"Damn it, you take men to repair the compartments. The rest of you, prepare the harpoons!"
Leon shouted, then moved to the side, gripping a massive ballista. "Where is the sea fish now?"
"It's on the port side," a fighter replied. Leon immediately pushed the ballista to the port side and looked out at the sea.
A giant black fish was charging towards them, its head just above the water.
Good.
Leon moved the ballista, aiming at the black fish.
The massive ballista shot, with bolts alone measuring 1.5 meters long. The arrowheads were made of steel, and with the force of four bowstrings, they could pierce walls.
Even the head of a sea beast couldn't withstand the bolt.
Furthermore, the arrowhead had small barbs on the back. Once it pierced, it would hook tightly onto the target's body, making the bolt impossible to dislodge.
"Die."
Leon slightly lowered the ballista and suddenly pressed the large trigger.
Zing.
The massive bolt shot towards the water surface in the distance, aiming for the black fish's mouth. But the black fish would continue to advance, and the arrow could penetrate its head, shattering bone and lodging itself in its brain.
But the next moment, the sea fish's head suddenly lifted.
Clang.
A giant arrow struck the sea fish's forehead, which had a massive ramming horn, making a loud noise.
"It hit."
Leon waved his hand violently, knowing the opponent was as good as dead.
But the next moment, pat, the arrow slowly slid from Xia Qiu's head, falling into the sea, and the sea fish charged again.
"Too light."
Xia Qiu grinned, revealing his menacing teeth. The giant arrow had hit his forehead, right where the ramming horn was.
Through continuous evolution, Xia Qiu's ramming horn had grown larger and larger, like a combination of a sperm whale's and a Humphead wrasse's forehead.
It protruded above the upper jaw, forming an arc. After extending to the top of his head, the arc flattened.
The protrusion was less pronounced than a Humphead wrasse's forehead, and the arc was smaller, making his head rounder than a sperm whale's.
The outer layer of the ramming horn was scales, beneath that was muscle, and further down was thick, protruding hard bone.
When Xia Qiu's ramming horn was hit, the scales dented. After a brief moment of resistance, they shattered.
The arrow continued its impact, breaking through the muscle, but the tough muscle absorbed the force. With every inch the arrow advanced, its power diminished.
It only penetrated an inch before being stopped. Behind that was more muscle, and it didn't even touch the hard bone.
An arrow that could pierce the head of a sea beast only caused damage to the scales and outer layer of muscle on Xia Qiu.
Boom.
Xia Qiu continued to charge towards the pirate ship.
"It, it's useless."
The white-haired man was stunned. The bolt hadn't missed; it had hit the opponent's head, but it hadn't caused significant damage.
"Useless?"
Leon's face turned grim. He had already rammed the pirate ship twice. One more time and it would sink.
There wasn't enough time to change the bolts and try again, and it might not even be effective.
And he absolutely couldn't wait for the pirate ship to sink.
Puff puff puff.
Harpoon guns fired fish spears, most missing their targets, and some not even reaching the sea fish.
Leon watched the black fish rapidly approaching, and some of its exposed head.
He narrowed his eyes and shouted, "If I fall overboard, quickly pull me back up."
"Captain, you want to..." The white-haired man looked at Leon upon hearing this.
The next moment, Leon's body suddenly grew larger, tearing through his clothes. Golden fur sprouted on his body, and his entire head transformed into a lion's head.
His arms became thick and covered in dense fur, his hands grew massive, and his fingernails extended into sharp claws. His lower legs bent backward, and his feet became lion's paws. A long tail grew from his backside.
He was already 1.9 meters tall, but now he had become a 2.5-meter-tall lion-like man.
"Cat-Cat Fruit, Lion Form."
He leaped onto the ship's railing, crouched down, and as Xia Qiu approached the ship, he planted his feet on the railing and pushed off with his legs.
Boom.
The railing he stepped on cracked, and his body shot downwards, lunging at Xia Qiu.
His claws struck forward with his lunge, gathering airflow at his fingertips, and the air exploded.
Lion Hunt.
Leon's claws struck towards Xia Qiu's head.
The moment Leon leaped down, Xia Qiu had registered his movement. He stopped his charge and abruptly lifted his head, butting upwards.
Boom.
Leon's claws collided with Xia Qiu's ramming horn, creating a massive sound.
Crack.
Xia Qiu's forehead muscles were broken, and Leon's claws hit Xia Qiu's bone, creating cracks on its surface.
But the next moment, with another crack.
Leon's arms bent directly, showing cracks. Then Xia Qiu's head, carrying immense force, continued its charge, hitting Leon's body.
Puff.
Leon's sternum caved in. He spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air and was sent flying back, landing on the ship and coughing up blood profusely.
"Captain, Boss."
The surrounding pirates rushed towards Leon.
However, his broken sternum had pierced his heart. His head lolled to the side, and he lost all signs of life.
Leon, using Lion Hunt to attack Xia Qiu, had become a corpse.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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