"Old man, what are you looking for?"
Whoosh~
Suddenly, a figure flashed before Chinjao, who had been continuously scanning the surrounding sea with Observation Haki.
Compared to his own stout build, the other party appeared remarkably tall.
Immediately after, the tall figure struck unexpectedly, landing a punch squarely on Chinjao's left cheek.
In an instant, the old man's face visibly caved in.
His short, stocky body shot downward like a cannonball fired from its chamber.
Boom~
A thunderous roar echoed through the sky as Chinjao made his dramatic entrance!
A figure blasted down from the heavens, surrounded by numerous red lightning bolts.
The previously clear, cloudless sky had unknowingly become covered with thick, heavy clouds.
A suffocating atmosphere instantly became the dominant mood on Atron Island.
Amid this oppressive ambiance, Chinjao—transformed into a human projectile—delivered an unprecedented blow to the island.
The thick layers of soil accumulated over countless years on the island were pierced like paper, one layer after another.
A massive, deep crater was punched through the center of the island.
Rumble~
The entire island shook violently at that moment, as if struck by a major earthquake, and seawater began flooding inward.
Vast amounts of seawater surged onto the island, sweeping away countless corpses before receding back to the sea, becoming nourishment for the Sea Kings.
This massive wash cleared away most of the heavy bloodstains that had stained the beach.
The explosion sent thick, billowing smoke rapidly spreading across the island, soon covering nearly half of it.
"What?!"
The few remaining pirates on the island turned their panicked gazes toward the epicenter of the explosion.
They were truly suffering today—a clear lesson that greed doesn't pay.
Ever since the Rocks Pirates arrived, the assaults had come one after another.
The Beast Girls were terrifying enough, but now there was an even more horrifying attack.
They'd almost rather stand there and be killed outright for a quick end.
In stark contrast to these thoughts was Da Qiang, who currently looked on in disbelief.
"Was that... the boss just now?"
Da Qiang wiped his eyes, staring at the billowing smoke and continuing explosions not far away, thinking he must be seeing things.
But he wasn't mistaken—that was indeed their brilliant and mighty leader.
Crack~
Crack~
These were the sounds of Chinjao's grand image rapidly shattering in Da Qiang's heart.
He had never imagined that Chinjao could be defeated.
Despite years of continuous brainwashing, he knew there were many experts above Chinjao.
But since he had never witnessed it firsthand, he still held onto hope.
All those illusions were completely shattered today.
While Da Qiang's dreams were broken, Chinjao wasn't just suffering shattered dreams—he was in physical pain.
Thump~
Hiss~
A short, stout figure leaped out from the depths of the explosion, hovering mid-air, breathing heavily like an exhausted ox, his entire demeanor looking utterly defeated.
White steam began emanating from Chinjao's body as the wounds on his form rapidly healed, scabbing over and falling away.
Yet this regenerative process couldn't repair the damage to his aged face.
A clear fist mark remained etched on the left side of his face, making Chinjao appear ferocious and twisted.
"Damn it, damn it~~"
"How dare you beat my face like this, you're nothing but a rotten egg!"
Only now could it be seen that both of Chinjao's front teeth had been knocked out, causing his speech to be slurred and unclear.
The saying "when hitting someone, avoid the face—striking the face wounds their dignity" perfectly described Chinjao at this moment.
For him, all the dignity he had accumulated over so many years had been completely wiped away.
It was no wonder Chinjao was so enraged.
For a strong warrior, such an act was even more insulting than killing him.
"Come out! Show yourself, you coward! Hiding and sneaking around—what kind of hero does that?"
In his perception, Brian still showed no clear trace.
Coupled with his current state of blind rage, even his Observation Haki had become somewhat uncontrollable, making it impossible for him to locate Brian.
"Tch~ What an old fool."
"Stop yelling. I'm right here."
A mocking laugh suddenly came from above Chinjao, causing his expression to instantly shift drastically.
Looking up, he finally noticed Brian quietly gazing down at him from dozens of meters overhead.
In other words, Brian had witnessed the entire spectacle of his earlier outburst.
Most importantly, at such close range, he had been completely unaware.
Whoosh~
Putting everything else aside, Chinjao's body shot backward through the air for over a hundred meters before he stopped, ensuring a safe distance.
Being too close gave him no sense of security.
A distance of several dozen meters was merely a blink of an eye for true powerhouses like them.
"Cough, pfft~"
Spitting out a mouthful of congealed blood, Chinjao felt considerably more at ease.
"Beast Brian, I never expected Rocks would send you out. I truly didn't see that coming."
"This Black Market is only a medium-sized one under your command. You should have far more pressing matters to attend to."
Brian's appearance had indeed exceeded his expectations—it was far beyond the norm.
Although he had considered the possibility of encountering a high-ranking executive, Chinjao had always held onto a sliver of hope.
Only because this particular Black Market wasn't one of the most crucial for the Rocks Pirates.
It was merely mid-tier, neither here nor there.
There were still several high-tier Black Markets, many of which had also faced significant unrest during this period.
The World Government had secretly exerted considerable effort behind the scenes.
Aside from these disturbances, the World Government affiliate nations in the New World had also contributed in varying degrees.
They had severed many of the Rocks Pirates' shipping routes, intercepted numerous shipments, and even seized precious supplies.
The Rocks Pirates had visited each of these nations one by one to have a proper "discussion."
Everyone in the New World knew how busy the Rocks Pirates had been lately.
Beyond all this, the matter of the Roger Pirates was their primary focus. Islands and individuals in the New World connected to the Roger Pirates were being systematically eliminated.
Who didn't know that those idiots from the Roger Pirates had gone mad and were seeking their own destruction?
This had led to Rocks D. Xebec himself taking action multiple times, unleashing carnage across the New World.
He reminded the world of his terror and turned the Roger Pirates into a laughingstock throughout the New World.
If not for the convergence of all these factors, Chinjao would never have chosen to target this location.
He wasn't truly insane, nor was he foolish enough to pull a stunt like Roger's.
"Hahaha, Chinjao of the Happo Navy, you're a renowned figure in the New World yourself. Don't underestimate yourself so much."
"Of course, it's indeed a coincidence. Originally, I wasn't supposed to be the one coming here."
"A minor issue came up unexpectedly. Silver Axe was sent by the captain to handle another matter, so I ended up taking his place."
"Surprised? Or not?"
Brian revealed an extremely sinister smile as he looked at Chinjao.
Chinjao inexplicably felt as if he could hear a "hehehe" laugh emanating from Brian.
Just as Brian said, this mission assignment was indeed somewhat coincidental. It was originally supposed to be that useless Silver Axe who came.
Brian was about to head to another location to deal with a World Government affiliated nation.
But as the departure time approached, that useless Silver Axe caused trouble again.
He actually got held up by a pirate crew and hadn't completely dealt with them even after several days.
When the departure time arrived, he still hadn't returned to Hachinosu.
This displeased Rocks greatly - among all the officers, Silver Axe was the only one causing problems.
Ultimately, Rocks had no choice but to assign Brian, who happened to be on Hachinosu at the time, to take over the mission.
Though in Rocks' mind, Silver Axe's rating dropped yet another significant notch.
It was almost becoming negative—