"what!!!"
"Forgive me."
"hateful."
"Damn brat, let's fight one-on-one if you dare."
The night is dark.
Screams of agony rang out one after another.
After a confrontation with the Twin Wheel Pirates, Hermes decisively retreated temporarily before launching his hunt.
Compared to the number of people, after absorbing the Dog Pirates and the Chain Pirates, along with other pirate crews that either attached themselves to or were absorbed, the Twin Wheel Pirates now have a large number of pirates.
Taking on a group by oneself is undoubtedly a disadvantage.
Hermes isn't that foolish, so he'll fight according to the actual situation, such as hunting down some of the Twin Wheel Pirates' underlings first, gradually turning Twin Wheel Gunner Cocos into a lone commander.
For three or four consecutive days, Hermes would target the Twin Wheel Pirates whenever he had a spare moment, causing widespread panic within the crew.
Anyone who left their base was practically doomed, leading many pirates to the brink of collapse.
They still couldn't do anything about Hermes.
The only way to deal with it was with Cocos, or with thirty or forty people acting together, but even then, they would still be hunted down by Hermes.
Moreover, the enemy's attack methods were extremely cruel, specifically targeting the kidneys for stabbing.
This quirk is truly outrageous and infuriating.
Before anyone knew it, Hermes had gained another nickname:
Kidney-Stabbing Hermes!
"Captain, our brothers who went out to purchase supplies have all been wiped out again."
Back at headquarters, Cocos's face was grim.
As he listened to the report, he couldn't help but slam his hand on the table.
How many waves had this already?
At least half of his men vanished into thin air.
Its influence has shrunk significantly.
The key issue is that the kid acted like a coward, refusing to engage in direct combat with them and showing no martial ethics or basic trust whatsoever.
That's utterly despicable.
"If this continues, we will be defeated one by one sooner or later."
"I think we should take the initiative!"
"How can we take the initiative? That brat doesn't even confront us head-on."
"This kind of bastard is too much trouble."
Many pirates were furious and frowning.
If they didn't gang up on this lone wolf and beat him to death, they would be retaliated against like this, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Like a loach, it specifically targets those who are alone; its methods are despicable and outrageous.
Compared to the frustration of the Twin Wheel Pirates, the oppressed people have been celebrating with lanterns and decorations these past few days.
They are all waiting for the kind-hearted pirate hunter Hermes Jormungandr to completely wipe out the Twin Wheel Pirates.
"Have you heard? Another member of the Twin Wheel Pirates has been killed by Lord Jormungandr."
"I know, I've seen that pirate's corpse, he died a horrible death."
"These pirates deserve to die. Let them run rampant all the time."
Many people felt delighted.
Their mood improved, and they even managed to hold their exercise for three seconds longer in the evening.
"I wonder if Lord Jormungandr is handsome or not. I really want to meet him!"
Some of the girls had stars in their eyes.
Many of them were wayward girls who had been indirectly saved by Hermes.
"I heard he's a very handsome guy."
"Wow~"
At the same time—
In a warehouse belonging to the Twin Wheel Pirates, where a considerable amount of supplies were stored, not far from their main camp, Hermes, now 5 millimeters in size, stood atop piles of sacks, contemplating whether to burn them all down.
No matter where you are, food is very important.
Especially in the world of One Piece, where many people at the bottom of society go hungry and cold.
It would be such a waste to burn it all down.
Besides food, there were also a lot of gunpowder and weapons.
But Hermes decided not to burn them.
He would keep them as spoils of war after defeating the Twin Wheel Pirates.
Whether it's converted into cash or distributed as a gesture of goodwill to the people of Mayut, they will gain both face and substance.
Recently, Hermes may have been scaring off the Twin Wheel Pirates.
So many pirates stayed near their camp.
Hermes had no choice but to infiltrate the main camp and start hunting down pirates right under Cocos's nose.
He arrived at this warehouse without even realizing it.
Maintaining a mere five millimeters in size, Hermes stepped out of the warehouse.
He looked at the two slightly drunk pirates outside and, with a swift movement, shot them both dead without a trace of pain.
Let's delve deeper.
"Ahhhh!!!!"
"Oh no, a pirate hunter has broken in."
"Damn it, save him!"
Even if a murder is committed without anyone noticing, it will be discovered very quickly.
Some pirates didn't even see Hermes, but they were absolutely certain it was Hermes.
That penchant for stabbing kidneys is unique.
"He's a devil, he's a devil."
Some pirates lost their temper and ran outside like madmen.
Cocos, who was initially having a headache, quickly arrived at the scene with his capable assistants.
He saw the corpses lying haphazardly everywhere, all pierced at vital points.
The most common target is the kidney area.
It seems the other person has some kind of obsession and specifically targets this area.
Cocos has reason to suspect that the other person has kidney problems, which leads to a psychological distortion and an inability to see others with good kidneys.
This person is ruthless and unscrupulous.
"Jormungandr, come out and fight me one-on-one if you dare."
Cocos's face was grim, and he looked around with eyes full of anger.
He knew that guy was nearby, probably hiding under a dead leaf; the guy's ability to shrink was just too unreasonable.
"Coward, come out and fight our captain one-on-one if you dare."
"You are no match for our captain."
"Our captain is a pirate with a bounty of 44 million; he could take you down with one hand."
"A cowardly turtle."
Some of the pirates around were quite sensible.
They all cursed loudly, their faces red and necks bulging, while also praising Cocos's strength.
Hermes did not answer.
He demonstrated it through his actions.
He easily appeared behind a pirate, instantly reverted to his normal size, shattered the back of his head with a single finger gun—
Then vanished again.
"Damn it, that guy is indeed nearby."
Upon hearing the commotion and seeing the corpses lying in pools of blood, the pirates' faces were filled with anger and tension, while some of them had fear in their eyes.
Especially those closest to the pirate, their hearts were pounding.
They didn't even see how their partner was killed.
The method of murder was too ghostly.
Cocos was furious.
But Hermes simply wouldn't give him a chance to fight head-on.
"Ahhhh!"
"Fire! Fire!"
"Come out if you dare."
In the distance, more pirates lay dead in pools of blood, and the people around them roared in fury.
Some pirates fired randomly, but they only hit air.
"What do you want?"
"That might have been a misunderstanding."
Cocos felt frustrated and helpless.
If things continued like this, he would really become a commander without troops.
Hermes ignored him and continued to look for opportunities.
Killing one pirate at a time if he could, and patiently waiting for the right moment if he couldn't.
Another day, then two more, passed.
The Twin Wheel Pirates suffered a significant loss of personnel, with many fleeing as traitors, aside from those killed by Hermes.
In the past two days:
Some people have been killed while going to the toilet.Some while sleeping.Some while drinking water.
Nobody knows when the devil will appear next.
That oppressive and terrifying atmosphere can easily drive a person to a breakdown.
Once there's a first deserter—
There's bound to be a second.
There's no way to stop it.
"You all take your men and leave first. Come back after I've chopped that brat into pieces."
This night—
Cocos looked at his capable assistants and decided not to sit idly by.
The enemy's target had always been him.
But they had probably been sneaking attacks because of the large number of his men, and had not dared to confront him head-on.
In that case—
He would remove that advantage himself.