"What kind of fire is this?!"
Captain Hardy cried out in terror. He desperately released Ethan Sugawa's arm, falling to the ground and rolling frantically, trying to extinguish the flames.
But no matter what he did, the white flames showed no sign of going out.
Instead, they grew fiercer, spreading across his entire body. Even the hard serpent scales covering his skin began to glow red-hot, as if his entire body was about to melt.
"If this keeps up, I'll be burned alive!"
Panic consumed Hardy's heart. He quickly looked to the bounty hunter and screamed, "What are you waiting for? Shoot him! Or do you want me to die first?!"
As long as Ethan died, he believed the strange flames would disappear.
Hardy pinned all his hopes on his companion, betting that the bounty hunter could end Ethan here.
The bounty hunter didn't dare to hesitate. He immediately pulled the trigger and roared at Hardy, "Hold him there! Don't let him dodge!"
After witnessing Ethan's bizarre ability, he had already given up on the idea of capturing him alive. Now, the only option was to kill him.
Even if they lost out on a hefty bounty, they could no longer afford to care.
If this fight dragged on, they would likely all die here.
Gritting his teeth, Hardy's eyes turned vicious. "You're dead today, no doubt about it!"
He coiled his serpent body tightly around Ethan's arms, locking him in place.
"Oh? Is this all you've got?"
Ethan chuckled coldly, completely unbothered. With a simple flex of his fruit ability, a new pair of arms grew from his back.
His new left hand clenched lightly, and his bone sword, like a centipede, crawled into his grip.
"Great Nation Slash!"
A sword strike powerful enough to cleave mountains was unleashed, slicing the incoming bullet clean in two.
But the sword's momentum didn't stop. It roared toward the bounty hunter like a lightning bolt.
A flash of crimson.
Before the bounty hunter could even react, his right side was cleanly severed. Blood gushed like a fountain, pooling rapidly at his feet.
Overwhelmed by the searing pain, the bounty hunter collapsed, immediately passing out.
Seeing his companion fall so quickly, fear completely consumed Captain Hardy's heart.
They had grossly underestimated Ethan's strength.
He had only used a single technique to incapacitate a renowned bounty hunter.
And Hardy had the terrifying feeling that Ethan still hadn't revealed his full strength.
In that moment, Hardy bitterly realized.
"We thought he was just a rookie with, at most, vice-admiral-level strength. But his power right now is easily on par with a rear admiral, maybe even higher."
"We've kicked an iron wall this time."
As his thoughts raced, Hardy met Ethan's chilling gaze. The murderous intent radiating from Ethan made his knees go weak.
All his so-called captain's pride was instantly shattered. He dropped to his knees and begged.
"We surrender! I'll pay any price, just please, spare me!"
By now, the Asura Sacred Flame had already spread to Hardy's internal organs. It was only a matter of time before he would be roasted alive.
Desperation overtook him. He was willing to part with everything just to live.
"Any price? Including all your treasure?" Ethan asked calmly.
"Yes! I have a ten-million-berri check and ten Fishman slaves hidden on the ship! They've never even been touched! I'll give them all to you!"
Hardy rattled off every hidden stash, every treasure, even his slaves, desperately hoping Ethan would show him mercy.
But Ethan remained cold as ice.
"I don't want any of that."
Hardy's eyes widened in panic. "You think it's not enough? I still have several treasure chests, easily worth another ten million! And if that's not enough, I..."
As Hardy frantically tried to sweeten the deal, Ethan's expression finally softened into a faint smile.
"You've already told me where your treasure is. Once you're dead, they'll all be mine."
"So now, there's no reason for you to stay alive."
"You!"
Before Hardy could finish, his head was severed cleanly, his life instantly snuffed out.
Ethan absorbed Hardy's soul orb, feeling his own soul grow stronger. The Flower of the Soul in his dantian also seemed to be nourished, its roots stretching further.
Surprisingly, a violet light orb floated from Hardy's corpse.
"A purple-grade talent orb?" Ethan's eyes lit up with surprise and delight.
But after inspecting the skill 'Savage Beast' he immediately frowned in disappointment.
Aside from making him more aggressive and forcing him to kill someone every day, the skill was utterly useless.
Without hesitation, Ethan shattered the orb, converting it into a blank talent slot.
"Captain's dead! Run for your lives!"
The remaining pirates dropped their weapons and scattered in panic.
"Ethan, don't let them escape!" Gloriosa's voice rang out anxiously.
"Don't worry. None of them will get away."
With that, a blood-red mist surrounded Ethan, and in the next instant, three crimson flying swords materialized around him.
Guided by his Sword Control Art, the swords sliced through the fleeing pirates like reaping machines.
In mere moments, every single one of them lay dead.
To maintain the illusion of his death, Ethan made sure to personally end the lives of even the unconscious pirates.
Thus, Hardy's pirate crew was completely annihilated.
Countless soul orbs floated before Ethan's eyes, which he quickly absorbed.
His joy was evident. "Finally, I've gathered enough soul energy to create my second Homie."
Unlike Big Mom, whose powerful soul could produce dozens of Homies at once, Ethan's soul wasn't nearly as strong.
He could only strengthen his own soul by absorbing the souls of others.
Meanwhile, the Soul Flower in his dantian had grown dozens of meters, with buds now forming along its branches. It was on the verge of blooming.
Ethan estimated he needed about a thousand more souls for the flower to fully blossom.
After organizing his gains, he discovered the bounty hunter's corpse had also produced a purple orb, just like Hardy's.
"Another purple-grade skill?"
His eyes lit up as he quickly inspected it.
The skill was called 'Bounty Hunter' but like the last one, it was mediocre at best.
Aside from granting excellent memory retention, it had no combat value.
Without hesitation, Ethan shattered it, obtaining another purple blank talent.
"Just one more purple blank, and I can upgrade one of my gold-grade talents."
Currently, Ethan only had one gold-grade talent 'Legacy of Cao Cao' which was the foundation of his current strength.
If he could gain another gold-grade talent, his power would surge to an entirely new level.
Suddenly, Ethan felt his blood beginning to boil his Vampire bloodline was stirring intensely.
"What's going on now?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're enjoying Ethan's adventure, don't forget to leave a review and drop a power stone to support the journey!