chapter 167 part 2
When the pirates got a clear look at Ren Arakawa's face, they were first stunned, then their faces flushed red with excitement, like a pack of starving wild wolves that had spotted a lone, fat sheep.
The pirates didn't usually attend classes.
One of the few things they bothered to memorize was wanted posters.
This was to avoid running into a master they couldn't recognize and suffering for it.
At this moment, even if some of them didn't recognize Ren Arakawa, they were quickly reminded by their fellow pirates who he was—the genius pirate who had just recently become "famous."
"Hahahaha, isn't that the 14-year-old kid with the 300 million Beri bounty, the one whose history is a complete blank—Ren!"
A pirate yelled at the top of his lungs, "Taking down Ace might be some trouble, but taking care of this kid? That'll be as easy as bedding my own wife! Get him!"
With that, they unhesitatingly split off about half of their number and charged toward Ren Arakawa.
"Mentally unstable," Ren Arakawa commented on the crazed pirates.
The pirate in the lead had a face full of savage flesh and tightly gripped a giant wolf-fang club. He raised it high, the spikes on the club glinting coldly in the light. He widened his bloodshot eyes, as if he was about to smash Ren Arakawa into a meat paste in the next second.
However, facing this surging tide of people, Ren Arakawa's expression remained unchanged, his demeanor chillingly calm, without a trace of fear.
Was this a joke? Who were the people he had faced before?
Sasori of the Red Sand, Akatsuki's Big Dipper, Magellan, Shiryu of the Rain...
And this bunch of small fry?
He couldn't even be bothered to form Hand Seals.
Just as the pirates were about to reach him, Ren Arakawa took a deep breath. The aura around him suddenly erupted, and immediately after, a layer of black light as deep as the night sky spread rapidly from his feet to the top of his head, like a living entity. In the blink of an eye, it had completely covered his entire body.
The black light wasn't static; it flowed and churned slowly like boiling black magma, exuding a chilling sense of pressure—it was precisely Armament Haki, and a powerful Armament Haki at that, cultivated to Tier one and capable of perfectly coating his entire body!
This scene struck the charging pirates like a bolt of lightning. Their forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and the excitement and greed on their faces were instantly replaced by shock.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with terror and regret, a single thought echoing in their minds: Crap! We underestimated him!
In this world overrun by pirates, a bounty was an important measure of a pirate's strength.
The pirates knew well that if someone obtained a high bounty solely through their Devil Fruit ability, there was still an element of luck involved, or it was due to the powerful properties of the Devil Fruit itself. Such a pirate might have a weakness that could be exploited.
But Ren Arakawa, before them now, held a 300 million bounty at such a young age, yet what he displayed was not reliance on a Devil Fruit, but this solid, intermediate-Tier Armament Haki forged through countless life-and-death struggles.
What did this mean? It meant he was undoubtedly a ruthless character who had clawed his way up from brutal battles since childhood, fighting through bloodbaths all the way! Every bit of his strength was built from sweat and pain, without the slightest bit of fluff. How could he be so easily shaken by people like them, who relied on luck and hoped to get an easy score?
After a brief moment of shock, the pirates began to have second thoughts. Some were already considering turning back to attack Ace instead.
Ren Arakawa had no patience to let these pirates continue their nonsense. In the instant the stalemate continued, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he pushed off violently from the ground!
With a *whoosh*, his entire body vanished from the spot like a flash of lightning.
This was "Soru" from the Six Powers!
In the blink of an eye, Ren Arakawa appeared among the pirates like a ghost. He held a strange, twenty-centimeter-long feather in his hand. Wisps of Armament Haki, as deep as ink, coiled and flowed around the feather.
His figure was like lightning, weaving through the pirates. Every time he waved the feather, it left a black afterimage. The seemingly light and fluttering movements were accompanied by numerous miserable cries.
*Pfft—* *Pfft—* A series of horrifying, muffled sounds rang out. Wherever the feather passed, blood-filled holes were instantly torn open on the chests, arms, and backs of the pirates. Fresh blood gushed out like a fountain.
These pirates stared with terrified eyes. Before they could even scream, they had already collapsed to the ground, twitching in agony.
By coordinating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan with his own Observation Haki, Ren Arakawa was like someone with eyes in the back of his head. He predicted every danger in advance, dodging the pirates' frantic counterattacks by a hair's breadth every time, toying with them until they were completely powerless to fight back.
On the other side, Ace had also completely taken control of the battlefield.
His entire body was wreathed in flames as he pushed the powerful abilities of the Flame-Flame Fruit to their limit.
As he waved his hands, massive waves of fire roared out, sweeping toward the surrounding pirates in a fan shape. Wherever they went, tables, chairs, and benches were instantly turned to ash. The pirates were burned until they screamed like ghosts and howled like wolves, scattering in all directions, their formation utterly broken.
But such a large-scale attack, though impressive, was extremely taxing, and its efficiency in clearing enemies was far inferior to Ren Arakawa's.
Ren Arakawa was like a whirlwind sweeping through fallen leaves, swiftly reaping the enemies among the group of pirates. His movements were too fast to be seen clearly, and his efficiency was astonishingly high.
Before long, the pirates around him were lying on the ground in disarray, having lost their ability to resist.
Ren Arakawa spun around and landed steadily to the side. His icy gaze swept over the few remaining pirates who were still putting up a futile resistance. An immense pressure radiated from him, like tangible ropes, tightening around the necks of these pirates.
"Hand over your money!" Ren Arakawa's voice was low, but it echoed in everyone's ears like a great bell, leaving no room for doubt.
The pirates were so scared their legs went soft. They tremblingly pulled out their Beri from their pockets and threw them on the ground, their faces full of pleading.
"You're just going to throw it on the ground for me!?"
A red dot appeared in Ren Arakawa's eyes! A terrifying Conqueror's Haki leaked out just slightly, and it was more than these pirates could handle. Their eyes held the terror of a man about to watch his entire clan be annihilated. They hurriedly scrambled to pick up the Beri from the ground, half-kneeling as they held it up to Ren Arakawa.
By now, Ace had just stopped his attacks, panting heavily with his hands on his knees.
He looked at the wreckage all over the floor, then at the calm and composed Ren Arakawa, who was taking money from the fallen pirates one by one. His eyes were filled with shock and admiration.
Although the pirates hadn't managed to land a single hit on Ace, the fight had still left him panting.
Ace said, "You... you're so strong. Thank you for your help."
"No need for thanks," Ren Arakawa said, his expression unchanged. "What they gave was the price for their own lives. You have to pay a protection fee too. If you object, you don't have to pay."
Ace suddenly burst into a wide grin. "I never thought I'd be the one getting... protected. Alright then! Come to my ship, I'll get it for you."
(end of chapter)