Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

"It's my turn now!"

Sage's arm moved, and Ennio instantly retreated, dissolving into an afterimage.

But at that moment, Sage also stomped his foot on the ground, becoming an afterimage himself and directly following.

Shave! One of the Six Powers, using explosive force to stomp dozens of times in an instant to propel high-speed movement. He had naturally learned it too! "Tempest Kick!"

Seeing Sage follow, Ennio suppressed his shock and launched a flying kick, striking several times in succession. Chaotic slashes were born from his leg, heading straight for the pursuing Sage.

This time Sage didn't dodge, but steadied his body and shouted: "Iron Body!"

Clang clang clang!!

The slashes tore a few holes in his clothes and left a few white marks on his skin before dissipating.

"It's only polite to return the favor!"

Sage immediately kicked out, "Try my Tempest Kick - Cross!"

Whoosh! A pale blue slash in the shape of a cross flew out from Sage's leg, plowing a deep furrow in the ground as it rushed towards Ennio.

Creating a slash by kicking at super high speed to stir up the air - the technique was not simple, and speed alone wasn't enough.

But fortunately, Sage could not only understand it, but also use it skillfully!

"Moon Walk!"

The cross-shaped slash was certainly not easy to dodge. Ennio stomped his foot and flew straight upwards.

"This is exactly what I was waiting for!"

Sage stomped on the air and rose up, catching up to Ennio who had jumped into the air, heading straight for his chest.

Moon Walk!

Using powerful leg strength to stomp on the air, producing a strong floating force, as if climbing stairs or bouncing on springs, allowing temporary flight in the air.

Jumping into the air naturally reduced one's ability to control their body compared to being on the ground. And Sage had been waiting a long time for him to use this move!

"North Star."

Reaching Ennio's front, Sage's cheeks puffed out, spewing a breath like an air arrow. His hands danced like a peacock spreading its tail, ultimately transforming into countless fists striking Ennio's body.

"Hundred Crack Fist!"

Bang bang bang bang!! As if hit by a hundred bullets at once, Ennio's body trembled continuously in the air. His large frame was dented by the fists, and the force even caused him to hover in the air for a good while before falling heavily.

Boom! The huge form crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Sage also bounced in the air for a while before landing naturally.

The Hundred Crack Fist of the North Star, a signature move of Hokuto Shinken. It rapidly strikes a hundred punches at extreme speed, hitting the opponent's vital points. Once all the strikes land, the opponent will explode and die.

But this was Ken's Hundred Crack Fist, which only struck vital points with little force.

However, what Sage obtained was not Ken's cheat, but the entire Hokuto Shinken.

Hokuto Shinken also had Raoh's version.

Raoh's Hokuto Shinken didn't strike vital points, but purely used crushing force to hit people, literally pounding them to pieces.

So when training before, he would also deliberately increase his own strength. In the end, he could not only perform the Hundred Crack Fist that made people explode, but also shatter people through the combination of force!

If nothing unexpected happened, this East Blue was a sea of weakness, where people on the sea even considered Devil Fruits to be legends.

Sage's martial arts here could be said to punch mountain bandit kings and kick near-sea emperors. For ordinary people to get close to him meant death and nothing else.

But the sea wasn't like that.

This sea had a very high upper limit. No matter how powerful the assassination fist was, it was still just a martial art.

He wasn't really a native, he knew what powerful things existed on the sea.

First were the Devil Fruits.

Bizarre abilities, even including ability users who could determine life and death with a single touch if they got close.

Hokuto Shinken was an assassination fist targeting vital points. As for those with great strength... having great strength here was equivalent to having no special traits.

Targeting vital points didn't mean it could target Devil Fruits. Those with Devil Fruit abilities even included powers that could change the structure of the human body.

As for the second... Whoosh! The kicked-up dust suddenly contracted, and a foot stepped out heavily from the dust cloud, followed by a blood-red figure.

That robust body, covered in dents, was full of fresh blood. Blood vessels had clearly burst on his head, with blood flowing into his eyes and between his bared teeth, looking extremely fierce.

"Haki..." Sage said in a low voice.

This thing called Haki could block his vital point strikes! Sage didn't know Haki, so naturally he couldn't see it, but he could feel that when using the Hundred Crack Fist, there was an invisible armor hindering him from striking Ennio's vital points.

"Hahahahaha!"

Ennio grinned and laughed loudly: "Impressive! If I hadn't blocked part of it, I probably would have been beaten to death already! Kid, is that technique an ability?!"

"It's not just precise punches."

Sage said in a deep voice: "As for you, Haki doesn't match your style. Who exactly are you?"

Sage had researched this thing called Haki, after all, since he had come to the sea, he would definitely study Haki.

It was a potential power possessed by all living beings, the manifestation of willpower, killing intent, fighting spirit, and the will to live, which could be transformed into Haki.

Of course, that also required thorough training.

However, there was no real training method for this thing, it purely relied on oneself.

Sage had wanted to learn Haki before, but he couldn't punch mountains like Garp, nor could he find qualified strong opponents to train him.

But he knew that without willpower, one could not possess Haki. Even if one had possessed it before, if willpower faded, it would be lost, whether it was Observation Haki, Armament Haki, or the Conqueror's Haki that required talent. A king who wanted to eliminate his stepdaughter to consolidate his throne and continue enjoying pleasures, allowing bandits to run rampant throughout the country... even if his martial arts hadn't deteriorated, he shouldn't possess Haki.

"Who am I?"

Ennio's body swayed for a moment before steadying, revealing a fierce grin: "Of course I am the king of the Oikot Kingdom!!"

"Die!"

A woman's voice suddenly sounded from the side. A cold glint flew swiftly, rushing straight towards Ennio.

Ennio directly swung a kick to the side, unleashing a Tempest Kick. A pale blue slash flew out from his leg.

Swish! Blood sprayed out in large quantities, splattering on the ground.

Slap! A hand gripped Lily's neck, easily lifting her up. Behind her, a group of Marines had been cut in half at the waist.

"Lily!"

Ennio's arm retracted, pulling Lily close to his face as he snarled viciously: "Why must you stop me? Why didn't you escape?! You're already a wanted criminal on the sea, and it will get even worse! Did you see those dead Marines? It was you, you killed them together! Right, Rat?!"

"Yes, yes!"

Captain Rat had long been frightened into trembling by this scene of blood and flesh. Now hearing the shout, and seeing Ennio's fierce and terrifying body, he instinctively stood at attention, "Maliciously attacking Marines is a heinous crime, the bounty will definitely be increased!"

"Shameless!"

Lily's eyes reddened as she cried out: "You did it all, everything was done by you, you usurper! All those mountain bandits were forced out by you!"

"Usurper? Hahahahaha, I am the legitimate king. I gave the Celestial Dragons a large amount of Heavenly Tribute, they recognize me!"

Ennio's other hand reached out, caressing Lily's face, "While you are nothing but a caged canary. No one knows your identity. You say you're a princess, the heir to the kingdom, but who would believe it? Who would care? As for those mountain bandits you mentioned..."

Crack. His fingers tightened, lifting Lily to an even higher position, allowing the people nearby who had been attracted by the battle to see, while also making Lily face the direction of the city gate.

"Look, isn't it them?"

In the distance, a large group of figures gradually approached. It was a group of ragged mountain bandits, bound with ropes, prodded forward by soldiers with guns behind them, each hanging their heads dejectedly as they walked.

The number was frightening, probably several hundred people.

Sage even saw among the group of bandits those he had immobilized earlier with his pressure point strikes.

"What have you done?!" Lily cried out.

"You didn't think I would let you run around freely, did you? As long as you're still in this country, of course I have to catch you. You've been caught now, and these wandering bandits need to be put to use too. Selling you is selling, selling them is also selling. Since they have no money left to pay, they might as well be exchanged for one last sum!"

Boom!

A thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky, its lightning illuminating Ennio's blood-stained face in a very sinister way.

"Listen up, you trash!" 

Ennio shouted at the bandits: "You no longer have any use value! Those of you who can't pay taxes are no different from waste. I've decided to sell you off to pay debts. This way, you won't have to pay money anymore! Be grateful!!"

The bandits' faces turned pale one by one. As Ennio spoke, their forms became hunched.

"I will definitely kill you!" Lily shouted with a flushed face, straining her voice.

"Only if you can!"

Ennio sneered and tossed her in Sage's direction. As for Sage... he merely shifted slightly to the side, allowing Lily to roll on the ground several times before lying there covered in dirt.

Seeing this, Ennio was visibly stunned and unconsciously asked: "Why didn't you catch her?"

"Why should I catch her?" Sage asked in return.

Ennio twitched the corner of his mouth, glancing subtly at Lily before quickly composing himself and becoming arrogant again.

"Next, I'm going to collect more taxes and pay more Heavenly Tribute. Do you see those ships in the port?!"

He pointed at the large and small ships docked at the port ahead, "The Heavenly Tribute needs to fill those ships. When there's enough money, I want to become a Celestial Dragon too!"

He reached out his hand towards the watching citizens, exclaiming excitedly: "You all need to pay more taxes, to advance your king's dream!"

These words caused most of the citizens to turn pale, and they gradually began to stir restlessly.

"Your Majesty, we can't pay any more taxes!" 

One citizen pleaded: "We're already struggling. If taxes increase again, we really won't be able to survive!"

"If you can't survive then become slaves together!"

Ennio waved his hand, "Arrest them all. Anyone who can't pay will become a slave!"

At his command, the soldiers who had been guarding the bandits and those behind Ennio all sprang into action, charging towards the group of citizens.

"And you!"

Ennio finally turned to Sage, wiping his blood-covered face, "For offending me, you'll become a slave too!"

Whoosh! He kicked off the ground repeatedly, quickly arriving in front of Sage and throwing a fierce punch.

Sage raised an eyebrow, not dodging, and threw a punch of his own.

Bang!!

Fist met fist with a muffled boom, and a shockwave burst out from the point of impact, blowing away the gradually falling drizzle.

Sage's form didn't even retreat. In terms of pure strength, he was not inferior to this human cannonball.

Moreover, Haki didn't matter anymore. This guy... "Your death star is shining!" Sage said fiercely.