Chapter 43: Six Powers Secret Technique – Six King Gun

By relying solely on the Six Powers without using any special abilities, Jon had already suppressed Coleman.

This pirate with a bounty of 89 million beli wasn't as fearsome as his bounty suggested—most of his high bounty came from his reputation for brutality and murder rather than actual strength.

Once he encountered Jon, his weaknesses became apparent. Hailing from the North Blue, Coleman had decent strength but was clumsy and lacked offensive versatility.

However, Coleman's physical resilience and solid fundamentals were worth acknowledging. Despite being battered by Jon's relentless attacks, he hadn't given up yet, stubbornly refusing to fall.

"Tempest Kick!"

Jon launched another sharp Tempest Kick slash. As Coleman blocked the attack, Jon suddenly pressed his hands against the ground.

"Bamboo Stinger!"

Shhk-shhk!

In an instant, sharp bamboo spikes burst up from the ground. The bamboo's tips were razor-sharp, and they erupted all around Coleman, catching him off guard.

More than a dozen spikes pierced through his feet, limbs, and torso, causing his body to seize up and freeze in place.

"Six Powers Secret Technique – Six King Gun!"

Jon wasn't about to waste this perfect opportunity. He used Shave to appear in front of Coleman, clenched both fists together, and struck Coleman's chest with immense force.

Jon's body strength converged into his fists, sending a shockwave-like blast through Coleman's body. The sheer force of the attack exploded out through Coleman's back, creating a powerful shockwave.

"Puh!"

Even someone as physically strong as Coleman couldn't withstand such devastating strikes. After being hit by Jon's final Six King Gun, Coleman's eyes rolled back, and his head slumped forward as his body was pinned to the ground by the bamboo spikes.

"Huff!"

Jon exhaled deeply. The Six King Gun was currently the strongest single-target attack in his arsenal—it wasn't surprising that it took Coleman down in one blow.

Though World of Trees Creation was a more powerful large-scale attack, it was designed for group combat. In a one-on-one scenario, it didn't pack the same concentrated punch as the Six King Gun.

Since Jon hadn't yet mastered Armament Haki, the trees he controlled weren't as effective against stronger opponents.

In contrast, the Six King Gun's shockwave impact was much more lethal than his current wood-based attacks.

Jon had long recognized this limitation, which was why he continued experimenting with ways to make his tree attacks more destructive. His inspiration remained Hashirama Senju's Wood Style techniques—since it was the most intuitive reference point for him.

However, his progress had been slow. While creating and controlling plants was no longer a challenge...

Shaping plants into complex forms was much harder.

At present, the most Jon could do was shape the wood into simple structures, like planks, spears, and spikes.

Crafting something more intricate—such as creating an animal or humanoid form in an instant—was far beyond his current abilities.

Not only did it take too long, but in the midst of real combat, no enemy would give him the time to prepare.

He had a direction, but his abilities hadn't developed enough to reach it. This showed that Jon still had plenty of room for growth in mastering his power.

"Lieutenant Jon!"

Matt approached after seeing Jon defeat Coleman.

"Leave this guy to me. He's slaughtered so many people—he can't be allowed to die so easily."

Matt's face twisted with anger. "I'll handle it. For scum like him, death is too merciful. I'll make him wish he were dead."

Jon's battle had ended, but the fighting elsewhere hadn't. Jon didn't waste time and rushed to assist the other marines.

With Jon reinforcing them, the remaining dozen pirates quickly fell into disarray and were subdued by the marines.

"Major, the pirates have all been captured. There are twelve still alive," a soldier reported to Matt.

Matt asked, "Have you identified them?"

"The captain is Coleman, with a bounty of 89 million beli. He's been especially active over the past few months—murder, arson, every crime imaginable. The rest of the crew are just as vile as him."

Matt cursed angrily, "These pirates deserve to die... No, they can't be allowed to die so easily!"

The marines were enraged as they stared at the burned village nearby, its inhabitants slaughtered to the last.

"Are you sure no one's missing?"

"We've searched everywhere... except for the forest Lieutenant Jon created."

The soldier hesitated and glanced at Jon nervously, pointing at the forest formed by World of Trees Creation. The marines had all witnessed how those trees had brutally killed the pirates—they didn't dare go near it.

Jon spoke up: "There are no survivors inside. They're all dead... Hm?"

Just as he was about to confirm that everyone inside was dead, Jon's expression changed.

"There are still four rats alive."

"What? There are still people alive in the forest?"

Major Matt was stunned. If they were still alive, why hadn't they come out?

Jon shook his head. "No, they're not in the forest. They slipped away during the battle. They're already some distance away. It seems this pirate crew wasn't completely mindless—some of them knew when to run."

Using Observation Haki, Jon scanned the forest for signs of life. Although he detected no survivors within the forest, he sensed four breathing presences several kilometers away—they must've escaped while the marines were distracted.

"Major Matt, I'll leave this area to you. I'm going after those four."

Without waiting for a reply, Jon sprinted in the direction of the escapees. With only four of them, he could handle it alone.

"Faster! We need to get as far away as possible. Coleman won't be able to hold them off for long!"

Trebol urged the others as they ran. Despite being the oldest, he was the slowest of the group.

As the four ran frantically, they didn't notice that a tree branch ahead had suddenly stretched out toward them.

Snap! Crack!

"Ahhh!"

Trebol screamed as the branch struck him, sending him sprawling to the ground with a bloody gash across his face.

The other three reacted differently:

Vergo, quick on his feet, leapt to avoid the branch's attack.

Diamante reached out and touched the branch, causing it to transform into a ribbon-like fabric that drifted harmlessly.

Pica took the full force of the branch, which made a loud cracking sound—but he didn't even flinch.

"Get away from the tree!" Vergo shouted.

The four quickly retreated, Trebol crawling away in panic.

But by retreating, they slowed down just enough for Jon to catch up.