:)Ch73

No matter. At Lv.23 he may be the strongest grunt I can see, but he's still a grunt all the same. In fact, none of these men are the reason I haven't attacked yet. The actual problem, the reason I've stayed my hand and have been hovering here on Kiwi's back for the past half hour is, quite surprisingly, the ship itself.

Victoria Punk

Made in part with the bones of a long dead reptile, the Victoria Punk is the iconic pirate vessel of the 'Kid Pirates', one of the most dreaded pirate gangs currently plaguing the South Blue. The massive set of jaws at its forefront are mechanically operated and have more than once been used to sink rival vessels by, quite literally, snapping them into pieces.

Note: As part of his personal training in controlling his Devil Fruit, Eustass Kid is currently sustaining a protective magnetic field around the Victoria Punk. First of all, I would like to call bullshit on this whole situation. Kid putting a field around his ship? Yeah, sure, fine, whatever. He can do what he wants. What is complete crap though, is that field magically not affecting any of the ferrous metals clearly inside of it. I don't know if you paid attention in your science courses growing up but that shit is not how magnetic fields work.

Fuckin' Devil Fruits man. Just when you think you know the rules they pull something like this to remind you 'Nope, these things just straight up break reality'.

Second, this barrier raises a whole slew of unknowns. How strong is it? Can bullets pierce through it? Will Eustass be alerted the moment I try? Ideally I want to take out as many of the crew as I can before he storms outside to investigate. If he or Killer realize I'm here before I can eliminate at least some of the small fry then I'll be overwhelmed in less than a minute.

I stow my rifle away and scowl. "Enough waiting..."

Speculating any longer isn't going to do me any good. I can't risk probing the barrier first because It might tell Eustass I'm here. I can't wait for dark because I can already tell Kiwi's starting to run low on steam. Except for the small breather he got when we landed at Kivuruk, he's been flying non-stop the entire day. And while his species may be capable of that, they weren't intended to do it with an extra 200-ish pounds of man and equipment on their back.

I move into a crouching position and firmly grasp a pistol in each hand. The way I see it, there are two things I need in order to have any hope of winning this fight. One, the element of surprise. And two, to be absolutely lethal from the moment I land. Once Kid's magnetism Fruit comes out to play, guns and swords will be close to useless. I'm never landing another hit unless it's with my fists.

With that in mind I think it's obvious where the last 14 points I've been sitting on need to go. I need to know that when I knock someone down, they are staying down. That was really one of my main problems back in Baterilla. Whenever Killer got hit he just bounced right back and asked for more.

Points to spend (14) → (0) STR (135) → (149) An argument could be made for VIT instead I suppose. More health means more [HP Regen] and I'm going to need quite a bit of staying power if I'm going to come out on top today. Ultimately though, I just think STR is the better play. Especially now that [Adrenalin Rush] triggers on command. "Stay up here Kiwi.." I murmur under my breath. "I'll be back soon."

"Kee-Wee!"

I double-check Kugizume is strapped tightly behind my back. Both revolvers are loaded and speedloaders are prepped ahead of time, clipped onto my belt. "Showtime."

I dive off the sparrows back and begin plummeting head first down through the sky. Circular rings of displaced air trail behind me as I use [Geppo] to accelerate my descent faster and faster. I pierce a low-hanging cloud and flip myself over to stick the landing. The invisible barrier tugs sharply at my weapons as I slip through it but it's not enough to matter. If anything, it just gave me a slightly softer touchdown.

My boots slam into the wooden deck, upending planks and shattering floorboards underneath my feet from the high-velocity landing. An inconsequential damage notification appears in the peripheral and I offer it the briefest glance before ignoring it. [HP Regen] will handle it. There are other things to focus on.

The mental countdown has begun.

'One second.'

The nearest Kid pirate stumbles from the tremor. "What in the hell w-" The Lv. 15 goes silent as my first bullet tears through his eye. I don't bother reading his name.

+365 Exp!

Bullet Time Skill Active!

-Time is being slowed for you by 9% 'Two seconds' Everyone's alert that something just happened but none have jumped into action. Their brains haven't caught up with the situation yet. I throw both arms wide and start spraying shots at every target I can see. Some of them miss. Most of them don't.

+325 Exp!

+390 Exp!

+270 Exp!

+315 Exp!

+420 Exp!

+295 Exp!

'Three seconds' The recent boost to INT has increased my accuracy, though it still remains far from perfect. But do you know what that 'imperfection' means when at this close of a range? It means a bullet intended for the forehead is off by one inch to the left. A shot aimed at the center of the heart drifts two centimeters to the right. In other words, it literally doesn't fucking matter. Dead is dead. 'Four seconds'

The Lv.23 at the helm is quicker to react than his comrades. He's already abandoned his post, leapt off the balcony, and has crossed half the distance between us with his fist reared back. No doubt intending to smash me through the floor with a crushing blow. '[Soru]!'

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