"Let me handle this."
Old Cat, having scored an easy win, now wanted to contribute.
Seeing this, Kiba loosened the grip on the Black Star at his waist. He had been planning to test his Steel Heart trait, but since the guy wanted to take action, it was a good opportunity to observe the combat style of the Cyberpunk world.
"Heh, you bunch of trash, let's see what you've got." He tore off the sleeve on his right arm, revealing a cool, mechanical arm.
It wasn't until the muzzle flames began roaring that the group of thugs finally reacted.
If this were the world of giants, anyone not possessing the Ackerman bloodline would have been turned into swiss cheese in the first instant.
But in the world of One Piece, even a bunch of small fry managed to have two members dodge the machine gun fire.
Watching his thug companions fall to the ground, Old Cat sneered and quickly lunged at the remaining enemy. His mechanical arm clamped down hard on the man's throat. "Pretty quick reflexes. Why aren't you running now?"
On the other side, Kiba drew the Black Star 54 from his waist, aiming at the last remaining thug. Seeing the situation turning against him, the thug tried to flee, but Kiba wasn't about to let such good prey escape.
Bang!
With the help of auto-aim, the bullet struck the thug's spine, and Kiba fired several more shots, sending the enemy straight to hell.
**[Legendary Trait (Steel Heart) activated. Life +1]**
"Figures, these weaklings weren't likely to drop a treasure chest."
Holstering his weapon, Kiba looked over at Old Cat, who was busy slaughtering the thug. Truth be told, there hadn't been any need for such a big commotion.
Using a machine gun to sweep through the town? Even if the navy here was filled with drunks and idiots, they'd still send someone to investigate.
With no background to rely on, the two of them would definitely become targets for the navy. After all, the navy needed to meet their monthly quotas. If they couldn't catch the big fish, they'd have no trouble taking down a few small fry.
Kiba's expression darkened as he turned and bolted. The navy's distinctive whistle was already sounding from across the street.
If he didn't leave now, he'd really be facing the challenge of taking on an entire battalion by himself.
Sounds cool, but in reality, none of the reincarnators entering this world had such terrifying abilities.
Not to mention, a single volley from a squad of marines would instantly kill Kiba, even with his Steel Heart bonus. Anyone else would likely die even quicker.
Knowing when to run is an essential skill for any pirate.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A volley of bullets came his way, and Kiba felt a sharp pain in his side—a marine with pinpoint accuracy had hit him.
**[You were hit by a musket shot, causing 7+1 points of piercing damage.]**
"The damage isn't low." Kiba knew he couldn't drag this out any longer. He immediately activated his ODM gear, firing a grappling hook into the eaves and swinging swiftly through the streets.
As for Old Cat's desperate cries, they didn't shake his resolve in the slightest. In this world, the game mode was faction combat. Killing would undoubtedly bring rewards. The fact that Kiba didn't turn back to finish him off was already a sign of his decent character.
Save him?
Not a chance.
However, escaping his pursuers didn't mean Kiba was out of danger.
Wandering around in such a dangerous storyline world was bound to attract the attention of some powerful individuals.
As his senses sounded the alarm, a sharp blade was already slashing toward him.
It was a navy officer draped in a justice cape, reeking of alcohol but with an exceptionally sharp gaze. Despite the dozen or so meters between them, the officer effortlessly leaped to Kiba's side.
**[You were struck by Lieutenant Morgan's slash, causing 15+3 points of slashing damage.]**
15 points of slashing damage, plus 3 points of fall damage, and factoring in the earlier gunshot, Kiba's health had already dropped significantly.
**Life: 65/91 (+21)**
He hadn't expected his luck to be so bad, getting targeted by a navy officer of lieutenant rank during his escape.
Thinking back to the scene just now, Kiba knew there was no way to outrun this guy. The lieutenant's short-range burst speed was scarier than jet propulsion. Turning and running would only result in another slash.
If he couldn't run, he'd have to fight for his life.
"Well, well, you're pretty tough, huh?" Lieutenant Morgan belched, the stench of alcohol filling the air. He heard the distant whistles and saw the grim-looking man swinging through the town. Without thinking, he drew his sword and slashed.
As for whether he was attacking the wrong person...
What kind of normal person would be swinging between houses like that?
Even if he did kill the wrong guy, he'd just write a report tomorrow and blame it on the pirates. No big deal.
For the brutal and sadistic Morgan, this was just standard procedure.
---
However, what he didn't expect was that the enemy, despite taking his slash head-on, wasn't dead yet. Even though he hadn't used his full strength, this wasn't something a regular criminal could endure.
"Looks like today's haul won't be small."
Wielding his longsword, Lieutenant Morgan prepared to decapitate his opponent with the next strike. But just as he began to move, golden lightning suddenly erupted on the ground before him.
Three giants appeared, their expressionless faces instilling fear in anyone who saw them.
The odd-type giant on the left stood about four meters tall, with a head as big as a bull's, and its body covered in terrifying muscles.
For convenience, Kiba called it "Number One Big Head."
**[Odd-type (No. 1): Strength 12, Constitution 8, Agility 10, Spirit 2, Perception 2, Trait: Sturdy Bones]**
The one in the middle was slightly smaller in stature but also had a head as large as a bull's, with exaggerated ears resembling the Buddha. It boasted the highest health among the three.
Kiba named it "Number Two Tutu."
**[Odd-type (No. 2): Strength 7, Constitution 13, Agility 10, Spirit 2, Perception 4, Trait: Thick Skin]**
The giant on the right crawled on all fours, its mouth filled with sharp spikes that made one's scalp tingle at the sight.
Kiba called it "Number Three Licker."
**[Odd-type (No. 3): Strength 10, Constitution 6, Agility 14, Spirit 2, Perception 5, Trait: Four-Limbed Agility]**
These three odd-types excelled in different areas, proving the value of the summoning skill attached to his silver-tier storyline equipment.
Poor Lieutenant Morgan, who charged too quickly, ended up slamming right into Tutu's chest.
The piercing damage from his sword directly took 48 points off Tutu's health and caused severe bleeding—a blow that would have nearly killed Licker on the spot.
However, Tutu's thick skin made it so resilient that its health bar was still more intimidating than Kiba's, and the strike didn't even faze it.
Morgan wanted to pull back, but Number Two had already wrapped him in a tight embrace. In that moment of hesitation, Licker had already sunk its teeth into the lieutenant's right leg.
"What are these monsters?!" Morgan roared in anger, his longsword trembling slightly in his grip.
In the next second, the sword slashed open Tutu's belly, its silvery blade gleaming like moonlight as it spun wildly, delivering over twenty strikes in an instant.
Poor Tutu, making its debut in the storyline world, was immediately cut down by the powerful storyline character.
Of course, Tutu's death wasn't in vain; otherwise, Black Star's three bullets wouldn't have hit their target so easily.
Considering the nature of the One Piece world, three bullets plus Licker's bites could only chip away about a third of the enemy's health.
Even with his cape stained red with blood, Lieutenant Morgan still maintained considerable combat capabilities.
Seeing this, Kiba repeatedly pulled the trigger, hoping to seize the opportunity to whittle down the enemy's health further.
"Cheap tricks." Morgan raised his longsword, skillfully deflecting the bullets with graceful slices. Even after Black Star's magazine emptied, it failed to inflict any substantial damage on him.
Seizing the moment while Kiba reloaded, Morgan looked down at Licker, who was viciously tearing at him.
"Pitiful creature, I'll send you to your death now." Effortlessly blocking Big Head's elbow strike with one hand, he raised his sword, ready to chop the creature into pieces.
It was clear that Lieutenant Morgan's strength attribute was exceptionally high; otherwise, Big Head wouldn't still be struggling to land a blow.
If this strike landed, Licker's fragile little body would likely be killed instantly.
At this critical moment, Morgan suddenly felt a sharp pain splitting his head. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Licker released his leg and bit down hard on his groin.
"Aaahhh!!!" Morgan's scream was deafening.
**[Your Mental Shock inflicted 10 points of spirit damage on Morgan, applying confusion. His accuracy will be significantly reduced for three seconds.]**
**[Your summoned creature dealt 12+8 critical damage to Morgan, inflicting a ten-second excruciating pain status, greatly lowering his defense.]**
The recent mental attack had drained about 5 points of Kiba's spirit, and with the consumption from activating his equipment skills, he had only a mere 6 points of spirit remaining.
Mental Shock was a very basic form of attack; as his attribute caps increased and he poured more spirit into it, the final damage value would also change.
Clearly, at the moment, he wasn't able to deal significant damage, so it could only serve as a form of control.
While the enemy was frantically attacking Licker, Kiba quickly reloaded and once again began firing madly.
After Licker was completely shredded and Big Head's neck was pierced, Lieutenant Morgan's health had dropped to a critical level.
It seemed like one more shot could finish him off, but at this moment, Black Star was out of bullets, and all three of his summoned creatures had been killed by the enemy.
"Out of tricks, are we?" Morgan sneered as he moved closer, even though his right leg was injured and his groin was wracked with unbearable pain. He still managed to hop quickly toward his foe.
Before Kiba could finish reloading, Morgan's longsword would impale his chest.
Facing the bloodthirsty navy lieutenant, the cornered Kiba didn't rush to reload. Instead, he reached for his ODM gear at his waist.
Two grappling hooks shot out with a whistle; Lieutenant Morgan, who could only move by burst speed, had no way to dodge.
The sharp hooks could tear through walls, let alone flesh and blood.
In fact, the moment the grappling hooks fired, Kiba quickly pressed the gas propulsion button, even activating the skill attached to his equipment.
With no support point, this maneuver caused him to slide across the ground, leaving a trail of shocking blood marks.
Kiba could endure it, but whether the heavily wounded Morgan could withstand it was another matter.
(End of Chapter)
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