The effect of Ren's "Boon of the Feast," enhanced by top-tier ingredients, was transforming their bodies at a terrifying rate. For three meals a day, Ren would use the rare ingredients plundered from the Island of Splendor to meticulously cook dishes that contained immense energy. His experience and culinary points were steadily increasing. It seemed it wouldn't be long before he could advance to the next level of culinary skill: Master level. Ren had been looking forward to this for a long time.
Gatz felt like he woke up stronger every day. He could now swing his giant anchor with one hand and even occasionally leave shallow footprints on the deck. In his spare time, Gatz's favorite activity was arm-wrestling with Dolum. The result was that the ship's tables and chairs were replaced one after another, and Dolum's repair tools were nearly worn down.
Silver's transformation was more internal. His senses became sharper. Sometimes, when a flying fish leaped from the sea, he could predict its exact landing spot half a second in advance. His spear skills also improved daily. He was no longer bound by forms, but pursued a state of unity between man and spear. Sometimes, just by standing still, he exuded the aura of a peerless, deadly weapon waiting to be unleashed.
Dolum's body also became more robust. Once, while securing a mast rope, he accidentally fell from a height of several meters. The deck was dented, but he just patted himself off and stood up without a scratch. This made him even more confident in his "Iron Wall" title, but also more worried about the fragility of the ship's hull.
Ren was like a spectator and a controller. He calmly observed everyone's changes and fine-tuned the daily menu according to their physical conditions.
On the tenth day of the voyage, the weather was clear and the sea was calm. Just as Gatz was lying on the deck, sunbathing and fantasizing about his next meal, Silver's alert came from the crow's nest.
"Straight ahead. A person has been spotted."
"A person?" Gatz sat up with a kip-up and grabbed a spyglass. "How can there be a person in a place like this? Is it a shipwrecked merchant?"
Everyone gathered at the bow and looked in the direction Silver was pointing. In the distant sea, a black dot was slowly approaching. It wasn't a ship, but a raft. A person was standing on it, drifting with the current.
As they got closer, they finally saw the person's appearance. He was an exceptionally tall young man, his physique as massive as a small mountain. His bronze skin was covered in a crisscross of scars, each one seemingly telling the tale of a fierce battle. He was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of simple trousers. His bulging muscles were filled with explosive power. Most strikingly, he had a white, crescent-moon-shaped mustache that curved upwards. The mustache contrasted sharply with his young face, but instead of looking comical, it added an indescribable air of dignity and dominance. He had no weapon, just stood there calmly, yet he seemed to be the center of the sea.
Rocks's pupils contracted sharply. He put down his wine cup, the smile slowly disappearing from his face, replaced by the excitement and gravity of meeting a worthy opponent. He could feel that the aura emanating from the man was as deep as the ocean, both wild and restrained, in no way inferior to his own.
"Hey, you on the ship ahead," the man spoke, his voice deep and resonant, as if echoing the waves. "You all look strong. Who's the captain? Come out and fight me."
His words were simple, direct, and filled with an unquestionable confidence.
The members of the Rocks Pirates were all stunned. They had never met such an arrogant person, who wanted to challenge their captain right off the bat. "Wahahaha! Who the hell are you? What big talk!" Gatz shouldered his anchor and was about to step forward.
"Stand down, Gatz," Rocks's voice sounded. He walked step by step to the bow, facing the white-mustached man from afar. Two equally domineering wills clashed silently in the air. The atmosphere between them began to distort, and the sea became choppy without any wind.
Rocks grinned, revealing a wild smile. "Want a fight? Fine."
"My name is Rocks D. Xebec. And you?"
The man also grinned, showing a mouth of white teeth. His smile was filled with a heaven-and-earth-shaking heroism. "Edward Newgate."
In the future, the man who would be known as the "World's Strongest Man" had just met the Rocks Pirates in the most primitive and pure way.
There was no more idle talk, no testing the waters. The moment Edward Newgate announced his name, Rocks's figure vanished from the bow. The deck beneath his feet shattered, and he shot forward like a black cannonball, tearing through the air and crossing several hundred meters of sea to punch Newgate in the chest. This punch condensed Rocks's unparalleled domineering power; the force of it even carved a clear trench in the sea surface.
Faced with this earth-shattering blow, Newgate didn't dodge. He also took a step forward. The sea surface beneath his feet seemed to turn into solid ground. His mountain-like body met the attack head-on, with a punch of his own. "Gurararara! Bring it on!"
BOOM!
The two fists collided in mid-air. In that instant, the world fell silent. Then, a visible white shockwave erupted from the two of them, spreading out in a ring. The sea surface beneath them was pushed down, creating a massive depression over a hundred meters in diameter. The surrounding water was displaced, forming a monstrous tsunami that swept out in all directions.
The Rocks Pirates' ship rocked violently in the terrifying aftershock, like a leaf in a storm. Dolum clung to the helm, his face pale, muttering, "It's over, it's over! The ship's going to fall apart! My sweet treasure!"
Gatz and Silver held on to the ship's rail, their faces filled with shock. For the first time, they had a direct sense of the world-destroying power contained in their captain's seemingly casual punches. And that man, Newgate, had taken the punch head-on and... fought him to a standstill.
After the first blow, they both retreated. Rocks landed on the sea surface, standing on an invisible platform, his expression excited. Newgate stood his ground, shaking his slightly numb fist, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing even stronger.
"You're strong," Newgate praised sincerely.
"You're not bad yourself," Rocks's smile grew wilder. "But the warm-up is over!"
Before his words had even faded, the two once again became blurred afterimages, engaging in the most primitive and intense hand-to-hand combat on the vast sea. Fists and feet clashed, each collision accompanied by the wail of the atmosphere and the roar of the sea. They used no fancy techniques, only the purest duel of strength and Haki.
Faint, immature streaks of black and red lightning flashed between them. A clash of Conqueror's Haki! The clouds in the sky were torn apart, and the sea boiled beneath their feet.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (320 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (250 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (120 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (130 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (320 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (130 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (150 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(75 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (196 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (160 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (110 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (80 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (120 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (130 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (87 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (130 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (130 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (60 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (90 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (90 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (70 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (70 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (30 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (30 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (130 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (80 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (130 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (81 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.