Chapter 211 — Bram Faces the Iron Pike Bandits
S.C. 1512 — Same Week
East Blue — Outskirts of Brineport
The Dusk Hammer convoy moved steadily along the coastal road.
Three wagons loaded with metal bars, rope coils, and lumber.
Eight trained workers.
Two KS-9 scout dogs trotting ahead.
And Bram at the front, walking with a heavy iron mallet across his shoulder.
He looked like a moving fortress.
Sky darkened overhead—storm clouds gathering.
Leo would have complained about the humidity.
Mira would have warned him about visibility.
But Bram traveled alone today, with only the squads he trained himself.
The Iron Guard.
He scanned the road ahead.
"Stay together. Eyes forward," he said in a low, stable tone.
His people responded like practiced soldiers.
"Yes, Captain Bram!"
The forest on both sides grew thicker.
The KS-9 hounds suddenly stiffened—ears raised, bodies tense.
Bram lifted a hand.
"Stop."
The convoy halted.
A faint rustling echoed from the trees.
And then—
clink.
Metal against metal.
Bram's eyes narrowed.
"Bandits," he muttered.
1. The Iron Pike Gang Appears
Figures emerged from the dark forest, one by one.
Rough armor.
Rusty spears.
Scarred faces.
Ten… twenty… thirty of them.
Their leader, a bald man with a crooked jaw, stepped forward.
"That cargo is worth a small fortune," he said, grinning. "Hand it over, and we'll let you all walk away."
Bram rested his mallet on the ground.
"Not happening."
The bandit leader sighed dramatically.
"Always with the heroics, huh? Men—break them."
The bandits roared.
But Bram didn't move.
He simply exhaled.
2. The Iron Guard Forms Up
"Shields!" Bram barked.
Six Iron Guard raised metal-reinforced riot boards—KEA alloy cores with wooden frames.
Two more pulled long spears into formation.
The bandits charged.
Bram stepped forward—into the front line.
A bandit swung an axe at him with a snarl.
Bram caught it with one hand.
CRACK!
The wooden handle snapped like a twig.
The bandit's eyes widened in horror.
"How—?"
THUD.
Bram slammed his forehead into the man's face.
The bandit crashed to the dirt, unconscious.
Two more rushed him.
Bram swung his mallet in a tight arc.
BOOM.
Both were thrown back like sacks of grain.
Iron Guard held the line.
Bandit spears clashed against their shields.
The sound echoed across the forest.
"Push!" Bram commanded.
They pushed.
The front row of bandits stumbled.
Bram stepped into the gap.
And the storm began.
3. Bram's Bull Variant Strength Unleashed
The bull gene serum had changed him.
His muscles were denser.
His breath steadier.
His body heavier and harder.
A spear thrust toward him—
He grabbed it mid-air, crushed the metal tip in his palm, and used the broken shaft to strike the wielder's chest.
The man flew back ten meters.
Another swung a sword.
Bram blocked with his forearm.
The blade bent.
The bandit screamed.
Bram rotated his shoulder and knocked him out with a single punch.
To the bandits, he looked monstrous—
A mountain moving through flesh and steel.
4. The Bandit Leader Joins the Fight
The bald leader snarled.
"You idiots can't even slow him down?!"
He pulled a heavy iron pike from his back—two meters long, sharp, and cruel.
He spun it like a seasoned fighter.
"I'll kill you myself!"
Bram planted his mallet on the ground.
"I'd like to see you try."
The bandit lunged.
The pike tip aimed at Bram's chest.
Bram stepped aside—but the leader was faster than expected, adjusting mid-strike.
The iron pike scraped Bram's ribs.
Bram gritted his teeth.
(He's strong… more than the others.)
The leader spun the pike again.
"You're not the only one with freakish strength. I ate a strange fruit years ago."
Bram's eyes narrowed.
"That explains the smell."
The man roared in rage.
He jabbed repeatedly—lightning-fast thrusts.
Bram blocked with his mallet, sparks flying.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The leader smirked.
"You're strong, but slow."
Bram's jaw tightened.
"Maybe."
He shifted his stance.
"Or maybe you're just noisy."
5. Bram's Breakthrough
His training with Ren echoed in his mind:
"Focus your center. Lock breath. Drive force down through the legs—like anchoring a ship."
Bram inhaled deeply.
His muscles tightened.
His stance rooted.
The bull-gene stability activated—
A grounded force, like a living boulder.
The pike stabbed again.
This time—
Bram caught it.
With one hand.
The leader's eyes widened.
"What—?! Let go!!"
Bram squeezed.
CRUNCH.
The metal pike bent.
The leader's face paled.
"H… how—?!"
Bram lifted him by the collar.
"Your gang attacked the wrong convoy."
And slammed him into the ground—
BOOOOM.
A shockwave burst through dirt and leaves.
Silence.
The remaining bandits froze.
Some trembled.
Some dropped their weapons.
Bram wiped his hands.
"Anyone else?"
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Finally, one bandit stammered:
"W-We surrender…"
Bram nodded.
"Smart."
6. Aftermath
The Iron Guard tied the defeated bandits with rope.
Some villagers from Brineport approached cautiously.
"Captain Bram… you defeated the Iron Pike Gang?"
Bram shrugged modestly.
"Well… helped a bit."
"A bit?! They terrorized our road for five years!"
Another villager bowed deeply.
"Thank you! Our village owes you!"
Bram scratched his head, embarrassed.
"It's nothing. Really."
But the Iron Guards looked at him with admiration.
One whispered:
"Boss Bram is unstoppable…"
Another:
"He's like a walking battering ram…"
Bram turned red.
"Oi! Quit comparing me to siege weapons!"
The guards laughed.
But Bram smiled a little.
This battle proved something important—
His transformation wasn't just power.
It was responsibility.
And he was ready for it.
7. Report to Ren
That night, Bram sat by the campfire, writing on a clipboard.
He sent the message via a trained messenger hawk:
"Iron Pike Gang defeated.
Road to Brineport secured.
Convoy safe.
No casualties.
— Bram"
Ren would read it soon.
Zemo would probably bark proudly.
And Mira?
She would simply say:
"As expected."
Bram chuckled.
He looked at his Iron Guard sleeping peacefully around him.
The fire crackled.
The night was calm.
And Bram whispered:
"Tomorrow, we build again."
End of Chapter 211