Chapter 17: The Summoner
"Lieutenant Commander Rega, a ship is heading straight for us—very fast."
A Marine soldier hurried up to a middle-aged man with a cropped haircut, a stern, chiseled face, and a "Justice" cloak draped over his shoulders.
"Pirates?" Rega's eyes flashed as he asked calmly.
"No, sir. It looks like a bounty hunter—Summoner Ze," the soldier replied.
"Oh? The bounty hunter who's been making waves these past few days?"
Rega raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, sir."
"What's he doing here?"
"I think he's—"
Boom!
A thunderous explosion cut the soldier off.
One of the pirate ships suddenly sank as a massive dinosaur crashed down onto its deck.
"Rooaaar~!" A wave of murderous intent rolled out with the beast's roar.
"Ah—help!"
"No—!"
"Ahhh!"
Screams echoed one after another.
On the two pirate ships, a burly pirate over three meters tall stood snarling, gripping a spiked iron club nearly a meter and a half long. His bloodshot eyes glared at the rampaging Raptorex tearing through his crew.
"Damn that summoner—why is he here…?"
"Kill!"
The Blood Wolf bellowed, muscles swelling across his frame as coarse gray fur sprouted from his body. In seconds, he had transformed into a werewolf, swinging his heavy club toward the Raptorex with a roar.
Clang!!
The spiked club struck the dragon's thigh, sending sparks flying—but the rebound was so strong that Blood Wolf's palms split open, blood trickling down his hands.
"Ah—!"
He hissed in pain.
Even so, as the wielder of the Gray Wolf Fruit, his physique was already formidable despite having eaten it not long ago.
"Rooaaar!"
The Raptorex's massive head moved with terrifying agility, biting pirates cleanly in half one after another. Anyone touched by its fangs was instantly sliced apart.
Its body was like living armor—bullets and blades couldn't even scratch it.
Splat…
With another snap of its jaws, the Raptorex swallowed a pirate whole; when it opened its mouth again, the man's body was already torn in two.
The entire ship ran red with blood, turning into a scene straight out of hell.
Its tail didn't stop moving either—each swing sent pirates flying, their screams mixing with the crack of shattering wood. Some smashed into the railings, others were flung clean off the ship.
"Ahhh—!"
Blood Wolf struggled to his feet, letting out a furious howl as his body expanded even further. His arms grew long and thick, fur bristling as razor-sharp claws extended several inches.
In moments, he had become a five-meter-long, three-meter-tall gray-furred giant wolf.
"Rraaaagh!"
He crouched low, powerful limbs coiling—and then he leapt. The deck exploded beneath him as he launched into the air, jaws gaping wide as he lunged for the Raptorex's neck.
"Rooaar~!"
Sensing the sudden surge of killing intent beside it, the Raptorex swung its head around and bit back with equal ferocity.
Crunch!!
A fountain of blood sprayed into the air.
The massive gray wolf's head was clamped between the Raptorex's meter-wide jaws, blood gushing from between its ten-centimeter fangs.
Within minutes, the battle was over.
On the other side, Jiang Qize had already finished his part—every pirate aboard the two ships had been wiped out.
"That dinosaur…"
On the Marine warship, Lieutenant Commander Rega narrowed his eyes slightly, surprise flickering in them as he stared at the Raptorex standing atop the Blood Wolf Pirates' ship.
"Lieutenant Commander Rega, should we approach?" one of the Marines asked nervously. The air carried a thick, metallic scent that made them all frown.
"Approach," Rega ordered in a low voice.
He had seen plenty of bounty hunters before—but none this powerful. Most were small-time operators at best.
Yet in the past five days alone, this particular hunter had slaughtered an astonishing number of pirates. He didn't spare even the small fry.
Everyone across the East Blue now knew his name—
the bounty hunter known as the Summoner,
a young man with long silver hair.
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