Chapter 34
Kryhiss, the potbellied human tank, lurches to his feet with a roar, his small eyes glinting with menace. “Who the hell are you? Guards!”
I cut him off, voice calm but sharp. “Save your breath. Your men are busy with the chaos outside.” I flash a smirk. “Oh, right, introductions. I’m John Morgan, bounty hunter. Got a job from someone in East Blue to come to South Blue and take your head.”
Bonney, standing beside me with her pink hair blazing under her green captain’s hat, jumps in with a grin. “And I’m Jewelry Bonney, captain of the Bonney Pirates! Here to crush a disgrace like you!”
I glance at her, frowning. “Hey, sidekick, know your place. This is the main event, and I’m the star. Go deal with the small fry outside.”
“What?! Why should I?” Bonney snaps, jutting her chin out. “I’m the captain here!”
Before she can argue further, Kryhiss leaps from his throne, his massive bulk hurtling toward us like a cannonball. Boom! The floor craters under his weight, a shockwave of dust and wind slamming into us. My coat whips wildly, and I step in front of Bonney, shielding her from the gust.
Bonney swallows hard, eyeing the hulking Kryhiss. “Uh… yeah, you handle this one. I’ll take the goons outside!” She bolts for the door.
“Keep an eye on Nami and my ship!” I call after her.
“Got it!” she yells without looking back, vanishing into the fray outside.
Now it’s just me and Kryhiss in the grand hall.
He sneers, his voice dripping with contempt. “A bounty hunter from the weakest sea, East Blue, coming for me? You’ve got guts, but you’re clueless. Still, you got past my men and freed my prisoners, so you’re not completely useless.”
“Guilty as charged,” I say, shrugging. “You’re too well-guarded. Had to stir up some trouble to get in here.”
“Eager to die, huh?” Kryhiss growls.
I meet his gaze, my eyes cold and predatory. “We’ll see who’s dying, Kryhiss.”
He laughs, a guttural sound. “Fine! I’ve got a belly full of rage, and you just volunteered to eat it. Let’s see how a weakling like you handles the real world!”
Kryhiss crouches, then launches himself at me, his enormous body a blur despite its size. His fist, the size of a cannonball, swings down with murderous intent. “Die!”
I don’t flinch. I meet his fist with my own, muscles straining from years of brutal training—harder than even Zoro’s regimen—amped up by the Primary Body Enhancement Potion from the Hunter’s Shop. BOOM! Our fists collide, and the impact craters the stone floor beneath us, sending a shockwave that rattles the hall’s chandeliers. Dust and debris explode outward, and the air howls.
Kryhiss’s eyes widen, stunned that I matched his strength. To him, I must look like a twig compared to his bulk, but appearances don’t tell the whole story.
I smirk, pulling back my fist while he’s still reeling. I leap, twisting midair, and drive a vicious kick into the back of his neck. Crack! The force sends his massive frame crashing face-first into the floor, splintering stone and sending up a cloud of dust. Blood trickles from a gash where his head hit the ground.
I land behind him, hand snapping to Whisper, my short gun from the Hunter’s Shop , ready to put a bullet through his skull. But before I can pull the trigger, Kryhiss swings a meaty arm backward, a wild, desperate arc that forces me to abandon the shot. I leap back, dodging the blow that shatters a nearby pillar into rubble.
Kryhiss scrambles to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth, and charges like a rabid beast. His fists fly, and I meet him head-on, our punches clashing again. BOOM! The floor buckles further, cracks spiderwebbing outward. We’re locked in a stalemate, strength against strength, the air thick with the stench of dust and blood.
Then his face twists into a savage grin. His arm and fist turn an eerie gray, his eyes gleaming with feral madness, like a beast on the verge of losing control. Suddenly, the force behind his punch doubles, then triples. My arm goes numb under the crushing pressure, and the tiles beneath me shatter into fragments. His strength keeps surging, relentless.
“Damn it,” I mutter, realizing I can’t keep this up. I yank my fist back, dodging as his grayed fist swings through empty air, pulverizing the ground where I stood. But he’s ready for it. His other arm, also gray and monstrous, rockets toward my head with enough force to crush my skull.
I duck just in time, feeling the air scream past my face as his fist obliterates a chunk of the wall behind me, sending stone shards flying. Blood’s pounding in my ears now. I roll to the side, springing up with Whisper drawn, and fire a shot at his chest. The bullet grazes his shoulder, tearing through flesh and spraying blood across the floor. Kryhiss roars, more enraged than hurt, and charges again, his grayed fists swinging like sledgehammers.
I dodge, barely, his fist grazing my ribs and ripping my coat. Pain sears through me, but I grit my teeth and counter with a brutal uppercut, enhanced by the potion’s power, aiming for his jaw. Crunch! Blood and teeth fly as his head snaps back, but he doesn’t fall. Instead, he grabs my arm with a grayed hand, his grip like a vice, and hurls me across the hall. I slam into a column, pain exploding in my back as cracks spread through the stone.
Blood drips from my lip as I push myself up, grinning despite the ache. “Not bad, big guy. But I’m just getting started.”
*****