Blood King
A sharp grunt escaped Yang Ning's mouth as another shockwave struck him. His shield shattered instantly, fading into sparks. He stumbled back several steps.
Fortunately, once the shield was gone, the shockwave lost almost all of its force. Each hit scraped off only around ten points of health. The real problem wasn't the damage—it was the knockback. Every hit pushed him back several meters.
No matter how hard he charged, the Blood King maintained a steady distance of roughly one hundred meters.
At that range, Yang Ning's occasional Starfire Blade barely reached him, while the Blood King could rain down shockwaves endlessly.
It was an unfavorable stalemate. If the battle turned into attrition, Yang Ning would lose.
He knew it. And the Blood King definitely knew it.
Thus, the Blood King deliberately kept his distance, using pirate henchmen as moving shields and denying Yang Ning any chance to close in.
After cleaving down yet another wave of henchmen, Yang Ning watched his newly formed shield break again. He scowled.
This won't work.
He glanced at his health:
[775 / 916]
He had lost over a hundred points in mere moments. Numbers on a screen felt distant, but the damage was undeniably piling up.
Jaw clenched, Yang Ning stopped playing the Blood King's game.
He summoned a fresh Soul Furnace shield, lowered his stance, and sprinted straight at the Blood King.
Swords slashed his armor. Shockwaves slammed into his shield. He ignored all of it.
A hundred meters.
That was all.
But in that short distance, his health dropped like a rock.
Nearly two hundred points vanished before he finally burst through the last line of pirate henchmen, emerging before the Blood King himself.
A faint smile tugged at Yang Ning's lips.
The Blood King smiled back.
"Heh. Naive little mouse. You think closing in means you've won?"
The towering man—over two meters tall—drew a massive blade from beneath his deep red robe. The weapon was nearly as tall as Yang Ning.
With a cold gleam in his eye, the Blood King swung.
The Sword General's voice echoed in Yang Ning's mind.
Don't underestimate him in close combat. His swordsmanship is strong.
Whoosh!
The blade sliced the air cleanly, leaving a trail of afterimages as it grazed Yang Ning's cheek.
He broke into a cold sweat.
The Blood King wasn't a pure long-range Devil Fruit user. He was lethal at close range, too.
You're just some pirate lord in East Blue. Why are you built like a final boss?
Unease prickled the back of his neck, but he tightened his grip and focused.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Using the few techniques he had secretly learned from the Sword General just yesterday, Yang Ning narrowly blocked the Blood King's relentless strikes.
Blades flashed. Dust swirled. The two wiped out everything within ten meters with their ferocious duel.
The pirate henchmen, staying true to their nature, formed a wide circle around them—not to help, but to spectate. Working hard wasn't their forte. Watching a good show? That, they excelled at.
Meanwhile, Yang Ning and the Blood King were locked in a brutal 1v1 fight.
At first glance, Yang Ning was being completely overpowered. With superior reach, height, and technique, the Blood King slashed at him like he was hacking down a training dummy.
But a closer look revealed the truth.
Yang Ning wasn't losing ground anymore.
After exchanging over a dozen fierce blows, Yang Ning noticed a crucial flaw:
The Blood King's melee damage was far lower than his shockwave damage.
One shockwave nearly broke his shield.
But four or five sword strikes couldn't.
That changed everything.
This was a winnable fight.
Because Yang Ning could endure four or five cuts…
But the Blood King couldn't survive even one of Yang Ning's high-damage counterattacks.
Trading blows favored Yang Ning.
Sure enough, after only two clean hits from Yang Ning, the Blood King's expression twisted—surprise, anger… even fear.
Clang!
The Blood King abruptly disengaged, knocking their swords apart to create distance.
"What… what are you? And what is this thing?"
He jerked his arm, flinging away the dripping water skin Yang Ning had secretly thrown at him.
The Blood King's eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong.
Sensing danger, he instantly abandoned close combat. Without warning, he launched a massive shockwave—faster and larger than any before.
Boom!
Yang Ning was blasted off his feet, flying more than ten meters back. Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose. His entire body throbbed as if struck by a giant's palm.
As he staggered upright, he saw something shifting beneath the Blood King's robe.
A shape.
A movement.
As it wriggled, the Blood King's previously pale face flushed with life again.
Something was very wrong.
The frown on Yang Ning's face could have trapped a fly.
He had assumed the Blood King was a Devil Fruit user worshipped by ignorant villagers.
But after their exchange, that explanation crumbled.
A Devil Fruit user…
cannot remain unaffected after being doused in seawater.
Yet the Blood King's powers hadn't faltered at all.
Impossible.
Unacceptable.
Devil Fruit users are always weakened by seawater. It is the unbreakable law of this world.
Clang!
Their blades collided again, and Yang Ning's eyes widened.
"So you really aren't weak to seawater?"
He froze for a heartbeat.
Then clarity struck him.
No. I was mistaken. In One Piece… it isn't just humans who can eat Devil Fruits.
With that realization, Yang Ning's gaze sharpened toward the Blood King's robe.
Something was hiding under there.
A tremor rippled through the deep red fabric.
Yang Ning almost laughed.
So that's why you never used your shockwave ability while attacking up close.
So that's why you need distance first.
So the power isn't coming from you at all.
He changed tactics instantly.
The Blood King, sensing an opening, lunged forward with chilling speed, blade flashing like lightning.
Yang Ning braced, blocked three rapid slashes—
Then slipped past the Blood King's flank and slid low.
As he passed, he slashed horizontally at the Blood King's robe.
Squeeeaak!
A sharp, alien shriek erupted from within the fabric.
Yang Ning twisted the blade, lifting the torn cloth.
What he saw made his scalp go numb.
Thick, sticky, bluish-black skin. Mucus. No fur, no scales. No recognizable anatomy.
An unearthly parasite attached to the Blood King's torso.
"You saw it?"
The Blood King turned, his face dark as ink.
Yang Ning steadied his blade and pointed it toward him.
"I saw it."
An impostor.
The so-called Blood King was nothing but a host.
Is the parasite the real king… and you its puppet?
The Blood King exhaled slowly.
Then, with eerie calm, he closed his eyes.
"I acknowledge your strength. Out of all the outsiders who have come here, you are the strongest. But you have seen something you should not have seen."
His eyes snapped open.
"You must die."
A colossal shockwave exploded toward Yang Ning, shredding the air with a violent hiss.
And behind it, the Blood King charged—massive blade raised, killing intent overflowing.