Chapter 456: TSWH - 456

Chapter 456: TSWH: Chapter 456

"Understood... that is correct."

"Copy."

On a snow?covered island, in a secluded spot hidden from view, Lucci stood in the shadows, holding a small Den Den Mushi as he spoke in low, rapid tones.

Once he finished his report, he hung up the call, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and stepped out from the treeline.

He had successfully joined the Hell Pirates nearly a week ago and had already met the rest of the core members besides Dom.

This was the first time he had found an opening to send a message back to his superiors.

Even though he had killed several of their crewmen, the seas ran by the law of the strong.

What was more, the Hell Pirates did not strike him as a tightly knit or disciplined crew — if anything, they were chaotic and riddled with tension.

The recruits were all well?known pirates from across the North Blue, each secretly looking down on the others.

Their outward obedience stemmed from nothing but fear of the God?Slayer’s overwhelming power.

Lucci had already seen the one and only rule aboard this ship: Absolute submission to the captain.

The God?Slayer’s word was law. Beyond that, there was no code, no honor, and no limits — it was a crew of pure chaos.

This was clear from those around him. Dom, Yuriwich, and Durance were unquestionably the top officers.

Then there were Yingge and Kaka, both classified as "reserves" still undergoing evaluation.

Of the five, only Dom seemed genuinely loyal to the captain; the rest clearly had their own agendas.

Yuriwich was a monster in every sense.

He looked at the God?Slayer with undisguised, burning enthusiasm and hunger for battle — an attitude that would be seen as insubordination in any other crew, yet he followed every order without question.

Durance was the most calculating, greedy, and deceitful of them all. Yingge, the swordsman, was proud and aloof; Lucci had no doubt he would have struck Durance long ago if not for Oboro’s presence.

And then there was Kaka — in Lucci’s observation, the most unpredictable, and perhaps the most cunning, of the group.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

Now Lucci himself had joined the reserves, bringing their number to three. "Reserve" meant that once they passed their trials, they would be promoted to full officers.

Even if they held only provisional titles for now, the crew was still in its early stages, and their status would only rise as the organization grew.

What troubled Lucci most was that aside from the handful of senior members, the rest of the crew were outright criminals.

Their actions across the North Blue spoke for themselves: the recruits roamed the seas, abusing their power and terrorizing anyone in their path.

Only yesterday, news had reached them that a group of Hell Pirates had attacked a Marine base.

To openly provoke the Navy and assault their installations was, by any standard, reckless and foolish.

Even the most established and powerful crews avoided such acts, knowing it would draw stronger forces down upon them.

Yet the Hell Pirates did it anyway — whether to build a reputation or simply out of arrogance, it was the mark of men who answered to no law.

Lucci lived by his own philosophy of Dark Justice. To him, the Hell Pirates were a cancer that must be eradicated, by any means necessary.

As long as the end was achieved, the methods did not matter. And he was fully confident he could do it.

Clad in his thin suit, Lucci walked across the snow, deep in thought.

"Ha! There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you."

A voice broke his concentration. He looked up to see Kaka, grinning broadly as he approached.

"Finished them off that quickly?"

Kaka came to a stop, tilted his head, and stared at the pile of dead wolves and the bloodstains stretching across the snow behind Lucci, his expression one of exaggerated surprise.

"This kind of training holds no challenge," Lucci replied flatly.

"You really are something! No wonder the captain took a liking to you. I’d say you’re the most certain of the three of us to pass the evaluation. When we first arrived, Yingge and I struggled plenty against these wolves..." Kaka laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"Is there something you need?" Lucci’s tone remained cold and uninviting.

"Today is a special day," Kaka said mysteriously.

"Special?" Lucci frowned.

"Come on — follow me, and you’ll see!"

Kaka turned and strode ahead, hands clasped behind his head, leading the way.

Lucci paused for a moment, then followed.

Soon they reached an open clearing on the island. From a distance, the sound of crashing blows and thunderous impacts shook the air.

When they arrived, Durance and Yingge were already standing at the edge, watching intently, their faces illuminated by the light of a large campfire.

Lucci’s eyes narrowed and his pulse quickened as he looked toward the center of the field.

There stood Dom and Yuriwich, attacking from both sides in perfect coordination. And their target was none other than the captain, Oboro.

Both moved with supernatural speed, like ghosts. Despite his massive frame, Yuriwich was just as fast as Dom — if not faster.

Every step and strike displaced so much force that it sent waves of snow flying into the air like a towering white wall.

When his great sword crashed down, it sent a geyser of snow and ice shooting high into the sky.

Even from a distance, the ground trembled beneath their feet.

But what truly unnerved Lucci was Yuriwich’s fighting style.

He fought like a wild beast, fully consumed by the thrill of battle, relying entirely on instinct and raw savagery.

Lucci did not approve of such methods, yet he could not deny that it possessed a terrifying, brutal beauty.

Dom, by contrast, was a phantom. His footwork and positioning were beyond anything Lucci had ever seen.

He had experienced it firsthand during their fight — no matter how Lucci dodged, Dom closed the gap instantly, finding the perfect angle to strike.

Even if Lucci used Soru, the highest speed technique of the Six Powers, he doubted he could break free from Dom’s rhythm in the short term.

Dom had an uncanny sense of distance and movement; his body might not be as indestructible as Yuriwich’s, but his battle awareness and ability to adapt were unmatched.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The fight had shifted up the slope of a steep hillside. As Dom’s blade whipped back and forth, the falling snowflakes seemed to be sliced into countless fine lines of white light.

Yuriwich’s heavy blows had dislodged an avalanche, sending a thick wall of snow rolling down the slope, threatening to bury them all.

But in an instant, Dom’s blade flashed in a rainbow arc, cutting the mass of snow into neat, suspended blocks that drifted gently back to the ground, neutralizing the threat completely.

Yet while Dom and Yuriwich fighting at full power was enough to make Lucci’s heart race, it was the man standing calmly between them that made his blood run cold.

The God?Slayer.

For the first time, Lucci was seeing the true extent of his captain’s power, up close and in full force.

"This man..."

Lucci clenched his fist, holding his breath in awe.

"Normally, Dom and Yuri train separately, and when they spar with the captain, it’s always one?on?one, with both sides holding back. Only on set days do they join forces to challenge him. Even watching from the sidelines is a rare chance to learn," Kaka explained, noticing the shock in Lucci’s eyes — even if his face remained composed, his gaze and breathing betrayed his true feelings.

"Look at Yuri’s face... he looks like a wild beast gone mad, lost in the frenzy of the hunt — and loving every second of it," Kaka added with a sigh.

Before he could say more, Lucci stepped forward, heading straight toward the center of the battle.

"Hey — Hadori! What are you doing?" Kaka called out, startled.

"This isn’t something we can just jump into! You’ll get yourself killed! We haven’t earned the right to be trained like this yet — you..."

His voice trailed off halfway.

Suddenly, he realized: this "newcomer" was far stronger than the rest of them — much stronger.

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