Chapter 18: Instant Kills
— — — — — — —
"Crack!"
Before he could even beg for mercy, Renzo ruthlessly snapped the bastard's neck.
Renzo clearly remembered the past ten days—how this scum had tormented the other innocent captives on the ship and ordered him around like a slave.
Every single pirate on this ship, without exception, was garbage. Not one of them was innocent.
After all, these were criminals who made their living by pillaging, kidnapping, and selling innocent people into slavery. How could there be a single good person among them?
"Thud!"
Casually tossing Hughes' lifeless body to the floor, Renzo heard the voices coming from the prison cells behind him:
"Is that really Brother Renzo? No way! You must be joking!"
"When did he get this strong?!"
"Please, Renzo! Help us!"
"Save us! Please!"
Renzo stopped in his tracks, turned back, and shouted, "Quiet!"
Instantly, the voices fell silent.
Before they could say anything more, Renzo continued in a firm tone, "I'm going to take down these pirates first and then come back to free you. If I fail, at least you won't be dragged down with me. Got it?"
Hearing that, those who were initially upset by his sharp tone quickly understood his reasoning.
Renzo had a point.
Sure, he had easily killed Hughes, but that guy was just a low-ranking grunt. There were still plenty of stronger pirates on this ship.
If Renzo lost, he might still have a chance to escape, but they—once freed—would be sitting ducks. If things went badly, they wouldn't even have the chance to become slaves; they'd be killed on the spot.
"Alright, be careful, Brother Renzo!"
"Yeah! You have to win!"
"Good luck!"
"Stay safe!"
No one insisted on being freed immediately. Instead, they cheered him on.
"I'm off."
Renzo didn't care much about their reactions. After he eliminated the pirates and freed them, he'd have no further connection with these people.
It wasn't worth getting worked up over small-minded people. Human nature was complicated—self-preservation was instinctual. Being a good person didn't always mean you'd be rewarded for it.
Renzo had long since come to terms with this reality.
— — —
"What's going on down in the cabin?!"
"Vice-Captain, I'll go check it out!"
"Hurry up! Make sure nothing happens to the slaves! If this shipment goes wrong, we could piss off the Donquixote Family. That would be a real disaster!"
"Understood!"
Vice Captain Shabi, along with two crew members, made his way toward the cabin entrance.
Bang!
Just as they were three meters away from the entrance, the reinforced door was suddenly kicked open from inside.
A single foot stepped out first, followed by a full figure appearing in their view.
"Renzo?!"
Shabi couldn't believe his eyes.
The way Renzo had just burst out was way too flashy.
A single kick to destroy a specially reinforced door?
Forget about the weak, powerless Renzo they had captured—this was something only the high-ranking officers of the Bloodhand Pirates could do!
"Yo..."
Renzo grinned at them, stretching his greeting out lazily as he raised a hand in mock friendliness.
Then, his expression turned cold, his eyes glinting dangerously as he spoke:
"You guys have really taken good care of me these past few days."
"To repay your kindness—and to avenge Uncle Johnny and Aunt Nata—could I trouble you all to die for me?"
Renzo remembered clearly: when he had first arrived in this world, he had been stranded on an island, starving.
A kind couple had taken him in and saved him.
But during their voyage, these pirates had slaughtered them for no reason at all.
Why? There was no why.
They were ruthless criminals. Did you really expect them to need a reason?
"Ha? You—"
Shabi froze for a moment, not because of Renzo's words, but because of his overwhelming presence.
"You brat! How dare you talk to Vice Captain Shabi like that?! Tired of living, are you?!"
The two crew members beside Shabi couldn't hold back their anger. Cursing, they stepped forward, ready to beat Renzo and lock him up again.
After all, they all knew how "valuable" Renzo was.
Even the captain had said he was a once-in-decades high-class "product."
Renzo's expression turned icy.
"Whoosh!"
Using Body Flicker Technique, he instantly appeared in front of the two pirates.
"Impact Punch!"
With a swift motion, he drew his fists back and then unleashed a devastating double punch.
"Bang!!"
The two pirates felt an unbearable pain in their stomachs. Their backs arched in agony as they coughed up blood and saliva.
"No! You dare—"
Shabi reacted instantly, drawing his sword and slashing at Renzo's neck in fury.
"Quick Attack!"
Renzo used the move he had learned from Eevee, dodging in a zig-zag motion across the deck. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Shabi.
"Impact Chop!!"
With what seemed like a casual movement, Renzo struck the back of Shabi's neck with a hand infused with Impact energy.
"Crack!"
A sickening sound echoed as Shabi's neck snapped. His eyes bulged as he lost consciousness, his body collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The pirates watching from around the deck froze.
What the hell had just happened?
The vice captain—the second strongest fighter after the captain—had just been instantly killed by that pretty boy?
This had to be a dream, right?
Someone, wake them up!
"BANG!"
At the far end of the deck, the Bloodhand Pirates' captain, Orik, slammed his fist into the table in rage.
The force shattered the table, sending food and wine flying in every direction.
"You little shit... YOU'RE DEAD!!!"
Orik roared in fury.
"CRACK!!"
He stomped on the deck, shattering the wood beneath him as he propelled himself into the air.
His massive frame turned into a blur as he shot toward Renzo, his iron-clad fists raised high, ready to crush him.
This was the same attack that had once pulverized a millstone-sized rock.
If it hit Renzo, even with his new strength, he'd be seriously injured—or worse.
That is, if he just stood there and took it.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Without hesitation, Renzo used his high-speed movement technique to evade the attack.
.
.
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