Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

"hold head high--!!!"

The Dragon King was utterly enraged.

It flapped its wings frantically, trying to steady itself in the air.

Those golden, vertical pupils were bloodshot as they stared intently at the two ants that had injured it.

At the same time, the dozen or so adult Thousand-Year Dragons around also noticed that their leader was in a predicament of being surrounded and attacked.

Some of them gave up chasing Luffy and let out sharp cries.

They changed direction and, like a dozen or so dive fighter jets, screamed as they pounced on Zoro and Sanji!

The situation reversed in an instant!

Zoro had barely landed and hadn't even had time to catch his breath when two enormous dragon claws attacked from both sides.

"Tch, this is troublesome!"

Zoro swung his sword to block, but he was outnumbered and forced to retreat repeatedly.

Sanji fared even worse, surrounded by three Thousand-Year Dragons whose sharp beaks and claws formed a deadly web, forcing him to dodge helplessly and preventing him from even using his kicking techniques.

"Damn it... We'll be worn down if this keeps up!" Sanji's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Just then.

Suddenly, the sound of falling rocks came from the huge crater that had been smashed open.

"Cough cough..."

A hand reached out and grabbed the edge of the pit.

Immediately afterwards, Ronan slowly rose from the dust.

His clothes were tattered, a trace of blood clung to the corner of his mouth, and his chest heaved violently.

But he still held the eighteen-foot iron spear in his hand as firmly as a rock, and the light in his eyes was not dim but frighteningly bright!

"happy……"

Ronan spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, moved his stiff neck, and made a cracking sound.

[System Notification: The host has suffered a severe blow; the Thirteen Bodyguards' physical training proficiency has greatly increased!]

Physical fitness: 17-18

[System notification: Host has entered Deathmatch Mode, training multiplier *5!]

Feeling the surge of heat within his body, fueled by his injuries and frantically repairing his body, Ronan grinned.

"This is the true essence of physical training... Only by enduring the most brutal beatings can you build the thickest armor!"

Ronan took a deep breath, focusing his energy in his dantian. His muscles tensed instantly, and his previously somewhat listless aura surged again, even more violently than before!

He looked at Zoro and Sanji, who were being attacked, and roared:

"Get out of the way!!!"

"boom!"

The ground beneath Ronan's feet cracked again.

He charged straight into the midst of the group of Thousand-Year Dragons besieging Zoro, like a runaway heavy tank.

"Sweep through the enemy ranks!!"

"Waaaaah—!!"

The hundred-pound spear felt as light as a feather in his hands, and he swung it into a huge black disc.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The three thousand-year-old dragons that were preparing to ambush Zoro were directly hit by this brutal spear.

With the sound of bones shattering, he screamed and flew backward, crashing heavily into the distant rock wall.

"Ronan?!" Zoro looked at Ronan in surprise, who seemed completely unaffected.

"Don't get distracted!! Stay focused!"

Ronan's roar, like a resounding bell, echoed through the chaotic battlefield.

As time went on, the battle between humans and dragons had reached a fever pitch.

Despite Luffy holding off most of the Thousand-Year Dragons from a distance.

However, Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji gradually showed signs of fatigue as they faced the combined attack of the Thousand-Year Dragon King and several other Thousand-Year Dragons.

This is, after all, a legendary creature.

Each adult Millennium Dragon possesses superhuman strength comparable to destroying a small warship; their claws are harder than steel, and their scales are impenetrable armor.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Zoro was panting heavily, his eyes blurred with sweat mixed with blood.

But the fire in his eyes burned ever brighter, each swing of his sword carrying the obsession to sever everything.

Sanji is in the most danger.

He had no weapons, relying solely on his fleshy legs and dragon claws to fight back.

Moreover, he is the only one of the three who has not yet awakened "Observation Haki".

"Huff... huff..."

Sanji was breathing heavily, his white shirt was already tattered, revealing the bruises and welts underneath.

"Damn it...is this never going to end?"

He had just kicked over a thousand-year-old dragon that was trying to launch a sneak attack with a "mutton head kick," but his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated.

In that split second—

"hold head high--!!"

A sharp gust of wind suddenly rang out behind him!

Another thousand-year-old dragon, which had been lurking for a long time, seized this only weakness.

It swooped down silently from the sky, its terrifying claws, sharp enough to crush rocks, carrying the chill of death, aimed straight for Sanji's back!

"Sanji!!"

"later!!"

Ronan and Zoro, who were in the distance, noticed this scene almost at the same time. Their eyes widened in fury, and they wanted to help, but they were held back by their respective opponents and could not reach them!

The shadow of death instantly loomed over Sanji.

At that moment, the world seemed to fall silent.

The clamor of the battlefield, the shouts of comrades, and the roars of the dragons all vanished.

All Sanji could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

Am I going to die...?

Is this the end...?

I haven't reached the Grand Line yet... I haven't found All Blue yet...

"Buzz—"

At this critical juncture between life and death, it was as if a taut string deep within Sanji's mind suddenly snapped.

It wasn't that I heard a sound, but rather that I sensed a "thought".

It was a sharp, malicious aura, like a needle pricking the skin on his back.

He "saw" it, not with his eyes, but by sensing the trajectory of the claw with his body!

"There!!"

At the critical moment, Sanji's body moved before his brain could react.

He didn't turn around, but instead twisted his body sharply to the left in a manner that defied the laws of biomechanics.

"Sizzle—!"

The deadly dragon claw grazed his back, tearing the fabric and leaving three bloody marks, but they were merely superficial wounds!

We avoided it!

"Hey……"

Sanji landed, bracing himself with one hand. Although he was drenched in cold sweat, he grinned, a smile filled with the arrogance of someone who had survived a near-death experience.

"Life-or-death battles... are indeed the best way to cultivate."

Ronan shot the dragon's head away with a single shot, caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and smiled knowingly: "Congratulations, Sanji."

"Well done, you lecherous cook!" Zoro sliced ​​through the dragon's claw with his sword. Though his words were sharp, the worry in his eyes turned into admiration.

"If you die here, I'll be very troubled!"

"Stop talking nonsense, you green algae head!"

Sanji stood up again, a red light flashing in his eyes. "Now... I can see the movements of these giant birds clearly!"

At the very moment Sanji awakened, the cold, mechanical voice in Ronan's mind arrived as expected, bringing with it unprecedented and shocking information.

[Ding! The host has been in deathmatch mode for one hour, and their physical strength has exceeded the critical limit.]

[Deathmatch Mode Advanced - Now Available!]

Current cultivation multiplier: 10

[Ding! Under the pressure of life and death, the host's spirit has been tempered. Spirit +1.]

[Current Spirit: 11]

[System notification: When your Spirit attribute reaches 30 points, you will automatically awaken Conqueror's Haki!]

"What?!"

Ronan's mind jolted.

Conqueror's Haki!

That kingly talent, described as "one in millions," that power that the world considers innate and uncultivable.

It turns out that in this system, you can actually stack attributes to achieve certain results?!