Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

"Oh!" Sanji's eyes flashed coldly. "But why didn't Luffy come along?"

"Luffy," Zoro shrugged helplessly, "He just ate and went straight to sleep, no doubt about it. He's probably fast asleep right now."

"Seriously... the captain's sleeping soundly while the crew's fighting for their lives," Sanji remarked.

More and more bounty hunters gathered below. Although their scheme had been exposed, they quickly regained their arrogance due to their superior numbers.

"There are only three of them, what are you afraid of! Everyone, attack together! Kill them!"

"If you want to fight... we're ready to fight to the bitter end!"

Zoro looked down at the densely packed crowd and shouted:

"Baroque Works!"

The moment the name was uttered, the previously noisy crowd fell silent.

Icarus, Miss Monday, and the others turned deathly pale instantly, cold sweat pouring down their backs: "You...how do you know our company's name?!"

At this time, Baroque Works was an extremely mysterious criminal organization, and the outside world knew very little about it.

"Hmph, don't take yourself too seriously."

Zoro flashed a sharp smile: "I used to be a bounty hunter too. Your company once sent someone to try and recruit me... but I refused!"

"A criminal organization where members know nothing about each other, address each other only by code names, and whose boss is also shrouded in mystery, only responsible for loyally carrying out orders... You must be one of them?"

Having his secret exposed, Icarum could no longer conceal the murderous intent in his eyes.

"This really surprises me... However, now that you know our company's secret, then there's nothing I can do but—"

"I'll kill you all!!!"

"Fire!! Turn them into sieves!!"

At Icarus's command, hundreds of bounty hunters unleashed orange-red flames from their muskets.

A hail of bullets rained down like a storm, weaving a deadly net of fire across the night sky and completely engulfing the three men.

"Jingle bells—!!"

However, the expected scene of carnage did not occur. Instead, there was a series of teeth-grinding sounds, like the clanging of metal in a blacksmith's shop.

On the rooftop, Zoro and Sanji stood side by side, facing a barrage of bullets powerful enough to tear an ordinary person apart, yet they did not dodge or evade.

A high-speed spinning lead bullet, accompanied by a scorching blast of air, struck Zoro hard in the chest.

But it didn't penetrate the flesh; it was as if it had hit an indestructible steel plate.

"Snapped!"

The lead bullet deformed and flattened instantly, then fell limply onto the tile with a crisp sound.

Apart from a small burn hole on his white short-sleeved shirt, not a single blister was scratched.

This is the terrifying power of the "Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Training - Third Stage".

They cultivated their inner energy and strengthened their muscles and skin. At this point, they were no longer mortal beings, but living humanoid weapons.

"This...how is this possible?!"

The bounty hunters below stared wide-eyed, their hands gripping their guns trembling violently.

"I clearly hit it... why is there no blood?! It didn't even sway!"

"The bullets... bounced off?! Are they made of steel? Are they monsters?!"

Panic spread through the population like a plague.

Faced with such a defensive force that defied common sense, their fighting spirit began to crumble rapidly.

But in the center of the crowd, the scene was completely different.

Ronan, wielding an ebony staff, moved through the crowd like a ghost.

He activated his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, and everything around him formed a panoramic map in his mind.

"Three shots to the left, five shots to the right rear."

Ronan turned his body to the side, lowered his head, and slid his body in an extremely subtle way.

Bullets flew past his clothes, precisely avoiding all the bullet trajectories.

"Ah! My leg!"

"Damn it! Aim carefully before you shoot! You hit me!"

Ronan's agile movements threw the bounty hunters surrounding him into disarray, with screams of friendly fire echoing everywhere.

"That guy..."

A sharp-eyed junior leader suddenly pointed at Ronan and shouted, as if he had discovered a new continent:

"Look! Only the guy with the stick is dodging! The other two are monsters that can't hurt them, but this guy is definitely afraid of bullets!"

"That's right! He didn't dare to take it head-on!"

"He's an easy target! Focus fire on him! Take him out first!"

In an instant, all the bounty hunters seemed to have found an outlet to release their fear.

Hundreds of dark gun barrels turned in unison, all aimed at Ronan.

"..."

Ronan stopped and looked at the dense array of gun barrels around him; his face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"A soft persimmon?"

"Hahahaha!!"

A burst of unrestrained laughter came from the rooftop.

Zoro sat cross-legged on the roof ridge, pointing at Ronan below, laughing so hard tears were almost streaming down his face.

"Hey, Ronan! Did you hear that? They're looking down on you! They're saying you're easy prey!"

"What a disgrace, a martial arts master."

Sanji lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and wore a mocking smile.

"With bullets this weak, is it even necessary to dodge and weave? Like a flea. Those small fry underestimated you, haha!"

Ronan wasn't angry at their mockery; he just sighed helplessly.

"call--"

He swung his ebony staff sharply, creating a gust of wind that swept away several stray bullets aimed at his face.

"You two idiots, what do you know?"

Ronan looked up and said in a low voice, "I just didn't want these thugs to ruin my clothes. After all... these clothes are quite expensive."

"Clothes?" Zoro and Sanji were taken aback.

"Speaking of which..." Ronan pointed to the two people on the roof, his eyes gleaming with amusement, "Look down at yourselves, are you even presentable?"

Zoro and Sanji instinctively looked down.

By the moonlight, they finally saw their miserable state.

Zoro's signature white short-sleeved shirt was now covered with countless charred bullet holes.

It looked like a tattered fishing net, with muscles faintly visible inside, making it appear extremely disheveled.

Sanji fared even worse.

His prized black suit, once impeccably tailored, has now been reduced to rags.

The cuffs were torn, the trouser legs were full of holes, and even the shirt underneath was showing.

"..."

The laughter stopped abruptly.

A cold wind blew by, and the two felt a chill on their bodies, but their hearts were even colder.

"I... my suit..." Sanji dropped his cigarette, his face instantly turning extremely gloomy.

For a gentleman who values ​​his appearance and is always ready to present himself well in front of ladies, this shabby outfit is a disgrace.