One Piece Gunslinger

Unfortunately, Li Ang persuaded his partner, who was carrying the tools for committing the crime, to turn back halfway through the journey.

"Hehe, did you think this would stump the clever Lord Sabo? Judging by the time, it's about time. Today, I'm going to crush you!" Sabo thought smugly, absentmindedly watching the situation below, and unconsciously said it out loud.

It's tough for these people living in the One Piece world where entertainment resources are scarce. No wonder casinos are the best businesses in the world, they're everywhere. And no wonder the Revolutionary Army members cherish mahjong like treasures—it's all because they're bored.

"Sabo, I think I just heard something strange. Could you repeat it?" Just as Sabo was feeling smug, an untimely voice rang out behind him.

"!!"

Li Ang's words nearly scared him out of his wits, leaving him speechless for a moment.

Li Ang didn't stop either. He took two steps to Sabo's side and asked curiously, "Hey, are you alright? You look terrible."

Fortunately, it was Li Ang. If it had been Kella, Sabo wouldn't just be looking pale; he would probably have died on the spot.

"Um, cough...it's nothing, I'm just..." Sabo quickly composed himself and stammered, "I'm just worried about the quality of this batch of new recruits. Yes, that's right, that's it."

The quality of soldiers has always been a crucial issue of great concern to Li Ang and the entire revolutionary army. Upon hearing Sabo's words, Li Ang hurriedly looked towards the training ground, but after two minutes, he still couldn't see anything wrong.

Nonsense, of course you can't tell. This was just something Sabo arranged on the spot.

"No?" Li Ang asked, puzzled. "What's wrong? They've only been training for less than a month. This kind of performance is normal, isn't it? Aren't they all like this?"

Sabo knew, of course, that this hastily fabricated lie wouldn't last two minutes. Li Ang could easily see through it by simply glancing at the situation in the training ground. So, within those two minutes, he was already racking his brains, trying to find a way to cover up the lie.

Sure enough, Sabo found an excuse within those two minutes: "Well, hasn't our conflict with the World Government escalated further? Although we've gained a year to catch our breath, I'm still very worried about the current situation. While these new recruits aren't much different from before, they're somewhat inadequate in the current tense situation. I think we need to do better so that we can be like that proud petrel, able to weather the storm that the World Government will bring."

Sabo felt he had never been so clever. He even remembered the poem "The Stormy Petrel," which he had long forgotten, and used it to bolster the credibility of his words within those two minutes.

In fact, Li Ang had already noticed Sabo's similarity, and he had clearly heard what Sabo accidentally said back then, but he just wanted to take the opportunity to tease Sabo.

Just as they were teasing each other, they heard Sabo utter these words.

"I didn't expect Sabo to have such a quick wit, which reminded me of something. If we continue to maintain the previous pace of development, whether in military, technology, economy, or other aspects, it is clearly not enough in the current situation. Although we have already developed very quickly, as Sabo said, we need to accelerate our development in order to prepare for the storm. Even a fool can be right once in a thousand thoughts, let alone Sabo."

However, Li Ang couldn't come up with a good solution to these problems in the short term, so he could only write them down and study them later.

So Li Ang said earnestly, "Sabo, you're right, this is indeed a thorny but necessary problem."

Sabo breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving Li Ang's affirmation; it had been no easy feat, requiring considerable effort to get away with it.

To avoid complications and a worsening of the situation, for example, if Li Ang were to ask him, "Since you've discovered this problem and pondered it for so long, you must have some insight," he certainly wouldn't be able to answer, and no amount of wit would be of any use.

So Sabo quickly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, what brings you here today?"

"Oh, this? Of course, it's to give you a beating, my dear Sabo."

Chapter 278 Lack of Experience

"What did you just say?!"

Sabo was already starting to doubt his own ears.

"Ahem, I meant I'd like to spar with you. To check my approximate strength before I leave." Li Ang changed his tune instantly, without batting an eye, completely unconcerned that he had spoken the truth earlier.

However, this is why Li Ang came to find Sabo. After all, after undergoing a system enhancement, Li Ang had no concept of his own strength, and who knows what the specific effects of level three Armament Haki are.

This voyage is more dangerous than before. If you don't have a very accurate assessment of your own capabilities, you might just capsize because of this unexpected setback.

So, for this reason, you could have approached someone else. But specifically targeting Sabo is simply a way to build up resentment from years of suffering and Sabo's constant mischief.

Over the years, Li Ang has really wanted to personally beat up Sabo.

"Hey, that's not what you meant at all!" Sabo now believed his ears again.

"Hey, enough talk. We're right here on the training ground, let's have a fierce battle." Li Ang didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer.

"Wait, I'll fight you, but don't use those deadly things." Sabo made sure to keep in mind the agreement he had with Leon beforehand.

"I never intended to use those things in the first place." With that, he jumped off the platform and onto the training ground.

Sabo was also a warmonger, a mischievous fellow with a wealth of experiences to draw upon. Upon seeing Leon, he decisively and immediately engaged in battle. He then jumped down as well.

Upon learning that the two were about to fight, the instructors and recruits on the training ground wisely stopped their previous training and retreated to the sidelines, leaving a huge space for the two.

They have no choice but to retreat. If these two accidentally get caught in the crossfire, none of the new recruits can stop them and they will die on the spot.

Sabo was no pushover either. After confirming that everyone else had retreated far enough, he launched a preemptive attack. His first move was the Dragon Claw, a potential technique he had learned from the dragon.

Although Sabo at this point is still four years away from being the dashing and powerful second brother in the original story, he still managed to execute the Dragon Claw move with great skill and showed signs of its original essence.

As the first person to face this dangerous move, Li Ang felt that Sabo's black claws were indeed exactly like the claws of a dragon, and splitting mountains and rocks was a piece of cake.

However, Li Ang did not want to avoid this move. Now that he also possessed Armament Haki, he wanted to test his strength and naturally wanted to confront it head-on to see if he could directly break through this attack.

"Five thousand tiles? Right fist!"

With a roar, Li Ang threw a punch straight at the dragon claw directly in front of him. This was the strongest attack Li Ang could muster at the moment; if even this couldn't defeat Sabo, then there was no point in fighting the rest.

Neither of them made many changes to their moves, and they simply clashed head-on.

Bang! With a loud crash, Sabo and Leon each took a few steps back. A huge crack appeared in the ground between them.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Sabo cried out, clutching his right hand. "When did you reach the level of 5,000 watts? And when did you learn Armament Haki?"

He couldn't help but be surprised. The last time he met Li Ang, he hadn't reached this level yet. Could it be that doing clerical work could improve one's abilities? After all, recently Li Ang hadn't had time to do anything else except fight against mountains of documents in the General Staff Department.

Seeing Sabo's constipated expression, Li Ang felt much better; he had finally punished Sabo with his fists. Although his right hand was still a little sore.

"Hmph, I only mastered Armament Haki yesterday, and as for the five thousand tiles, I only just got a basic grasp of it." Li Ang was telling the truth. He only mastered Armament Haki yesterday after being enhanced by the system. Then today, he met Jinbe and asked him for some pointers on Fish-Man Karate. With his current powerful physique, he was able to get some guidance and reach the five thousand tiles level.

However, Sabo didn't quite believe him, giving him a "you're kidding me" look. He was convinced that even if Li Ang had improved somewhat during this time, it was impossible for his combat power to increase so much overnight; he must have been hiding some of his strength before.

Li Ang had no intention of explaining what a normal person would think; believe it or not, it didn't matter.

This time it was Li Ang's turn to attack. He didn't bother with any fancy moves and just charged forward, leaping over the crack to engage in close combat with Sabo.

After all, half of Sabo's martial arts skills come from his staff. If you can stay close to Sabo, you can practically cripple half of Sabo's skills.

Sabo's combat experience was immense. Having suffered a setback in the previous exchange, he already realized he was slightly inferior to Leon in terms of raw strength, and a direct confrontation with Leon would be a losing proposition. In this situation, he could only seek a breakthrough through technique. Leon, however, was not a long-term combatant, and his experience was undoubtedly far inferior.

So when Sabo saw Li Ang charging straight at him, he understood Li Ang's intentions. Naturally, he couldn't let Li Ang have his way. He knew that if Li Ang got close, there would be no point in playing.

Sabo then withdrew and retreated, taking his precious staff from behind and striking vertically with it.

If Li Ang maintains this speed, he will inevitably take this hit just before catching up with Sabo.

Unfortunately, in such battles, everything changes in an instant, leaving little time for reflection; much of the strategy relies on years of accumulated experience.

For an intelligent fighter like Li Ang, not having time to think is tantamount to wasting half the effort, and experience is something he lacks. So Li Ang instinctively braked and paused, just barely avoiding the vertical slash.

However, Li Ang couldn't be happy at all. After dodging, his mind caught up and realized that he shouldn't have dodged the move, but rather directly taken it head-on, using it to gain an opportunity to get closer.

Otherwise, things would be tragic now. Looking at Sabo holding a wooden stick and standing ready, Li Ang realized that if he tried to get any closer to Sabo, it wouldn't be as simple as just getting hit.

"Tsk tsk, Li Ang is still lacking in experience." The two had only just started fighting when Fujitora arrived on the stands, and he had naturally noticed the exchange.

After all, the two had to get the new recruits in training to push them away before they announced their fight. And that was enough time for the news of the Chief of Staff and Ryu's personal disciple fighting to spread throughout the village. Fujitora, who usually had nothing better to do, rushed over as soon as he heard the news.

"In our experience, this was certainly a mistake, but for Li Ang, the speed of his progress is terrifying, considering he doesn't have much time to devote to martial arts."

Haku, who was also watching the fight, couldn't help but sigh when he saw that Leon had now surpassed him and could deliver a punch with a power of five thousand watts. He recalled when he first met Leon, he was only slightly stronger than an ordinary soldier.

“That’s true. If Li Ang hadn’t joined the Revolutionary Army and instead become a pirate or joined the Navy, his strength would be far greater than it is now. It’s the many complicated things in the Revolutionary Army that have hampered his training. Or rather, he shouldn’t have been training like this at all,” Fujitora said while watching the two fight in the training ground.

Back on the training ground, Li Ang indeed paid the price for his previous wrong decision. Now Sabo was wielding his stick with great force, and for a moment Li Ang had no good solutions. He could only move around and dodge under Sabo's offensive, and was put on the defensive.

Li Ang did try to break through, but he was repeatedly forced back halfway. It seems that Sabo, relying on his mastery of distance control, had no intention of giving Li Ang a chance.

Although Armament Haki can protect Leon from injury, it cannot negate the force of the impact. If he rushes in recklessly, he will only take a hit for nothing and then the stick will be knocked out.

However, Li Ang is Li Ang after all; he's not stupid. In this time, he managed to come up with a way to get close.

Li Ang retreated temporarily, but on the way, he did not forget to guide the two to the center of the training ground, the place where they had exchanged their first blows.

Sabo was unaware of Leon's tricks and chased after him relentlessly, but to no avail, as Leon dodged all his attacks. However, Sabo understood that Leon couldn't maintain this level of performance indefinitely; eventually, mistakes would occur, and that would be the moment of defeat.

What Sabo needs to do is to keep putting pressure on Leon before that happens, otherwise he will have another chance to relax.

"This!" As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Li Ang's deliberate attempt to guide the route was still seen through by the two people with God's perspective.

"Is he going to take advantage of the crack in the middle of the field?" Fujitora asked in surprise.

Haku nodded; "That should be it. As expected of Li Ang, he always talks about the right time, the right place, and the right people. It seems that even if there is no favorable location, one must create one."

A flat training ground is naturally not advantageous for the two of them. It's not like a cavalry charge. In many cases, flat terrain is not an advantage and cannot be used.

However, after the two of them clashed, the energy traveled through their legs into the ground, causing a significant crack to appear in the middle. This was the only unique feature of this flat area, and the only usable part of it.

The two were right; Li Ang was indeed planning to use this opening to break through Sabo's staff attack.

When Leon leaped back sharply during the battle, Sabo, about to give chase, saw the rift between them and thought to himself, "Oh no!"

Chapter 279 Intelligence Makes the Difference

Just like Sabo did before, after realizing he couldn't win a direct confrontation, he chose to use techniques to suppress Li Ang. Similarly, when Li Ang realizes he can't compete in terms of skill or experience, he will choose to use his strengths to counter.

So when Leon retreated behind the rift, Sabo's extensive combat experience told him that it was impossible to return to the state where he had suppressed Leon before.

The distance Leon retreated behind the rift was calculated to perfectly position himself within Sabo's attack range. Retreating behind the rift blocked Sabo's continued offensive; if Sabo attacked from behind the rift, he wouldn't be able to reach Leon.

Continuing the attack at the same pace and distance as before would inevitably lead to a misstep. To avoid misstepping, the distance must be just above the crack.

If he were to cross the rift and attack Leon proactively, wouldn't that be tantamount to actively approaching Leon? That's exactly what Leon has always wanted. And once Leon confirms that Sabo will cross the rift, he will also rush forward, and if the timing is right, he can successfully deliver a powerful punch to Sabo's chest.

It can only be said that the beating he took wasn't in vain. It was precisely because of Sabo's fierce attack that Li Ang was exhausted from dealing with it, which allowed Li Ang to figure out Sabo's attack range.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant!" Haku, sitting in the stands, also wanted to befriend Li Ang. "Regardless of how Sabo handles this, or whether Sabo can solve this problem later, at least it has made Sabo hesitate. And as long as he hesitates, the previous fierce offensive rhythm of the whirlwind version will no longer exist."

“Yes, it’s true that Li Ang’s hesitation and lack of experience caused him to fall into a disadvantageous position at one point, but now, because of a crack left over from before, the balance between the two has been brought back to the beginning.” Fujitora also confirmed Haku’s statement.

"Now the problem has shifted from Leon's to Sabo's. It all depends on Sabo's choice."

As the two mentioned, Sabo was also struggling with this issue. How the battle would unfold depended entirely on his choice and how Leon would respond after he made his decision.

But this is actually a misconception, or rather, a result of ingrained thinking. Logically speaking, in this battle, the two should be equals.

Why should I be the one to make the choice, and not Li Ang?

Right? The two are separated by a rift; they can't just stare at each other like this forever, locked in a stalemate. Either it's a draw, or one of them has to make a change, and that person should be either one of them.

Sabo had never imagined this, and neither had Fujitora or Haku considered it.

From Sabo's perspective, his relentless pursuit of Li Ang was quite effective; Li Ang was just a minute or two away from collapsing.