I collect everything in the One Piece world.

Despite his corruption, Basti, as a professional soldier, still possessed basic vigilance.

So he took a few personal guards and slowly patrolled along the edge of the hall.

The room was brightly lit, and there were naval soldiers on guard at intervals; everything seemed normal.

He then pushed open the door and walked out into the corridor that connected the inner area with the outer guard area.

The gas lamps on the wall cast long shadows of Basti and his two guards on the floor and walls.

As they passed through a passageway, a younger guard beside Basti glanced at the walls on either side and murmured with some confusion, "Huh?... These stickers on the walls? They look like bullets? Who put them up? Did a child sneak in?"

sticker?

A sudden unease welled up in Basti's heart. He turned his head and saw that the walls on both sides of the corridor were covered with dozens of small stickers.

Each sticker features a simple line drawing of a lead bullet poised to strike, exuding a static killing intent and already beginning to shimmer.

"Not good!" Bastiyu's fighting instincts erupted instantly. He didn't have time to think, and all the muscles in his body tensed up.

He activated the Iron Body Defense Technique of the Six Styles of the Navy at full power, and his skin instantly hardened like iron.

However, Basty's warning came too late. The moment he finished speaking, the shimmering stickers disappeared, replaced by a series of lead bullets being fired.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

A chilling whistling sound suddenly filled the entire corridor as dozens of scorching, spinning lead bullets shot in from all directions!

The two guards, who were standing slightly ahead and whose attention was still on the stickers, did not have time to make any effective reaction before their naval uniforms were torn apart and clusters of blood burst out from their bodies.

Those who were further away were not spared either; they collapsed to the ground like sieves before they could even scream, and blood quickly spread across the ground.

Only Basty, with his amazing combat instincts and "iron body" defense, managed to defend himself against the hail of bullets. His hardened body deflected most of the bullets, leaving only countless charred burn marks and shallow pits on his uniform.

"Damn it! What kind of ability is this?!" Bastiyu was both shocked and furious; he had never seen such a bizarre attack method before.

However, before he could regain his footing and think of a solution, he was in no time to do so.

boom!!!

The large gate at the end of the corridor, connecting to the outer guard area, suddenly exploded open. A dark, fist-sized solid cannonball shot straight in the instant the gate was blasted open, heading straight for Basti, who had just survived a hail of bullets!

"What?!" Basti stared wide-eyed, thinking he was hallucinating. "How can there be cannons outside?! Where are the guards?!"

He had no time to dodge, so he could only roar and push the iron block to its limit before crossing his arms in front of his chest to prepare to take the hit head-on.

boom! ! !

The shells slammed into his crossed arms, and even his body, reinforced by "iron blocks," seemed somewhat vulnerable under such close-range bombardment.

The terrifying impact made him feel as if he had been hit head-on by a train traveling at full speed.

"Pfft!" Bastiyu spat out a mouthful of blood, his whole body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing hard into the wall behind him, the solid brick wall cracking like a spider web.

He felt excruciating pain in both arms, his chest was churning with blood and qi, and his internal organs seemed to have shifted. His iron-like state was completely shattered by this shot, and blood slowly flowed down from the corner of his mouth.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the shell that had blasted him away crashed to the ground and rolled a few times.

Basty stared at the bullet, recalling the sticker that had just turned into a bullet, and suddenly realized that it wasn't a cannon outside, but rather that his opponent was a strange Devil Fruit user.

If stickers can be turned into bullets, then they can naturally be turned into cannonballs as well.

"Help...help!! Enemy intrusion!!" Bastiyu shouted hoarsely, hoping that the guards and navy could hear him.

"No need to call them, they can't hear you."

A voice so calm it sent chills down your spine came from outside the door that had been flung open.

Chapter 16, Ryujin Jakka!

In the antique shop, listening to the beautiful woman's estimated price, the gaunt shopkeeper stared wide-eyed, filled with regret. How could he have sold it so cheaply?

At the same time, the beautiful woman smiled and handed the gaunt shopkeeper a few dollars, while inquiring about clues about the person who bought the stone slab.

The gaunt shopkeeper, still feeling frustrated, began to speak without much hesitation, while the beautiful woman took out paper and started writing and drawing based on the description.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Mosen, wearing his signature cow-and-cat mask and carrying a long knife, slowly walked into the passageway.

The cold gaze from behind the mask looked down at the disheveled Basti, then he flicked his wrist, shaking the bloodstains off the knife to the ground.

"There's no one outside anymore," Mosen said indifferently. "As for the people inside..."

He listened intently and could faintly hear the indistinct yet enthusiastic bidding and Horn's passionate introduction coming through several heavy soundproof doors.

"These doors are very soundproof. Besides, they're busy enjoying their 'final pleasures' right now, how could they possibly hear whether you're alive or dead?"

Hearing Morsen's words, Basti's pupils shrank dramatically. So many elite guards and navy personnel outside were all dead?!

During the time he was inside?! And without making a sound?! Is this guy a monster?!

"You...you're that crazy 'Black Cat Sheriff'!" Basty roared weakly, barely suppressing his pain and fear.

"How dare you attack and kill a Marine! Do you know the consequences of doing this?!"

"The World Government will not let you go! The Marine Headquarters will also issue a huge bounty! You will be hunted down to death by the navies of the entire world!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Sen tilted his head, his voice behind the mask laced with sarcasm: "Consequences? I've killed plenty of scumbag marines, one more of you doesn't seem to make much difference."

As he spoke, he took a few more steps forward, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground, gleaming coldly.

"Besides..."

"You scum, are you even part of the 'Navy'? Your so-called 'justice' is just being a watchdog for these human traffickers, taking a cut from their dirty deals?"

Mosen's words were merciless, tearing away Basti's most hypocritical and despicable facade, causing his face to flush red with shame and anger.

“In my opinion,” Mosen slowly raised his long sword, the tip pointing at Basti, “you deserve to die more than those human traffickers and buyers, both on and off stage.”

“At least they never hide their greed and ugliness. But you use the cloak of ‘justice’ to wrap up a soul that is even more rotten than theirs.”

"So, are you ready, Colonel Basty?"

Mosen slightly bowed, assuming the most basic starting stance in the swordsmanship taught by Lyle.

"What follows might be a little cruel for you, after all, cleaning up trash doesn't require much gentleness."

Basti trembled at Mosen's words, both from anger and from the fear and shame of having his pretense exposed.

He knew that Mosen was determined to kill him, so begging for mercy would be useless. His only option was to fight back.

"Stop talking big! You ignorant fool!" Basty stood up unsteadily, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, a fierce glint in his eyes like that of a trapped beast.

Although he was corrupt, he was able to climb to the position of colonel in the headquarters. In his youth, he had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and had rich practical experience. He had also mastered a few moves of the Six Styles of the Navy.

"I'm not someone to be intimidated! You want to kill me? You'll pay with your life!"

He roared, his whole body surging with power, and he actually took the initiative to attack.

"shave!"

His figure blurred instantly. Although he was not as fast as he was in his prime, he was still fast enough to leave afterimages.

The long sword at his waist was drawn, transforming into a chilling white light that pierced straight towards Mo Sen's throat.

At the same time, he closed the fingers of his free left hand, concealing a deadly move.

Finger gun!

Faced with Basti's counterattack, Mosen's eyes behind his mask instantly became incredibly focused.

While we may mock them, we must take them seriously tactically.

He knew that the field-level officers in the Navy Headquarters, especially the colonel level, were the backbone of the Navy's basic combat order, far superior to the colonels in other branches. Some of the elite colonels in the Headquarters even possessed strength comparable to that of generals.

The fact that Bastian was taught the three techniques of "Shave," "Iron Block," and "Finger Pistol" proves that he was once a promising talent. However, his later life of corruption dulled his spirit and prevented him from fully realizing his potential.

"Good timing!"

Mosen silently shouted, advancing instead of retreating. With a flick of his wrist, his longsword traced a precise arc to meet Basti's thrust.

Moreover, two stickers on the blade almost simultaneously shimmered with light: [viscous, flammable whale oil] + [blazing flames]

hum!

A layer of greasy black light instantly covered the blade, and then with a "boom," orange-red flames suddenly shot up from the guard, quickly enveloping the entire blade.

The intense heat distorted the surrounding air, illuminating the dimly lit corridor!

Ryujin Jakka (Physical Version)!

clang!

The burning longsword precisely parried the tip of Basti's thrusting blade, sparks flying everywhere!

Some of the flames also reached Basti's arm, forcing him to distract himself from the intense heat.

His sneak attack with the "finger gun" was dodged by Mo Sen with a seemingly dangerous but actually anticipated side slide.

“You’re too slow.” Morsen’s voice was cold and clear, carrying a confidence that indicated he was in control of the battle: “My senses are very sharp.”

Before he finished speaking, his parrying stance suddenly changed, shifting from defense to offense.

Using the recoil from parrying the opponent's weapon, the burning longsword drew a blazing semicircle in the air, accompanied by a whistling wind and a scorching heat wave, and slashed fiercely toward Basti's chest!

The speed and power of this strike far exceeded Basti's expectations!

"Iron block!"

In his haste, Basti could only unleash the full power of the "iron block" once more, causing his chest and abdominal muscles to harden instantly like iron.

Bang!

The burning blade slammed heavily into his chest!

Even with the "iron block" defense, the enormous impact still caused him to groan and stagger back several steps.

His naval uniform was burned through, revealing a charred and swollen burn underneath. The searing pain made him break out in a cold sweat.

The continuous burning of the flames even interfered with the operation of his "iron block".

"This guy...!" Basti's heart grew heavier.

He had initially thought the other party was just a madman who relied on the power of a strange fruit, but now it seemed that the other party's physical skills were quite solid, and his swordsmanship was concise and ruthless, full of real combat killing intent, and he was by no means an ordinary person.

The combination of Devil Fruit power and martial arts skills is so skillful that it is ten times more difficult to deal with than a simple Devil Fruit user!

"What kind of Devil Fruit power do you have?!" Basti gasped for breath, trying to calm his churning blood and the burning pain in his chest, while attempting to stall for time with words.