One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

Those like Link, who transformed into salespeople, were all doing the same thing.

The Commoners, those who could open doors were allowed to, and those who couldn't were forced to break them down; in short, they had to sell the goods.

For the Commoners, although they were initially frightened, seeing so many cheap products quickly eased their panic, and they began to select items instead.

Because they were indeed very cheap. Not to mention the essential Medicine, which was in high demand; as long as it was cheaper than in stores, even if only by 10%, people would buy it.

Next was Jewelry, which was bought at prices as low as 70% or even 50% of the market price, making it very popular among women, who were willing to spend money on it.

Men were not averse to this either; for them, buying these items was a profit, and they might even make money by reselling them later.

The least popular items were Weapons and Gunpowder.

The former was somewhat acceptable; there were always some people who liked Weapons, whether for collection or self-defense, and they bought some. However, the latter was basically untouched by anyone.

Because Gunpowder, aside from bullets for firearms, mostly consisted of shells and even Cannons themselves. This was something the Pirates had stolen from the Naval Base, and regardless of whether the Commoners had any sense, they would not buy such things.

The World Government does not prohibit ordinary Weapons like swords and guns, but as for Cannons, aside from Pirates, no one would use them; even local Gangsters wouldn't buy Cannons.

However, they did buy Weapons.

These difficult-to-handle Weapons caught the attention of Black Market Merchants, as the Commoners wouldn't buy too many items; everything was absorbed by the Gangsters.

As for those Cannons... "Fire them out!"

After running back and forth a few times, Link looked at the Cannons placed in the wasteland, which had undergone Special Waterproof Treatment to prevent the torrential rain from wetting them, and gritted his teeth, saying, "These are things bought for a billion Belly; they belong to me. I won't easily return them to the Navy. Fire them all, then throw the Cannons into the sea!"

He had considered returning the Cannons to the Navy, thinking it might earn him some goodwill, but upon reflection, it seemed like sending evidence to the Navy, which was too risky. It was better to destroy all the evidence; that way, even if they knew it was them, there would be no way to prove it.

A group of subordinates pushed the Cannons to the seaside, loaded the shells, and pulled the fuses.

Boom!!

Zefa punched down, but his fist didn't reach Sage's body; instead, Sage punched him back. Their fists never made contact, but a slight distance separated them at the center, creating a shockwave that resonated with a thunderous sound.

That fist, flowing like Black Fire, held back Zefa's fist! Sage looked up, revealing a provocative grin at Zefa.

"Not bad, kid!"

Zefa grinned, his pupils dilating suddenly, as a storm-like Haki surged into his prosthetic limb, and he punched again.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The collision of fists erupted with a powerful shockwave that rippled through the air, shaking the ground.

To onlookers, their moves seemed strange and terrifying; clearly, their fists did not collide, yet the force was astonishing.

As the fists continued to impact, Zefa's complexion suddenly turned red, his breathing became rapid, and he clearly gasped for air, his Haki level decreasing, and his movements began to slow.

Sage seized the opportunity, showing no mercy. He brushed past Zefa's fist, closed the distance with his body, and concentrated the Haki on his knee, delivering a knee strike to Zefa's abdomen. His knee didn't even touch Zefa's abdomen, yet the impact burst forth.

Bang! Zefa was sent flying by the attack, spinning in the air before crashing to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He covered his mouth, his body trembling as if enduring something, taking a long time to recover.

He took several deep breaths, seemingly forcing something down, before looking at Sage, who was covered in blood but whose momentum was growing stronger.

"Not only External Release, but you've also learned Internal Destruction?"

Sizzle! Sage exhaled a breath like an arrow, shaking off the blood on his body, and despite the pain, he grinned defiantly, saying, "Thanks to you!"

External Release is the technique of releasing Haki outward, creating an impact like a shockwave that can attack a person without direct contact. It seems powerful, and indeed it is.

But this is a technique of Haki, not a comprehension realm; it is different from Haki itself. Haki requires personal understanding, but Haki techniques do not.

For Sage, who understood the concept of Haki and was well-versed in it, as long as it was a technique, it could not escape his eyes.

In the Big Dipper Fist, there is a move called 'Big Dipper Water Shadow Heart,' which can replicate others' techniques.

Essentially, it relies on an extremely profound mastery of body techniques to analyze techniques. Coincidentally, this is Sage's most proficient move; he has practiced 'Big Dipper Water Shadow Heart' to the marrow. For him, any technique he has encountered, no matter how difficult, is just a matter of time.

At first, when Zefa used External Release and Internal Destruction, it caught him off guard, but after taking two hits, he immediately understood the technique of External Release and applied it.

However, he certainly did not have the upper hand; rather, he was at a disadvantage.

Hardening, Entanglement, External Release, and Destruction—these four techniques can be combined. This old man, while using External Release, also added Internal Destruction. When he faced the impact of External Release, the destructive impact that penetrated into his body was something he could not block.

If it weren't for using the Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique, he might have been knocked down first.

It was only after taking several hits that he deciphered the technique of Internal Destruction, which caused damage to Zefa.

Before that, he could only use External Release.

Even so, it was because Zefa's body had issues, revealing a flaw, that allowed him to attack; otherwise, he would have no way to deal with that level of Haki.

Zefa was also staring at Sage, increasingly alarmed. At first, just the External Release was enough to astonish him, but in the subsequent battle, after just a few punches, Sage immediately grasped Internal Destruction.

Such monstrous talent; Zefa didn't know if the monsters at sea could compare to Sage, but he knew, "I absolutely cannot let you into the sea!"

Boom!

Zefa swung his left arm, and the Haki flowed like wind, entangling around his hand like a hurricane. As he swung his left arm, it created a thunderous sound in the air.

The wind-like airflow even entangled around Zefa's body, causing his purple hair to flutter upwards, making his cape billow behind him.

Crack! The ground beneath his feet cracked at that moment, creating a depression, and the shattered stones trembled and rose.

The amount of Haki, the Entanglement all over his body, was beyond imagination!

The old man was using all his strength!

Zefa slowly spoke, "Kid, I admit you are unparalleled in martial arts, but precisely because of this, if I can't capture you this time, I don't know how much effort it will take next time, or how much destruction it will cause. Before you have fully grown, I will capture you!!"

He could no longer entangle with this kid; although using all his strength would make his body feel worse, right now, capturing this kid was the most important thing! Boom! Zefa's figure flashed like an illusion, ready to impact forward, but at that moment, a black impact rushed in, causing him to instinctively stop, punching to disperse the impact.

He frowned, looking incredulously at Sage, who was striking with his palm, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

External Release?

But why was the force wrong? Sage's inflated body quickly shrank like a deflated balloon, returning to its normal size. He exhaled a breath of turbid air and smiled at Zefa, saying, "I won't let you get close again."

If that level of Haki made contact, he definitely wouldn't be able to withstand it.

However, if he wanted to avoid contact, it was not impossible.

The Big Dipper Fist has Fighting Qi techniques, but in this world, Fighting Qi is Haki. In the past, when Sage had just mastered Haki, he could only engage in close combat and couldn't use certain techniques. But now that he could use External Release, it was different.

The sealed techniques in the Big Dipper Fist could now be used.

The attack technique was called 'Big Dipper Hard Palm Wave'! Or it could be called 'Turtle School Kamehameha.'

Or... Boom! Sage spread his five fingers, and the black stream of fire shot from his palm like a cannonball, rapidly launching forward.

"Wave Motion Fist!"