Thud, thud.
Amid the continuous tremors of the ground, Xiano arrived in front of a giant tree over ten meters tall.
Glancing up at the treetop, he suddenly extended both hands, his fingers digging into the trunk. His bulging latissimus dorsi muscles instantly tensed, and a series of muffled sounds of roots snapping came from beneath the ground.
It wasn't just a pull—it was the roar of an entire layer of soil being overturned!
The massive tree, weighing three to four tons, along with a cascade of dirt, was lifted off the ground, firmly gripped in his hands.
Then he turned his head, looking toward the peak of the mountain opposite him.
It was roughly three to four hundred meters away from his current position.
After a brief aim, Xiano, without a word, channeled all his strength and hurled the giant tree from his shoulder.
Whoosh—!
The tree shot toward the opposite peak like a javelin. At the same time, Xiano raised his heel, gathered a bit of strength, and suddenly stomped down.
"Shave!"
His figure blurred and flickered, and in the next instant, he appeared atop the tree. The trunk instantly sank a significant distance, and its speed slowed slightly.
But it still maintained its original momentum, flying toward the mountain peak.
Facing the howling wind, with trees and streams swiftly passing beneath his feet, Xiano narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the approaching peak.
Like the previous mountain, both peaks had long been reserved, becoming his exclusive training grounds.
However, compared to the scarred and devastated state of the previous mountain, this one was in much better condition. Only the peak had been completely flattened, leaving a massive open-air platform.
At the edge of the platform, Man-Scar, Skinny Monkey, and two others were already waiting. Seeing the giant tree flying toward them from the sky, they hurriedly retreated further back.
Boom!
The tree crashed into the center of the platform. Xiano jumped down, landing steadily on the ground. With a single foot, he hooked the trunk and casually kicked it, sending it rolling down the mountainside.
Thud—
Even though they had grown accustomed to the various visual shocks Xiano brought over the past few months, witnessing this scene, Man-Scar and the others still instinctively gulped.
"Did you bring the guns?" Xiano asked casually.
"All brought, boss," Man-Scar immediately pulled out a flintlock from his back, and the other three followed suit.
"As I said yesterday, all of you aim for my head and fire quickly."
Just as Xiano finished speaking, he remembered something and glanced at Skinny Monkey. "Not you. Aim for my feet."
"Uh," Skinny Monkey blushed, "Boss, my marksmanship has improved a lot. I think aiming for your knee would be just about right."
"...Whatever."
Xiano shook his head and stood with his hands behind his back, facing the wind at the center of the platform.
The other four took positions at the four corners—east, south, west, and north—then closed the distance, raised their guns, and aimed at Xiano's head.
"Fire!"
Man-Scar waved his hand, giving the command.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The not-so-dense gunfire shattered the mountain's silence. Four orange-red muzzle flashes erupted in succession, and after one round, they quickly reloaded and fired the next.
Clang! Clang! Xiano stood motionless, letting the bullets strike his head.
No matter the angle, the bullets were instantly deflected, producing a metallic clinking sound.
Even the fleshiest part of his cheek, upon colliding with a bullet, only rippled slightly like a stone dropping into a lake, quickly returning to its original state.
This was the effect of mastering "Copper Head." Even without deliberately using Iron Body to accelerate blood flow, he could completely ignore the impact of bullets.
Whoosh—!
A bullet shot straight toward him, precisely and unerringly, aiming for his eye.
"Not good!"
Man-Scar noticed this scene, his face filled with panic. He quickly reached out to stop the others, "Hey, stop shooting for now! Boss, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
The gunfire abruptly ceased, and everyone finally saw clearly that the bullet hadn't been deflected immediately. Instead, it had strangely stopped in front of his eyeball, as if stuck in tar.
"I'm fine, no need to worry."
Xiano spoke calmly, then suddenly rolled his eyeball upward, trapping the bullet in his upper eyelid.
Everyone heard a teeth-grinding creak, and in the next moment, the bullet that had been lodged in his eyelid was crushed into countless fine lead particles, which slowly slid down Xiano's nose.
"..."
For a moment, the surroundings fell into complete silence.
"Seems like the effect is quite good."
Xiano nodded in satisfaction, smiling at the stunned Man-Scar and the others. "Alright, that's enough for today. You can all go about your business."
"Yes, Boss."
It took Man-Scar and the others a while to regain their composure. They bowed and left the open platform, glancing back every few steps, clearly still unable to shake off the shock in their hearts.
Xiano, however, was not surprised at all.
The description of "Copper Head" was very clear: once mastered, it enhanced all parts of his body above the neck, naturally including seemingly fragile organs or tissues like the eyeballs and nasal cavity.
Even his tongue could remain soft or become as tough as steel, extending like a dagger, capable of easily piercing someone's chest.
Walking to the southernmost edge of the open platform.
Xiano gazed into the distance. From here, he could see the only port dock in Cocoyasi Village.
The dock was empty, with only a few unremarkable small fishing boats moored.
"Arlong..."
Xiano murmured softly, "Spring has already arrived. When exactly are you going to come?"
Over the past five months, he had slept only four hours a day, devoting almost all his remaining time to hellish training.
Shave had reached minor mastery four months ago, major mastery two months ago, followed by Iron Body reaching major mastery, and Copper Head quickly following suit!
His tempered body had gradually become incredibly powerful, far surpassing what it had been before. His overall strength had skyrocketed, surged, and exploded!
He was now fully confident and prepared to deal with the Arlong Pirates. From his muscles to his beating heart, he was craving battle, yearning to tear apart his formidable enemies!
But unfortunately, there are twelve months in a year.
It was only early March now. The probability of Arlong arriving in Cocoyasi Village in the first two months was simply too low.
"I hope you don't come too late."
Xiano licked his slightly chapped lips, muttering to himself, "If your strength can't keep up with my level, I'll be very disappointed..."
A strong wind suddenly blew past, swallowing his words.
Just like human emotions, whether it's excitement, anticipation, or repeated disappointment, they are ultimately no match for the relentless passage of time.
In the blink of an eye, April arrived.
The trading market once again refreshed with the Six Styles secret manual. Xiano bought it and, from the blind box, obtained "Moon Walk" and "Finger Pistol," beginning his training.
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May.
The Arlong Pirates were still nowhere to be seen, and the hardest mountain on the island finally collapsed completely.
Xiano spent a few more days, punching and kicking, to completely flatten it. From then on, this place became the best spot for villagers to gather, celebrate, and hold festivals.
June.
"Moon Walk" and "Finger Pistol" were both mastered one after the other.
Xiano took on another mountain. While practicing Finger Pistol, he turned the upper half of the mountain into a sieve. When the morning light shone through, the scattered shadows on the ground looked quite beautiful.
However, when his figure stood at the edge of the mountaintop, staring blankly at the dock every day like an empty-nest elder, it looked somewhat lonely from a distance below.
July.
Nami and Nojiko had their birthdays one after the other. Xiano prepared a huge cake and invited everyone from Man-Scar's group to celebrate grandly together.
Unfortunately, when pushing the cake cart, he didn't control his strength well and twisted the steel frame into a spiral, causing the cake to topple over. This made Nami burst into tears.
August.
The trading market finally refreshed the "Flesh Furnace Method" again. This time, it was the third chapter, titled "Iron Bone."
The way to practice it was surprisingly similar to Iron Body.
Thus, Man-Scar and the others were given another task: every day, they had to carry spiked clubs over a meter tall and fiercely hammer Xiano's various bone joints.
Previously, it was two people taking turns, but now it was six people working simultaneously.
September.
Xiano's height reached 193 centimeters, and his weight hit 140 kilograms.
The black training clothes he wore had their weight limit repeatedly shattered, reaching a terrifying 2.1 tons.
One night.
Nami groggily got up to pee and passed by Xiano's room. She faintly heard him murmuring in his sleep:
"Come on, Arlong, come on, Arlong..."
"Why, why aren't you coming yet..."
Who is Arlong?
Is there a girl with such a name?
Nami became alert and planned to ask the villagers about it first thing in the morning.
Unfortunately, children's memories of nighttime events are practically zero. By the time she woke up and brushed her teeth the next day, she had already completely forgotten about the previous night's incident.
October.
Midway through the month, Xiano mastered "Iron Bone."
The orange grove also entered its harvest season. The workshop had long been built, and orange cans and orange jam began to be produced one after another. Bellemere was overjoyed, busy from morning till night.
...
Meanwhile.
In a village on a nearby sea.
Under the terrified gazes of the people, a group of tall fish-men laughed wildly, leaving with bulging bags of money.
"It seems the people on this island are all cowards, chu~"
The Kissing Fish-man twisted his neck, still unsatisfied. "Not a single one resisted. The last island was a bit more interesting. I wanted to turn this island into ruins too."
"Humans are weak and ignorant, skinny and cowardly. Truly a lowly and inferior race by nature."
The leading purple fish-man sneered. "What's the next island called?"
"Hmm, let me see. It seems to be called Cocoyasi Village."
The Six-Sword Style Swordsman drunkenly put down his gourd and glanced at the sea chart. "Not a big village. It should be the easiest to conquer."
"Is that so?"
The purple fish-man turned his head back. Beneath his shark-like nose, he grinned, baring his fangs in
a wild, menacing smile.
"Ha ha ha ha—! That would be really boring. I wonder if the humans there are wealthy enough and how much we can squeeze out of them..."
This is the second update of 3,000 words, which took some effort to write, so it's a bit late. Sorry about that. Also, a humble request for monthly votes.
(End of Chapter)