The Most Talented Pirate Hunter - Chapter 23
### Chapter 23: Gaining Ultimate Moves and Guaranteed Defeats
“Did you hear? Kaido of the Beasts has been captured by the Navy again.”
“How many times is that now?”
“He was caught two years ago too, but he managed to escape.”
This explosive news immediately grabbed Hermes’s attention. It was the first time since he migrated that he heard about such a big shot.
“The Great Pirate Era has been going on for years, but the ones at the top are still the same pirate crews.”
“I heard Navy Hero Garp had a confrontation with the Whitebeard Pirates. Not sure if they actually fought.”
“Where did you hear that? That’s big news.”
“I have my sources.”
“In comparison, the Big Mom Pirates have recently wiped out another kingdom. Apparently, Charlotte Linlin wanted to collect a rare race from that kingdom, which led to a war.”
“The Red-Haired Pirates are also on the rise, having taken down many pirate crews with bounties of seven or eight hundred million. Did you hear about their recent clash with the Big Mom Pirates? That was a huge battle.”
“…”
Hermes spent the entire day sitting in the tavern, picking up lots of useful information.
The Yonko (Four Emperors) hadn’t fully emerged yet, but they were on their way.
The Shichibukai (Seven Warlords of the Sea) had not been established, though some future members were becoming famous, while others were still unknown.
The current Fleet Admiral was Kong, with Admirals Sengoku the Buddha and Black Arm Zephyr, meaning Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan were still Vice Admirals.
Overall, many of the power structures had yet to be solidified.
Aside from these major sea-based updates, Hermes was more interested in the Kingdom of Provence. He needed to maximize his gains in this starting area to grow stronger quickly.
Two years ago, the old king of Provence Kingdom died suddenly, leaving no designated heir. Now, the contenders for the throne included Crown Prince Elizabello Paul, Second Prince Elizabello Fero, and Third Prince Elizabello Zalo, the future King Elizabello II.
There was also a First Princess and a Second Princess.
These five siblings were fiercely battling for the throne. What began as subtle scheming had escalated into violent conflicts involving external forces.
In two years, they had turned a relatively peaceful kingdom into a realm of chaos, full of internal strife and external threats. The once orderly nation now seemed on the brink of collapse, with various regions descending into lawlessness.
This situation provided Hermes with the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the palace.
If he couldn’t learn anything useful directly, he could focus on Elizabello II.
He hoped that Elizabello II wasn’t as strong as he would be in the future; otherwise, Hermes might not stand a chance. Judging by the timeline, Elizabello II should still be quite young.
That night, a cold breeze blew.
Hermes, reduced to a height of five millimetres, slipped into the palace effortlessly. The high walls and grand buildings exuded luxury and magnificence.
After much searching, Hermes resorted to the simplest method: sneaking and eavesdropping.
He stumbled upon several intimate scenes, live broadcasts more thrilling than any movie.
By midnight, Hermes had only explored a tenth of the area. He finally stopped before a heavily guarded palace.
The number of guards here was significant.
With torches lit, there were at least twenty guards, indicating the importance of the place.
But this didn’t deter Hermes. He slipped through the door crack with ease. Unless the guards had Observation Haki, Hermes moved like a fish in water.
“It looks like this is the treasury.”
Hermes’s excitement surged as he saw boxes filled with gold and jewels.
He delved deeper.
Besides treasures, there were silks, porcelains, and other exotic items, along with many documents.
Returning to his normal size, Hermes began examining the documents, a time-consuming task.
After about an hour, Hermes found a book in a corner with the bold title “King Punch.”
“Not bad.”
Seeing this book, Hermes’s mouth curled into a smile.
This was one of his targets.
Opening the book, he read through the information.
To master King Punch, one needed a strong physique. Delivering the punch consumed immense physical energy. Those who didn’t meet the requirements needed to warm up for an hour. Weaker physiques might require three to five hours or more.
Only then could the full power of the punch be unleashed.
This was essentially an AOE (area of effect) skill.
Gathering all one’s strength, muscles would be pushed to their limits before delivering a heavy punch. The resulting shockwave and explosive light would spread like a nuclear blast.
Damn.
This meant that as one’s physique grew stronger, so would King Punch, potentially turning each punch into a nuclear bomb.
After reading, Hermes immediately thought of Life Return.
If he could awaken Life Return, he could control his entire body. Not just muscles but down to the cellular level. This would completely negate the need for a warm-up before using King Punch.
Using Life Return to warm up during battle would be like charging up a super move, ready to finish off the opponent at the right moment.
With Life Return, he could always be in a state of readiness.
In short, physical prowess was the foundation. Haki and Devil Fruits were all built on it. It seemed he needed to focus on basic training in the future.
“Let’s see what else I can find.”
King Punch made Hermes’s trip worthwhile, but he wanted more, like the Six Powers, Haki, or other techniques.
“King Defense.”
On another shelf, Hermes found a book with four prominent characters on the cover, indicating its skill.
Damn.
A matching set.
With King Punch for offense, all he needed was defence and speed.
Hermes was eager.
Five minutes later, Hermes’s face turned peculiar.
By mobilizing all one’s strength, it grants the hardness of steel.
Isn’t this just the Iron Body technique?
What the hell is King Defense?
Still, Hermes was thrilled. This unexpected discovery gave him both a powerful offensive move and a strong defensive technique.
It seemed to learn Iron Body could facilitate the awakening of Armament Haki.
“Now I just need matching speed.”
Hermes looked at the other shelves, growing greedier.
An hour later.
Disappointment was evident on Hermes’s face as his expectations were unmet.
Still, he gained a lot. King Punch and King Defense were enough to fill his schedule.
He still needed to develop his Mini-Mini Fruit, train his body, and hone his Finger Pistol. Trying to master too many things at once wouldn’t be effective. It was better to focus on mastering King Punch and King Defense first.
“Let’s see if there’s anything else.”
Hermes didn’t plan to leave immediately but continued to explore the palace, hoping for more surprises.
He roamed the palace all night, narrowly avoiding detection several times, thanks to his awakened Observation Haki.
By dawn, Hermes returned to the inn.
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