When the battle began, Fang Yi didn't recklessly charge forward like an idiot. Instead, he quietly hid in a corner, intending to ambush some weaker enemies.
However, the battle didn't quite go the way Fang Yi had expected. Even though they were facing the Rocks Pirates, since only Silver Axe had shown up, Roger and the others quickly gained the upper hand.
Bang!
From his hiding spot, Fang Yi spotted one of his crewmates in danger. Without hesitation, he raised his gun and fired at the enemy, trying to launch a sneak attack.
Clang!
But his shot was easily deflected by the enemy.
"Heh, you've got guts, brat! Trying to ambush me?" The pirate sneered as he spotted Fang Yi holding a pistol. He immediately abandoned his original target and grinned maliciously as he stalked toward Fang Yi instead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Though Fang Yi was panicking a little inside, he knew there was no point in begging for mercy now. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and fired several more shots at the advancing pirate.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At such close range, there was no way he could miss—but the pirate still blocked every shot with ease.
"I knew it…" Fang Yi's heart sank as he watched the enemy draw closer. This was the New World—even random small fry here could block bullets. There was no way he could beat someone like this under normal circumstances.
"What… what's that?!"
Just as the pirate was about to reach him, Fang Yi suddenly widened his eyes in apparent terror and pointed behind the pirate as if he'd seen something shocking.
The pirate was startled and instinctively glanced back.
Bang!
Taking advantage of the moment, Fang Yi fired again, his bullet striking the pirate squarely.
Thud…
The pirate turned his head, staring in disbelief at the wound before collapsing.
"Hmph! Trying to mess with me? In battle, it's not just about power—wits count as strength too, you bastard!" Fang Yi walked over and gave the pirate a triumphant kick, looking quite smug.
"Huh?"
Just as he was about to leave and look for another fight, he suddenly felt something grabbing his ankle.
"You brat… I'm a pirate, remember?"
It was the pirate he'd just shot! Though wounded, Fang Yi had missed any vital spot. The pirate had faked being down to trick him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The pirate rose and landed two heavy punches to Fang Yi's stomach, then kicked him hard in the face, sending him flying.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Fang Yi slammed into the ship's railing before finally stopping. It felt like his stomach had been torn apart by the blows, and his chin burned from the kick. He knew he'd been too careless.
If only he hadn't been so cocky and walked over… If he'd just fired a couple more shots to finish the job, none of this would've happened.
"Brat, when you get to hell, don't forget it was the great pirate Aric who killed you!"
Grinning wickedly, the pirate raised his longsword and slowly approached Fang Yi.
Bang!
Though Fang Yi was in grave danger, his mind suddenly became unusually calm. Using the last of his strength, he fired one final shot, aimed right at the pirate's heart.
Clatter…
The pirate froze, staring in disbelief at the bullet wound over his heart. He had blocked the shot just now… so how did it still hit?
As Fang Yi watched his skill experience increase slightly, he gave a weak grin and muttered, "Idiot… I told you, luck counts as a kind of strength, too."
"Kid! You alright?"
At that moment, Peterm appeared beside Fang Yi, grinning as he asked.
Turns out Peterm had been secretly keeping an eye on Fang Yi all along, ready to step in if needed. He hadn't expected Fang Yi to handle the enemy on his own.
"Oww! Easy, easy! I'm injured here, you know! Can't you be a little gentler?!" Fang Yi yelped as Peter roughly pulled him up.
"Tch! Brat, stop making a fuss. This little scratch is nothing! Quit whining and get up— the fight's over." Peter rolled his eyes and gave Fang Yi a flick on the forehead in disdain.
Fang Yi's mouth twitched. He wanted to argue back, but couldn't find a good comeback. Huffing, he turned and walked toward Rayleigh.
"Uncle Rayleigh, why aren't you guys helping the captain?!" Fang Yi asked in confusion as he noticed that aside from Silver Axe still fighting Roger, the rest of the enemy pirates had already been defeated.
"This is a duel between the captain and Silver Axe," Rayleigh replied with a calm smile, glancing at Fang Yi's bruised face. "Unless the captain's in real danger, we don't interfere. Otherwise… well, he'd get mad."
"Divine Departure!"
Just then, Roger's eyes sharpened, and he unleashed a fierce strike.
Boom!
Silver Axe couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying into the ship's railing by the blow.
"You still wanna keep going?" Roger didn't pursue. He simply stood there, sword pointed at his opponent.
"… I let my guard down."
Silver Axe picked up his axe, glanced around at the fallen pirates, and realized he'd lost. He had no intention of continuing the fight.
"Jihahaha… what an interesting bunch. I got to watch quite the show."
Just as Fang Yi thought the battle was over, Golden Lion Shiki slowly floated into the air and drifted toward their ship, wearing a wicked grin.
Silver Axe, after returning to his ship, merely gave Shiki a cold snort and said nothing more.
"Golden Lion Shiki! What now? You looking for a fight too?" Roger narrowed his eyes, glaring at the airborne pirate.
"No, no… I've got no intention of fighting." Shiki chuckled, still hovering above. "I just came to ask if you're interested in joining us. You've seen the Rocks Pirates' power, haven't you? And judging from what you just showed, you're strong enough to qualify! So, how about it, Roger? Care to come aboard?"
"Shiki, I'm not interested in joining you lot." Roger laughed heartily, flashing his trademark grin. "I've got my adventure—and our paths are different."
"Jihahaha! Is that so? Well then, I hope you're still singing the same tune next time we meet!" Shiki burst into laughter as he drifted back to his ship.
Watching the enemy retreat, Fang Yi finally let out a sigh of relief. But he couldn't help wondering why none of the other Rocks Pirates had fought—especially their legendary captain, Rocks D. Xebec, who hadn't even shown his face. Did the Roger Pirates not warrant his attention?
Still, Fang Yi quickly began to feel a twinge of regret. That had been a golden opportunity! Not to mention anyone else—just brushing against Shiki, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, or Charlotte Linlin would've earned him more lottery tickets!
If only he'd gotten close to them earlier…
But after thinking about the danger, Fang Yi decided that maybe just tagging Roger every day for points was a safer and better strategy for now.
The Oro Jackson continued its voyage.
Fang Yi went to the ship's doctor, hoping to get treated, but all he got was a quick bandage. Swallowing his complaints, he returned to his bed.
Reflecting on today's battle, Fang Yi realized the most important lesson: never let your guard down in a fight. Next time, he might not get so lucky.
According to Rayleigh, this wasn't even considered a real fight—the Rocks Pirates had only dropped by to "greet" them. If they'd been serious, the Roger Pirates might've been completely wiped out.
Opening his character menu, Fang Yi checked his skills.
Precision (LV.1) 10/100:
Your attacks have a 10% chance to hit the target with perfect accuracy.
He'd gained 10 experience points, just 90 more to level up.
In his inventory, aside from 20 lottery tickets, he also had a Standard Weapon Voucher. After thinking for a moment, Fang Yi redeemed it for a new pistol.
He had been using Peterm's pistol earlier, but had returned it after the battle ended—he needed his weapon now.
Strapping the new pistol to his waist, Fang Yi opened the lottery wheel.
"Whoa! New skills?! And there are two of them?!"
The first thing that caught his eye on the wheel was exactly what he'd hoped for—skills!
Though he couldn't see what the skills were yet, any skill was better than none. Without hesitation, Fang Yi used ten lottery tickets for a ten-pull.
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Small Skill EXP Scroll."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Bottle of Pure Water."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Small Loaf of Bread."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Weapon - Dagger."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Mysterious Fish Bait."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Bottle of Rum."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Bottle of Rum."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Medium Skill EXP Scroll Fragment."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Sun-Chaser Bow Fragment."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Nothing."
Fang Yi's eyes widened. Not a single skill in the ten-pull—and there was even a "nothing" pull?!
Still, it wasn't a total loss. A few of the items caught his interest, but without a new skill, he couldn't focus on anything else.
After hesitating for a moment, Fang Yi gritted his teeth and used his last ten tickets for another ten-pull.
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Skill - Dodge!"
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Armament Haki Fragment."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Tight Combat Suit."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Underwater Breathing Pill."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Scary Toy (Spider)."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Delicious Food (Cake)."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Bottle of Rum."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Bottle of Pure Water."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Medium Skill EXP Scroll Fragment."
"Congratulations! You've obtained: Bloodline Limit (Byakugan) Fragment."
This time, his very first pull landed him a skill, making Fang Yi's heart race with excitement. Maybe it was compensation for the last disappointing pull.
Even better, he'd drawn fragments for Armament Haki and Byakugan—his breathing quickened at the possibilities.
If fragments were appearing, it meant these powers were within his reach.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Fang Yi was quite satisfied. He might've only gotten one skill this time, but it was still a solid result.