"Achoo!"
The sound of a sneeze echoed in the Sea of Trees.
Gin swung his hammer, twisting his body to evade the attacking branches, and smashed down with the hammer, shattering the branches.
After delivering a swing, Gin swiftly leapt up. Just as he was about to dodge further, he noticed something was off and landed again.
His brows furrowed tightly as he gazed at the surrounding impenetrable dark Sea of Trees, murmuring, "Has it stopped?"
He had been on a dark cloud moments ago, and the next second he found himself here, completely unaware of how it happened.
Upon arrival, this place was still a hillside, but soon after, it wildly grew into trees, transforming into the Sea of Trees.
These trees were like living beings, launching attacks on him, but before long, they stopped.
He waited for a while, confirming that the trees had lost their vitality, and then thought,
"The Captain said, when in doubt, it's probably an Ability User. Perhaps the Ability User was restrained, or maybe someone killed them... Anyway, as long as it stops."
Observation Haki, can't sense a thing.
Since capturing the main base, Gin had grown a lot through constant conquests.
Not only had his Armament Haki been progressing, but he also grasped Observation Haki.
But this type of Observation Haki that detects the strength of auras and number of people was utterly useless in this Sea of Trees.
It's like being blocked.
"Then..."
He took out a Life Card bearing Sage's name, letting it move in the palm of his hand. After determining a direction, he leaped onto a large tree trunk and dashed forward.
"First, let's join up with Master Sage."
Within a few minutes, he had traversed a tree and was about to proceed when his gaze halted abruptly, and he quickly jumped down.
In this part of the forest, a dozen people were impaled on rising tree branches, looking like mummies and drained of all moisture.
These mummies all wore Pirate attire. Although their clothes were different, Gin recognized their features.
Unlike Master Sage, as the Combat Commander, Gin might not remember all thirteen thousand subordinates, but he recognized those selected for the main ship.
These were elites among the Pirates, not necessarily able to take on a hundred foes, but they were certainly not weak among ordinary Pirates, with some even capable of using Armament Haki.
But these people were now strung up like kebabs!
"Are they still alive..."
Seeing some movement, Gin let out a slight sigh of relief. As long as they're alive, they can be saved.
But before his relief lasted long, he suddenly noticed something, looking straight ahead.
Before a giant tree root, another dozen people were covered in a layer of white crystal, frozen in combat poses, turned into statues, utterly motionless.
Still from the Disaster Pirates!
Just as Gin was about to survey the surroundings, he heard a playful laugh from above. Instinctively, his right arm emitted high heat, turning crimson, striking upwards.
Bang!
His punch exploded in sound, Gin frowned, his legs striking the ground repeatedly, retreating like an afterimage onto a tree trunk.
He glanced at his right hand covered with white crystal and then looked forward with a grave expression.
"Hee hee hee hee, still intact, huh? Didn't get absorbed? This doesn't fit the plan. Never mind, weakening you this much is enough!"
Before him appeared a figure with a hunched body, wearing a cowboy hat, and resembling a baboon.
"I was scheduled to find you earlier, but on the way, I ran into a group of Pirates. They all had bounties, and even a few million Belly is money; can't let it go."
He licked his lips, weirdly smiling at Gin, "Add you, the 120-million bounty, and that totals up to two hundred million Belly!"
"Who are you?" Gin asked intently.
"Hee hee hee, I'm Dennis, a Bounty Hunter. Master Jekai approached me to defeat you here!"
Dennis pointed his finger, full of white crystal, at Gin, "This Sea of Trees is nice, isn't it? Your Observation Haki is disrupted by the life force of the trees, and you can't sense us."
"So that's it, a subordinate deliberately sent to stop us..."
Gin extended both hands, his left arm also turning crimson and steaming, "Those subordinates turned into statues, that was your doing, right? As long as I defeat you, they'll be restored..."
Before finishing his words, he frowned again, looking at his right hand covered in white crystal, and fell silent.
"Hee hee hee hee, figured it out, have you? Your high heat doesn't work on my abilities. To defeat you, Master Jekai has matched us with opponents!"
Dennis laughed, "I know you're a Smelt-Smelt Fruit Ability User, but I ate the 'Quartz-Quartz Fruit,' making me a 'Quartz Man,' capable of turning anything I touch into quartz, designed to counter your abilities!"
His fingers transformed into quartz claws, and he pounced swiftly with a laugh:
"Neither your high heat nor your steel will work, you'll only be defeated by me!"
Abilities have countering relationships.
More direct than the resistance of Haki, the counter between abilities can sometimes render Haki ineffective.
Dennis, as a Bounty Hunter, was always unable to catch big bounties, only capturing Pirates worth tens of millions.
Because his strength was insufficient. As an Ability User, he was decent, and his body techniques were passable, but when it came to Haki, he knew nothing at all.
On the sea, it's not impossible to survive without Haki. Those with Haki aren't necessarily stronger than he is, but having Observation Haki is a different story!