Nelson never thought he would find himself in this situation. His subordinate was flying towards him at incredible speed, but not of his own free will - he was thrown back by a man he considered nothing more than a toy.
Instinctively, he put his hands out in front of him, and the next moment, he was struck by an unimaginable force. This unexpected blow knocked him off balance, and he turned over along with the sofa he was sitting on. His subordinate, used as a projectile, was less lucky - his entire rib cage was crushed, and he clearly would not survive.
"You're a scumbag! You're dead!" Nelson roared, throwing his hands up and jumping to his feet.
"Let's avoid having your men go to their deaths. Come out yourself," Murphy said.
A small smile finally appeared on his previously impassive face. He assumed the fighting stance he had only recently mastered, beckoned Nelson with a finger, and nodded his head toward his subordinates.
Nelson looked in the direction indicated - about a dozen of his men looked like they wanted to intervene, but were afraid to approach. They were clearly scared. After all, their two comrades had clearly had a hard time.
"Useless!" Nelson glared at them, then turned to Murphy. "I don't know what happened to you, but don't think you can show off just by defeating two of my subordinates! Now you'll see what a pirate with a 25 million bounty is capable of!"
With these words he turned and extended his hand to the wall where... a flintlock pistol hung.
"Damn it!" Murphy thought, "This isn't fair! I'm getting into a fighting stance and he's turning around for his gun?!"
Murphy had no ability to be invulnerable to weapons. One bullet - one wound, and if in a vital organ - then death. Therefore, taking advantage of the moment when the enemy turned away, he approached him with lightning speed in one step. The speed provided by 50 attribute points manifested itself in full.
It was only when he was behind Nelson that he saw the malicious grin on his face.
- Baby, you're still green!
By the time Murphy threw the second man, he had already demonstrated his speed and overall strength. And although Nelson didn't have time to react at first, that didn't stop him from drawing conclusions later.
He realized that he was facing a serious opponent. So he played a trick, pretending to turn around to grab the weapon on the wall. But his hand stopped halfway, his right fist clenched tightly behind him, his body half-turned - an ideal position for accumulating power.
Now the veins in the muscles of his right arm were visibly protruding, clearly ready to strike at the enemy.
- DIE!!! - he shouted.
With a blast of air and a deafening whistle, Nelson delivered a crushing blow. Murphy, on the other hand, looked stunned—the sudden change in the situation had caught the newcomer off guard, and he barely had time to raise his fist for a clumsy counterpunch.
A ferocious smile appeared on Nelson's face. This would be the winning blow - after such a blow, given the boy's fragile physique, he would hardly ever get up!
Boom!!
The fists clashed and one figure was instantly sent flying, breaking through the wall and not stopping, continuing to break through another wall under the influence of enormous force before falling in the main hall of the tavern.
The sudden noise made the entire tavern fall silent. Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the source of the noise...
The broken body lay in the center of the tavern room, his face distorted with shock. His right arm appeared to be completely broken and hung at an impossible angle from his shoulder.
— Isn't this the tavern owner?
- How terrible! I remember he was very strong and once dealt with a whole group of rowdy pirates.
- No, no, no, you don't know, he's actually the captain of the Sharptooth pirate crew, he's just been hiding well all this time. There's a price of 25 million for his head!
Many of the tavern patrons, standing nearby, pointed to the prostrate figure. Many recognized Nelson, and in addition to being surprised, they were puzzled.
Who could beat up a pirate with a 25 million reward like that?
"Still can't accept reality?" Murphy asked.
A figure emerged from the hole in the wall, rubbing its wrist, and looked down at Nelson, who lay stunned on the floor.
There was indeed a significant difference in combat experience between them. When Murphy saw Nelson reaching for his gun, he really didn't see through his hidden plan. But when he got close, he reacted instantly.
The agility attribute gave him not only the speed of movement, but also flexibility and reaction. Therefore, when Nelson's fist approached him after accumulating strength, Murphy did not panic, because he knew that he could dodge it.
However, even so, seeing the smug expression of his opponent and his victorious smile, he suddenly changed his mind. He deliberately feigned panic, while clenching his fist even tighter.
The power he had only used at sixty percent was now increased to one hundred percent. Even without enough time to accumulate the energy, it was enough.
The big and small fists collided at full power...
Nelson's right arm was broken and his body was thrown off. Murphy was clearly the winner, and the one left standing.
As for Nelson, after such a blow he was still lying on the floor, not recovering from his senses.
- Did this young man really defeat him?
- It looks like it, but he's so thin and small. How could he be Nelson's opponent?
— The facts are before our eyes, how can we not believe them?
The crowd of spectators continued to whisper, amazed by this small figure.
"Any last words?" Murphy asked, walking up to Nelson.
Perhaps out of fear of death, Nelson, who had not shown any signs of life until now, suddenly reacted. Panic appeared on his face and he quickly shouted, "You can't kill me! I've been helping you for a month!"
He seemed to know he was no match for Murphy, especially with a broken arm.
"Is that all you have to say?" Murphy's eyes were devoid of emotion.
- No, no! I don't want to die! Spare me! - Nelson howled, his eyes wide open.
He looked extremely excited, and even the skin on his face was trembling.
"Farewell, I send you on your final journey," Murphy said.
He stepped forward and aimed his foot at Nelson's left chest.
With his current strength, if that blow had landed accurately, Nelson's ribcage would likely have been crushed and his heart would have been instantly torn apart.
But as Murphy's leg was about to come down, a cold glint flashed in Nelson's eyes as he begged for mercy. With his remaining left hand, he suddenly grabbed Murphy's leg and, using it as a support, jumped with his whole body onto him.
His face, which had been trembling until now, suddenly froze, and then he opened his mouth wide, revealing his naturally sharp teeth, and tried to bite Murphy on the neck.
His teeth, comparable to those of fishmen, gleamed with a cold light, were unnaturally sharp, and seemed like they could bite off a piece of even a steel sheet.
What Nelson didn't notice, however, was that there was no panic in Murphy's expression. On the contrary, he looked as if he understood.
"Hmm," Murphy thought, "The pirate flag has teeth, the tattoo has teeth, the pirate crew's name has teeth. I was prepared for this all along!"
With the neck getting closer, Nelson once again showed a triumphant expression. But he seemed to have forgotten how tragic the outcome had been the last time he had looked like that.
It was the same little fist, as if it had been waiting there all along, and the whole process looked as if Nelson was going through a series of complicated movements just to get his head closer to that fist.
Boom!
Nelson's body was slammed into the floor, dust rose and then gradually cleared. After which, Nelson's current state became visible to everyone. Part of his face was crushed, one eye was blinded, his right arm was broken - he looked like a rag.
Severe dizziness rolled in waves, but Nelson, overcoming the pain, did not lose consciousness. He knew that if he lost consciousness, he would really die, but as long as he was conscious, there was a chance to survive.
"I have many treasures. Let me go, and they are all yours," Nelson said quietly, with regret in his eyes.
Neither his skill in shooting, nor his swordsmanship, nor his sharp teeth helped him, and he ended up in such a miserable state. Of course, he did not want to give up, but if he survived, then someday he would be able to avenge this humiliation.
His injuries made it very difficult for him to speak, but he still tried to speak as clearly as he could. He had no other choice.
"Oh? How much? You should know that your head is worth a lot too," Murphy said.
- My entire fortune, a total of 40 million, is hidden on the island of Jaya. If you agree, it will all be yours!
A glimmer of hope began to flicker in Nelson's eyes. He was willing to do anything to survive.
- Excellent! Where is it hidden?
The light in Nelson's eyes grew brighter and he said quickly, "Only I know the location, let me go first, and then I..."
Suddenly he stopped mid-sentence. His eyes, which had just been full of hope, began to dim. He looked at Murphy in confusion, his throat twitched a couple of times, but no sound came out, and only blood bubbled from his mouth.
At that moment, a small knife was thrust diagonally into his neck.
Murphy patted Nelson on the shoulder and said quietly, "Boss Nelson, the opportunity to buy your life is the hope I gave you, and this little knife is the despair I brought you after the inconvenience you caused me.
Hearing Murphy's calm words, Nelson's pupils suddenly narrowed, his eyes, full of horror and regret, opened wide until they plunged into an endless darkness from which they would never return...