Chapter 346: The Naturally Gifted Clan According to Morgans
On the Demon Mist Sea, aboard the deck of the Red Hair Pirate Ship.
Beckman exchanged a glance with the others.
Roux instantly understood his meaning.
Someone needed to test the waters first.
To buy time for Shanks and Beckman, the strongest among them, to find the right opportunity.
Bang! Bang!
The others drew their pistols in unison and opened fire.
Meanwhile, Roux charged forward with his chubby body, moving with surprising agility despite his bulk.
Faced with the barrage of gunfire, Winter remained unfazed. The bullets passed straight through his body, leaving him seemingly unharmed.
What the—?!
Beckman's expression grew even graver as he watched the opponent ignore their firearms.
His Observation Haki could sense a strange aura emanating from the figure, an aura similar to the ghostly Demon Clan member they'd seen earlier.
Though they didn't look like they belonged to the same clan based on appearance, this ability might be a racial trait. On the open sea, many believed the Demon Clan was a "Naturally Gifted Clan."
They weren't Devil Fruit users.
Their physical characteristics often aligned with their abilities.
Of course, the most significant evidence came from Morgans of the World Economic News Agency.
Morgans had verified this theory with the Evil King Hisoka. It was only after Hisoka's confirmation that the idea of the "Naturally Gifted Clan" spread through the newspapers.
As for the Evil King Hisoka—a figure who could make all six Apostles retreat in silence and stood at the pinnacle of the world—his words naturally carried weight with most people.
Even though many accepted this rumor, the mysterious Demon Clan remained largely unknown.
Now, as Beckman watched the opponent shrug off bullets like a Logia-type ability user, a thought crossed his mind.
Could it be that all Demons had this trait?
If so, this clan would be terrifying—though they were already terrifying enough as it was.
Beckman's Observation Haki was fully activated now.
He kept his gun at the ready, prepared to cover Roux.
Whoosh!
Roux had reached Winter by this point. He launched a fierce kick at Winter's stomach, his leg hardened with Armament Haki.
With Shanks, who had grown up in Roger's crew, as their captain, they had been exposed to the concept of Haki early on. After arriving in the New World, most of them had picked up at least a trick or two.
After all, in the New World, plenty of small-fry soldiers know how to use Haki.
If they were to be beaten up by a bunch of grunts, that would be utterly humiliating.
Thud! Thud!
Winter watched as the chubby man ran up and kicked him. He didn't immediately retaliate, letting the kick land.
"Danger! Fall back!"
Shanks' eyes narrowed as he drew his sword and quickly advanced, shouting a warning to Roux.
'Too late!'
Winter thought leisurely to himself.
Crack! Crack!
The foot that Roux had used to kick Winter rapidly froze, and the ice began spreading up his leg toward the rest of his body.
Boom!
Facing the encroaching ice, Roux didn't just sit there.
He quickly used his grounded foot to push off, wrenching his frozen leg free from Winter's body.
He didn't even care that the beloved piece of meat in his mouth fell as he flipped backward with his hands on the ground, landing some distance away.
By now, one of his legs and half his body were covered in a layer of ice.
"Roux, how are you holding up?"
Hongo, the ship's doctor from the Red Hair Pirates, rushed to Roux's side to check on him.
"My meat!"
"You're still thinking about meat at a time like this?!"
Hearing Roux's response, Hongo couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
After a quick check, he breathed a sigh of relief. The ice hadn't penetrated to the bone marrow, which was a good sign.
But he didn't fully relax. Watching the others clashing with the Demon Clan member, his expression remained grave.
It seemed they couldn't engage this Demon in hand-to-hand combat, or they'd easily lose their ability to fight back.
On the battlefield.
Shanks swung his sword at Winter.
Some of the crew used weapons hardened with Armament Haki to assist Shanks as the main attacker, while others fired bullets wrapped with Armament Haki.
Their teamwork was seamless.
Facing their assault, Winter didn't take it head-on this time. His ability wasn't suited for close combat. Winter himself was born from humanity's fear and negative emotions toward harsh winters.
His powers were modeled after that concept, making him more of a mage by nature.
For instance, at this moment—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A piercing cold wind began to blow.
With Winter at the center, a blizzard of snowflakes erupted from him, forming a bone-chilling gust.
Shanks and his crew, who were closing in for melee, all widened their eyes in shock and immediately abandoned their attack, scrambling to retreat.
Boom! Crack!
As they pulled back, the deck beneath Winter's feet, the ship's cabins nearby, and the railings all became coated in a layer of ice.
The entire ship looked as if it had been plunged into a snowy landscape.
"Such terrifying cold..."
Shanks wiped a thin layer of frost from his face, his mood growing heavy...
This demon's ability was somewhat unexpected, and the gap in power was significant.
But judging from his performance, he didn't seem adept at close combat compared to long-range attacks.
That meant they needed to create an opportunity.
After Winter's initial outburst subsided, Shanks and the others exchanged glances and charged forward again in perfect sync.
Following such an outburst, there should be a cooldown period for his ability.
It was like how the human body worked—after an explosion of energy, there'd be a lull. They planned to seize this window to strike.
Swish! Swish!
Shanks unleashed several slashes infused with Armament Haki toward Winter.
The others also showed off their skills.
Facing this renewed coordinated attack, Winter raised one hand, conjuring an icy shield to block the various assaults.
At the same time, he waved his other hand.
Countless small ice spikes materialized out of thin air, shooting toward Shanks and his crew.
This attack forced Shanks and the others into a frantic scramble to defend themselves.
And that wasn't the end of it. While they were dealing with the ice spikes, Winter didn't stand idle. His figure followed closely behind the barrage of ice.
He charged straight toward a bald, muscular man and a monkey—the ship's musical duo, Bonk Punch and Monster, both more skilled in physical combat.
Even so, when they faced Winter rushing in after the ice spikes, their pupils involuntarily shrank.
Under the shocked gazes of the crew, Winter wielded his ice shield as a weapon, smashing it into the man and monkey, sending them flying.
"Gah!"
The powerful impact made both the man and the monkey spit out blood. The bright red droplets hadn't even hit the ground before they began to crystallize into ice mid-air, glinting faintly and standing out starkly in the scene.
Bonk Punch and Monster flew sideways before Winter. For him, this wasn't over yet.
He hefted the ice shield, gripping its edge like a discus, and hurled it at Bonk Punch.
The shield struck the man, sending him crashing into an ice-covered cabin, smashing a large hole into the structure.
As for Monster, the monkey, Winter threw ice spear at him. The spear stabbed into the monkey's belly.
Fortunately, Monster reacted in time to block it from piercing through completely, but his stomach was still gravely wounded. The bone-chilling cold erupted from the spearhead embedded in his body.
"Bonk Punch! Monster!"
Seeing his two crewmates sent flying and their auras weakening as if critically injured, even Shanks couldn't help but grow anxious.
( End of this Chapter )