C19 There Is a Reason Why I Am Unlucky

"I've figured out who he is—the Pirate Hunter who's been making waves lately, Joestar J Rodney!"

Rodney turned with a smile he thought was benevolent, but in reality, it was anything but. "Ah, you recognize me. Excellent. Anyone who doesn't want to meet their end, hands on your heads and face the side of the ship."

"Bang!"

The ghostly Ah Jin drew a flintlock and took a shot at him!

Rodney left a wooden stake in his place as he used his Teleportation Skill to appear behind Ah Jin, slashing down with the White Fang in his hand.

Doesn't matter if you're Aramaki or not, you're going down first.

Ah Jin was a merciless pirate who wouldn't hesitate to kill, even if his foes wept and pleaded before him. He was known for his deep sense of loyalty and honor, but that wasn't enough for Rodney to spare him.

Shaking the blood from the White Fang, the whooshing of the wind signaled Barra's approach. Fearless of death, he charged forward, slamming his shield into Rodney's face.

Rodney arched back, narrowly avoiding the blow, and in one fluid motion, he slapped an Explosive Talisman onto the shield before swiftly retreating.

Boom!

Barra, the Iron Wall, stumbled backward as the explosion caused the fat between his two large shields to quiver. It felt like being struck by a massive hammer, and it was exceedingly unpleasant.

"Mr. Barra!"

"Captain, Leader Clique, the Captain, he..." The pirates, witnessing the lifeless body of the Ghost Man, turned to Clique in a state of panic, desperate for reassurance.

"Look at that, Jin was useless! Barra, get in there! He can't breach your defenses, and I'll back you up," Clique said with a sneer, spitting contemptuously. If he'd known this guy was going to die, he would've finished him with that move earlier. Such loyal henchmen were hard to come by.

"Got it, Chief Clique. It's unbelievable that the captain was taken out by you. But I'm Iron Wall Barra, of the Clique Pirate Group, the shield man himself—Mr. Barra, that's me."

He proudly clanged his two shields together, creating a grating noise.

"Iron Wall? We'll see about that. Your shields seem sturdy enough. But I'm going to make sure you don't walk away from this." Rodney was taken aback that the Explosive Talisman hadn't detonated as expected.

"Let me die here? Hahaha!" Barra burst into laughter, as though he had just heard the punchline of a hilarious joke. Raising a finger, he boasted, "I've been through twenty-seven battles and have never once been injured or shed blood. Navy artillery shells can't even scratch me. You think you can kill me? If you can, I'll eat my shield right here and now!"

Rodney retorted, "If you're dead, how are you going to eat anything?"

"I won't be the one dying; you will!" Barra snarled, charging forward like a crazed bull.

But his weakness was glaringly obvious: he was all brawn and no brains, a mere bit player. He wasn't worth the concern.

Dodging swiftly, Rodney leaped onto the mast. Clique readied himself, his golden armor sprouting a gun barrel that spewed a barrage of bullets at Rodney.

"Danger, danger."

Rodney evaded once more, diving into the midst of the pirates like a tiger among sheep, wreaking havoc on the hapless crew. The scene erupted into chaos.

Bang!

Out of nowhere, a smoke grenade detonated, sending several pirates flying. One crashed near Barra's feet, causing him a sharp pain in the heel before he toppled over the fallen pirate.

The pirate rolled over, stood up, and with a sly grin, tossed another smoke grenade. As the smoke thickened, Barra felt a chill in his throat and collapsed, unable to rise again.

"What's happening? Where did that guy go?" Clique demanded.

"I don't know. Did Rodney escape?"

"I thought I heard Mr. Barra's scream just now."

"Me too."

"Where's Mr. Barra?"

"Right here, Clique... Chief Clique, Mr. Barra... Mr. Barra, he's dead."

As the smoke cleared, they were met with the gruesome sight of Barra's slit throat and a bloodied, severed foot lying on the ground.

Rodney had vanished like a ghost, his whereabouts unknown, potentially ready to strike and claim their lives at any moment.

In an instant, everyone was at a loss.

Clique, in a fit of rage, shot the pirate who had first found Barra's body. To his dying breath, the man never understood why he was killed—whether it was due to Clique's suspicion or simply because Clique needed to vent his fury by taking a life.

Regardless of the circumstances, he was dead.

"Get ready, everyone!" Clique commanded as he removed the golden disc from his shoulder. Grasping the mechanism behind the disc with one hand, he revealed the emblem of the Clique Pirate Group on its face. The skull emblem opened its mouth, exposing an apple-sized hole.

The sight sent a wave of panic through the surrounding pirates.

"That, that is..."

"MH5!"

"Captain Clique's deadliest poison weapon!"

"Masks! Get your masks on now!"

"Where's my mask?!"

"My mask, where's my mask?!"

"Boss Clique, we're still on board!"

"Yes, boss, could you give us some encouragement?"

MH5, the poison bomb prepared by Clique, could kill an ordinary person with just a whiff, within ten minutes. Naturally, this was the case for the average person; stronger individuals could recover after some time, and the very strongest wouldn't be affected at all.

Clique sneered dismissively, "What nonsense are you spouting? This is war! The dead are just unlucky. I don't care about the methods I use, winning is all that matters! Hahaha! Once I make it to the Great Voyage, I'll find the Great Secret Treasure and become the Pirate King!" He donned his gas mask and flipped the switch.

Instantly, purple smoke billowed from the skull's mouth, enveloping the deck.

Rodney, lurking in the shadows, thought Clique was an idiot. Poison gas bombs were so passé. Take Magellan, for instance, who treated the stuff like cigarettes, consuming nothing but poison.

And yet, he was fine, aside from frequent trips to the bathroom and a perpetually blooming backside.

Rodney donned a mask he had taken from a pirate and navigated the poisonous haze with White Fang in hand.

"Ah!"

"Heh..."

"No, not my... Ah!"

"Have mercy!"

The gas was filled with agonized screams, sending Clique into a panicked retreat.

He frantically searched for Rodney with the eyes behind his mask, but all he could see was a blur darting past before another pirate dropped.

Was this guy toying with him?

Playing with him as a cat toys with a mouse?

Once Clique grasped the idea, he bellowed in rage, uncaring of his crew's fate. He wielded the golden disc like a machine gun, firing off spikes as if they were bullets, shooting wildly.

"Ah! Leader of the Clique, why?!"

"No! I'm not ready to die!"

"Mom, I want to go home! The sea is too terrifying!"

In a panic, some people leapt from the ship, joining those who had already abandoned the vessel. Today's events were overwhelmingly intense. The main force of the Clique Pirate Group had been wiped out by a single individual, leaving only the Pirate Admiral Clique. This man showed no regard for the lives of his crew.

As the poison fog cleared, Clique was seen draped in a cloak bristling with needles.

Rodney, armed with a knife and wearing a gas mask, looked at the fully-equipped Clique, cocked his head to the side, and then hurled a kunai wrapped with an Explosive Talisman at him.

Boom!

The explosion was spectacular, sending Clique flying and tearing his Sword Mountain Cloak to shreds.

Clique's golden armor was also ruined, and he was left with multiple blast wounds. He struggled to his feet, clutching the two relatively unscathed golden discs.

Drawing a spear shaft, a sharp spear tip emerged from the center of the discs.

The Great Battle Spear!

Clique's most formidable weapon, weighing over two thousand pounds, would detonate upon striking its target. The harder it was swung, the more devastating the explosion.

Observing Clique's condition, Rodney realized why this man had been so easily defeated by Eagle Eye just a week into the Great Voyage. From a fleet of five thousand, only a few hundred remained. His misfortune was clearly not without cause!

Why choose to be a gunner of all things?

Could a gunner really be someone like you?

Would a European gunner end up like a black uncle?

Luck is certainly not something to be taken lightly!