*Chapter 43: Prototype Memory Armor*

Sanji, regaining his breath, delivered a spinning kick that sent the cyborg Gary flying.

Taking advantage of the situation, Little Lick moved in and aimed its gaping jaws at the man’s crotch.

As Sanji prepared to give chase, he felt a sudden chill down below and instinctively wanted to distance himself from the vicious creature.

For most people, Little Lick’s bite would be excruciating, but they forgot that their opponent was a cyborg.

Germa technology stripped away even the most basic emotions, so there was no way it would leave a cyborg with any sense of dignity as a man.

Ignoring Little Lick’s attack, Gary pried open the giant's mouth and, with extreme force, ripped it apart.

With its biting ability gone, Little Lick was no longer a significant threat.

As for the big-headed creature charging forward, Gary unhesitatingly punched it, smashing its enormous head to pieces like a volleyball.

“Such a bore,” Gary muttered coldly, letting the giant’s blood spray over him.

For the East Blue, this Germa-modified warrior was ridiculously powerful.

Standing on the big-headed creature's body, Gary exerted force with his arm and tore off Little Lick's head.

In an instant, both the big-headed creature and Little Lick were brutally killed. Ever since they got the necklace, the three giant brothers had never faced such a terrifying enemy.

Even Kiba’s eyes showed signs of doubt. He felt like he’d made a mistake: “This guy’s strength attribute is at least 25, maybe even over 30.”

Recent easy missions had gradually eroded his respect for the Reincarnation Space, and this mission was a reminder that underestimating it would lead to severe consequences.

He had to carefully plan to deal with the Pirate Admiral, but when facing the World Government and the Germa Kingdom, he was overly confident, assuming they would follow his script.

Little did he know, the difference in their levels was too great. If they got even a little serious, they could easily kill him.

The terror of Germa 66 was not something a low-difficulty Reincarnator could handle.

Luckily, he wasn’t too deep into this. If he could defeat this guy in front of him, he could break free from the influence of the Vinsmoke family.

Now that they’d found Sanji, capturing him didn’t concern the Black Cat Pirates much anymore.

“I’ll have to be more cautious from now on.” Kiba raised his flintlock pistol, and something shiny began to gather at the muzzle.

Ammo Master, Ice Bullet fired!

Kiba’s intent was to cripple the enemy’s mobility. Without his speed, he could slowly whittle down the enemy's health.

Even if it took longer, there was still a chance to eliminate the strong foe.

However, he underestimated his opponent. Gary, the cyborg, wasn’t just incredibly strong; his agility also exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The moment the ice bullet was fired, Gary kicked the big-headed creature’s corpse into the air. The Dragon Cavalry bullet exploded, spreading ice, but it didn’t affect the real target at all.

Realizing something was wrong, Kiba quickly deployed his 3D maneuver gear’s grappling hook to get out of the danger zone.

He wasn’t good at close combat, so he thought it best to leave it to Sanji, coming back only to heal him when needed.

The hook shot out, but just as his body was about to be propelled upward, the rope was snatched by the enemy.

“No escape,” Gary said, his expression cold, as he yanked Kiba in front of him.

With a brutal knee strike to the side and a textbook elbow smash to the back, Kiba was left in a near-death state.

*[You have taken a knee strike from Gary, dealing 33 points of heavy damage and inflicting a 5-second cripple effect.]*

*[Passive skill "Inch Strength" activated, dealing an additional 8 points of damage and inflicting liver bleeding.]*

*[You have taken an elbow strike from Gary, dealing 26 points of normal damage.]*

*[Gary activated the Double Strike skill, repeating the same damage.]*

*[You have taken a total of 93 points of physical damage.]*

Kiba’s total health was 110 points, which was considered quite high. Any other Reincarnator would likely have been killed instantly.

Even so, the enemy could easily kill him now, as the five-second cripple effect left him completely immobile.

Luckily, controlling summoned creatures required no commands, just a thought. Tutu, the tankiest of them all, swung its long ears and sent Gary flying.

The crisis wasn't over yet. If the enemy returned, Number Two Giant alone wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Tch, what a pain," Sanji muttered as he charged in from the side at the critical moment.

Despite the torment he’d endured and the damage Jason had caused to his floating restaurant, Sanji still chose to help in this life-and-death situation.

That's just how kind-hearted Sanji was.

Seeing Sanji rushing at him, Gary instinctively relaxed his grip, but it was still enough to knock Sanji out instantly.

In that desperate moment, Kiba suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming like sharp blades piercing into the enemy’s mind.

*Mental Shock!*

He poured a full 20 points of mental energy into this attack, making it extremely lethal. The moment it hit, Gary’s ears and nose started bleeding profusely.

“Now’s my chance,” Sanji thought, his eyes lighting up as he leaped into the air and kicked the target over ten times.

He left clear dents on Gary’s flesh in spots like the prime rib, shoulder, back, undercut, chest, and thighs. Then, Sanji jumped up, spun mid-air, and concentrated all his power into one leg, delivering a powerful kick that sent Gary flying.

*Bang!*

Another familiar gunshot rang out, and this time, the cyborg couldn’t dodge the ice bullet.

After tossing away the empty vial of Perfect Restoration Potion, Kiba was back in peak condition, and his flintlock bullet hit its mark.

Seeing the enemy’s body covered in frost, Kiba knew he couldn’t waste this opportunity; he had to finish off the enemy now. If Gary recovered, no one would be able to stop him.

At the crucial moment, Tutu replaced Paul, whose demonic blade cut through the air in a perfect arc, easily severing one of Gary’s arms.

Finally, Gary fell to the ground, rolling a few times before trying to get up. But Tutu had already leaped forward, grabbing hold of Gary’s remaining right arm.

Gary’s strength was indeed formidable, but power comes from the ground, and now he couldn’t even stand up straight. There was no way he could throw Tutu off with just one arm.

Taking advantage of this, Paul delivered another slash, the true damage of the demonic blade causing Gary immense pain.

"Stay down," Sanji commanded as he rushed in, landing a kick squarely on Gary's face, forcing the cyborg to the ground.

Before Gary could get up, a familiar sensation of mental tearing struck again. In the next second, the cold barrel of a gun was shoved into his mouth.

"You really are a pain."

*Armor-piercing round, fire!*

The special bullet penetrated Gary’s skull, inflicting a devastating lethal blow. The cyborg’s body twitched a few times before finally going still.

*[You have slain Cyborg Gary]*

*[Germa Kingdom reputation -50, current status: Indifferent]*

*[Vinsmoke Judge’s favorability towards you: -10]*

*[Vinsmoke Reiju’s favorability towards you: +20]*

*[You have obtained a Plot Treasure Chest (Gold)]*

Ignoring the string of notifications, Kiba’s eyes were fixed on the golden treasure chest.

"It seems that defeating enemies beyond the current difficulty level greatly increases the value of the treasure chest," Kiba thought as he took a deep breath and immediately opened the chest.

He had suffered significant losses in this battle, even using up his Perfect Restoration Potion. If he didn’t get something good out of this, it would’ve all been for nothing.

*[You are opening the Golden Plot Treasure Chest.]*

*[You have gained 500 Plot Points.]*

*[You have obtained the Prototype Memory Armor Blueprint.]*

*[You have obtained Gene Modification Potion.]*

*[You have obtained Strong Adrenaline ×3.]*

*Prototype Memory Armor Blueprint:* Allows you to attempt to create the Germa Technology Memory Armor.

*Gene Modification Potion:* Allows you to adjust already assigned attribute points.

*Strong Adrenaline:* Temporarily increases physique attribute by 5 points for 10 minutes.

“Memory Armor is a great item,” Kiba murmured, licking his lips as the image of those transformations flashed in his mind.

Although it was a bit embarrassing, it didn’t detract from how powerful the armor was.

Creating it would likely cost a lot of Plot Points, not to mention he also needed to upgrade his active skills when he returned.

At the very least, he had to upgrade the healing skill’s additional effects.

In that case, Kiba’s current gains might not be enough. He could only hope the rest of his mission would go smoothly.

With the strongest foe dead, the remaining Germa soldiers posed no threat.

Under Zangao’s command, the enemies were quickly wiped out.

Looking at the massive warship in front of him, Kiba couldn’t help but feel tempted. In terms of size, it was comparable to a Navy battleship.

Not to mention its firepower, which was top-tier and would be extremely useful in future naval battles.

Leading his crew aboard, Kiba took full control of the warship, not intending to share it with anyone.

The Black Cat Pirates had grown so large they could now be considered a fleet. As vice-captain, he deserved his own ship.

“From now on, you’ll be called the Fearless.”

The next part of the journey was long. It wasn’t until the next morning that Kiba finally breathed a sigh of relief.

There were no second waves of enemies; Cyborg Gary had been the mission's final boss. As long as he was dealt with, Germa 66 wouldn’t be able to cross the ocean to pursue them anytime soon.

That meant the hidden mission was successfully completed.

Reaching the designated location, Kiba watched Sanji walk down from his Fearless.

“I’d advise you not to let others know about your special feelings for the floating restaurant.”

After giving him a deep look, Sanji turned and headed into the island’s interior.

“Now, let’s see the rewards for this mission.”

(End of Chapter)