Assassin at Range: The Sniper’s Lethal Power

High-level hunters always appear as prey.

Gold Hook Jack had been standing strong in the black market for many years, and it wasn't something that could be taken down in a few moves. Although he couldn't see through Tristan's Stealth, his rich battle experience gave him countermeasures.

Especially after Tristan used a movement ability, Gold Hook Jack became even more confident. If he wasn't mistaken, this outsider's movement ability wasn't perfect and couldn't control distance freely. In other words, as long as they used attacks to limit Tristan's movement, they could predict his retreat routes.

On his own, Gold Hook Jack couldn't block Tristan's escape, but with Heavy Fist, the Minotaur, things were different. Together, they would definitely trap the outsider and seal his fate!

Gold Hook Jack's judgment was extremely accurate, and his coordination with Heavy Fist was seamless. But Tristan wasn't fighting alone.

One-Eyed and Redbeard also realized that this battle had to rely on the outsider. Alone, the two of them couldn't take down Gold Hook Jack. So, when Tristan was surrounded, One-Eyed immediately charged forward, using his own body to block Gold Hook Jack's gunfire.

Blood splattered, and One-Eyed gritted through the pain, muttering: "This is the last time." His strength was no match for Gold Hook Jack's, and blocking once was his limit. If this outsider didn't perform well in the upcoming battle, he would take his brother and leave immediately. No arena was worth his life.

Tristan understood this well. He knew he had to be more careful and cautious going forward.

But to be honest, even without One-Eyed's cover, he could have dodged that attack. The breakthrough point was Heavy Fist. The Minotaur's double-handed war hammer had tremendous power, but correspondingly, it reduced his mobility significantly. Even with his high strength, Heavy Fist couldn't completely control his movements.

Tristan had already calculated his retreat route. As long as he sprinted toward Heavy Fist and used his agility, he could dodge the deadly blow by leaning back. However, with One-Eyed actively blocking the gunshots, Tristan was happy to keep his cards hidden.

Once again entering Stealth, Tristan observed every angle, listening for any clues and planning several attack routes. However, deep inside, he remained wary. He still remembered that Gold Hook Jack had hidden a pirate ship under the arena.

The "Bombardment" skill wasn't just for show.

"Once the ship's cannons start firing, One-Eyed and Redbeard will most likely lose their ability to act temporarily."

"Luckily, after the cannon fire, the arena will turn into a wasteland, and Gold Hook Jack's hook attack will be useless."

"Only relying on gunfire negotiation, he won't be able to block my movement!"

Tristan's mind raced. If he hadn't been reborn, he might not have been able to anticipate Gold Hook Jack's move. Who would have thought that Gold Hook Jack could manage to move a pirate ship so far away from the coast to Davi City?

...

Gold Hook Jack's health continued to drop, and when it was about to hit fifty percent, Tristan charged toward the door, reminding One-Eyed and his brother.

"The cannon fire is coming soon. If you don't want to die, leave quickly."

One-Eyed and Redbeard looked confused, while Gold Hook Jack's face changed drastically.

How did this outsider know so much? How did he even know about this top-secret plan?

But it was too late to back out. Gold Hook Jack stepped back to avoid One-Eyed's attack, and somehow pulled out a horn. He put it to his lips and blew into it with force.

Woo...

The deep sound of the horn echoed throughout the arena. One-Eyed finally realized what the outsider had meant by cannon fire.

He recognized the horn immediately. Back when they were pirates, whenever Gold Hook Jack ordered cannon fire, this very horn would be sounded.

However, a new question arose in One-Eyed's mind.

They weren't at sea, so where was the ship?

Before One-Eyed could figure out what was happening, there was a loud grinding sound beneath the arena floor, followed by massive shadows slowly rising from below. The floor cracked open, and a huge shape began to emerge.

One-Eyed's eyes widened in shock as he saw it: the Black Whale.

This was the ship they had used when they were pirates!

But they were hundreds of miles away from the coast, in Davi City. How could the Black Whale be here?

Could the ship fly?

Before One-Eyed could process this, the cannonfire shook his eardrums painfully. The shells ripped through the air with a sharp whistle and quickly neared.

Boom!

The roof was blasted open, and a fiery cannonball fell, easily piercing through the floor.

"Quick..."

One-Eyed barely had time to speak before the explosion's shockwave sent him flying. His body uncontrollably flipped through the air.

Then came the second, third, and fourth shells.

Amid the continuous cannonfire, Redbeard was blown away. In a smoky blaze, he was first renamed Blackbeard, then renamed No-Beard.

Even the burly Heavy Fist couldn't resist. He was sent tumbling several meters across the floor before crashing into the wall, lying there disoriented and dizzy.

Gold Hook Jack had already left the top floor before the cannonballs landed and was rushing toward the Black Whale. But just as he started moving, a flying dagger struck him dead-on.

Gold Hook Jack stared at the figure that flashed in the distance, his expression growing even more serious.

Who was this outsider? How did he know so many of his secrets? He even predicted the cannonfire attack from the Black Whale.

"Why didn't I kill that bastard just now?" Gold Hook Jack cursed under his breath.

He could see that, whether it was One-Eyed, Redbeard, or the mighty Heavy Fist, they had all suffered severe injuries from the barrage. They could barely get up.

As long as he could return to the Black Whale, he could level this place to the ground. The Wild Combat Arena would be destroyed, but that didn't matter—it could be rebuilt. Worst case, he could just flee and start over somewhere else.

But the premise was that he had to make it back to the Black Whale.

And right now, it seemed that the outsider wouldn't make that easy for him.

Tristan's voice echoed through the ruins.

"Captain Jack, why are you in such a hurry? Why don't we chat a little more?"

Gold Hook Jack sneered and replied, "If you want to talk, let's talk on the ship!"

Tristan wasn't fooled. He immediately exposed Gold Hook Jack's plan: "I don't want to get surrounded and beaten by the ghost sailors on your ship."

Gold Hook Jack could no longer hold back and shouted, "Who exactly are you? How do you know so many secrets?"

The Black Whale, transformed into a ghost ship, with dozens of ghostly sailors onboard, was Gold Hook Jack's last resort. But to this outsider, it was as transparent as glass—there were no secrets left to hide.

"Could there be a traitor?"

Gold Hook Jack began to suspect, but then felt something was off.

He had arranged the transformation of the Black Whale himself, and those who knew about it had either been killed and fed to the fish or turned into ghost sailors. There was no chance of a leak.

The only person who knew everything... was him.

"So, I must have leaked the secret?" Gold Hook Jack came to a conclusion.