Lan Hao Tian temporarily set aside Zhang Ba Hai's questions and focused on something more important.
He glanced at the wound on his left hand. Strangely, the bleeding had stopped, yet the injury showed no signs of healing.
Zhang Ba Hai's eyes widened in astonishment. He hadn't been out at sea for long, so this was the first time he had witnessed something so unnatural.
For a moment, he was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond to the situation.
Meanwhile, Lan Hao Tian, seeing that his wound was no longer bleeding, turned to his opponent, smiled, and said:
"You're really strong. You almost killed me."
The only reason he hadn't attacked immediately was that his opponent was still in a daze. Striking at this moment wouldn't be fun at all.
At this point, Zhang Ba Hai's brain finally caught up with reality. He asked:
"Can you really control water? You must have done something to stop the blood from flowing out of your body."
Lan Hao Tian nodded frankly and replied:
"That's right. I'm a water manipulator at the water adept level. Controlling blood a little is nothing unusual."
Zhang Ba Hai no longer seemed like a simple-minded brute. Instead, he looked more like someone eager to learn.
He quickly memorized Lan Hao Tian's words before asking:
"What exactly is a water manipulator?"
Lan Hao Tian was slightly surprised. Back where he came from, this was common knowledge.
Though he had encountered very few water manipulators himself, nearly everyone who had taken care of him knew about their existence.
"A water manipulator is someone lucky enough to be born with the ability to control water. It's a rare, innate power, so it's not something I can teach you."
Hearing this, Zhang Ba Hai felt a bit disappointed. But as he thought about it more, his expression darkened. He snorted and said:
"Hmph, who needs you to teach me? Come on, show me what a few drops of water can do to me."
He didn't attack immediately. Instead, he stood still, waiting to see what was so special about a water manipulator.
Lan Hao Tian wasted no more words. He swung his hand toward the ocean, and dozens of liters of seawater rose into the air, rushing toward him.
The water formed into smooth, flowing streams that coiled around his body. He waved his hand slightly and said:
"I'm ready. Let's begin."
Zhang Ba Hai didn't pay attention to his opponent's seemingly mocking gesture. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the strange movements of the seawater.
"How fascinating… It seems this ocean is far vaster than I ever imagined. The road ahead is going to be interesting." he thought to himself.
Then, raising his spiked mace, he pointed it directly at Lan Hao Tian and said:
"Come at me! Even if you bring along a few drops of water, the outcome won't change."
"Haha, then allow me to serve you a barrage of water arrows."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Hao Tian flicked his hand, causing the flowing water around him to split into dozens of large droplets.
With a swift motion, he launched them toward Zhang Ba Hai. As they traveled, the droplets stretched and took the shape of arrows before shooting forward in unison.
Seeing their relatively small size, Zhang Ba Hai couldn't help but scoff:
"Such tiny water arrows. What could they possibly do to me?"
Lan Hao Tian didn't respond. Instead, he simply smiled and exerted more of his power, increasing the speed of the water projectiles.
Boom!
Several arrows struck Zhang Ba Hai, pushing him backward repeatedly. The impact left red marks on his body.
Astonished by their force, Zhang Ba Hai realized he had already missed his chance to dodge and had no choice but to endure the barrage.
Crash!
His body slammed into the ship's wall once again, but this time, his injuries were much more severe. A trace of fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Yet, the water arrows did not stop. They continued to strike him relentlessly, increasing the damage he suffered with every passing second.
Crack! Crack!
The wooden wall split in half, sending Zhang Ba Hai flying into the sea.
Seeing his opponent disappear into the waves, Lan Hao Tian paused. With a concerned expression, he said:
"Huh? You're not dead, are you? We're still fighting, you know."
If Zhang Ba Hai had heard that, he would have been furious. A pirate of his reputation, knocked away by some no-name stranger, and now being pitied by him? Outrageous!
Of course, he couldn't hear it, as he was currently submerged in the ocean, questioning his entire existence.
"What the hell was that?! How could mere water have such power? Ah, I see now. The power isn't from the water itself, it's coming from his body!"
Realizing the truth, he immediately started swimming upward. Despite being thrown away, he still clung tightly to his spiked mace.
Its weight dragged him deeper into the water, but compared to his monstrous physique, it was barely an inconvenience.
It didn't take long before he resurfaced, quickly scanning for a way back onto the deck.
Meanwhile, his crew had begun to panic.
"You think the captain's okay?"
"Probably… I'm not sure."
"Shut up! The captain isn't that easy to kill. Don't act like an idiot unless you wanna get smacked."
Despite being intimidated by Lan Hao Tian's strength, their fear of Zhang Ba Hai was much greater.
They believed that their captain would return soon enough.
And sure enough, Zhang Ba Hai didn't let them down. He dragged his slightly reddened, soaking-wet body onto the deck.
Though he looked a bit battered, a closer inspection would reveal that he hadn't lost much of his combat strength.
Seeing his opponent step back onto the battlefield in one piece, Lan Hao Tian grinned and waved.
"Hey! You good?"
Far from feeling grateful, Zhang Ba Hai's expression darkened at the seemingly genuine concern.
However, after their brief exchange, he had already figured out that his opponent was a lunatic. He decided not to dwell on it.
"Hmph! This little injury is nothing. I could take ten more of you and still fight."
Seeing his opponent's fighting spirit, Lan Hao Tian didn't hold back. The water surrounding him surged once again.
"This time, don't underestimate me. Water hurts, you know."
"Hah! Stop looking down on people, you brat!"