"Ju~~~~"
The sharp whistling of a cannon shell tearing through the air instantly snapped everyone on the patrol ship to attention.
Only a heartbeat earlier, Santos had still been telling Yuichi not to overthink it—but the moment that sound reached his ears, his face changed completely. He threw himself flat on the deck with practiced reflexes that spoke of long, bitter experience.
"Cannon fire! Get down, now!"
He glanced up and saw Yuichi still standing there. Panic flashing across his face, Santos reached out to pull him down—but no matter how he tugged, Yuichi didn't so much as budge.
A black blur streaked closer through the air, closing the distance in a matter of seconds before crashing into the sea just ahead of the patrol ship.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion erupted, tossing up great waves that rocked the vessel violently.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
"Full speed! Evade the bombardment!"
"Full speed—move, move!"
The deck rang with shouts as the first probing shot ended.
When the cannon fire ceased for a moment, Santos sprang to his feet, barking orders at the top of his lungs.
This particular patrol ship carried three squads of marines, each twenty men strong and led by a sergeant. The squads were divided into three duties—navigation, watch, and patrol.
Among them, Sergeant Santos was the highest-ranking man aboard—essentially the "officer" in charge of the entire ship.
At his orders, the sailors began shouting in relay, trying to pass his commands to the wheelhouse. But before the message could even reach, the patrol ship suddenly lurched and stopped—its hull turning sideways, directly facing the pirate ship's gun ports.
"We've stopped?!"
"What's going on?!"
"What the hell is Buler doing?!"
Santos's expression twisted as he shouted toward the helm. "Buler" was the sergeant in charge of the navigation squad.
When no answer came, Santos' instincts screamed that something was wrong. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the wheelhouse to see for himself.
The remaining marines on deck didn't dare linger—they rushed for the gunnery rooms to man the ship's cannons. In moments, only Yuichi was left standing on the open deck.
He spared a brief glance toward the fleeing Santos, then lifted his eyes to the distant pirate ship.
The enemy's vessel had slowed down, adjusting its course.
"Yuichi—that ship's slowing! They're getting ready to fire again!"
It was Cyrus. Instead of heading below with the others, he'd come running to Yuichi's side, his eyes fixed on the pirate ship that was now clearly visible on the horizon.
"Cyrus," Yuichi said quietly, his tone steady but grave. "Go with Santos. Check the wheelhouse."
"I'll handle things here."
His expression tightened. Yuichi's Observation Haki now covered nearly a hundred meters—and the moment he spread it outward, he immediately sensed something was off.
There were far too many presences in the wheelhouse.
Way more than a single squad should account for.
Cyrus hesitated only a moment before nodding. Just as he turned to leave, a gunshot rang out from inside the ship.
Almost simultaneously, the pirate ship across the water let loose a full volley—seven or eight cannonballs hurtling through the air toward them.
"Cyrus—go! Be careful. If anyone so much as points a gun at you, don't hesitate. Act first."
Yuichi's voice was calm, but his eyes had gone cold.
He drew his blade in one fluid motion. As the incoming shells screamed through the air, he unleashed three sweeping slashes. The arcs of condensed Haki flew forth, cutting through the sky and striking the cannonballs mid-flight.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The explosions lit the air with searing light, turning the sea blood-red with reflected fire.
Gunfire from their own ship.
A "merchant vessel" disguising itself as pirates.
And from what Santos had said earlier—wasn't that ship supposed to belong to the Lolo Trading Company?
That could only mean one thing.
"Those pirates… they're connected to the merchants."
"And to attack a Navy patrol ship outright—whoever's on that vessel must be a pack of murderous scum."
"Coming straight for us like this… it's no coincidence."
Yuichi's gaze hardened. His voice dropped to a low murmur.
In the flickering firelight, his expression had turned utterly dark.
"Ju~~~!"
Another barrage of cannon fire roared through the air, the shriek of the shells slicing across the open sea.
Yuichi's face hardened. He flicked his wrist, sending several flying slashes hurtling forward. Each one struck true—boom, boom, boom!—shattering the shells in midair before they could reach the patrol ship.
Then, without hesitation, he bent his knees and launched himself from the deck. His figure shot upward like an arrow, and with a burst of Moonwalk, he streaked through the sky toward the pirate vessel at terrifying speed.
"Captain Rigg! Both volleys—completely intercepted! Someone on that navy ship's a monster!"
On the pirate ship, the gunnery crew was in chaos. A lookout came running, shouting as he stumbled toward a burly man at the helm.
This was the Rigg Pirates—a small-time crew of barely a hundred and twenty men. In the West Blue, their name barely meant anything. Even their captain, Rigg, wasn't worth a single Navy bounty notice.
And the reason for that—
"Yeah, yeah, I can see it myself, you idiot!" Rigg snapped, cutting off the panicked report. "I'm not blind!"
"Tell the men to—huh? What the hell is that?!"
His voice caught.
From the distant navy ship, a pale blur had just leapt into the sky—soaring upward, cutting through the air, and speeding straight toward them.
Rigg squinted, moving to the railing. As the white speck drew closer, his eyes widened.
"A person?!"
"A marine!?"
"Quick! Tell the gunners—shoot him down! Don't let him get close!"
The moment he realized that the blur was a red-haired young marine flying toward them, panic crawled up Rigg's spine. A primal instinct screamed inside him—
Danger.
Something was terribly wrong.
"Wait—tear that pirate flag down!" he barked suddenly. "Throw it overboard, now!"
But even as the words left his mouth, the figure in white was already upon them.
A blur of red hair and steel streaked through the air, landing on the deck with a heavy thud.
The marines' uniform gleamed under the sun. The boy's expression was calm—too calm.
"He… he flew here," Rigg whispered, disbelief twisting his voice.
Then the boy's golden eyes found him.
In that instant, every hair on Rigg's body stood on end. His breath hitched.
And before he could utter a word—
The boy vanished.
Rigg's vision tilted. The sky spun, the world turned upside down—and suddenly, he was staring at the deck.
Strange, he thought hazily. I didn't lower my head… so why am I seeing the floor?
A heartbeat later, realization dawned as he saw a headless body crumple before him—wearing his own clothes.
Beside it stood the red-haired boy, his long hair drifting in the wind, blade still faintly dripping crimson.
Beyond him, the faces of his terrified crewmates blurred and swam in Rigg's fading vision.
That's… me?
So I'm… dead… huh…
The light vanished from his eyes. His severed head hit the deck with a dull thunk.
Blood pooled and ran freely across the boards.
Overwhelming. Absolute.
Yuichi flicked the blood from his blade, his expression unreadable. His crimson eyes swept over the trembling pirates, their weapons forgotten in their hands.
Then, in a quiet, cold voice, he said:
"I'll ask once."
"Whoever answers me lives."
"Who sent you?"
(End of Chapter)
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