"Red-Hair refused."
In Mariejois, the Five Elders were once again gathered in the Room of Authority.
"Hmph,"Warcury grunted.
"He doesn't know what's good for him."
The doors opened.
An old man with red hair and a sword at his waist walked in.
"You don't need to worry about my feelings," he said calmly.
"Handle it however you like."
"I'll just pretend I never had that son."
Figarland Garling.
The others nodded.
"In that case," Warcury said, looking down at the papers on the table.
"Announce the bounties."
Posters were slid out, one by one.
Captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, Shanks.
1,820,000,000 beli.
Dead or alive.
First Mate and Strategist Benn Beckman.
430,000,000 beli.
Dead or alive.
Sniper Yasopp.
370,000,000 beli.
Dead or alive.
Fighter Lucky Roo.
200,000,000 beli.
Dead or alive.
And more.
Every core crewmember was over a hundred million.
"Release them."
The world exploded.
People stared at newspapers with bugged-out eyes.
Crews gathered, grinning with bloodlust.
Some began to band together.
Target: the Red-Haired Pirates.
Tsk, tsk…
In the East Blue, on a patrol warship, Jin lay in a recliner, newspaper over his face.
"So the guy's really coming back to the East Blue?"
"The New World's too kind."
"How could they let him live long enough to run?"
"If it were me, I'd have made sure Shanks never left."
The surrounding Marines all turned their heads to stare at the calm sea, pretending not to hear their Lieutenant Commander.
"Sir! Pirate ship spotted ahead!"
"Oh?"
Jin sat up and looked.
"Who's the idiot showing up now of all times?"
He squinted at the flag.
"Oh, it's them."
Black cat skull and crossbones.
The Black Cat Pirates.
On the other ship, Captain Kuro was also reading the paper, adjusting his glasses.
"1.82 billion, huh…"
"I can't even imagine how strong someone like that is."
"And he got forced out of the New World."
"Terrifying."
He folded the paper slowly.
"I'll have to plan this carefully."
"Make my name famous in the East Blue first."
"Then enter the Grand Line."
"Captain!"
His hypnotist, Jango, jogged over.
"A Marine ship is following us."
Kuro nodded.
"Avoid them."
"Find somewhere to hide for now."
"I don't want to clash with the Marines yet."
"Yes, Captain."
On the warship, Jin watched the Black Cat Pirates begin to turn away.
He smirked.
"Trying to run?"
Then he thought about it.
Right. Early-stage Kuro's cautious as hell. Of course he won't pick a fight yet.
"But I've got my eye on that brain of yours."
"You're not going anywhere, little kitty."
He reached back and drew his greatsword, resting it on his shoulder.
"Stay right where you are."
He lifted the blade high.
"Stay, kitty."
He swung lazily.
Hummm—
A thirty-meter slash tore across the sea toward the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
"Whoa! That's the Lieutenant Commander's slash!"
"So big!"
"So long!"
The Marines all stared at Jin with shining eyes.
"Is that… a slash?" a Black Cat crewman yelped.
"Captain, look!"
Kuro's eyes went wide.
"What… is that?"
"That's not something a human does…"
"Dodge!"
"We can't dodge it, Captain!" someone screamed.
The slash hit.
The ship didn't explode.
Nothing happened… for about three seconds.
"Sir, the pirate ship didn't—"
The Marine's words died in his throat as the ship silently split in two.
The cut was clean as glass.
"Gulp."
Every Marine swallowed at once.
Jin clapped his greatsword back onto his shoulder.
"Pull alongside."
"We're boarding."
"Loot split is sixty–forty. I take six, you take four."
"Check everyone's crimes."
"Anyone with a big enough rap sheet gets executed and fed to the fish."
"Yo-hoo!"
"Patrolling with the Lieutenant Commander is the best!"
"Haha!"
"Hurry, hurry, before the ship sinks and everything goes to waste!"
The veterans jumped across with ropes and planks, shouting.
On the ruined pirate ship, Kuro gaped like a beached fish.
He'd been shaken to his core.
But when he saw the Marines approaching, something clicked in his mind.
That attack must be some kind of special weapon.
He can't fire it twice in a row.
Damn it… I didn't want to clash with them yet.
"But you forced my hand," Kuro muttered.
He leapt across to the Marine warship.
"Marines!"
"I'll kill every last one of you today!"
His face was twisted, his voice dark.
The Marines just smiled at him like they were watching a monkey.
"Well now."
"Pretty brave, for an East Blue pirate."
"Oi, look at the little kitty acting fierce."
Kuro finally saw him.
A tall young man, about two meters, a massive sword strapped to his back, smiling like a cat that'd found cream.
Those eyes.
Kuro's heart lurched.
He'd seen that face somewhere.
He rifled through his memories—and froze.
The newspaper…
The Marine in Loguetown who clashed evenly with Red-Haired Shanks…
The "Marine Thug"…
Arakaki Jin.
"Click, click…"
Kuro's legs started to tremble.
Tsk, tsk.
"Kuro, that's not very nice."
"You jump over here, talk big, and now you're frozen?"
"Change of heart already?"
"You lot keep working," Jin told the others with a wave.
"He's mine."
"Yes, sir!"
"We'll tie up the small fry and bring the officers to you."
Kuro was drenched in cold sweat.
It wasn't that he didn't want to run.
The moment he even thought about moving, his instincts screamed.
He felt like he was standing in front of a starving tiger.
No.
Worse than any tiger.
"What do you want, Marine Thug?" Kuro rasped.
Tsk, tsk…
Jin grinned wider.
"Relax."
"I just took a liking to you."
"Got a little game in mind."
"A… game?"
Kuro felt a chill run up his spine.
"Sir!"
"All the small fry are tied up!"
"These three are the officers!"
The Marines shoved Jango and the Nyaban Brothers forward, then dumped them in a heap.
"Take the cats and the hypnotist below," Jin said, waving without even looking.
"Keep them with the others."
"These three stay."
"Loot-wise, my share stays here."
"The rest is yours."
"Oooooh!! The Lieutenant Commander is the best!!"
"Long live the boss!"
"Get lost," Jin said without heat.
He stepped forward and dropped something at Kuro's feet.
A revolver.
"Game time."
"In that gun, there's one bullet."
"Put it to your head and pull the trigger four times."
"If you're still alive afterward, I'll keep you."
"I'll have your bounty wiped clean."
Kuro stared at the gun.
Then at the man in front of him.
Then back at the gun.
Jin's aura pressed down on him, heavy as the sea.
Kuro gritted his teeth and picked the revolver up, pressing it to his temple.
Jin chuckled.
"Oh? I thought you'd try shooting me instead."
"What a shame."
Kuro's lip twitched.
"Heh. I don't feel like dying that fast."
"If I shoot you, I die instantly."
"If I shoot myself… there's a chance I don't."
"Click."
"Click."
"Click."
Three empty pulls in a row.
Kuro's breathing was ragged.
It took everything he had to keep from dropping the gun.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Jin applauded.
"Not bad."
"Plenty of guts."
He reached into his coat and drew out a transponder snail.
"Beri, beri, beri—kacha."
"Moshi moshi."
"This is Lieutenant Commander Arakaki Jin from Loguetown."
"Ah-la-la, so it's you," came Aokiji's lazy voice.
"Rare to get a call from you."
"What do you want?"
Jin glanced at Kuro, who still had the gun pressed to his head.
"I'll need you to help me erase someone's bounty soon, Admiral Aokiji."
Aokiji hummed.
"Oh?"
"Who's so special you want to bail him out?"
"And 'soon'?"
Jin smiled.
"We still have to make sure he doesn't die first."
"If he kills himself, it won't matter."
Kuro's pupils shrank.
Erase my bounty…?
If I die, it's all meaningless…
He clenched his jaw and squeezed the trigger.
"Click."
Jin's grin grew.
"Oh-ho."
"He's still alive."
"Thanks in advance, Admiral Aokiji."
"There's your answer."
Aokiji's sigh came through the line.
"You really are twisted, you know that?"
"Send me his information later."
"And when are you coming to Headquarters?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku's asked about you several times."
"Said if you don't show up soon, he'll have you dragged in chains."
"I've got things to take care of first," Jin said mildly.
"I'll report in after I'm done."
Aokiji was silent for a beat.
"…Fine, fine."
"When you get here, you're buying me a drink."
"Bring some good booze from the East Blue."
"Deal."
"Beri… kacha."
The line went dead.
Jin looked down at Kuro, who was panting like he'd run a marathon.
"Yo-ho-ho."
"You survived."
Kuro glared up at him.
"Gun… never had a bullet, did it…"
"You were just playing with me."
Jin spread his hands.
"Don't be mad."
"Your bounty's getting scrubbed."
"That's not nothing, right?"
"Oh, and those two cats?"
"Throw them in with the rest of the small fry."
"They're not worth much."
The Nyaban Brothers fainted dead away under his aura.
Jin suddenly felt bored.
Kuro staggered to his feet, swaying.
He looked at the Marine in front of him.
"What do you want me to do?"
Jin rubbed his chin.
"You, huh…"
"Be my adjutant."
"I hate paperwork."
"Too much hassle."
"As for you—" he looked at Jango "—you're going to train that hypnosis of yours."
"I'll have a use for it later."
Jango's legs were jelly.
"Yes, Boss Marine Sir—I mean, yes, sir!"
"You call me 'sir,' not 'Boss,'" Jin said.
"Yes, sir!"
Jango swallowed the rest of his words.
Because what he wanted to say was:
But I definitely heard the other Marines calling you "Boss" earlier…
Jin waved his hand.
"Head back to base."
"We've been drifting out here for half a month."
"I'm bored to death."
"Yes, Boss—I mean, Lieutenant Commander!"
The warship turned toward Loguetown.
As they sailed, Jin tossed Kuro a notebook.
"Zan—whatshisname."
"You're my adjutant now."
"Those are some of my training notes."
"If you're too weak, it makes me look bad."
Kuro caught it and stared at the pages.
So that was it.
He'd… successfully washed all his crimes away.
And joined the Marines—
as a Marine thug's right-hand man.
"Don't just stand there."
"Move," Jin said, heading below deck.
A few days later, the warship slid back into Loguetown's harbor.
Jin stretched as he stepped ashore.
"Ahhh."
"Nothing like solid ground."
"You two, get changed," he told Kuro and Jango.
"Then start learning your jobs."
He walked straight into the base commander's office, kicked the door open, and dropped onto the sofa.
He grabbed a cigar from the table and lit it.
"Fuu…"
Colonel Mao stared at him with a blank face.
"You're finally back."
"Headquarters has been on my back nonstop."
"When are you going to report in?"
"Soon."
"I've still got some things to take care of."
Mao stared at the killing intent flickering in Jin's eyes and decided not to ask.
"Do whatever you want."
"Just try not to burn my base down while you're at it."
Jin smiled around his cigar.
"No promises."
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