After they hauled the man aboard, he immediately broke free from Riddle's grip and swung his sniper rifle at Shirakawa like a club.
That's right—he was treating the rifle like a blade, swinging it down in a chopping strike. The man had long stopped seeing his weapon as merely a gun.
Shirakawa did not dodge the incoming attack. He simply watched it come, because he knew someone would handle it. What was the point of recruiting crew if they couldn't deal with something like this?
The instant the attacker moved on Shirakawa, Jora reacted. He flashed in front of the captain, drew his blade, and blocked the strike.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing? If we hadn't pulled you out of the sea you'd be fish food right now, and you still try to attack our captain? You repay kindness with betrayal!"
Riddle shouted the moment he saw the man swing at Shirakawa. After all, he had been the one who jumped down to drag the guy up.
The attacker said nothing. Instead he spun into a fight with Jora, and the two of them actually seemed evenly matched for a while.
"Oh, not bad at all."
Shirakawa watched their clash and did not hold back his praise.
There was no doubt the man was an outstanding sniper, but his close-quarters combat skills were just as impressive. He was actually holding his own against Jora without falling behind.
"So this is the legendary gunfighter? Able to fight at range or up close."
During the exchange the attacker would occasionally squeeze off a shot at Jora. If Jora hadn't mastered Armament Haki, he would already have several new holes in his body.
"Riddle, you jump in too. Subdue him."
Although Jora was slowly gaining the upper hand as time passed, Shirakawa was especially curious about the man's motives, so he ordered Riddle to join the fight.
Two against one would end it faster.
"Hmph, you're in the way." Jora did not thank Riddle for the help. Instead he mocked him.
Typical swordsman attitude—proud, independent, unwilling to let anyone interfere in his battles.
But since this was the captain's order, Jora could not complain.
"In the way? You think I want to help you? If it weren't for the captain's command, I'd stand here and watch him beat you to death."
Riddle sounded like someone whose kindness had been taken for donkey liver and lungs. Even though the two of them had been sailing together for quite a while now, they still looked down on each other.
"Hmph." Jora gave a cold snort and said nothing more.
Despite their mutual dislike, the pair had developed a strange synergy. Working together they were far more than one plus one.
Under the pincer attack the man's resistance grew weaker and weaker. Two fists could not block four hands after all. Soon he was captured. Just to be safe, Riddle fetched a chain and bound him tightly.
Riddle really did know every inch of this ship best. Shirakawa had not even stepped into the treasure room yet and had no idea how much loot the former pirate had stashed away.
"Talk. Who are you and why did you try to assassinate our captain?"
Riddle fully embraced his role as the loyal lackey, speaking with an arrogant tone.
"Hmph. Since I've already failed, just kill me or torture me. Why waste so many words?"
"Hey, you rotten brat, refusing the toast and choosing the punishment, huh? Watch how your grandpa here teaches you a lesson."
Riddle rolled up his sleeves, ready to give the man a solid beating, but Shirakawa stopped him.
"All right, step back. I'll talk to him myself."
"Yes, Captain."
Shirakawa walked over and looked the man straight in the eyes. "Speak. Why did you want to kill me? I don't see any hatred in your eyes, which means there's no grudge between us. But since you came to assassinate me, you can at least give me a reason, right? Even if I die, I want to know why."
Even though he knew he had fallen into enemy hands, the man showed no fear. He stared back at Shirakawa without a trace of the submission a captive should show.
"Fine. Since you refuse to answer, we'll go one question at a time. First—what is your name?"
"Yuristin."
"Yuristin." Riddle muttered the name under his breath as if it sounded familiar.
"What is your profession? Someone with your skills can't possibly be an ordinary person."
"Bounty hunter."
"Ah, I know who he is now." The moment he heard the words "bounty hunter," Riddle instantly recognized the man.
"You know him?" Shirakawa asked, surprised that Riddle could actually be useful in this area.
"Yeah. He's a very famous bounty hunter on the Grand Line. Once he sets his sights on a target, no one survives. They call him the Phantom Sniper—meaning you die without ever knowing where the shot came from."
"I see. The title suits you perfectly." If it had been an ordinary person—like Riddle, for example—they would have died from those first few shots. Even Jora might have ended up the same if he had let his guard down for a second.
The man's range was simply too far.
"So you targeted me because of my high bounty."
"Correct."
Now that his identity had been exposed, he saw no point in hiding anything anymore.
"I can't believe the captain actually managed to capture him. You really are amazing." Riddle looked at Shirakawa with open admiration.
"Hmph. If it hadn't been for that sudden terrible weather, could you have caught me?"
Yuristin was clearly unwilling to accept the outcome. He had miscalculated. He had never expected the weather to change so violently and so suddenly.
"True. Without that storm we probably couldn't have caught you. But reality doesn't always match what you expect. You are now my prisoner. Your life and death are in my hands."
"Hmph. Kill me or torture me. Do as you please."
"I won't kill you, and I won't torture you either."
"Then what do you want?" Yuristin asked, confused. He had tried to assassinate the man, yet the captain had no intention of killing him.
"I want you to join us. I've taken a liking to your talent."
"Hmph. Dream on. I will never join pirates. My job is pirate hunter. I kill people like you and collect the bounty from the Navy."
"Who says a pirate hunter can't join a pirate crew? Joining us would be great. You can still kill other pirates—I won't stop you. And if you want to go collect bounties from the Navy, I won't stop you either."
"You think I'm stupid? If I become a pirate and then try to collect a bounty, wouldn't I be walking straight into a trap?"
"Haha, couldn't fool you. Looks like you're pretty sharp. But the smarter you are, the more I want to keep you on my ship. I can't afford to lose a talent like you."
/-\
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