At the same moment
Right at this very instant
Just as Tsuneo stepped out of Makino's room, he bumped straight into her, the inn's lovely owner, who was carrying a freshly prepared basin of water for him to wash up with.
Of all things… why did this have to happen now?
"Mr. Tsuneo, you're awake! Here—wash your face first."
"O–Oh! Makino, it's you… Sorry for troubling you. Last night I… last night…"
"Hehe. Mr. Tsuneo, you were very gentle last night."
Makino gave him her trademark warm smile.
Damn it.
What the hell is going on?!
The moment he heard that, Tsuneo felt the world spinning around him. Last night… did he really turn into a beast?!
But looking at Makino's expression… she actually seemed happy. She didn't look harmed at all. Don't tell him—
Did his charm completely conquer her?
Well…
Can't blame him.
He is devastatingly handsome.
Unable to resist, Tsuneo lowered his head to look at his reflection in the basin of water.
As expected—still ridiculously good-looking.
But…
No matter how handsome he was, he couldn't just treat this lightly. Makino stood right in front of him, and his face grew increasingly awkward.
What now?
"Captain, everything is ready. We should depart."
Thank goodness!
At the perfect moment, his crew of ultimate villains appeared, rescuing him from this nightmare of a misunderstanding. Tsuneo immediately regained his composure and turned away.
"Mr. Tsuneo, you're leaving already? I wish you safe travels! And… one year from now, could you come back to visit us again?"
"One year later?"
"Hehe. Mr. Tsuneo, who knows? Maybe I'll have a big surprise for you then."
"A surprise…?"
Instantly, Tsuneo slapped his forehead.
It's over.
This sounds like solid evidence.
Since that's the case…
As a man
There is no retreat!
In that instant, Tsuneo straightened up. His brows tightened. A faint ripple of Conqueror's Haki poured out of him.
"Alright, Makino. I promise—no matter where I am a year from now, I'll return to Windmill Village to see you."
"It's a promise!"
Makino's eyes lit up, joy sparkling like a child's. Her trademark smile grew even more radiant—dangerously radiant.
What a sin…
Meanwhile
When Tsuneo turned back toward his crew, all those infamous villains were staring at him with their jaws dropped.
Heaven above!
That faint trace of Conqueror's Haki earlier hadn't been intentional at all. It just slipped out because he got emotional.
Even so
That tiny leak of top-tier Haki was more than enough to make his crew of legendary monsters believe even more firmly:
As expected, our Captain is absurdly powerful!
Well…
If they insist on thinking that, he couldn't stop them.
If they're happy, then all is well.
"Move out!"
Tsuneo shook his head helplessly and commanded firmly.
But just as they reached the port, another pirate ship slowly pulled in beside them.
The first person to step off the ship was a young man with striking red hair. A straw hat rested on his head, white shirt on top, brown cropped pants below…
Sandals on his feet.
A Western sword at his waist.
It was none other than the future Emperor himself—Red-Haired Shanks.
He finally appeared.
As the entire Red-Hair Pirates disembarked, they came face-to-face with Tsuneo and his crew preparing to board.
In that instant
Like lightning
Every Red-Hair pirate except Shanks, including first mate Benn Beckman, instantly raised their guns.
On Tsuneo's side, his villains frowned in unison, each with faintly wicked smiles as they casually cracked their knuckles.
Among pirates
You're either a friend…
or an enemy.
Both crews immediately saw it.
Though the other side looked like a rookie crew… not a single one of them was ordinary.
Especially when Tsuneo and Shanks brushed past each other
Whether by fate or pure accident
Even without intentionally releasing anything, faint traces of top-tier Conqueror's Haki surged out from both.
In an instant
Haki collided
A silent clash at the peak.
Even though it was only a fraction of their power, the air around them roared and twisted.
Wind howled.
Waves crashed.
For a moment, both men turned back at the same time, eyes meeting directly—
A brief spark of mutual recognition flashing between them.
It lasted only a second.
Then Tsuneo pretended nothing happened, turning away calmly.
The moment he stepped onto his ship, he casually wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
You've got to be kidding!
Red-Haired Shanks
Future Yonko!
Sure, the intensity of their Conqueror's Haki seemed evenly matched…
But actual strength?
No comparison!
He had been acting the whole time!
Thankfully…
Both crews stayed surprisingly restrained.
Otherwise, if a fight really broke out today
Honestly…
The Red-Hair Pirates might've ceased to exist. The Four Emperors would drop to three. Tsuneo had full confidence in his crew of villains for that much.
But
They would also attract the entire world's attention.
And this world was full of monsters.
With his current personal strength…
It was best to stay low-key.
When he truly became invincible…
Then he could start showing off.
Wouldn't that be more satisfying?
Of course…
To get there
He still needed to keep signing in.
He eagerly awaited the next check-in.
It would definitely be game-changing!