The quiet, dim sea suddenly glowed with a faint yellow light. Noticing the anomaly in the distance, Kyros quickly strode to the ship's railing, one hand gripping it tightly as he narrowed his eyes at the waves.
The breeze carried the sound of the ocean, but something about it felt… wrong. It wasn't natural wave movement, it sounded like a ship cutting through the sea.
"Battle stations!"
"Everyone alert! Raise the alarm!"
"Spotlights on! Target, northwest, that light!"
Kyros's eyes widened as he recalled Yoriichi's words from earlier in the day. A chill crawled up his spine as he shouted toward the lookout.
The sailors on night watch had noticed the strange light too, but seeing Kyros calmly at the rail, they hadn't acted. Now, with his shout, they sprang into motion, pulling the alarm.
A sharp siren shrieked through the harbor, jolting the slumbering town awake. Some civilians scrambled into clothes and rushed out to see what was happening. When they spotted that dim glow across the foggy sea, dread settled in their chests.
Cries rang out along the docks.
The naval alarm also woke the Kingdom's forces stationed nearby.
Tank Lepante, commander of the Dressrosan military, leapt from bed the moment he heard the sound. Snatching the sword from beside his cot, he burst from his tent.
"What's going on?! Where is that alarm coming from?! Someone report!"
A guard raced to him and saluted.
"Commander! The alarm wasn't from us, it's the Marines! From the warship at the dock!"
The Marines' arrival earlier had not gone unnoticed, either by the Kingdom's forces or the locals. But per Yoriichi's order, they'd had minimal contact with the locals.
While the guard briefed him, Tank ran up the lookout tower atop the seaside cliff. Their base overlooked the harbor, perfect for scanning the ocean.
He squinted into the fog.
That eerie light… others had seen it too, but assumed it came from the Marines' ship.
But now that the fog was parting,
"Marines…? No, that's, "
His eyes widened in alarm. "Wake everyone! Assemble! We're heading to the dock!"
Below, the warship's powerful searchlights, among the best in the world, cut through the darkness and fog, locking onto a massive silhouette creeping through the mist.
A shadow loomed.
Beneath that cloak of fog, the towering flagship of the Giant Beast Pirates was approaching. On the deck stood their monstrous captain, known across the seas as the "Nation-Slaying Beast", Winter.
He blinked as a piercing siren echoed from the shore. Then brilliant beams of light punched through the fog, illuminating his ship.
Instead of fear, a twisted grin spread across Winter's face. He licked his lips.
"Captain! We've been spotted!" shouted a lookout from the crow's nest.
"Hahahaha!"
"Good! The more they struggle, the more fun it is!"
"No need to slow down! Full speed to the port!"
"Our holds are empty tonight, time for a real haul!"
Winter's eyes gleamed with excitement. Dressrosa was a treasure trove. Yesterday had been a test run, hit the edge of the city, snatch a few peasants, raid some merchant ships, and already they'd profited handsomely.
Tonight, he planned to bleed the nobles dry.
If he got the chance, he'd storm the palace and sample the royal women too.
The thought made his blood boil with anticipation.
The pirates on deck howled in response, hyped by their captain's call. Their cheers, carried by the wind, reached Kyros standing on the Marine warship.
"Pirates. I knew it."
"Everyone to battle stations! Alert Vice Admiral Yoriichi, enemy contact!"
Kyros shouted to the lookout, then sprinted back to his quarters, tossing on boots and grabbing his greatsword before returning to the deck.
By then, Yoriichi was already there.
Barefoot in thin, loose black sleepwear, he stood at the bow with his sword, Dawn, in hand. His red hair whipped in the sea breeze. His gaze was fixed on the black shape approaching from the mist.
Moments later, Issho and Mihawk joined him on deck, silently flanking him and looking toward the oncoming threat.
"Orders, Vice Admiral?" Kyros asked, sword gripped tight, teeth clenched at the rising noise of pirate cries.
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Let none return alive."
He stepped onto the railing.
"Come on. Let's make them regret waking us."
With that, he vanished into the fog.
"Do we really have to board them?" Mihawk murmured, frowning, but made no move to follow.
Kyros leapt onto the rail, glancing back.
"You're not coming?"
Issho chuckled. "Vice Admiral only called you."
Without hesitation, Kyros dove after Yoriichi.
Then came a sound, deep and resonant, echoing from the sea.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,
Thunder rumbled through the fog, followed by a gust that dispersed the mist in an instant. The clouds above cracked open, letting moonlight spill down on the ocean.
Finally, the civilians and soldiers on the shore could see the scene clearly.
There, atop the golden figurehead of the pirate ship, stood a red-haired youth bathed in silver light.
The pirates on deck wobbled in fear. Even Winter, with a bounty over 550 million, stared in horror, throat tight.
"…Conqueror's Haki?!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
It took all of Winter's courage to lift his arm and point at the boy.
"I don't like being pointed at," Yoriichi replied coolly, glancing at him sideways.
Moonlight highlighted the flame-shaped mark on his forehead.
"That mark…"
"That red hair…"
"You're… you're Yoriichi Tsugikuni?!"
Winter's voice cracked with panic.
Vice Admiral Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The young Marine who had crushed the legendary Golden Lion, Shiki.
A name that echoed even louder in the New World than Fleet Admiral Sengoku's.
Yoriichi didn't answer. He simply rested his hand on his blade.
Winter felt a warm splash across his cheek.
"…What happened?"
"My, my arm?!"
He reached up to touch his face, and realized his right arm was gone.
A beat passed. Then pain exploded through him.
"AAAHHH!"
Clutching the stump, Winter stumbled back, eyes wide with terror. Yoriichi hadn't even moved. He just sat calmly atop the golden statue, hand resting on his sword.
"It, it was him!"
"But I didn't even see the strike!"
"Some kind of Devil Fruit?!"
"Damn it, what a cheap power!"
"No way to defend against that! Is that how he killed the Golden Lion too?!"
Winter clung to the delusion. He believed Yoriichi had used some strange Devil Fruit. The truth?
Yoriichi had no fruit power.
His iai slash had simply been too fast for the human eye.
"Kyros," Yoriichi said quietly. "The rest is yours."
"Take revenge, for your people."
"Clean up this trash. Consider it your trial."
With that, he calmly sat cross-legged, laying his sword beside him.
He had not used Conqueror's Haki on the pirates, only to clear the fog for visibility. Slaughtering unconscious pirates would be too merciful.
They needed to taste despair before death.
"Yes, sir!"
A figure leapt past Yoriichi.
To the pirates below, it was as if a moonlit warrior had descended upon them.
A young Marine, muscular, sword in both hands, landed firmly on deck, glaring at the pirates.
Winter trembled but masked it with a roar.
"Don't underestimate us, bastard!"
"We're not afraid of you!"
He had a plan. If he could capture this Marine, this Kyros, maybe he could force Yoriichi to back off. It was a desperate, childish hope, but better than nothing.
He had heard the stories. Few pirates survived encounters with Yoriichi.
"RAAHHHH!"
Winter howled and charged, ignoring the pain in his arm.
Behind him, his crew surged forward with him.
Kyros didn't move. But as Winter's massive fist came crashing down,
"Kyros, watch out!" Yoriichi called softly.
With his Transparent World perception, he could see it clearly, Winter's true strength.
Even maimed, the pirate was still deadly.
Kyros vanished just in time, using Soru to evade.
Winter's fist slammed into the deck with a deafening CRACK, tearing a massive hole in the planks.
Kyros stared at the damage, his expression grim.
Yes, Winter had lost an arm easily to Yoriichi…
…but that didn't mean Kyros would win so easily.
✦✦---------------------------------------------------------------------✦✦
150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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