Gin, known as the "Demon Man," was Krieg's combat commander a notorious pirate with a bounty exceeding ten million Berries. His strength was formidable. Even the toughest iron walls, capable of deflecting cannonballs, would crumble with a single strike of his weapon.
His sudden interference came as a surprise to Ethan Chen, but not one that rattled him. Even as the heavy iron maces came hurtling toward him, his expression remained calm.
He had faith in his companions.
A gleaming white greatsword swept in front of Ethan, intercepting the attack with a clean slash.
Gin didn't dare take the hit head-on. He crossed his twin maces to block, and, using the momentum of the clash, leapt backward to retreat just beyond the sword's arc.
But the ambush didn't end there.
A solid shield, charging through the crowd like a tank, knocked several pirates out of the way as it barreled toward Ethan.
"Zangane Style! Unified Spirit "
"Explosive Fist!"
Thud!
With a muffled impact, the shield's advance was stopped cold by a single, seemingly unimpressive punch.
Smoke curled from the rim of the shield, but the shield itself remained undamaged. The man behind it, however, rolled his eyes back and collapsed like he'd been struck by lightning.
"No way!" a nearby pirate gasped. "That shield can block cannonballs! How could it be stopped by a punch?"
"Look again! The shield's untouched, but Captain Paru is completely out cold. What kind of punch was that?!"
Tifa stepped forward and gave the unconscious shield-bearer a little shove. He tipped over like an overturned tortoise, flat on his back.
"All done."
"But Krieg's gone," Ethan said, scanning the cracked ground of the square. The towering figure that once stood there had vanished.
Krieg had taken advantage of the momentary distraction to escape.
So had Gin. He struck and fled, disappearing into the crowd without a trace.
"What now?" 2B asked, sword in hand as she glanced at the surrounding pirates. "Do we just kill them all?"
The surrounding pirates visibly tensed. They could hear in her voice that she wasn't joking.
"Forget it," Ethan shook his head. "There are thousands of them. We've only got a few people. It's not worth the slaughter."
He stepped onto the stage, picked up the microphone from the floor, and addressed the crowd:
"I think by now, you all understand what kind of man Krieg is. In terms of both character and strength, he's not someone who can lead you through the Grand Line. If anything, he's the kind of man who'll get you all killed."
"Then... could you be our fleet's new leader?" someone called out from the crowd it was an innkeeper, not a planted voice. "You're clearly much stronger than Krieg. Maybe you're the one who can lead us to greatness in the Grand Line!"
"That's right! You beat Krieg in just a few moves. You're the strongest people we've ever seen!"
"We agree! You've got more presence than Krieg ever did!"
"Alright, quiet down," Ethan raised his voice, waiting for the commotion to settle before continuing:
"The truth is, I'm just another failure who tried and lost in the Grand Line. There's Little Garden, a land occupied by the giants. There's Alabasta, ruled by Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords. The Devil's Triangle, the ever-changing seas... and bounty hunters and pirates with rewards upwards of fifty million even a hundred million Berries. Every step is a dance with death.
"I failed in that world. I came face to face with my insignificance, realized I was nothing more than a speck on that vast sea. So I disbanded my crew and came back here.
"So let me tell you something from someone who's been there: in that sea, numbers mean nothing. Grand fleets and overwhelming manpower are useless. The only thing that lets you survive and make a name for yourself... is your own strength.
"Go home. Go back to your lives. Live freely. Don't throw your lives away chasing something you're not ready for.
"That's advice from someone who's lived it."
His words sent a ripple of murmuring through the crowd.
"Is he serious? That strong, and he still failed on the Grand Line?"
"Honestly, it makes sense. Every year, tons of pirate crews rush to the Grand Line... but how many do we ever hear from again?"
"Exactly! Either their wanted posters disappear or they vanish without a trace. Probably not even one in a thousand makes it out alive!"
As suspicion and reflection swept through the gathered pirates, their passion for the Grand Line began to cool. Without a leader or someone to rally them, it was clear this fleet was going nowhere.
. . .
Thanks to your demonstration of strength and persuasive speech, you have prevented the mass death of a pirate fleet in the Grand Line, saving over four thousand lives.
But... was it worth it? (From the silent questions of countless East Blue civilians.)
Side Quest: Dismantle Krieg's Pirate Armada
Status: Completed
Reward: One Summon Token
. . .
Looking at the disheartened crowd and hearing the notification echo in his mind, Ethan exhaled deeply.
The mission was complete.
But it also raised a new concern. These thousands of pirates who were supposed to perish in the Grand Line were now alive and well. What kind of threat would they pose to the civilians of the East Blue?
With their current power, there was no way his crew could eliminate all of them.
Even slaughtering a thousand pigs would be difficult let alone armed pirates.
Unless he had a weapon of mass destruction.
"Look! What's that?!"
Ethan looked up and saw dozens of canisters arcing through the sky toward the square. They shattered on impact, releasing thick yellow smoke.
"Pretty boy! Enjoy the poison gas banquet I prepared just for you!"
Poison gas!
Ethan's expression darkened. He turned toward the voice and spotted Krieg standing at the bow of a warship painted in dark blue and black gloating from a distance.
"Ethan! Take my hand!"
Without hesitation, Ethan grabbed Mona's slender arm. "Can you teleport us to his ship? I want to kill that bastard."
"Yes!"
As her voice rang out, a deep blue sphere of water surged around them, engulfing the four of them just before the gas reached their location. In the next instant, it burst like a bubble vanishing from the square entirely.
. . .
On the warship, Krieg stood watching the gas billow through the square, a twisted grin on his face.
What did individual strength matter now?
In his eyes, this was checkmate. Ethan and his group were surely dead.
Against poison gas and tactics, even the strongest fighters were powerless.
As for the pirates he had gathered?
Krieg couldn't care less. They had witnessed his disgrace and defeat he couldn't afford to let them leave alive.
Their ships and treasure? He'd be taking all of it.
With their vessels, he could finally assemble a fleet that would obey him without question.
They'd die serving his ambition. He saw it as a worthy end.
He even used up the last of his precious poison gas reserves in one go, just to be sure.
"You... you're here?!"
One of his men suddenly screamed, prompting Krieg to whirl around.
The moment he saw the people now standing on his deck, his jaw practically hit the floor.
They were supposed to be dead!
"Surprised?" Ethan smiled coldly. "This time, there's no escape."
Krieg wasn't about to surrender. He pointed at Ethan and shouted, "Kill them! Now!"
Though afraid, his men knew the truth. After Krieg had used poison gas on them, there was no going back. It was kill or be killed now.
They drew their weapons and roared, charging like a tidal wave.
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