Horn's face turned deathly pale. He knew that Rhett was far beyond his ability to defeat. He had considered begging for mercy, but as he looked at the blood mist swirling in the sky, he couldn't even guess why Rhett had come here. One thing he was certain of: Rhett would never let him go.
"What… what the hell is that?!" A navy captain stumbled backward in terror, his boots hissing as the soles corroded the moment they touched the mist-shrouded ground.
Rhett's figure slowly emerged from within the fog. He hummed an off-key tune, his Black Tide greatsword dragging lazily along the floor. Wherever its edge touched, the concrete walls peeled away like rotting bark.
The mist spun into a vortex, pulling screaming soldiers into its depths, leaving behind only their caps floating in the air.
"Horn…" Rhett's voice echoed strangely inside the fog, warped and multiplied.
"Time to collect what you owe."
The glass of the command room shattered. Blood mist condensed into thousands of fine needles, nailing Horn to the operations map.
The branch commander could only watch as the flesh of his right hand dissolved, leaving nothing but gleaming white bone.
"Wait! Please, spare me! I can give you money, women, whatever you want!"
His pleas broke into shrieks, teeth cracking under the pressure. "I don't want to die… I don't want to die…"
"Shh." Rhett pressed a finger to his lips. The mist surged into Horn's mouth. "You've misunderstood. I didn't come here to negotiate."
The entire base began to collapse.
Steel beams corroded and crumbled. Cannons melted away. The towering communications mast sagged like soft wax under the sun.
And the marines they were the worst of all. Trapped in the mist, they could still breathe, still think, still feel every inch of their skin dissolving piece by piece.
The last time Rhett had unleashed his fog on such a scale was back during the God Valley incident, when he had been playing with the Celestials.
On the ship's prow, Moria watched the carnage with delight, his shadows writhing with excitement. "Heh-heh-heh… Captain isn't even leaving whole bodies this time. Gotta say, he's one stubborn bastard."
When the mist finally receded, only a few broken walls remained of G-44 Branch, evidence that a navy base had ever stood there. No corpses. No blood. As though some monstrous beast had licked the plate clean.
Inside such pressure, people broke quickly. Horn started laughing hysterically, madness flickering in his eyes. "Heh-heh-heh… I have connections with the Celestials—"
But then he froze, despair flooding his face.
Bang!
A pistol formed from condensed fog shot through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.
Rhett didn't even bother with his Black Tide sword too dirty for the likes of Horn. Smiling brightly, he said, "Apologies. Let me introduce myself. I'm Rhett, captain of the Crimson Dawn Pirates. It's amazing, really. With so many needles in you, you can still yap like a dog."
He spread his arms wide. The blood mist roared skyward.
"Now, my navigator will do the honors."
Against the backdrop of fog, Tesoro conjured a golden tidal wave that transformed into a staircase, rising from Lina's feet straight toward Horn.
Lina ascended each step with calm precision, her voice cold and steady.
"I am the navigator of the Crimson Dawn, Lorente D. Lina. Today, I've come to take your life."
Horn blinked through the haze of pain, his hysteria collapsing into a broken plea.
"Please… please don't kill me. I can give you wealth, power—"
Pathetic. A double-tongued coward.
Lina looked down on him.
"When you sold my sister, wasn't she begging the same way?"
She thrust her rapier, driving it through him again and again. After the final strike, she withdrew the blade, turned on her heel, and walked toward Rhett. "Captain, he's all yours."
Rhett grinned. The mist formed a giant hand, clutching Horn like a lump of coal.
The grip tightened. Horn's scream was cut short.
When the Bruma Jackson sailed away from the barren husk that had once been G-44 Branch, Lina stood at the stern, silently watching the flames reflected on the sea.
Rhett came to her side and handed her a steaming cup of milk. "Feel better?"
"I wanted alcohol…" Lina muttered shyly.
Rhett rapped her lightly on the head. "No booze for brats."
She took the cup, then suddenly giggled. "Captain, just now… you looked so edgy."
Rhett: "…"
Tesoro nearly choked holding back laughter. Truth be told, in those moments the captain was not only edgy he was also the one everyone could rely on.
Enel rolled his eyes, then lit up with manic devotion as he stared at Rhett. "Captain was godlike. They don't understand you, but I do. Mortals can never grasp the divine."
Rhett sweatdropped. "Uh… thanks, Enel."
Perona drifted over, hugging Lina. "Lina-sis was the coolest!"
Moria's shadows gave a thumbs-up. "Heh-heh-heh… At times like this, Captain, you should let us join in. We're itching for it!"
"Roooh!" Laboon bellowed his agreement.
Lina looked around at her noisy companions, the corners of her lips rising softly. Maybe… this ship was the place she had been searching for all along.
Back at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku slammed a fist through his desk. The projection den-den mushi replayed the final moments the G-44 Branch dissolving into mist.
Rhett had released the footage on purpose, purely to disgust the Navy. His unspoken message was clear: Hit me if you dare.
"In less than an hour, the entire base erased?" Akainu's magma growled. "Not even rubble left?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru adjusted her glasses. "G-44 Branch could never have forced Rhett to reveal his full power. That's the troubling part. We don't actually know his limits. As much as I hate to admit it… we owe him for eliminating Horn."
Kizaru crossed his legs lazily. "Ooh~ so scary. That ability feels like cheating."
Sengoku's tone remained steady. "Rhett released that footage just to insult us. Update the bounties immediately. Justice will not be mocked."
And so, the new wanted posters spread across the seas:
Captain Rhett – 3.6 billion berries
First Mate "Golden Emperor" Tesoro – 1.1 billion berries
Combatant "Shadow Master" Moria – 1.02 billion berries
Combatant "Thunder God" Enel – 790 million berries
Navigator "Eye of the Storm" Lina – 500 million berries
Doctor "The Healer" Stella – 100 million berries
Apprentice "Ghost Princess" Perona – 5,000 berries
Pet Laboon – 800 berries
Rhett studied the posters. "Sengoku really is devious. When did Tesoro become my first mate? By rights, Moria should have the title. Sengoku probably hopes the favoritism sparks division. If Moria were ambitious, he'd be furious at being outshone by newcomers."
But Sengoku didn't know that Moria was destined to be a lazy recluse. These days he practically radiated slacker energy. If not for Perona and Laboon dragging him out of his room, Rhett feared he'd rot away in there.
"Pfft!" Rhett burst out laughing, slapping Lina's bounty poster on the table. "'Danger level equal to combatants'? Seriously?"
Lina snatched the poster, her face crimson. "T-they took such an ugly picture. Stop teasing me, Captain!"
Rhett chuckled, watching her flustered expression. The difference between stern navigator and bashful girl was exactly the kind of contrast he loved.
Truthfully, her bounty was inflated by her association with him.
Enel grilled fish with lightning, scoffing. "A mere five hundred million, compared to god?"
Meanwhile, Moria's zombies were already hanging the new posters as decorations. "Heh-heh-heh… Next time I'll add the heads of those pathetic marines to my collection."
"Try it, and I'll cut your allowance in half," Stella warned sweetly, cupping her face with a serene smile.
Tesoro swirled his wine, reading the latest headlines aloud: "The Most Notorious Fleet of the New Era is Born! Will the Crimson Dawn Claim the Throne of the New World?"
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