Even though Rowan had completely dismissed Luffy's idea of using the ship, he was only rejecting the notion that the Dreadnaught Saber was suitable for their personal travel. He hadn't denied that the ship was already their trophy!
"Hmph! Ignorant fools. You certainly talk big."
Krieg, the first to step onto the shore, let out a cold snort as he glared at the two of them. He had initially thought the pair were just ordinary drifters who had washed up here. Now, it seemed their brains had drifted away as well. To harbor such delusions about the flagship of Don Krieg was nothing short of insanity.
But Krieg wasn't particularly angry. In his eyes, this old man and the kid were already dead. Who gets upset with a corpse? It was beneath him.
Krieg barked a single name: "Gin."
"Don Krieg-sama."
Immediately, a cold-faced man of average build leaped from the deck of the battleship, landing steadily beside Krieg. He wore a jacket with a red snake-like pattern and a striped headband. He held a tonfa in each hand, and his indifferent expression made him look like a venomous snake tasting the air.
Compared to Krieg's bull-like physique, this man appeared quite lean. But do not let his build fool you; he was the heavyweight of the Krieg Pirates. The number two man in the entire armada, the Combat Commander known as "The Demon Man," Gin.
Beyond his strength, Gin was fanatically loyal to Krieg. If Krieg told him to go east, he went east. If Krieg told him to kill, he wouldn't blink. This obedience made him Krieg's most trusted right hand.
At Krieg's command, Gin didn't ask for a reason. He simply drew his weapons and walked toward Rowan and Luffy.
Watching Gin's departing back, Krieg cracked his stiff neck and placed his hands on his hips, his smirk icy. As a notorious villain of the East Blue, Krieg's greatest joy wasn't gold or women—it was the look of absolute despair on an enemy's face when they begged for mercy.
Gin was an expert at delivering that joy. Even when he held an overwhelming advantage, Gin rarely ended a fight in one move. He preferred to precisely disable his opponents without knocking them unconscious. This ensured they had just enough energy to realize their hopelessness and beg for their lives. And the more they begged, the more Gin enjoyed the torture until they reached a state where they prayed for a death that wouldn't come.
Krieg had total confidence in Gin.
Gin moved with cold efficiency. As he approached, he carefully observed his targets. To him, the smoking old man and the excited kid looked like nothing more than civilians with zero combat ability. Consequently, Gin didn't plan on using much strength for his opening move. He just needed enough force to cripple them and take away their ability to move.
As he closed the final distance, Gin's pace suddenly exploded. He raised both hands, preparing to end it instantly.
But before Gin's strike could descend, the "brat" let out a soft cry.
"Gomu Gomu no..."
In the next heartbeat, Gin saw the kid's hands, which were stretched far behind his back, begin to elongate in a bizarre, unnatural fashion.
Is this... a Devil Fruit power?!
Gin's expression shifted violently. As the second-in-command of the Krieg Pirates, he had roamed the East Blue for years. Even if he hadn't been to the Grand Line, he was well-traveled. The ability this boy was showing was undoubtedly that of the legendary Devil Fruits!
It wasn't just Gin. Krieg and the pirates behind him, who had been waiting for a show, were stunned. Every pirate had heard of Devil Fruits—mystical fruits that granted incredible powers. But for most, they were just myths. To see a real user in the flesh was a shock.
Gin, being the closest, felt the reality of it most acutely. He never would have guessed this goofy-looking kid was a Devil Fruit user. In all their years, the Krieg Pirates had never even found a single fruit.
"Bazooka!"
Before Gin could process the shock, Luffy's offensive was already upon him.
BOOM!
Luffy's attack was too fast. A completely unprepared Gin took the full force of the strike directly in the center of his chest. At the moment of impact, Gin's cold, indifferent face twisted into a mask of agonizing pain.
"PU-HU!"
A massive spray of blood erupted from his mouth. Gin's lean body was launched like a cannonball, turning into a blurred shadow in the air before slamming into the hull of the Dreadnaught Saber. He smashed right through the wood, leaving a human-shaped hole amidst a shower of splinters.
The number two of the Krieg Pirates, "The Demon Man" Gin. One move. Instant defeat!
For a moment, the shoreline fell into a deathly silence. Aside from the waves lapping against the rocks and the hull, there wasn't a sound to be heard.
The best way to grow is to fight! Although Luffy had been soundly defeated by Jinbe, that battle had pushed his growth to a new level.
The silence lasted for two minutes before being broken by the sound of startled birds taking flight from the island.
"Hey... did you guys see what just happened?" "Am I seeing things?" "Commander Gin was just..." "That guy... is he using a Devil Fruit power?!"
Every eye was fixed on Luffy, who wore a faint, casual smile. Their powerful Commander, a man with a 12-million-Berri bounty, had been swatted away like a fly by a child.
This had to be a joke, right?
.......BONUS CHAPTER IS COMING..........
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