Threatening Their Family?

East Blue · Cocoyasi Village · Coast

The sea breeze carried the lingering smoke and acrid smell of gunpowder. The sea was still calm, and the beach was covered with scorched spots and the mangled remains of fallen Fish-Man and Pirates.

Hachi slumped on the beach, his six arms trembling as if he were having cramps, his eyes bloodshot, staring in terror at the two boys in front of him.

"What... what have you all done?!"

His voice cracked, like a frog being choked, "Do you even know what the Shichibukai mean?!"

Kuroobi dragged his broken arm to his feet, half his face a bloody mess, yet he still gritted his teeth and roared, "You're finished... Jinbe won't let you get away with this!!"

"He's Shichibukai! A notorious Pirate even the World Government acknowledges!!"

"You... you actually dared to kill Brother Arlong... he would have avenged us!!"

He will kill all your relatives!! Do you hear me?!

The sea breeze paused, sweeping across the scorching sand and the mess left behind.

Their words were like pebbles falling into stagnant water.

Ace and Luffy stood quietly, without saying a word, letting the wind flutter their clothes, their faces still expressionless.

"Kill... all our loved ones?"

Almost simultaneously, several fragments flashed through their minds—

Grandpa Garp stood atop the mountain, smashed a peak with a single punch, and laughed heartily, "Pirates? They're all taken care of with one punch!"

Roy Teleportation and punched, instantly annihilating the entire Pirate crew. "Remember, brats. Mercy is for humans, not for beasts."

Teacher Zephyr swung his fist like a cannonball, cracking the ground. "You still want to slack off?! Today's training is doubled!"

The Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed his fist on his desk in fury, his Buddha-like aura blazing as he berated Garp: "Garp! Was this your doing again?!"

At this moment, what came to mind was not "Jinbe" or "Shichibukai," but rather "family members" whose lives were wider than the sea and more profound than mountains.

"..."

After a brief silence, Ace smirked, tilting his head with a disdainful look. "You're bragging~"

Luffy grinned crookedly and scratched his nose. "What's Jinbe? Is it a fish? Is it tasty?"

Hachi: "...???"

Kuroobi: "...???"

"Are you... are you two idiots?!"

Hachi finally lost his temper, yelling until his voice cracked, "Do you even know what the Shichibukai mean?! They're beings who can rival the Great Pirates!! They're kings personally appointed by the World Government!! How dare you!"

"Smack!"

Luffy over and slapped him across the face, making him see stars.

"It's so noisy."

"Shichibukai?" Ace narrowed his eyes coldly. "Try touching my grandma."

"Brother Roy said..."

"If anyone dares to threaten our family,"

He raised his burning fist, flames roaring, and said, "One word: Burn."

Hachi and Kuroobi had no strength left. They didn't even dare to move, and could only watch silently as the two boys approached them step by step.

"Who... who are these two brats?!"

Just as Hachi was about to struggle and say something more--

"Whoosh!"

A gust of sea wind suddenly stirred up dust, and a tall, imposing figure appeared out of nowhere, standing steadily behind Ace and Luffy.

The Coat of Justice rustled in the sea breeze, and the metal military boots clattered powerfully as they stepped on the gravel.

Roy, Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral and a "monster officer" who grew up in the East Blue, glanced indifferently at the defeated soldiers scattered on the ground and commented. "Well done."

The voice wasn't loud, but it struck the hearts of Fish-Man like a thunderclap.

Hachi slumped on the beach, his six arms stiffly hugging himself, as if trying to shield himself from the fear that was about to sweep over him.

"This... this oppressive feeling... this is not from an ordinary human!"

His gills twitched violently, and his back was soaked with cold sweat. For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to the nightmare of being chased by the Sea Kings in the deep sea when he was a child.

"Roy... it's actually that Roy?!"

Upon seeing who it was, Hachi's eyes widened, and she almost screamed, "Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Roy of the Marine Headquarters! That monster who fought Red-Haired Shanks and escaped unscathed!!"

"They've been quite active in the New World these past few years, their reputation is no less than that of the Navy's three Logia monsters!"

"It's over... it's all over, it...!"

He finally understood.

The reason those two boys didn't take the "Shichibukai" seriously wasn't because they were stupid, but because behind them stood an existence that even the "Shichibukai" dared not easily provoke!

"Roy!"

"Roy, you're finally here!"

Ace jogged over, the flames on his body still burning, the lingering heat in his hands seemingly still dancing.

He scratched his head, grinning somewhat uneasily, and said, "When we were burning that Fish-Man earlier... what did he say about the 'Shichibukai'?"

"I was thinking, you didn't even stop me, you just burned it, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Luffy chimed in, blinking his bright eyes, "Yeah, that octopus even said it was going to kill our family! It's so evil!"

Roy chuckled and reached out to ruffle Ace's unruly head.

"What's the big deal about killing a few Pirates? Good job."

His tone was extremely relaxed, as if he were commenting on a neighbor's kid kicking over a roadside trash can.

After saying this, Roy slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Hachi was lying slumped on the beach.

With just a light glance, his gaze sliced across Hachi's skin like a knife, causing him to instinctively curl up into a ball.

"You agree, don't you?" Roy's tone remained gentle, but his eyes held a chilling edge.

"Gurgle... gurgle."

Hachi swallowed hard, startling his six tentacles, which suddenly stood up and trembled like seaweed struck by lightning, his eyes widening even more than his takoyaki!

Kuroobi could even scream, his eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and collapsed unconscious.

Roy stepped closer, crouched down, and looked at Hachi at eye level.

Those were clear eyes, yet they held a chilling, oppressive quality. "Go back and tell that fathead fish."

"If you want revenge, you're welcome anytime."

"But--"

He paused, his tone suddenly turning icy cold. "If he dares to lay a finger on those two brats..."

"I will go to Fish-Man Island myself and have a proper talk with him."

Hachi felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body was pressed down, and cold sweat poured down his face.

He saw Roy stand up, lightly brush non-existent dust off his military trousers, and smile slightly:

"Now, get out."

"Yes!! Ugh!"

Hachi six arms, he hoisted Kuroobi and sprinted towards the beach at top speed, splashing up a series of waves before disappearing into the horizon a few seconds later, leaving not a single bubble behind.

Ace curled his lip. "Tsk, how boring. I thought we could fight for a while longer."

Luffy suddenly jumped up with a shout of "Ah!", his eyes shining brightly. "Roy, you said you'd treat us to Barbecue if you won!"

"Um."

Ace nodded and added, "And it's that 'Firestone Grill' place we didn't get to eat at last time."

Roy looked at his two younger brothers, whose faces were practically screaming "I want meat!", smiled helplessly, and turned around. "Alright, don't keep the villagers waiting too long."

The three of them walked towards the village, playfully fighting, the setting sun casting long, long shadows of them.

Behind them were the burning wreckage of a Pirate ship.

The intense flames illuminated the entire sea.