Slaughter

"What's with those sunglasses? You want to be my crewmate?" Cifer teased.

"I've sailed with you this long, I drew the design myself—what's wrong with adding a little pair of sunglasses?" A thick plume of smoke blew toward Cifer but dissipated midair.

"Next stop is Jaya."

Cifer didn't care about the flag. To him, it was just a formality. As long as it wasn't ugly, it could be anything.

"This time, is it also because it's interesting?"

Hina sensed something off. On previous voyages, they'd glance at a sea chart on the day and pick some random island as their destination. This time, Cifer named it without even looking at a chart, and he didn't ask what kind of place Jaya was.

"No. I'm going to find someone to be my crewmate."

Cifer lay on the bow, his casual words making Hina snap to attention.

What kind of man was Cifer? A future Shichibukai, strength rivaling an Admiral. She knew exactly how high his standards were.

Over the past month of sailing, nearly a hundred defeated pirates had begged to serve under him, including some Great Pirates with bounties as high as 50 million Belly.

Those men hadn't even made him hesitate before they became Belly on this ship. Someone he'd go looking for personally was no ordinary nobody.

Hina knew that Cifer had only recruited the two of them in the first place because the ship needed hands. Based on their strength alone, they wouldn't have caught his eye.

As for inviting them to leave the Marines and stay, that was only because they'd spent time together and treated him like a friend.

If another little monster showed up on the big monster's ship, Hina couldn't imagine it. Thankfully, he was about to become a Shichibukai. She just hoped he'd stay "gentle."

Snap.

As Cifer tossed a gold coin into the air, a News Coo dropped the latest newspaper beside Hina.

"Black Winged Great Demon—Ulquiorra Cifer—goes on a killing spree in Paradise (first half of the Grand Line). Number of pirates entering the Grand Line and New World has plummeted in recent months, suspected to be suppressing Paradise for some reason..."

Hina noticed the paper was almost entirely dedicated to reporting Cifer's strength and brutality. She looked up at him still sunbathing, then read it out word for word.

"Hmph. Looks like the World Government has already started building my reputation," Cifer said, figuring it out easily.

"As long as I keep causing chaos, the News Coo will keep reporting on me, scaring the brats in Paradise out of their wits. Then, when I become a Shichibukai... the deterrent effect on new arrivals will be huge."

Building Cifer's reputation had been discussed by Sengoku in a meeting with many Vice Admirals. Cifer's slaughter of pirates was something they'd witnessed firsthand, combined with Hina keeping in steady contact with them.

They believed that among all the Shichibukai, Cifer had the strongest malice toward other pirates. He was like a double-edged sword—wielded well, he'd effectively reduce the number of ordinary people becoming pirates.

So, from now until Cifer became a Shichibukai, they'd keep a close watch, constantly amplifying his terror to intimidate the Four Seas!

Would Cifer lose to an older Shichibukai? They'd never considered that question. Admiral-level strength was beyond doubt.

"Mr. Cifer! Look, another pirate ship!"

Wright, at the helm, was excited. Over this period, several pirate crews had been destroyed by Cifer—all clueless brats who thought they could rob him, only realizing his strength too late.

That was pure Belly! Cifer usually killed them or had Hina imprison them, then traded them in for Belly to spend together.

That meant they were all his Belly! How could Wright not be thrilled? For most of his life, he'd never tasted the feeling of just cooking, steering, and playing chess while endless Belly came flying his way.

"Look!" The pirates on the ship were all shouting. "What a huge ship! And it's flying some weird pirate flag—let's rob them!"

The Evil Wolf Pirates had burned and plundered their way from the North Blue to the Grand Line. Robbing merchant ships and other pirate crews was routine for them.

Only one pirate, holding a telescope, stared at Cifer standing on the bow. He felt like he'd seen that face somewhere before. A bad feeling crept over him.

Coo~ Coo~

The sound of a News Coo.

The newspaper!

He remembered. He'd seen this in a paper a while back.

The pirate ship was closing in on Little Ul. Everyone was cracking their knuckles, ready for a fight. Only he rushed back to his cabin, grabbed a stack of newspapers from the table, and flipped through frantically.

Finally, after a few issues, he found the report on the Sabaody Archipelago incident and Cifer's absurdly high bounty.

"Captain! Stop the ship!"

He charged in like a madman, found the captain calmly drinking at the bow, and shoved the paper in his face.

"The man on that ship is the culprit behind the Sabaody Archipelago incident! The Great Pirate with a bounty of 1 billion 348 million—Black Winged Great Demon!"

The sky seemed to darken. The captain trembled, unable to speak, his finger shaking as he pointed at the sail.

"Who here has a bounty?"

Cifer's voice came from above. The pirates spotted his tall figure standing atop the mast support. They didn't know when he'd gotten there, but it didn't dampen their fighting spirit.

"The brat came to us! Our captain's a super big villain with a bounty of 60 million..."

Before he could finish, a blade flashed. The underling who'd spoken died without understanding why his own captain had killed him while he was trying to intimidate the enemy.

Now everyone on the ship fell silent. The captain's action meant only one thing: they were in deep trouble.

Cifer didn't care. As long as the target was a wanted criminal, that was enough. What was his name?

"Even if you can't hear me, thanks. Saved me some trouble."

"Cero Oscuras."

With just a finger, the captain felt like a giant had punched him square in the chest. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose. It felt like every bone in his body was shattered. He collapsed onto the deck, unable to move.

"Captain!!!"

"Still alive? Not bad for a man worth 60 million. I'll let you live, then." Cifer's praise rang in everyone's ears like pure mockery, but none of them dared to step forward.

The captain's terrified, pleading eyes swept over his crew again and again, but wherever his gaze landed, they all looked away.

Cifer grabbed him by the collar, lifting him like a chick, and vanished from the crowd in an instant.

"Are we safe?"

The pirates on the ship didn't even dare to breathe. That man was too terrifying—even their captain, with a bounty of 60 million, had been brought to death's door with a single move.

Avenge the captain? Not a chance!

They had barely made it to the Grand Line—why would they throw their lives away for nothing? Lose one captain, find another!

"That's... the captain of the Evil Wolf Pirates!"

Hina recognized the man Cifer had tossed onto the deck like a dead dog at a glance. After all, a 60 million bounty was enough to be called a Great Pirate in the first half of the Grand Line.

"60 million! As expected of Mr. Cifer!"

Wright, upon hearing the bounty, was already calculating what to buy on the next island.

"Just letting that ship get away?"

Aboard the Evil Wolf Pirates' ship, the pirates were desperately speeding away, terrified that even half a second's delay would leave them behind.

"What's that?!"

Everyone turned to look. A flash of emerald light flickered, and then the entire pirate ship shattered into pieces.

The Evil Wolf Pirates, who had committed countless atrocities, were annihilated.