The wind still howled violently overhead.
The smoke from the explosion was suppressed by the rain and gale.
The next moment, the figure that emerged from the flames made Bambina rub his eyes despite his pain.
"How is that possible? You've got to be kidding me. He actually survived an explosion like that?"
Cold sweat trickled down his face as he swallowed hard.
Clearly, Roy's survival had left Bambina utterly shocked.
Roy brushed the dust from his body and looked at the open-mouthed Bambina before him.
"Your explosions really pack a punch!
If I hadn't known Armament Haki, an ordinary person would've fallen for your trick long ago, wouldn't they?"
At this moment, neither Roy's clothes nor his blade had suffered the slightest damage.
He looked at Bambina, who stood more than ten meters away.
Even Roy himself had not expected to encounter a pirate with the potential to awaken Observation Haki in the first half of the Grand Line.
Roy had intended for that slash to kill with one blow.
Yet his sure-kill attack had been blocked by Bambina's rudimentary Observation Haki.
"Damn it, who the hell are you people?"
As Roy drew closer,
a barely noticeable flash of panic crossed Bambina's eyes.
Roy's complete lack of injuries made Bambina realize that they had truly kicked an iron plate this time.
But they were all people who lived by the blade, and Bambina knew full well what happened to losers in the Pirate World.
Since he had already offended the other side, Bambina knew that if he wanted a future, he could only fight to the death now.
"Damn it, I don't care who you are! I'm the captain of the Giant Sword Pirates!"
He roared, as though trying to bolster his own courage.
Ignoring the wound on his shoulder, Bambina bit down on his wrist.
A large amount of blood immediately splashed toward Roy.
"Shave!"
Roy moved at such speed that he instantly became a blur.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted where the blood landed.
He chased, Roy fled; he stopped, Roy slashed. The cycle repeated as Roy toyed with Bambina as if teasing a cat.
By now, Bambina's face had gone pale from blood loss. His eyes were filled with rage, but his fear only continued to grow.
Leaving aside the fact that their speeds were not even on the same level, even if his attacks luckily struck the man before him, that strange black armor could completely block the force of the explosions.
"Damn it, is this really the end?
No, I'm the captain of the Giant Sword Pirates!
I can't die such a pathetic death here. Standing at the top in the future is the life I'm supposed to have."
His expression hardened as he made up his mind.
"Damn bastard, this time I'll definitely blow you to pieces!"
He bit down again, tearing a larger opening in his already mangled wrist.
The wound that had begun to clot burst open again, spraying out a great mass of blood.
Bambina changed his approach and tried to close in on Roy for close combat.
"Oh, so you're going all out? Now this is getting a little interesting."
Roy's gaze sharpened, and the long blade in his hand reflected the firelight.
"Then I should start moving forward too."
"Reaper's Sound."
Invisible sound waves swept across the battlefield.
Bambina, who was charging forward, and everyone around him stiffened at the same time.
Sweat poured uncontrollably from their pores.
Step. Step. Step!
Roy's footsteps were clearly not loud, yet to everyone's ears, they sounded like the footsteps of the Reaper, making them feel as though they had seen death approaching.
The terrifying sound waves forced everyone to stop attacking.
The Reaper's footsteps formed a rhythm: tap, tap, tap.
Some of the weaker pirates were the first to collapse unconscious onto the ground.
"Damn it, why won't my legs listen to me?"
Clack, clack, clack!
The sound of his teeth chattering from the bone-deep chill betrayed Bambina's fear.
"Of course they won't. This is a skill I comprehended only after killing countless living things."
"Do you know?
The sound of your body's fear is the music that will bury you."
Slash!
Roy flashed forward.
He closed the distance between them.
The moment his words fell,
a crimson fountain of blood erupted from Bambina's chest.
Under the explosive pressure, the blood looked like a red waterfall.
At the instant the blood sprayed out, Bambina felt as if he saw his great-grandmother.
But his mind was filled only with chaos and unwillingness.
He could not understand why, after working so hard to become a captain and even gaining Devil Fruit powers, he would end up like this.
Reality was not supposed to be this way.
He should have used his abilities to rise to the peak of life.
But why was this world so cruel?
"Ah!"
A miserable scream came from nearby.
"Is that Molco? I didn't expect you to be defeated too."
Thud!
Bambina dropped to his knees.
Using every ounce of his strength, Bambina turned his head to look at Roy.
"Why are you so strong?"
Before he could finish,
Bang!
An invisible Sound Bullet sent him to meet the Pirate King.
"Come to think of it, didn't you hear the echo of the Reaper's footsteps just now?
What a waste of my time."
A pirate with a bounty exceeding one hundred million fell face-first into the mud just like that.
"Lord Roy, everything has been dealt with."
Holding the head of the Giant Sword Pirates' vice-captain, Bruno emerged from the forest nearby.
The deaths of the captain and vice-captain filled the surrounding pirates with terror.
Without any surprise, the Giant Sword Pirates became history.
Roy and his men left no survivors. Anyone who provoked them would be split in half, even if they were worms.
Inside the ship's command room, Roy was maintaining his sword.
Creak!
The wooden door opened.
Bruno, who had finished tallying all the Giant Sword Pirates' property, began reporting to Roy.
"Lord Roy, everything has been counted. The batch of supplies that was stolen from us suffered no damage.
Additionally, the Giant Sword Pirates' assets, along with the estimated value of the pirates' heads, come to roughly three hundred to four hundred million berries."
Roy raised his head and stubbed out the cigarette between his fingers in the ashtray.
"Mm, Bruno, you did a good job with the count. As for the Giant Sword Pirates' property, distribute it according to the usual rules.
Also, why did I hear that the batch of supplies stolen by the Giant Sword Pirates had half of it burned in the fire just now?"
Roy narrowed his eyes at the hulking man making the report.
Though the cabin lacked the damp chill outside, Bruno's instincts as an agent made him shudder.
"Y-Yes, perhaps I miscalculated just now, Lord Roy.
You're right. Those damned pirates actually burned more than half of our supplies."
Clearly, Bruno understood his superior's personality.
Therefore, even though Roy was openly embezzling the loot, Bruno, despite being loyal to the World Government, had no way to refuse him.
After all, whenever Roy went out hunting, his subordinates always got a share of the spoils.
Naturally, Bruno would not object to a superior like that.
What was more, this superior had both status and backing.
And based on Bruno's estimation, among all of CP9, aside from Lucci, Roy was likely the strongest man.
"Mm, it's fine, Bruno. Everyone has careless moments. Go down and carefully recount this batch of supplies. Remember, don't make any mistakes."
Roy pulled a cigarette from the pack beside the table. Just as he was about to light it,
he suddenly looked up and said to Bruno, "Oh, right. I'll help Owl erase his mistake from the previous mission this time. After all, you are all my beloved subordinates!"
Scratch!
The match lit the cigarette in Roy's hand.
Roy was very satisfied with Bruno's attitude.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you very much, Lord Roy. Then I'll take my leave first."
Bruno turned around. Just as he took a step forward, he suddenly seemed to remember something.
He took a scroll from his clothes. "Lord Roy, I found this map among the Giant Sword Pirates. It appears to record the whereabouts of a Devil Fruit."
Before you continue