The Pirate Flag

"Rod, other warships are coming."

With both battles now settled, Nerl spoke up to warn them.

He sensed several warships heading their way.

"Then we should leave too."

Holding a saw-bladed sword taller than himself, Rod glanced at Baro, who hadn't found a chance to join the fight.

After a satisfying battle, he'd lost interest in opponents of this caliber.

"These two Marines?"

Nerl gestured toward them.

Both Drake, whom he had defeated, and Hina, whom Nia had knocked out, were Devil Fruit users. If they were lucky, they might get their hands on two Devil Fruits.

"Forget it. They're among the few Marines who truly have a sense of justice, and I don't dislike them. They're also outstanding officers of their generation. If we killed them, powerful Marines would hunt us down without rest until we were dead."

"You're the captain. It's your call."

Nerl nodded and surveyed the Marine soldiers around them.

While the fighting had been underway, the soldiers aboard the warships had lined up at the harbor. Even the ones who had entered town had returned to the docks. They stood tensely around the pirates, but didn't dare make a move.

Rod glanced at the nervous Marines and smiled. Then the three of them turned and headed for the Polar Tang.

"Hahaha! I was wondering how to ask you to spare that beautiful Marine. She's our enemy, but I admire her."

Following Rod, Nia laughed loudly.

"After all, I'm not a monster. I respect people who truly have a sense of justice."

Watching the three of them swagger back toward their pirate ship with their backs to him, Colonel Baro gripped his weapon tightly, a look of inner conflict written across his face.

Lieutenant Commander Hina had been defeated and was unconscious. Colonel Drake was gravely wounded and unable to fight. Rear Admiral Bastille had been sent flying with a single punch, and his condition was unknown.

Only Baro was merely lightly injured, making him the only one who could command the other Marines.

But what could he possibly do by himself now...?

"All soldiers!"

Gripping his weapon tightly, Colonel Baro abruptly stood and let out a shout.

The soldiers around him all turned to look. Only the three pirates kept walking toward their ship, their backs to the mass of Marines. Rod still carried Rear Admiral Bastille's personal weapon over his shoulder.

Looking at the complicated expressions on the Marines' faces, Colonel Baro let go of his weapon and allowed it to fall to the ground.

"Treat the wounded with all haste!"

At their superior's order, the soldiers first breathed a sigh of relief, then felt an indescribable shame well up inside them.

Whatever the reason, they had retreated in the face of pirates.

Rod leaped aboard and looked at the pirate flag Pekoms and Shakky had already hoisted. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Unlike ordinary pirate flags, Rod's bore neither the usual skull nor bones. Instead, Nerl's gun and Luo's sword crossed in place of the bones. Above the crossed weapons sat a massive fist, representing Rod's ambition to rule the world with his fists.

"Partners! Set sail!"

"Yeah!"

As Bepo, Pekoms, and Shakky shouted their enthusiastic reply, the sails were hoisted. They bore the Rod Pirates' emblem as well.

"Hey, you lot should join in too! This isn't lively enough!"

"Tch, don't make so many demands. We've got work to do."

Luo leaned casually against the deck. He'd just checked on Grey again and injected him with an antidote. Grey should recover soon.

"Oh! So where are we headed next, Captain?"

Nerl gave a half-hearted "Oh," gripping the helm with one hand and holding a chart in the other.

"Yeah! Let's get to the Grand Line already!"

Nia threw both hands in the air and cried out happily.

Good food, beautiful sights, and all kinds of strange customs—wondrous adventures were calling to her.

"That's more like it!"

Rod reached out to high-five Nia. Once they'd finished setting the sails, Pekoms and Shakky hurried over too, both looking thrilled.

"I heard there's a Fish-Man Island on the Grand Line! I want to see the Mermaid Princess!"

"I want to go to Amazon Lily! I want to see the World's Number One Beauty—the Pirate Empress!"

"Hehehe, there should be a female bear..."

Bepo came over too, his face faintly flushed and his eyes full of longing.

"You're blushing way too early!"

"What a shallow man."

Nia curled her lip in disdain, then turned to Rod.

"What about you, Captain?"

"The Mermaid Princess sounds cute, but she's still too young. She's basically a child, right? The Pirate Empress has a pretty nasty personality. I'm not that fond of her."

"Have you met them in person, Boss Rod?"

"No, I haven't."

"Then why are you talking like you have?"

"Men really are all the same. I was wrong about you, Rod."

"You're changing the way you address me pretty quickly."

"Exactly!"

"While you were fighting, I took a few things from the Marines' warships. I put them in the main hall on the first floor with the stuff we brought back from the Donquixote Family. You might find them interesting."

Luo spoke up from where he was lounging on the deck.

"That's right! Our spoils!"

The group exclaimed in unison, then exchanged excited looks.

"That's all? They're Shichibukai!"

Nia looked disappointed after finishing the count of the treasure they'd taken from the Donquixote Family.

After setting aside supplies like food and liquor, they had only about 70 million Berries in cash. Even with all the valuable jewelry, the total came to only about 110 million Berries.

"This is only their North Blue base. They send the treasure they collect to their headquarters in the New World on a regular basis. Having this much is already pretty good."

After adjusting the ship's course, Nerl joined them in their cheerful treasure hunt. Hearing Nia complain, he explained.

"Luo, have you completely betrayed the family?!"

Gladius suddenly spoke up. No one knew when he'd woken up.

His whole body was submerged in seawater, leaving him unable to move. Luo had used his powers to separate his head from his body and set it on a wooden box nearby. Everyone had been so absorbed in opening the treasure boxes that they hadn't noticed he was awake.

"What are you talking about? Isn't that obvious?"

Luo glanced at Gladius. The good mood he'd been in while opening the boxes faded a little, but the next moment, a smile returned to his face. To Gladius, however, that smile looked terrifying.

"We've still got the biggest prize to open!"

At Luo's words, everyone shifted their gaze from the treasure to Gladius's face. They all wore eerie smiles, while Bepo thoughtfully placed a box of fruit beside him.

Thanks to reader 20200726175016160 for the monthly ticket!