The Loser

Three days later.

A battered sailboat, as if it had survived some maritime disaster, drifted slowly toward the port of Brewing Town on Gourmet Island.

Brewing Town's port was not a conventional harbor, and it was some distance away from the town itself.

The port lay beneath a cliff face, roughly a dozen meters above the sea. It was essentially a sea cave, with temporary docks assembled from specially made floating platforms.

The cave covered an area 150 meters long and 20 meters high. It was equipped with mechanical cranes capable of hoisting cargo directly off ships.

Inside the cave was an upward-sloping tunnel leading to Brewing Town, with two sets of rail tracks laid within it.

The cliff walls around the port were also packed with dense artillery and Machine Guns. Rather than a port, it was more like a fortress.

The Fierce Beast Camp was Stationed here.

On the training ground, Pyg ran while lifting a ten-ton barbell.

As one of the few Devil Fruit users Wang Gao had swapped out of Impel Down, Pyg was undoubtedly fortunate. He had escaped Impel Down without being used as an experiment by Wang Gao.

The main reason was that he was a simple-minded brute. Since making his name, he had never committed any truly heinous crimes. At most, he had robbed a few unscrupulous merchants.

If Pyg had been a pirate who slaughtered innocents, then he would have had only one path: death.

After his identity had been completely altered, his former name was thoroughly concealed. He renamed himself Pyg, a name that happened to suit his Devil Fruit ability.

As for personal habits and the like, Base Armor had dedicated correction functions. Things such as verbal tics and habitual gestures could be placed on a prohibited list.

Whenever he unconsciously tried to perform such an action, the Base Armor would forcibly stop him.

Combined with his cosmetic surgery, even if Pyg were sent back to his hometown now, probably no one would recognize him. Unless he had left behind a Vivre Card, it would be difficult to trace him.

For that, he had Impel Down's arrogance to thank.

If Impel Down's guards had been more cautious and created Vivre Card records for every prisoner, no escapee would have found it easy to evade pursuit.

As Pyg trained like mad, he heard a set of footsteps. It was his guard rushing in.

"Report! We found a distressed ship. No personnel were found on deck."

Pyg did not stop. "Send a team over to take a look."

"Yes, sir."

Although the Fierce Beast Camp had only five hundred men, soldiers fully equipped with Base Armor were not the sort of fodder who would collapse from a single burst of Conqueror's Haki.

A team from the Fierce Beast Camp boarded two speedboats and headed for the battered sailboat.

As the sailboat drew closer, the Team Leader felt an eerie, sinister sensation. He did not charge in recklessly.

He picked up the communicator. "Plan A."

"Received."

Two soldiers jumped straight into the sea. A layer of Base Armor rapidly covered their bodies as they entered Fish-Man Mode.

Two more soldiers sprouted white wings from their backs and shot into the sky, circling overhead.

The Team Leader himself spread Both Hands, and countless Scout Flies poured from his palms, flying toward the sailboat ahead.

Though they did not possess Observation Haki, Fierce Beast Camp officers had specialized combat strategies. Unlike pirates who only knew how to charge headlong, they had received professional training.

The shadow hiding in the Cargo Hold had already spotted the approaching speedboats.

But the series of actions taken by the soldiers on the speedboats made his expression shift slightly.

Damn it! Two flying Zoan Users? It reminded him of some unpleasant memories.

And the leader had released a swarm of flies instead of boarding the sailboat directly, ruining several of his plans.

The flies soon entered the Cargo Hold. Though he used his ability to secretly kill quite a few flies that came near him, that only served to alert them that someone was inside.

Meanwhile, beneath the sailboat, the two soldiers in Fish-Man Mode had reached the hull. One of them pressed a hand against the ship.

This vessel had not been marked by Parasitic Barnacles. Otherwise, the Fierce Beast Camp would have long since identified its owner.

With one hand against the hull, the soldier emitted a low-frequency ultrasonic wave. The sound traveled through the ship's wood and spread throughout the entire sailboat.

The shadow hiding in the Cargo Hold suddenly sensed something wrong, as though something were spying on him.

On the speedboat, the Team Leader had already pinpointed the figure in the Cargo Hold through his communicator and Scout Flies.

He shouted, "You sneaky bastard, we have you surrounded! Come out and surrender immediately, or we'll sink this ship."

The shadow in the Cargo Hold did not emerge. Instead, he took out a large pair of scissors, preparing to ambush the two Birdmen circling overhead.

Second by second, time passed.

The Team Leader picked up the communicator. "Drill through the bottom of the ship."

The two soldiers in the sea moved immediately. Drills extended from their arms and rapidly bored into the hull.

Hearing the sharp sound from beneath the ship, the shadow in the Cargo Hold suddenly changed expression. Before he could rush over, the vessel gave a slight shudder.

Damn it! Someone was damaging the hull.

It was already too late for him to stop them. He could only rush out of the Cargo Hold with the large scissors and onto the deck.

With his sharp eyesight, the Team Leader spotted him at once. Though he wore a black cloak, he stood on the deck, snipping his scissors at a shadow.

"Ahhh!" A soldier circling in midair suddenly let out a shrill scream before his body turned to ashes.

"What?!" The Team Leader's pupils contracted as he picked up the communicator. "Lid, get away from the sailboat immediately."

Another flying soldier, seeing his comrade die miserably, reacted at once and flew away from the sailboat.

At the same time, every soldier on the sea stared fixedly at that figure. This was the first combat casualty since the Fierce Beast Camp had been established.

The Team Leader made a swift decision. "He's an ability user. Use Seastone rockets."

Two rockets were immediately launched from the speedboats, hurtling toward the sailboat.

"Kyahaha... You think that junk can deal with me? Shadow Spear." Moria laughed mockingly, then fired two Shadow Spears that destroyed both rockets.

Just as he was about to continue using his ability to seize a speedboat, he suddenly felt his body go weak and nearly collapsed onto the deck.

What was going on?! Moria's face changed drastically.

At that moment, a tentacle shot out from the sea beside him, instantly wrapping around Moria's arm and forcefully dragging him toward the water.

"Bastard! Shadow Master—"

"Ahhh..."

The tentacle unleashed a powerful electric current while continuously spraying seawater. As an ability user, Moria had inhaled Seastone Factor and was then drenched in seawater, making matters even worse.

His entire body went limp, and he was dragged into the sea.

"Target captured."

The Team Leader escorted Moria, limp as a dead dog, back to the port of Brewing Town.

Pyg, who had been training, only stopped after hearing that one member of the scouting team had died. He then saw Moria in the temporary holding cell.

"Gecko Moria? So it was this guy."

The Team Leader said apologetically, "Battalion Commander, it was my carelessness that got Duke killed."

"Enough. Your opponent was a major pirate, so be more careful in the future. Also, go offer condolences to Duke's family." Pyg did not punish the Team Leader.

After all, Paramecia ability users had strange powers, many of which were impossible to guard against.

Capturing Moria alive with just a team of ten soldiers was already an outstanding achievement.

If an ordinary pirate crew or a Marine fleet had encountered Moria, there was a high chance they would have been completely wiped out.

Thank you all for your support (ω｀). Here's an extra chapter.