Ku Mingbai

Aboard the warship, on the deck.

"Captain, this is bad! The brothers can't hold out any longer."

"These guys are too strong!"

"Let's retreat, Captain!"

Only six or seven members of the Takaya Pirates remained. Led by their captain, Takaya, they had all been cornered by Momonga, Kazan, and Ulysses.

Retreat?

Where could they retreat to?

The sea was right behind them. Were they supposed to jump into it?

Takaya couldn't understand it. It was only a small warship, the sort used for reconnaissance and patrols. Why were the three Reserve Navy soldiers aboard so fierce?

Although Kazan, Momonga, and Ulysses wore the shabbiest Reserve Navy uniforms, all three were at least officer-level fighters. Dealing with pirates whose bounties were worth tens of millions of Beli was no problem for them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Takaya glanced at the turbulent sea behind him.

There was no way he could jump into the sea.

He was not an Ability User, so he did not fear the ocean. But the nearest island to these waters was Marine Headquarters.

Could he really swim all the way to Marine Headquarters?

"We surrender."

"Captain?"

"I'm sorry. Our voyage ends here."

In silence, Takaya lowered the saber in his hand. He did not want to take the few brothers he had left to their deaths.

Seeing this, Kazan, Momonga, and Ulysses immediately bound the men.

The Takaya Pirates had been defeated, but the battle was not over.

The Takaya Pirates were merely a bunch of small fry driven out by the Vulture Pirates. The real battle had only just begun.

In the sky, a dense cluster of cannonballs suddenly whooshed past.

"There's another pirate ship behind us! It's the Vulture Pirates, with a bounty of 102 million Beli!"

The Marine soldier in the lookout tower shouted a warning.

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly turned their heads in unison. Sure enough, a pirate ship bearing a bald bird was sailing toward them.

Just then, an extremely frigid current of air suddenly descended and enveloped them.

Everyone aboard the warship, including Momonga, Kazan, and Ulysses, shuddered from the cold.

A tall, slender figure stood at the bow of the warship.

They heard him shout in a low voice, "Ice Age!"

A terrifying chill erupted, transforming into countless currents that spread in every direction.

The moisture in the air froze instantly, and strands of white ice visibly spread outward.

In the blink of an eye.

The vast sea within sight had been frozen by pure-white frost, becoming an endless white glacier and snowfield.

A Logia Ice-Ice Fruit Ability User, the strongest beneath the Three Monsters—Kuzan!

Why was he on our ship?

Kazan glanced at Momonga, hoping to get an answer from the veteran student.

However, Momonga was equally bewildered.

"You stay here and protect the warship. That man isn't someone you can deal with."

After saying this, Kuzan stepped onto the gunwale and leaped high into the air.

His figure traced an arc through the sky. Light as a swallow, he drifted away, following the wind as he descended toward the pirate ship, half its hull buried in the ice.

Cold air erupted, and the world turned frost-white.

The battered pirate ship was completely frozen.

Morito suddenly felt a chill shoot up from the soles of his feet. He swiftly leaped into the air, using Geppo to remain suspended for a moment.

Pure-white frost swept across the entire ocean.

By the time Morito landed back on the deck, everything in sight had been frozen solid.

"Judging by this entrance, that must be Kuzan!"

Zephyr would never really let a newcomer lead the team. That would be irresponsible toward his student.

Morito saw Kuzan, and Kuzan noticed Morito as well.

Kuzan landed at the bow. His gaze shifted to the frozen Luo brothers on the deck, then moved over the corpses of the other pirates.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, as though he had already seen through everything.

Hmm, so that was what happened?

Kuzan nodded slightly. He had already guessed what had taken place here. "You don't have to say anything. I understand everything."

Morito blinked. He understood everything?

Morito couldn't help asking another question.

"What exactly do you understand?"

Kuzan raised his eyes to meet Morito's gaze, a hint of confidence showing in them.

"Because you thought your opponents were an obscure pirate crew, you let your guard down. In your carelessness, you were killed."

"Teacher Zephyr has warned us more than once to treat every enemy with caution."

"Roer and Luomen were like that by nature. Something was bound to happen sooner or later."

"You were the one who avenged the Luo brothers, weren't you?"

The Luo brothers' strength was merely average. To be able to kill the pirates who had slain them... This young man had some skill!

Kuzan recalled Teacher Zephyr's words. The others did not matter, but he absolutely had to protect Ōtsutsuki Morito and not let Morito suffer even the slightest injury.

He now understood why Teacher Zephyr had said those things.

Morito tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're quite the clever little one, aren't you?"

Kuzan Mingbai, the logical genius who had seen through everything—what else could Morito say?

"Hmm?"

Kuzan looked at Morito in confusion. Why didn't that sound like praise?

Crash!!

The waves churned as a gale blasted into their faces.

A large three-masted pirate ship came riding the wind and breaking through the waves, exuding an aggressive momentum.

Kuzan did not dwell on whether Morito had actually been praising him. Both their attention had been drawn to the pirate ship flying the bald bird flag.

The Vulture Pirates, under the Flying Pirates. Their captain, Vulture, had a bounty of 102 million Beli.

In this era, when the Rocks Pirates had disbanded, the Pirate King had yet to emerge, and the Three Legendary Pirates vied for supremacy amid a world divided among countless powers...

Any pirate with a bounty exceeding 100 million Beli possessed formidable strength.

Moreover, the enemy was connected to Golden Lion. They had to take this seriously.

Zephyr had ordered Kuzan not to act rashly. But when he saw the Vulture pirate ship appear, he felt that he had no choice but to intervene.

Morito, Momonga, Kazan, and the others would struggle far too much against the Vulture Pirates.

There was no question about Vulture's strength. Kuzan did not believe that Morito and the others were his match. Even Kuzan himself was not confident of victory.

"I'll hold off Vulture later. As long as we stall until Teacher Zephyr arrives, we'll be safe," Kuzan said solemnly.

Vulture's bounty was 102 million Beli, not because his strength was worth only that much.

It was because Vulture himself kept a low profile.

Kuzan had fought Vulture once three years ago. If Zephyr had not been present, Kuzan would have already met his end in that battle.

Three years later, fate had brought them together for another fight.

"You seem to be rather wary of that bald bird," Morito said, pretending to be curious while actually fishing for information from Kuzan.

Morito knew little about the sea before the age of the Great Pirates.

He only knew a few familiar names, such as Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Roger, Kaido, Charlotte, and the others.

Vulture? He had never even heard of him!

And he was merely one of Golden Lion's subordinates. Was there really any need to be this cautious?

"If you underestimate him, you'll suffer for it."

As soon as Kuzan finished speaking, a shadow descended over the sky.

Morito looked up and saw a black-feathered, bald-headed bird swooping down from above. Its sharp talons tore through the air, sending several flashes of white light slashing downward.

"Ice Block: Partisan!"

Kuzan held both hands out, and frozen ice in his palms transformed into two sharp ice spears. With a casual sweep of his arms, he sent them shooting out.

It was only a probing attack. Kuzan wanted to see how much Vulture had improved over the past few years.

He had never expected a single move like this to defeat his opponent.

Unexpectedly, however, Vulture neither dodged nor evaded. He simply brought one claw straight down.

Crack!

The two ice spears shattered on impact, turning into ice crystals that drifted down from the sky.