Dog Catches Mouse, Tiger at Side

As Wright stepped out of the cabin, long sword in hand, the blade of Ashes was wreathed in a golden glow. The pirates on deck stared dumbfounded, utterly unconcerned with when this stranger had appeared aboard their ship.

"Spread out! This man is my honored guest!" Afraid Wright would cut down a whole crowd with one swing, Edmund saw the greed in some men's eyes as they looked at Wright's sword and hurriedly shouted, "Get the hell away from here! Go stand watch! Do you have any idea what level the Evil Dog Pirates ahead are?!"

"That's a pirate crew with a bounty of over seventy million! Get ready to run! Are you standing around waiting to die?!"

As captain, Edmund held considerable authority within the pirate crew. As a Devil Fruit user, he was the strongest man in the crew, and thanks to his deep understanding of the Way of Survival, he had led his men all the way to a thirty-eight-million bounty. That was no small feat.

Seeing through the guilty panic beneath their captain's fierce tone, the experienced pirates immediately understood his message: This guy was a big shot! Don't provoke him! One wrong word and you die! The pirates ahead were an opportunity! Get ready to run!

The pirates immediately scattered, each taking up his duties. Their movements were surprisingly efficient.

"Looks like you're quite a capable leader. Your crew seems to trust you a great deal—they can even understand what you mean."

Wright looked at Edmund with an amused half-smile. Edmund, sweating coldly and forcing an awkward grin, nodded repeatedly. "You are wise, sir. Naturally, such little tricks can't fool you... Well, um... that up ahead is the Evil Dog Pirates..."

"Yes, I saw them." Wright walked to the bow. Some time had passed since they had spotted the Evil Dog Pirates, and the other side had clearly spotted them as well. They were rapidly closing in.

Without Wright's orders, Edmund did not dare turn the ship and flee. He could only hope this big shot would keep his word—that he was only after "Evil Dog" Joyce and would let them escape safely.

Wright gave no further instructions, and Edmund did not dare ask. He could only watch helplessly as the Evil Dog Pirates drew closer and closer, until he could clearly see "Evil Dog" Joyce himself at the bow!

"Evil Dog" Joyce was tall and lean. His bare upper body displayed solid, well-defined muscles. Draped in a black Captain's Coat, his long face wore a vicious grin, veins bulging across it. He looked cruel and bloodthirsty.

"Hahahaha! I was just worrying about finding new goods, and now a fat sheep comes right to my door! What luck! Let me see—which pirate crew is this? Sailing so slowly... are they waiting for me?"

Joyce lived up to his nickname. He was a dangerous mad dog. Before the strong, he could flee in disgrace like a cur; before the weak, he could grin savagely as he tore everything apart.

"Captain! That's the Giant Tooth Pirates ahead! Their captain is Edmund, with a bounty of thirty-eight million. He has the Zoan-type Mouse-Mouse Fruit, Squirrel Form! Judging by their route, they should have come from Water 7!"

"Oh?" A sharp gleam flashed through Joyce's eyes. "A thirty-eight-million bounty? And they came from Water 7... Then there's no way they haven't heard of my reputation!"

"Did they get scared stupid? Impossible... Are they not afraid of me? Could that Devil Fruit captain be hiding his strength?"

While Joyce was still wondering why the ship opposite them was not fleeing and was instead continuing to approach, the two vessels drew even closer.

"Hm? Is that Devil Fruit captain the one in the Captain's Coat? Why is he following behind some young brat?"

"That young brat... I've never seen him. He's not a famous bounty hunter, nor is he one of the major pirates around here. A Marine...? Even if he is, he can't be an admiral-level officer! Who is he? No, that can't be right... he's too young!"

While Joyce kept babbling away in his head, Wright, who had Observation Haki active, did not know whether to laugh or cry. Does this guy always have this much inner monologue? He's like some old woman!

He leaped into the air. Under Edmund's stunned gaze—this pirate captain who had only recently left Water 7 had apparently never seen the Marines' Six Powers—Wright rapidly ascended with Geppo. On the other side, Joyce's expression changed dramatically as he quickly activated his Devil Fruit ability.

"The Marines' Six Powers! This brat is a Marine! Engage!"

"He's so young, he can't be a headquarters flag officer. If he's only a field-grade officer, I might not be afraid of him!"

"There aren't any warships nearby... He came alone to cause trouble for me? Does he think my bounty fell from the sky?! I'll teach this arrogant brat a proper lesson!"

"Hey! You old dog down there!" Wright hovered in the air and began taunting him. "I'm watching from up here. Don't you hunt pirates? One of these pirate crews has a Dog-Dog Fruit user, and the other has a Mouse-Mouse Fruit user. Why don't you put on a classic performance of 'a dog catching a mouse' for me?"

"I'm a squirrel! Not a mouse!" Edmund roared furiously in his heart at this incomprehensible nonsense, but his body honestly began retreating at full speed. "Captain Joyce! We mean no harm! We don't know that man at all! Goodbye!"

"Quick! Get the ship moving! Full speed retreat!"

Hearing Edmund's shout, Joyce felt as though he had swallowed two pounds of steaming shit. The hell do you mean you don't know him? You don't know him, yet he rode your ship here to beat me up?!

Swiftly shifting into the half-beast form best suited for battle, Joyce roared, "Fire the cannons! Shoot that bastard brat out of the sky!"

"I know what every Marine admiral-level officer looks like! None of them are your age! You think a Battalion Commander can capture me? Do you think my bounty came for free?!"

"Huh? You're not attacking?" Wright said disappointedly. After dodging several remarkably accurate cannonballs, he quickly smiled again. "Oh, right. You old dog don't have any long-range attacks, do you?"

"Whoosh!"

Tilting his head, Wright let a scorching bullet streak past his face. He nodded. "Looks like your sniper's pretty good. Worth praising!"

The Evil Dog Pirates' sniper, however, looked as though he had seen a ghost as Wright dodged his precise shot as if he had foreseen it. He hurriedly fired several more rounds, but Wright evaded every one.

Joyce, now a dog-headed man in half-beast form, ground his fangs with a cracking sound and cursed, "Marine! Didn't you come to capture me?! Get down here!"

"Your sword can't reach me from up there. Just wait for my men to shoot you down!"

"Tsk!"

Wright clicked his tongue, his face full of disdain. "What ignorance. Who said I can't cut you from the sky?"

"Have you ever heard of a flying slash?"

Wright drew his sword. Ashes left its sheath, wrapped in golden Armament Haki, and he swung downward from above—

Final Judgment!

A massive crescent-shaped golden slash flew from the air where Wright stood, growing larger and larger... Before the dumbfounded eyes of the Evil Dog Pirates, it cleaved their pirate ship in two!

Edmund, captain of the Giant Tooth Pirates, had been urging his crew to speed up their escape, but now he fell silent. So did the rest of his crew—

"I knew this man could definitely cut an entire ship in half, but..."

"We really haven't seen a flying slash before!"

"If we run too fast, will that man cut us down with one swing?!"

I still don't know what the promotion requirements are, but I'm still asking for recommendation votes~ Thanks, everyone!