A 200-Million-Berry Pirate? One Slash!

A 200-Million-Berry Pirate? One Slash!

The once neat and magnificent royal hall was now a complete mess.

The silverware on the tables had been swept clean, and even the gold inlays on the surrounding walls had been forcibly stripped away. The gilded decorations had been gathered up and piled in sacks against the walls.

Nyuk sprawled across the throne, a wineglass in one hand and a disheveled beautiful woman in the other, looking utterly at ease. Nicholas McCartney's corpse lay facedown at Nyuk's feet, his agonized expression frozen on his face.

The beautiful woman in Nyuk's arms was filled with terror. Though she tried her best not to look at Nicholas McCartney's body beside her, her gaze would inevitably brush over it whenever she turned her head. Tears pooled in her eyes, held back only through sheer effort.

The Nyuk Pirates seated below on either side of the throne cheered excitedly with wineglasses in hand. A few who had drunk themselves merry even ran into the center of the hall and began dancing. The maids trembled as they poured wine for the pirates, and one young girl seemed unable to bear the pressure any longer and began to cry.

The cheerful atmosphere was interrupted by the sudden sound of sobbing.

Nyuk's bright smile immediately darkened. He set down his wineglass and fixed his gaze on the maid who had just cried out.

The maid looked at Nyuk in horror. Before she could beg for mercy, a mass of mud flew from Nyuk's hand and splattered across her face.

The stench of mud flooded her nostrils. She struggled briefly, then collapsed to the floor and stopped moving.

Seeing this, the pirates exchanged glances and burst into laughter. They did not care in the slightest that someone had died before their eyes. Those who wanted to drink kept drinking, those who wanted to dance kept dancing, while some pirates wrapped their arms around the maids beside them with strange expressions and whispered, "If you want to live, you'd better behave yourselves!"

The solemn and dignified hall had become the pirates' playground.

"Brothers, enjoy yourselves a little longer!"

"After we've eaten and drunk our fill, we'll go wipe out the Marine Branch here!"

"The New World is the territory of us pirates! Since when did the Marines get to meddle in the New World?!"

"Our Nyuk Pirates are the new rulers of the Neil Kingdom! I am the king!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Sitting on the throne, Nyuk laughed wildly. After speaking, he drained his wineglass and smashed it down onto the table in front of the beautiful woman in his arms. Then he growled excitedly:

"Pour me more!"

As the woman poured his wine, Nyuk lowered his head to gaze at the pale white skin beneath her chest. He licked his lips, his eyes bloodshot, then suddenly grabbed her wrist, intending to take her away.

"Tch, why did it suddenly get so cold?"

At that moment, a pirate sitting near the entrance suddenly shuddered. Just as he was about to get up and find something to put on, a streak of white frost spread into the hall without warning.

Looking up, they saw that two unfamiliar figures had appeared in the hall at some point.

One of them was a tall, slender man with a cold expression. He wore a round hat and round sunglasses, with both hands tucked into his cape's pockets. Faint frosty mist escaped with every breath.

One of the man's legs had completely transformed into solid ice. Cold air radiated from his body, and a thin layer of ice had already formed across the ground beneath his feet.

Beside him stood a handsome red-haired youth holding a long sword. Red markings extended from his forehead to the corners of his eyes. The youth looked up at Nyuk, who was preparing to leave the throne, his expression indifferent.

"Who are you people?!"

Nyuk on the throne also noticed the two who had suddenly appeared. He released the beautiful woman's wrist and stared intently at them.

When he saw the Marine insignia on the tall man's chest and hat, he recognized who they were.

"The Marines?!"

"Hehehe, hahahaha!"

"You sure got here fast! Did that little bitch who ran away earlier report this?!"

"I was planning to go find the Marines later, but you came knocking on my door instead?"

"What, there are only two of you? Where are the rest? Come out already—I'll take care of all of you at once! Hahahaha!"

Rather than fearing them after recognizing them as Marines, Nyuk laughed wildly.

He had lost count of how many Marines of this level he had dealt with.

"You really are arrogant!"

Aokiji looked up at the laughing Nyuk. Fury surged in his chest, and even his voice became somewhat hoarse.

The two who had barged into the hall were Aokiji and Tsugikuni Yoriichi. From the moment they broke through the mud fortress's defenses and entered the palace, both had noticed the pirates in the hall.

Aokiji's Observation Haki was not weak. He had already sensed the tragedy unfolding within the palace, not to mention the countless corpses of guards in the courtyard at the entrance.

As for Yoriichi, he had crossed over corpses all the way to this hall. In his heart, he had long since sentenced the pirate on the throne to death.

An icy aura emanated from Aokiji. Just as he was about to make his move, Yoriichi suddenly stepped in front of him, raised his long sword toward Nyuk on the throne, and said softly to Aokiji:

"Kuzan, your power is too gentle for people like them."

"I'll do it."

When Nyuk on the throne saw the red-haired brat point a sword at him, he froze briefly. Then, as if he had heard some enormous joke, he threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Brat, you want to attack me?!"

"Come on, come on!"

"I'm a mud man who ate the Mud-Mud Fruit. Blades and guns are useless against me."

"Hahaha, come on, go ahead and sl—"

"Urgh—"

At some point, Tsugikuni Yoriichi had vanished from in front of Aokiji. A sudden clap of thunder exploded through the hall.

Yoriichi abruptly appeared before Nyuk, his long sword slashing down at tremendous speed.

While Nyuk was still speaking, he suddenly realized that his field of vision had inexplicably risen. A moment later, it plummeted rapidly. In his daze, he saw the expressionless Tsugikuni Yoriichi before him, and shock filled his heart.

When did this brat get over here?!

As his vision spun, he saw the stunned faces of his companions below the throne, and his own headless body.

Isn't that my body? Why can I see my own body?

Nyuk was horrified. He tried to say something, but though his mouth opened, no words came out. Even his consciousness was rapidly fading.

Fear gripped his heart. At that moment, Nyuk finally realized that he was going to die.

Am I going to die? How is that possible! How could I possibly die?! To a brat like this... a brat like this, how could...

Thunder Breathing—First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!

Combining the technique of Soru with Armament Haki coating his blade, Tsugikuni Yoriichi reached extreme speed in an instant. Nyuk never even had the chance to fully use his Logia Devil Fruit ability before Yoriichi beheaded him with a single slash.

Yoriichi flicked his sword, shaking the blood from its blade, then slowly sheathed it.

Bang!

Nyuk's headless corpse collapsed at Yoriichi's feet. Yoriichi lowered his head and glanced at the dead Nyuk, unable to stop himself from murmuring:

"Habits really are difficult to change overnight... Was that too brutal?"

Used to beheading demons, Yoriichi's first move had been decapitation—merciless and swift.

"Captain..."

"Captain Nyuk!!!"

"He's dead... he's actually dead!!"

Nyuk never rose again after falling. Only then did the members of the Nyuk Pirates realize that their captain—the captain who had eaten a Logia Devil Fruit and could ignore physical attacks—had been killed with a single slash.

All joy from their plundering vanished in that instant. Looking at Tsugikuni Yoriichi standing by the throne with his sword in hand, the remaining Nyuk Pirates had no will to fight at all. They rushed toward the hall's entrance, unwilling to remain for even another second.

Ice Time!

Nyuk's remaining crew tried to flee, but at that moment, Aokiji finally made his move. He spread his arms slightly, releasing extreme cold. The frost beneath his feet instantly turned into solid ice and rapidly spread toward the pirates around him.

Crack—

After a soft sound, a cold wind swept through.

The pirates running toward the hall entrance instantly became ice sculptures, their terrified expressions frozen in lifelike detail.

Boom!!!!

"Kuzan! Yoriichi!"

"Where are you?!"

At that moment, a tremendous crash rang out from the palace courtyard, followed by Garp's furious roar echoing through the palace. An inexplicable gale swept in, carrying dust directly into the palace.

The pirate ice sculptures at the entrance instantly shattered into icy powder beneath the sweeping gale.

"..."

Aokiji was somewhat speechless as he raised an ice wall within the hall, shielding himself and the others inside.

Yoriichi had already sheathed his sword and stood beside Aokiji. Hearing the commotion, he could not help sighing inwardly. With that style of doing things, joining the Marines really is a waste of talent.

(End of Chapter)