The Pirate Empress

Morning sunlight spilled across the sea, casting beautiful rippling patterns of blue over the warship's surface.

One by one, yawning figures emerged from the battered cabins, greeting each other with a peaceful "Good morning."

"Hey, white-haired brat, get up and spar with me."

The shout rang across the entire warship, making everyone pause in the middle of what they were doing.

"That bastard's at it again..."

Mo Mo's face darkened. He turned and headed straight back into the cabin.

But just as Mo Mo was about to push the door open, a loud crash came from the cabin wall beside him.

"Damn it, you sucker-punched me!"

With a cry of pain, a burly figure shot out of the cabin and slammed onto the deck.

Mo Mo froze, then turned to look inside. Bai Ina, without his mask, was walking out with a dark expression.

"Captain, you..."

Bai Ina shook his head slightly. "A week of rest was enough for an injury like that!"

"..."

How could that possibly be enough...

Mo Mo's mouth twitched. After all, in the battle a week ago, Bai Ina hadn't just broken a few bones—he'd broken bones all over his body. Yet judging by Bai Ina's steps now, he certainly didn't look like someone who'd suffered serious injuries.

Mo Mo couldn't help marveling at Bai Ina's tenacious vitality.

Bai Ina walked straight over to the burly figure sprawled on the deck. A twisted smile appeared on his face. "Sa Kaiyang... You haven't forgotten what I told you, have you?"

"..."

Seeing Bai Ina's twisted expression, even the usually thick-skinned Sa Kaiyang couldn't help shivering.

Looks like the brat's pretty damn angry!

With that thought, Sa Kaiyang immediately tilted his head toward the sky and whistled casually. "Ah, the weather's really..."

A blur flashed past. Before Sa Kaiyang could finish speaking, he was sent flying.

Bai Ina's sword-wielding figure vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already behind Sa Kaiyang, who was flying backward.

As Sa Kaiyang came within reach, Bai Ina turned his blade and brought it down squarely on that hateful face.

With a dull thud, Sa Kaiyang's head sank straight into the deck.

"..."

Everyone watching felt a phantom ache in their own faces. They couldn't help feeling sorry for Sa Kaiyang. That's what you get for constantly provoking Asura for no reason... Now you're paying for it.

But Bai Ina wasn't finished. He grabbed Sa Kaiyang by the legs, pulled him out headfirst, and tossed him into the air. His sword's back struck again, giving the onlookers a demonstration of what baseball looked like.

"Damn it, I saved your life!"

"That's beside the point!"

"You ungrateful white-haired brat!"

"If you hadn't saved me, I'd have chopped you into mincemeat and fed you to the fish!"

"..."

With each line, Bai Ina moved, using the back of his sword to keep Sa Kaiyang flying. He never even got a chance to hit the ground.

Half an hour later, Sa Kaiyang's face was swollen and his nose was still bleeding, but he was eating breakfast at the table as if nothing had happened.

Bai Ina's mouth twitched at the sight. He turned to Mo Mo, who was eating nearby, and asked, "How long until we reach the area near their Naval Base? As soon as we get there, throw him into the sea!"

"..." Mo Mo.

"Y-you're really g-going to treat your b-benefactor like th-that?" Sa Kaiyang grumbled indignantly.

Bai Ina ignored the gibberish and lowered his head to eat.

"Bang!"

Just then, the mess hall door flew open. The lookout stumbled inside, his face stricken with shock. "At eleven o'clock, we spotted... a pirate ship being pulled by two giant snakes. Its sail bears a skull wrapped in nine snakes."

"Pfft—"

The food Sa Kaiyang had just stuffed into his mouth sprayed out, covering the table.

Bai Ina's face darkened. He turned a cold gaze on Sa Kaiyang.

But Sa Kaiyang paid him no attention. He rushed over and grabbed the lookout, exclaiming, "Did you just say that the pirate ship's sail bears a skull wrapped in nine snakes?"

"Yeah!"

The lookout nodded, puzzled. Spotting a pirate ship in the Calm Belt was certainly surprising, but not enough to explain such a strong reaction.

"The Calm Belt, a ship pulled by giant snakes, Kuja!"

A strange sense of familiarity stirred in Bai Ina. Then his expression changed, and he cried out, "The Pirate Empress!"

"You know her too?"

Sa Kaiyang sounded surprised.

"Mm!" Bai Ina nodded gravely, then asked Sa Kaiyang, "Could she be dangerous?"

Sa Kaiyang thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Probably not. The Empress is one of the Shichibukai, a pirate who belongs to the Navy's side. She shouldn't attack us, right?"

"That's good."

Bai Ina breathed a sigh of relief. The Empress of this era was far beyond anything he could handle. Her bounty was only eighty million Beli, but that was just the amount she'd earned from her first expedition. It didn't represent her true strength.

Even the Marine Headquarters had taken her very seriously when they discovered her, immediately offering her a position.

Even setting aside her Devil Fruit ability, her mastery of all three forms of Haki—which ranked among the best in the entire pirate world—was enough to make her a force to be reckoned with. Bai Ina absolutely didn't want to make an enemy of someone that powerful.

"..."

Mo Mo and the lookout exchanged glances, both looking utterly bewildered.

"Um... could someone explain what the Shichibukai and the Pirate Empress are?"

Mo Mo spoke up. After all, they came from the weakest sea—the East Blue. Information about the Grand Line had always been tightly restricted in their waters, so they'd never heard of the Shichibukai or any empress.

Without memories of his previous life, even Bai Ina would have had no way of knowing about figures on the level of the Shichibukai.

"The Shichibukai are seven great pirates recognized by the World Government. They possess catastrophic destructive power and military strength on par with nations. Only pirates with great renown or enough strength to intimidate the masses are eligible to become Shichibukai."

Bai Ina answered Mo Mo's question. "As for the Pirate Em..."

"The Pirate Empress is the most beautiful woman in the world! They say that anyone who sees her, man or woman, is captivated by her beauty!" Sa Kaiyang cut Bai Ina off, speaking with eager anticipation.

"The most beautiful woman in the world?"

Mo Mo blinked and asked in disbelief, "Really? You've seen her?"

"Of course it's true! I haven't seen the Empress in person, but I've seen her wanted poster!" Sa Kaiyang nodded without hesitation, a lovestruck look on his face.

"Ah, I'm done talking to you guys. I'm going to see the Empress in person. You don't get a chance like this every day." As soon as he finished speaking, Sa Kaiyang hurried out of the cabin.

The lookout blinked, then bolted out after him without even saying goodbye.

Bai Ina and Mo Mo exchanged a glance.

"Aren't you going?" Bai Ina asked as he stood.

"Not interested!"

Mo Mo replied without hesitation, then lowered his head and continued eating.

Bai Ina nodded, appreciating Mo Mo's attitude. Then he turned and headed out of the cabin. He wasn't going to admire the Empress's beauty; he simply wanted to face her and get a sense of the gap between them.