The Pirate Empress

The morning sun spilled across the sea, casting beautiful azure ripples upon the surface of the warship, a truly magnificent sight.

Figures emerged from the dilapidated cabins on deck, yawning and exchanging morning greetings, the atmosphere appearing exceptionally peaceful.

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

The roar echoed across the entire warship, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks.

"This bastard is at it again..."

Mo Mo's face darkened, and he turned to head back into the cabin.

BOOM—

But just as Mo Mo reached for the cabin door, a violent explosion erupted from the bulkhead beside him.

"Holy shit, you snuck up on me!"

With a miserable cry, a burly figure flew straight out of the cabin and slammed heavily onto the deck.

Seeing this, Mo Mo couldn't help but freeze. He turned to look into the cabin, only to see an unmasked Bai Ina walking out with a dark expression.

"Commander, you..."

Bai Ina gave a slight shake of his head: "A week of recovery is enough for those kinds of injuries!"

"..."

How could that possibly be enough...

Mo Mo's mouth twitched. He knew that after the battle a week ago, Bai Ina hadn't just broken a few bones—his entire skeleton had been fractured... yet looking at Bai Ina's stride now, he certainly didn't look like a man suffering from severe trauma.

This couldn't help but make Mo Mo marvel at Bai Ina's tenacious vitality.

Bai Ina walked straight up to the burly figure sprawled on the deck, a twisted smile appearing on his face: "Sa Kaiyang... you haven't forgotten what I said, have you!"

"..."

Looking at Bai Ina's twisted expression, even the thick-skinned Sa Kaiyang couldn't help but shiver...

This brat seems to be seriously pissed off!

Thinking of this, Sa Kaiyang immediately looked up at the sky, whistled nonchalantly, and sighed: "Ah, the weather is really not..."

BANG—

A black shadow flashed, and before Sa Kaiyang could finish his sentence, he was sent flying.

Bai Ina's figure, sword in hand, vanished instantly, reappearing behind the trajectory of Sa Kaiyang's flight.

With a flick of the blade, he swung it down directly onto Sa Kaiyang's detestable cheek as he flew past.

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

"..."

Witnessing this, everyone on deck felt a phantom pain in their own faces, silently mourning for Sa Kaiyang... Why did you have to go and poke the Asura's nerves for no reason? Now you're getting what you deserve...

But Bai Ina wasn't finished. With one hand, he hauled the upside-down Sa Kaiyang out of the deck, tossed him into the air, and struck again with the back of his blade... demonstrating to the onlookers exactly what it meant to play baseball!

"Holy shit, I saved your life!"

"That's a completely different matter!"

"You ungrateful white-haired brat."

"If it weren't for the fact that you saved me, I would have chopped you into mincemeat and fed you to the fish!!!"

"..."

With every word, Bai Ina moved, using the back of his blade to keep Sa Kaiyang airborne, never giving him a chance to land.

Half an hour later, a swollen Sa Kaiyang with blood streaming from his nose began to wolf down his breakfast 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 vicinity of their Marine base? Once we arrive, throw him into the sea immediately!"

"..." Mo Mo.

"Can't you show some gratitude to your savior?" Sa Kaiyang mumbled, his face full of dissatisfaction.

Bai Ina ignored the man's alien language and lowered his head to continue his meal!

BANG!

Just then, the cafeteria door was pushed open. The lookout officer stumbled in, shouting in horror: "At eleven o'clock... a pirate ship pulled by two giant sea serpents. The sail is marked with a skull wrapped in nine snakes."

"Pfft—"

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

Bai Ina's face darkened instantly, and he glared coldly at Sa Kaiyang.

But Sa Kaiyang ignored him entirely, lunging forward to grab the lookout officer: "Did you just say the pirate ship's sail has a skull wrapped in nine snakes?"

"Yeah!"

The lookout nodded, confused. While seeing a pirate ship in the Calm Belt was surprising, it shouldn't have caused such a massive reaction.

"The Calm Belt, giant snakes pulling a ship, Kuja!"

Bai Ina felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity in his heart, and then his expression shifted, exclaiming, "The Pirate Empress!!!"

"You know her too?"

Sa Kaiyang asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes!" Bai Ina nodded with a solemn expression, then asked Sa Kaiyang, "Will there be any danger?"

Sa Kaiyang pondered for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be an issue. After all, the Empress is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a pirate aligned with the World Government. She shouldn't attack us, right!"

"That's good then!"

Bai Ina breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The current Empress was far beyond what he could handle. Although her bounty was only 80 million Beli, that was merely the amount set after her first expedition and did not reflect her true strength.

Even Marine Headquarters had placed great importance on her existence upon discovering her, immediately moving to recruit her.

Even without mentioning her Devil Fruit ability, the Empress's mastery of the three types of Haki—which ranked among the best in the entire pirate world—was enough for her to dominate a region. Bai Ina absolutely did not want to make an enemy of such a powerhouse.

"..."

Mo Mo and the lookout crew member exchanged glances, their expressions filled with utter confusion.

"Um... could someone explain what the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the Pirate Empress actually are?"

Mo Mo asked aloud. After all, they all hailed from the weakest sea—the East Blue. Information regarding the Grand Line was always quite restricted in that sea, so they had never heard any rumors about the Seven Warlords of the Sea or the Empress.

If not for the memories of his past life, even Bai Ina would have been nowhere near qualified to touch upon existences at the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven great pirates recognized by the World Government, possessing catastrophic destructive power and military strength rivaling that of a nation. Only pirates with high notoriety or combat power high enough to intimidate others are qualified to be chosen as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Bai Ina answered Mo Mo's confusion: "As for the Pirate Emp..."

"The Pirate Empress is the most beautiful woman in the world! Legend has it that anyone who sees her, man or woman, will be captivated by her beauty!" Sa Kaiyang interrupted Bai Ina directly, speaking with an expectant look on his face.

"The most beautiful woman in the world?"

Mo Mo blinked, asking in disbelief, "Is that for real? Have you seen her?"

"Of course it's true! Although I haven't seen the Empress in person, I have seen her wanted poster!" Sa Kaiyang nodded without hesitation, an infatuated look appearing on his face.

"Ah, I'm done talking to you guys. I'm going to go see the Empress in person; this is a rare opportunity." With those words, Sa Kaiyang hurried toward the outside of the cabin.

The lookout crew member blinked, turned, and also sprinted toward the outside of the cabin, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Bai Ina and Mo Mo looked at each other.

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

"No interest!"

Mo Mo replied without hesitation, then continued to lower his head and eat.

Seeing this, Bai Ina nodded, quite appreciative of his behavior. He then turned and walked toward the outside of the cabin, though he was not going to admire the Empress's appearance; he simply wanted to face her and feel the gap between himself and her.

PS: Thanks to 'Bloody Romance' for the tip, thank you for the support!

PS2: Recommending a friend's book [Master of the Second Dimension]