Survivor Gin? Hawkeye's True Reason for Acting!

At this moment.

Hearing Natsuya's words, Nami was instantly taken aback.

She then instinctively followed Natsuya's gaze toward the stern of the pirate ship.

There was someone there!?

Immediately after, as expected.

From beneath a piece of cloth at the stern of the pirate ship, a blood-soaked figure slowly crawled out.

That spot was originally meant for stacking cargo; who would have thought someone was hiding there!

The person was a man in his twenties with a gloomy expression, a gaunt build, and a blue-and-white striped bandana tied around his forehead.

"Eh, it's you!?"

Nami was shocked once again.

She actually recognized this gloomy-faced man.

She then leaned in close to Natsuya, whispering an explanation as if afraid he wouldn't know who the man was: "Lord Natsuya,"

"This man is Demon Gin, the combat commander of the Krieg Pirates!"

"Have you heard of the Krieg Pirates? They were the former overlords of the East Blue, before Arlong arrived."

That's right!

This man hiding on the pirate ship, covered in blood with a gloomy face, was none other than Demon Gin of the Krieg Pirates!

After hearing Nami's words, Natsuya couldn't help but reveal a smile.

How could he not know about the Krieg Pirates!?

As for this Demon Gin, it went without saying.

But why would this guy be hiding on his pirate ship?

Nami thought of this question as well and immediately looked at Gin with a wary expression.

Judging by his reputation, he was certainly no good person!

Seeming to guess the doubts held by Natsuya and Nami, Gin spoke first: "Don't misunderstand, I have no ill intentions."

"I was just severely wounded earlier and happened to hide on your ship."

As he said this, Gin pulled open his clothes, revealing a massive gash on his abdomen.

Without a doubt, it was caused by a slash from Hawkeye.

As it turned out, before the battle between Natsuya and Hawkeye, the Krieg Pirates had been almost completely wiped out under Hawkeye's rampage.

Even Admiral Krieg had not been spared, having been sliced in two.

As for the other somewhat famous Pearl the Iron Wall, it went without saying.

The iron wall he prided himself on was fragile as paper before Hawkeye's slash.

Gin, however, had decent luck; he was only grazed by the slash and, by a stroke of fate, hid on Natsuya's pirate ship to escape the catastrophe.

Because of this, he had watched the entire battle between Natsuya and Hawkeye.

So much so that, facing Natsuya's gaze now, Gin felt immense pressure.

This man was someone who had defeated the world's greatest swordsman!

Hearing Gin's words, Nami's suspicions were cleared.

Natsuya, however, asked with interest: "By the way, why were you being hunted by Hawkeye this time!?"

It is worth mentioning that Natsuya had actually discovered Krieg and his crew long ago.

After all, when he woke up, there were large amounts of ship wreckage floating all around.

From this, it was clear that before dealing with them, Hawkeye had also casually wiped out a large pirate fleet.

Originally, Natsuya hadn't known that it was the Krieg Pirates.

After all, in the original story, Hawkeye's pursuit of the Krieg Pirates was supposed to happen four or five years from now.

But unexpectedly, that large pirate fleet was indeed the Krieg Pirates!

And now, one of the parties involved, Gin, was standing right in front of him.

With that, Natsuya couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

In the original story, Hawkeye hunted the Krieg Pirates four or five years later, but this time, it had happened so much earlier—why?

Hearing this, a bitter expression flashed across Gin's face.

"We were the ones who provoked him, thinking he was easy to bully because he was alone."

"Then, after he found out we were from the East Blue, he hunted us for months..."

So that was it!

Natsuya nodded. In the original story, it seemed Hawkeye had hunted down the Krieg Pirates simply out of boredom.

He hadn't expected that this time, it was the Krieg Pirates who had courted their own death.

Still, to hunt them for months—Hawkeye really was idle enough!

Wait, was it only after learning the Krieg Pirates hailed from the East Blue that he had pursued them for months?

At this moment, Natsuya suddenly realized a key point.

Perhaps, whether in the original timeline or now, there was only one reason Hawkeye hunted the Krieg Pirates.

That was their East Blue origin!

But why would Hawkeye be so fixated on pirates from the East Blue?

After a moment's thought, Natsuya understood.

This matter likely started with that straw hat.

Simply put, Red-Haired Shanks had lost his left arm in the East Blue, and even his most cherished straw hat had gone missing.

Therefore, once Hawkeye learned of this, he began to pay close attention to pirates from the East Blue.

Thinking of this, Natsuya immediately understood why Hawkeye had chased the Krieg Pirates all the way back to the East Blue in the original story.

He was probably trying to see if he could find any clues.

And this time, if not for them, perhaps Hawkeye would have chased the Krieg Pirates to the East Blue as well?

After all, their current location was not too far from the East Blue.

Wait, could it be that the reason Hawkeye helped the Marine Government deal with him was also because he had become entangled with the East Blue!?

Suddenly, Natsuya seemed to grasp why Hawkeye would assist the Marine Government in targeting him.

In truth, this situation was really quite strange.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea were not the dogs of the Marines.

To be more precise, the two sides were in a relationship of mutual convenience!

Therefore, regarding the summons of the Marine Government, the Seven Warlords of the Sea would respond according to their own whims.

Or rather, they would only act if it aligned with their own interests.

During the Summit War, the reason Hawkeye responded to the call was clearly because he intended to duel Whitebeard.

But this time, why did he help the Marine Government?

Natsuya had been deeply puzzled before, but now he suddenly understood!

He regretted even more that he hadn't managed to keep Hawkeye there.

That guy, having wiped out the Krieg Pirates for a nearly ethereal reason, was now actually making a move against him!?

Was there no justice? Was there no law!?

He really should have punched him a few more times earlier!

Seeing the shifting expressions on Natsuya's face, Demon Gin immediately thought he had said something wrong and became somewhat uneasy.

Nami also misinterpreted Natsuya's meaning, thinking he was displeased, and immediately said to Demon Gin, "Since everything has been explained, you should go."

"Looking at your current state, it's impossible for us to get any reward for saving you."

Nami couldn't help but sound a little resentful at the end.

If they had saved someone else, they might have been able to extort some gold or jewelry.

But this Demon Gin, his crew had been wiped out, so he must be penniless. Hmph, what bad luck.

However, upon hearing this, Demon Gin did not move. Instead, he turned to Natsuya and said something that caught both Natsuya and Nami completely off guard.