Choice, Capture

"What a bunch of noisy bugs."

With a casual wave of his hand, Rody sent dense, razor-sharp grid-like slashes flying from his palm at incredible speed...

In the blink of an eye, the bodies of Toby and the other pirates were reduced to scattered flesh and blood, like tofu smashed by a badminton racket.

"Seriously, I told you long ago that the captain could kill you with a wave of his hand, but you just wouldn't believe it. You insisted on courting death, and now you've turned into minced meat. Satisfied?" Windfire Wheel said with a mournful sigh.

"So this is... Slayer Rody?!"

"T-That's... too brutal!"

Before their words had even faded, the pirates on the ground were casually cut down by Rody as well.

"So, do you still want to give it a try?" Rody asked with a smile.

Looking at the pirates chopped into pieces on the ground, then at the lightly smiling Rody, Daddy seemed to see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood rising behind Rody. Atop that mountain stood a humanoid monster with four arms, four eyes, and a mouth growing from its stomach. The monster's four eyes stared at Daddy as though he were nothing more than a toy.

A terrifying aura surged toward Daddy like a tsunami. His body stiffened as if frozen in ice, and cold sweat continuously formed on his brow. Daddy believed that if he made even the slightest move, he would be cut into countless pieces just like the corpses on the ground.

"Hey, I heard those pirates on the ground say that you're a bounty hunter called Daddy with the Kid. You wouldn't be planning to challenge our captain too, would you?"

"You saw how those pirates died, didn't you?"

"You don't want to keep raising your child?"

"You'd better think this through. Challenging our captain..."

"Will get you killed."

After Windfire Wheel finished speaking, Nami also tried to persuade him. "Hurry up and run. Don't you still have a child to raise? Think about your child and get out of here!"

However, it was as if Daddy had not heard either of them. He continued staring at Rody without saying a word.

"I'll give you one chance to draw your gun. As long as you hit any part of me—even if it's only my clothes—you win. After that, I won't trouble you, and I'll give you 100 million Beli."

"Even if you lose, I won't kill you. But I'll cut off both your hands."

"Well? Want to try?"

Hearing that Rody would not kill him, Daddy breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, and his rigid body gradually relaxed. One hundred million Beli!

He had never seen that much money in his life. As long as he hit even a corner of Rody's clothes, he would receive 100 million Beli. Then he would never have to be a bounty hunter again. It was truly tempting.

But as a genius sniper, Daddy's instincts told him to give up. It was impossible. He could not hit him, not even a corner of his clothes. Although losing would not cost him his life, if both his hands were cut off, he would never be able to hold a gun again. Once he could no longer hold a gun, he and his daughter would surely be targeted by the pirate associates he had once turned in for money. Without a gun, how could he protect his daughter?

"Lord Rody, so you were here."

"We've bought all the supplies the ship needs." Mike arrived with Carmen and the others, having found Rody.

"What happened to the group of pirates who were chasing Windfire Wheel?" Carmen asked.

"They're the corpses on the ground over there."

Carmen and her apprentices looked in the direction Windfire Wheel pointed. They let out startled cries, then stammered, "Windfire Wheel, you mean... these chunks of flesh on the ground are the pirates who tried to take you away earlier?"

"Yeah. Those pirates really weren't afraid of death. I told them the captain was Slayer Rody, with a bounty of 50 million Beli, but they insisted on chasing after us to challenge him. Now look at them—they got cut into pieces by the angry captain," Windfire Wheel complained.

"Y-Yeah..."

Thinking back to when she had first boarded the ship and spoken with Rody about her goal, Carmen realized that she had nearly been chopped into pieces as well. Feeling both fortunate and shaken, she hurriedly agreed.

"Since this group of pirates has already been killed by Lord Rody, why aren't we leaving?"

"There's still a bounty hunter over there, Daddy with the Kid or something. He wants to challenge the captain," Windfire Wheel said, pointing at Daddy.

"Daddy with the Kid?"

"I know him. He's the strongest gunslinging bounty hunter in the East Blue. He often has a little girl with him."

"Forget it. This is boring. Let's go," Rody said with a disinterested expression as he looked at the silent Daddy.

"Alright, Captain." After answering, Windfire Wheel ran to Rody's side and asked in confusion, "Captain, we're leaving just like that? We're not dealing with that bounty hunter?"

"That guy has already been bound by his child. The hand holding his gun is no longer steady enough, and he no longer has the determination, perseverance, or courage to pull the trigger. A guy like that wouldn't be any fun to kill." Rody looked disappointed.

At those words, Daddy clenched his fists beneath his loose robe, his nails digging deeply into his flesh. That's right. I'm no longer Daddy Masterson, the Marine genius sniper I used to be. After losing to Yasopp, I became nothing more than a bounty hunter—Daddy with the Kid.

Rody's group slowly walked past Daddy. As she passed him, Carmen looked at his dejected face and comforted him, "You made the right choice. Don't care about what others say or think. Find what you want to protect and pursue, then work hard for it. There's nothing wrong with that kind of life."

At her words, anger, confusion, and dejection appeared on Daddy's face in turn before finally giving way to relief. His clenched fists slowly loosened. "That's right. I've already found someone I want to protect."

Perhaps the old Daddy Masterson had been stronger than he was now. He had never hesitated when firing, his hands had been steadier, and he had drawn his gun faster. But becoming Daddy with the Kid was not so bad either. He could stay by his daughter's side more often, watch her grow up, and fulfill his responsibilities as a father. There was nothing wrong with that.

Daddy watched Rody and the others gradually disappear into the distance, then said softly, "I made the right choice."

Loguetown, Marine Base

Smoker had just seen off Daddy, who had come to collect a bounty, and was about to smoke a couple of cigars to relax when a Marine soldier hurriedly pushed open the office door.

"Report, Colonel Smoker! We've discovered a group of pirates on the eastern street."

"They're the Boxing Pirates. Their leader is the captain of the Boxing Pirates—"

"Toby the Boxer, with a bounty of 13 million Beli."

"The Boxing Pirates have engaged in battle with unidentified individuals in the street. The current situation is unclear."

Smoker took a drag on his cigar, picked up his jitte with Seastone embedded in its tip, and said to the bespectacled girl beside him, Tashigi, "Notify the Marines at the base to assemble. We're going to arrest the Boxing Pirates."

"R-Report... we also found someone on the main street near the execution platform."

"The Slayer, Rody, with a bounty of 50 million Beli, and his navigator, the Little Thief Cat, Nami, with a bounty of 5 million Beli," the messenger soldier hurriedly added.

Smoker glanced at the nervous messenger. "Report the important information first next time."

"Gather the Marines at the base immediately. We'll arrest them first."

"The Slayer, Rody, with a bounty of 50 million Beli."