Collection Pirates

Collector Pirate Ship, Second Floor.

"What happened... ngh!"

"A ghost... ngh!"

"Mommy, don't kill me!!"

The pirates on the second floor had only just stepped out of their cabin when Reg, his speed pushed to the limit, began slaughtering them indiscriminately... One of them was so terrified that he withdrew the head he had barely poked out: he couldn't even see clearly, so how was he supposed to fight?

"The refrigerator!"

"Who allowed you to come in..."

Splat... Reg, who had followed the scent of food here, casually slit the cook pirate's throat.

Clatter... As Reg opened the refrigerator, his eyes filled with delight: his judgment had been correct.

This pirate crew had set sail from the west coast of Jaya Island... It was only natural that they would have stocked up on food.

"Nom, nom..."

Having turned into a ravenous beast, Reg ignored the doorway and wolfed down the food... Just then, two pirates holding flintlock guns appeared at the door.

They exchanged glances and gave slight nods... then simultaneously aimed their guns at Reg.

Before they could pull the triggers, Reg vanished from before their eyes.

When he reappeared, the dagger in his hand flashed silver, and two bloody lines appeared across their throats.

"Nom..."

Back before the refrigerator, Reg continued stuffing himself... With his Observation Haki spread out, did they think they could sneak attack him? They were dreaming.

These pirates probably never could have imagined... that robbing something would provoke this demon.

The training Reg had received on Tower Forest Island was in killing techniques... Over six years, this highly efficient method of killing had seeped into his bones.

Whenever he struck, Reg always prioritized a lethal blow against his enemy. Even if he could not hit a vital point, he would choose the method that caused the most damage... Making him fight normally would probably take more thought.

The two men whose throats had been cut collapsed at the kitchen entrance, and the pirates in the corridor all swallowed hard... They still hadn't seen how those two had died.

"Go get him..."

"Why don't you go..."

"Captain Berg..."

"A bunch of trash... Move aside."

Berg descended from the ship's cabin with an extremely ugly expression... Fortunately, that ghost had not rushed into the third floor: that was where he kept his important collectibles.

Berg, rapier in hand, narrowed his eyes and softened his footsteps as much as possible... The nearby pirates all looked at him with worship in their eyes: their captain had never suffered a single defeat on his way here.

Hadn't that hateful ghost just fled in panic... The pirates comforted themselves with that thought as they quietly backed away.

As he was about to approach the kitchen door, Berg suddenly grabbed a pirate beside him... Before his subordinate could react, he threw him inside.

Reg stuffed the last piece of cooked meat into his mouth and casually flung his knife and fork over.

Splat... Just as the knife and fork accurately struck the pirate's heart, Berg appeared: "Lightning!"

True to its name, a silver gleam, swift as lightning, shot straight toward Reg's heart.

Clang...!

But Reg had anticipated it. The instant Berg moved, he had already held his dagger horizontally before his chest.

"How is this possible?!" An incredulous expression appeared on Berg's face.

After shooting Berg a contemptuous glance, Reg fiercely kicked out with his right foot... Tempest Kick!

Facing the sudden pressure of the wind, Berg's reaction was not slow either... As he sharply shifted his body to the right, the rapier in his hand trembled, creating a chaotic flurry of sword shadows before Reg.

Clang, clang, clang... After exchanging several blows, Reg stepped on the wooden floor again and vanished.

Without even looking, Berg threw himself forward, avoiding Reg's straight thrust.

"Useless."

Now that he was full, Reg went all out. The dagger in his right hand immediately left his grip and flew after Berg... Berg raised his rapier and knocked it away.

Reg's left-hand attack followed right after... Bang, bang!

The pirates at the doorway pulled their triggers... Two bullets came hurtling over.

Then a sight that nearly made their eyes pop out appeared... The ghost's body swayed twice like a sheet of paper, and the bullets missed.

Clang... Boom!

After blocking the rapier's attack with his left hand, Reg followed through with his movements... and heavily kicked Berg in the body.

Amid a burst of crashing sounds, Berg's body shot through two layers of wooden planks like a launched cannonball, flying straight into the air.

Thud!

Ignoring the two nobodies behind him, Reg used Geppo to follow close behind.

"Captain Berg!"

"Impossible!"

To the ghost-stricken expressions of the pirates on the deck, Reg followed up by kicking Berg even higher into the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang! ...What happened next made the pirates cover their eyes instinctively. Some even dropped their weapons.

Berg, dazed from the kicks, never even had a chance to fall back onto the deck. Suspended in midair, he was relentlessly beaten down by Reg... blood gushed from his mouth one mouthful after another as though it cost nothing.

After more than a dozen kicks, Reg landed on the deck holding Berg, who had been turned into "noodles," and swept his gaze across the surroundings... the pirates' previous contempt and mockery had turned into fear and panic.

"Run...!"

The sudden shout became a lifeline, and the deck instantly descended into chaos... some jumped into the sea, some threw away their weapons, and some hesitated, wanting to save someone. Every sort of reaction played out at that moment.

The only thing they had in common was... no one dared to attack Reg so easily anymore.

That was what pirates were like... wolves with the wind at their backs, rats when it turned against them.

"Aren't you going to attack? Or do you want to negotiate now?"

Reg had no intention of pursuing the fleeing pirates... he was far more interested in the captain beneath his feet.

"Y-You... what exactly do you want?!"

Among the pirates who remained, a heavily bearded man dressed relatively neatly spoke up... he was probably the first mate?

"That's a question I should be asking you... forget it. Put down your weapons now, if you still want to save this man."

Reg pointed at the person beneath his feet... some pirates had remained behind, so it seemed this captain still had some prestige.

"Put down your weapons...!"

"First Mate Fitch!"

"If we put down our weapons, we'll be—"

"Shut up, all of you... if you don't put them down and the captain dies, I'll have your lives!"

Clang... Fitch, roaring in anger, was the first to throw down his weapon.

After hesitating for a moment, the other pirates gritted their teeth and set down their weapons and muskets as well... with that monster's unbelievable speed, it made no difference whether they had weapons or not.

"A wise choice. Now tell me your pirate crew's name and your captain's background... one sentence each," Reg said with a smile. Though his body appeared relaxed, he did not lower his guard.

"We're the Collection Pirates..."

"Our captain is Berg..."

The reason he had them speak one sentence at a time... was that it greatly reduced the odds of them lying. Even if there were lies, he could spot them from the changes in the others' expressions.

A few minutes later, Reg stroked his chin... sure enough, sparing them had been the right choice.

The man beneath his feet was not only the captain, but also an experienced navigator. With this man's help, scouting out the Knock Up Stream would save quite a bit of time.

"Take down your pirate flag now... dock this ship and mine on the eastern shore, then we'll negotiate."

The pirates still looked to Fitch in response to Reg's words... although the bearded man looked grim, he still nodded in agreement.