Cooper: However Many Come, I'll Kill Them All!

"The power of a Mastery-level technique increases dramatically!"

Junichi thought to himself.

"For example, Fire Release can reach temperatures of over three thousand degrees—hot enough to melt steel!"

"No matter how strong your body is..."

"One fireball will burn you to a crisp!"

That was why Junichi hadn't given up on ninjutsu.

Ninja were magic-class fighters, and magic-class fighters often had a higher damage ceiling than physical fighters.

The Mastery-level Great Fireball Technique was proof of that.

And beyond ordinary ninjutsu, there were secret and forbidden techniques, Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, and even more powerful abilities.

"With the Proficiency System, I can advance both sides of my power in step."

Junichi thought with a smile:

"When the time comes..."

"I'll use powerful ninjutsu to bully the brawny brutes of the Pirate World."

"Then I'll use the Pirate World's Haki to bully the squishy ninja."

"Just imagining it is wonderful."

Thoughts raced through Junichi's mind, and he made his decision.

He was in!

The Ten Thieves Rat Pirates weren't a threat to him.

"I'll accept this gift, Mr. Mihawk." Junichi addressed Hawk-Eye seriously.

Mihawk naturally had no objections. He smiled and said, "Good luck."

"Come back soon."

"Have a safe journey."

Rayleigh and Shakuyaku offered their well wishes too.

They weren't going to help Junichi.

If they had to step in and personally deliver the Great Grade Sword to him, there would be no point.

Junichi might as well not go out to sea at all.

He could just find somewhere to live out his days.

"They'll be laundering their loot on Kalle Island." Junichi rose with the leather pouch in hand and bowed slightly to the three of them. "Time is tight, so I'll head out now."

"Go on, then." Shakuyaku waved him off.

Rayleigh and Mihawk raised their glasses in farewell.

"Goodbye."

Junichi raised his glass too, downed his drink, and turned to leave the bar.

He went straight to the docks.

After renting a boat, he set sail.

The sailing knowledge Rayleigh had taught him came in handy.

That evening.

Jingle!

The bar door swung open, and Hancock entered, exhausted from an afternoon of hard training.

"I'm back."

She said it listlessly, then slumped over the bar as soon as she walked in.

"Shakuyaku, could I trouble you for a glass of fruit juice?" Hancock mumbled. "I'm dying of thirst."

"Honestly..."

Shakuyaku tapped her on the head helplessly. "This is a bar. What's the point of coming here for fruit juice every day?"

Even so,

Shakuyaku still made her a glass.

"Hehe, thanks, Shakuyaku." Hancock drank with satisfaction.

After she'd regained a little strength,

she curiously looked around, searching for someone.

But she didn't see him.

"Stop looking. Junichi's gone out to sea," Shakuyaku said, knowing who she was looking for.

"Huh?!"

Hancock stared at Shakuyaku, stunned. "When?"

"Why so suddenly?"

"Didn't he even say goodbye to me?"

Shakuyaku glanced at her and explained, "It's just a short trip. He's hunting a pirate and will be back after a while."

"Oh, I see." Hancock let out a sigh of relief and rested her head on the table again.

But she hadn't been there long before

she raised her head and pressed Shakuyaku for an answer. "How long is 'after a while'?"

"A week or two, maybe?" Shakuyaku replied uncertainly.

"That long?" Hancock looked displeased.

"There's no helping it. This is a tricky opponent." Shakuyaku thought back to the intelligence, as well as Rayleigh and Mihawk's assessment. "Junichi could end up in a hard fight."

"A week or two is if everything goes smoothly."

"If it doesn't, it'll take even longer."

After all, Junichi was just one boy, while the other side had an entire pirate crew.

There was a huge difference in numbers.

He would have to use hit-and-run tactics, gradually whittling down the crew before facing their captain, Cooper.

That would take time.

That was Shakuyaku's assessment, but she didn't tell Hancock the details.

It was basic discretion.

"Ugh..."

Hancock looked even more downcast, her brows furrowing.

It would really take that long.

"So don't worry about him. Focus on your training," Shakuyaku advised, tapping Hancock on the head.

"I know." Hancock nodded gloomily.

Outside the Sabaody Archipelago,

on a route leading toward Kalle Island,

"Drink up! Don't hold back!"

"We struck it rich this time!"

"Yeah! Centuries of wealth from that island are all in our pockets!"

"We can live it up for ages now!"

Dozens of pirates laughed loudly on deck.

They had just taken over an island, slaughtered the town's security force, and stolen the townspeople's wealth accumulated over hundreds of years.

The Ten Thieves Rat Pirates had made a killing.

Even the lowest-ranking crewmen would get a hefty share.

"The captain's bounty is definitely going up again!"

"I bet it'll hit two hundred million!"

"To Captain Cooper!"

One of them raised his glass to the captain.

The others saw him and raised their glasses too, laughing.

"To Captain Cooper!"

"To Captain Cooper!"

"To Captain Cooper!"

For a moment, their cheers shook the heavens.

Every pirate looked at their captain with fervent respect.

He was strong, and he made them money.

A captain like that was perfect!

"Hahaha! Drink up and eat your fill!" Captain Cooper roared with laughter, then downed the drink in his glass.

The mood grew even more boisterous.

All the pirates drank and ate excitedly, cracking dirty jokes and bragging.

Only the senior members of Cooper's crew managed to stay calm.

"Captain..."

A tall, thin man with shrewd eyes moved up beside Cooper. "Isn't it risky to make such a spectacle of ourselves? Plenty of people have their eyes on your sword."

Cooper didn't care.

He lightly rested his hand on Demon Eye at his waist and sneered. "Dustin, I'm a pirate with a bounty of one hundred and twenty million Beli!"

"Who in the first half of the Grand Line can match me?"

"As long as it's not that Hawk-Eye fellow, however many come, I'll kill them all!"

At that,

the tall, thin man named Dustin looked exasperated. "Hawk-Eye is in the Grand Line too, and it seems he's after you, Captain."

"Don't worry. He's been on the Sabaody Archipelago for days and hasn't gone out to sea once." Cooper waved it off. "Once we've laundered the loot, we'll go have fun in the Four Blues. He won't be able to find us."

"That's true." Dustin nodded, persuaded by Cooper.

The banquet continued.

Soon, it was deep into the night.

The pirates gradually fell asleep, their snores deafening.

Cooper went back to the captain's quarters to rest.

After Dustin arranged for people to keep watch, he lay down on deck.

Before long,

the ship had fallen completely quiet.

At that very moment,

a shark sped through the water and reached the side of the ship.

The shark surfaced and transformed into the shape of a boy.

Junichi Uchiha!

Using the Transformation Technique, he had quietly approached the Ten Thieves Rat Pirates!