Setsuna's Fury: Provocation Must Be Paid For!

The Yaoyu and the Yakumi made him nod almost as soon as he finished speaking. Qi took the battle report, glanced at it, his brows furrowing, and slammed it on the table, saying only two words: "Name."

In Setsuna, he recited the island's coordinates and the pirate crew's ship name, his tone as cold as frozen well water in winter. "I don't care how much their bounty is or who's behind them. Provoking the Uchiha means paying the price."

The three of you, sign this authorization. I want to capture that scum who dared to swing his sword at the Uchiha, along with every one of his still-breathing subordinates, and take them to the port of Spirit Awakening Island —to be publicly executed."

A moment later, the three dispatch orders were signed and stamped, and placed on the table.

In Setsuna, he picked up one of the documents, walked to the palace entrance, and handed it to the Night Owl Guard messenger who was already waiting at the foot of the steps.

"Send three squads immediately. Capture the entire pirate crew alive, escort them back to Spirit Awakening Island port for public execution, leave no one alive." The messenger knelt on one knee to receive the order, then turned and disappeared into the night.

Setsuna stood before the palace gate, the Gecko stretched his hunched shadow long and heavy.

The lights in the direction of the Training Ground in the distance had long been turned off, and only the Otogakure of waves crashing against the rocks could be heard.

He returned to the hall and sat down again, pushing the cup of tea, which had long since gone cold, aside.

Tonight, I'm destined to be sleepless.

The Broken Axe Pirates ' ship lay across the dock, the hastily installed planks not yet fully dried, the deck filled with the smell of seawater and wood chips.

Drox leaned back on the tattered sofa in the captain's cabin, legs crossed, twirling a glass of whiskey he'd dug up from the cellar of the town's tavern, a hint of alcohol on his face and a smile that was hard to decipher—it was either confidence or arrogance.

The noise around the campfire gradually subsided, and the drunken pirates lay sprawled on the dock, their snores mingling with the rhythm of the waves crashing against the rocks, creating an eerie sense of tranquility.

Dozens of unlucky men assigned to night watch were scattered around the camp. Some were dozing off under coconut trees with knives in their arms, while others simply sat there with their guns across their knees, lost in thought.

Nobody thought anything would go wrong tonight. Their captain said those gray Nezumi were faster than rabbits, and even if they needed reinforcements, it would take several days.

Drox is definitely not stupid.

He's been in the New World for so many years, climbing from an unknown nobody to a position with a bounty of nine hundred million, and it wasn't just because of that axe that could split the deck of a warship.

He knew, of course, that the Uchiha were not to be trifled with, and he also knew that the monster who had Marineford with a single strike was stationed on Origin Island.

But it was precisely because he understood this clearly that he was even more certain that he would be fine.

How many Uchiha are there? The West Blue is so vast, how can they possibly manage it with just their small numbers?

In the end, it still depends on these old folks who are used to struggling in the New World to keep things in order.

They were just a group of civilians; their deaths were no big deal. Would the Uchiha really turn against a thousand-strong pirate crew for a few unrelated losers?

It's far more worthwhile to recruit him than to seek justice for those dead.

Even if they really can't win, they can simply lower their flag, kneel on one knee, say a few nice words, and they'll become a vassal force under the Uchiha clan.

Anyway, he brought his fleet to the West Blue with this in mind—to find a powerful patron to rely on, which was better than being crushed to dust by the Four Emperors in the New World.

However, before officially adopting the Uchiha name, he wanted to have one last bit of fun.

After years of keeping a low profile in the New World, I've finally arrived in this sea area that even the navy dares not set foot in. How can I not take this opportunity to let loose and have some fun?

He swirled the last sip of whiskey in his glass, tilted his head back, and downed it. The liquor trickled down his stubble-covered chin and onto his chest. He wiped it away casually, grinned, and said, "Let the brothers have some fun and rest. We'll continue on a different island tomorrow."

In the corner, the sniper, who hadn't drunk a drop of alcohol the entire time, held his gun with his eyes closed, but his ears were constantly perked up.

The staff officer next to him still clutched the folded wanted poster, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the corner of the paper, his gaze fixed on the dark sea in the distance through the broken window of the cabin.

Apart from the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, you could hear nothing else.

But it was precisely this quiet that made him feel uneasy.

Night fell quickly.

In the camp of the Broken Axe Pirates, the campfire had almost died down, with only a few dark red embers flickering in the ash.

The drunken pirates, wrapped in stolen blankets, lay sprawled on the dock, snoring all around them.

A dozen or so unlucky men on night watch sat scattered around the perimeter of the camp. Some had their feet propped up on ammunition boxes, idly counting stars, while others leaned against coconut trees, heads bobbing as they fished.

The night in this West Blue was so quiet. There were no naval patrol ships, no fighting among other pirate crews; it was so quiet that it made you feel lazy to the bone.

At the top of the pier, a young pirate on lookout duty was chewing on dried meat he had smuggled from a local grocery store, casually glancing at the sea.

He rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again, and the jerky fell through his fingers onto the wooden board.

There were a few black dots on the horizon. He thought they were flying fish, but what kind of flying fish would line up in a horizontal line and get bigger and bigger?

The number of black dots increased from seven or eight to more than a dozen, and then from more than a dozen to dozens, leaving a very thin white line on the sea surface.

"A ship... a ship--!" The lookout practically tumbled down from the lookout tower, knocking over his snoring companion, and screamed into the camp, "At sea! There's a ship! Not a patrol boat--it's Uchiha! It's Uchiha!!"

The first to react was the sniper leaning against the coconut tree. He opened his eyes abruptly as the lookout shouted the first word, grabbed the rifle resting on his lap, and looked out to sea through the scope.

The moonlight wasn't too bright, but it was enough for him to see the figures riding the waves—their greyish-white uniforms gleamed coldly in the Gecko, and each figure walked on the sea as if it were flat ground.

He couldn't even make out the faces of the three leaders; only three pairs of scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan shone brightly in the night.

"Enemy attack--!!!" The sniper's roar shattered the last vestige of peace in the camp.

Awakened, the pirates scrambled to grab their weapons. In their panic, someone kicked over a campfire, splattering sparks all over his companion and causing him to scream in pain.

On the deck, on the boardwalk, and in the coconut grove, the half-drunk pirates staggered to their feet. Some were barefoot and couldn't find their boots, while others were still hiccuping while holding their knives.

On the pirate ship by the dock, the keel, its patches still damp, creaked underfoot in the chaos.

Drox flung open the broken door to the captain's cabin and rushed out, clutching a Sawtooth axe that was half his size.

He stood at the ship's railing, unleashing his Observation Haki, and the dozens of auras on the sea surface almost simultaneously crashed into his senses.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

That's not the Nightingale Guard.

Each of those auras was stronger, more profound, and colder than the team they had faced before.