Pirates Attack! A Slight Show of Force

That exaggerated?

The surrounding crew members looked at Alichi, their faces full of shock.

They could not even withstand a single glance from a strong person?

"But such strong people generally won't appear in the Four Blues. Only the Grand Line is where people like them belong. We just need to do our jobs properly. With this great swordsman aboard this time, we won't have to worry about pirates anymore."

Alichi explained it to the crew.

However, judging by the way he sprayed saliva everywhere, he seemed to be enjoying himself as well.

After all, there was no other entertainment at sea, only boasting and drinking.

Now that he saw the shocked looks in the crew's eyes, his interest was naturally piqued.

"Captain, what is the treasure of the sea?"

A young crew member asked curiously. He had heard Alichi mention it earlier, so he was very curious.

After all, anyone who went to sea, even if they were not pirates, cared greatly about treasures and such.

"It is a kind of treasure called a Devil Fruit. They say that those who eat one can gain all sorts of miraculous powers, though I've never seen anyone who has eaten one."

Alichi spoke without feeling the slightest embarrassment about never having seen such a thing.

After all, it was a great treasure.

The other crew members did not find it strange either.

"If I could eat a treasure like that, maybe I could become strong too."

A crew member spoke with a yearning expression.

"Heh, how vast is the sea? And how many such treasures are there? Instead of fantasizing about that, you might as well train hard and study swordsmanship. You can still become a strong person of the sea, like this sir."

Seeing the yearning look on the crew member's face, Alichi chuckled.

He did not think they were indulging in foolish dreams, because he himself had once imagined eating such a treasure one day.

Unfortunately, after sailing for more than a decade, meeting countless people, and fighting pirates, he had never seen what a Devil Fruit looked like with his own eyes.

"I've decided. Once I earn enough money, I'll definitely go learn swordsmanship!"

A young crew member spoke firmly, his face filled with yearning.

The crew immediately burst into laughter, but there was no malice in it.

Most of them simply thought he was naive.

Still, some of the other young crew members wore similarly yearning expressions.

"Then you'd better work hard. This captain won't treat you poorly."

Alichi seized the opportunity to say so.

"Yes, Captain! I'll scrub the deck!"

"Captain, I'll scrub the mast!"

"I'll go cook. Uh, should I make a separate meal for that sir?"

A crew member who appeared to be the cook had somehow joined them as well. Fired up by the young crew member's enthusiasm, he spoke too, only then remembering why they had come.

"Make a separate meal. Be sure to put your heart into it."

Alichi thought for a moment before answering.

"Yes, Captain."

The cook hurried away. Looking at everyone busily at work, Alichi nodded in satisfaction.

Being able to speak with a great swordsman this time made Alichi feel deeply honored.

It was as though a figure from legend had appeared before him.

But he also knew that this voyage would likely be his only point of contact with such a strong person.

Over the following days, Lin Ye rarely came out.

A week later, some of the crew had nearly forgotten that there was a great swordsman aboard, until a pirate ship appeared.

A sharp alarm rang out across the ship. Everyone put down what they were doing and grabbed their weapons.

Those who sailed merchant ships had more or less fought pirates before.

After all, merchant ships were large and had more people. Compared to them, small pirate ships with only a dozen men were not worth mentioning. Even pirate crews with several dozen men would retreat upon encountering a merchant ship with superior numbers if intimidation failed.

Of course, this merchant ship had also been fortunate enough not to encounter truly formidable pirates.

Naturally, they had also encountered stubborn pirates who refused to give up even after realizing the merchant ship was not easy prey.

"Men, charge them! Fire the cannons!"

A black cannon emerged from the bow of the pirate ship and turned toward the merchant vessel.

Alichi's expression darkened.

These pirates actually had cannons.

If the merchant ship was hit, the damage itself would be one thing, but the blow to the crew's morale would be far worse.

They might even give up resisting the pirates altogether.

Worried, Alichi remembered that there was still a great swordsman aboard and quickly turned around to ask Lin Ye to come down.

The moment he turned, he saw that Lin Ye had already arrived at some point and was standing beside him.

"Sir, these pirates..."

Startled, Alichi quickly placed a hand over his chest in salute and spoke.

"I'll handle them."

Looking at the pirate ship in the distance, Lin Ye spoke.

"Thank you, sir!"

Alichi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, his face full of joy.

So this was what it felt like to have a strong person by your side?

It was truly reassuring.

Boom!

With a thunderous blast, a black cannonball whistled toward the merchant ship.

It looked as though it was about to hit the ship.

A slash flew out and cut apart the incoming cannonball.

Boom!

The cannonball exploded in midair.

The merchant ship fell silent for a moment before cheers erupted.

He could even cut apart cannonballs flying through the air?

Many stared at Lin Ye with fanatical eyes, their faces filled with yearning.

The pirate ship fired cannon after cannon as it continued drawing closer, seemingly intending to board them.

Watching Lin Ye casually slice apart every incoming cannonball and make them explode, Alichi relaxed even further.

Even as he watched the pirate ship approach, he did not feel the slightest concern.

He only wondered how this sir intended to defeat the attacking pirate ship.

Lin Ye estimated the distance.

When the pirate ship was close enough for him to see the pirates' arrogant expressions, Lin Ye swung his blade.

The Flying Slash split into more than ten streaks in the air and struck the approaching pirate ship directly.

Boom!

The pirate ship instantly broke apart, sliced vertically into more than ten pieces. One of the slashes even struck the enemy's cannonballs in the hold.

The already shattered pirate ship detonated in a massive explosion, becoming a brilliant firework upon the sea.

More than ten transparent bubbles flew out from the exploding pirate ship.

Lin Ye sheathed his sword and looked at the large amount of broken wood scattered across the sea, still burning with flames.

Then he turned and headed back to his room.

Alichi watched Lin Ye leave with a fanatical expression.

"So powerful!"

Only after Lin Ye disappeared from sight did Alichi let out a breath and speak in shock.

"Captain, there are still pirates alive in the water!"

A crew member shouted.

"Haul them aboard! We may be a merchant ship, but that doesn't mean we can't play bounty hunters for once."

Alichi immediately roared in response.

Most pirates did not have specific wanted posters, but as long as their identities as pirates could be confirmed, the Marines would pay a bounty.

Alichi had already decided to use the merchant ship's profits from this voyage as payment, yet there was unexpectedly additional gain.

It depended on how many pirates there were.

Perhaps they would truly make a huge profit this time.