As Long as They Don't Die, Beat Them Half to Death

"Bluejam has made his move."

Kahn's fingers tightened slightly, and the letter in his palm crumbled into powder.

A gust of wind swept past, leaving nothing behind.

The Bluejam Pirates.

One of the pirate crews with the highest bounties in the East Blue, with Captain Bluejam carrying a bounty of 14 million Beli.

He was a ruthless bastard.

Cold-blooded and vicious, willing to do anything for money.

Recently, that bastard had latched onto the nobles of the Goa Kingdom and seemed to be plotting something big.

Kahn's golden eyes narrowed slightly.

In the original story, this was the culprit behind the great fire at Gray Terminal.

It was also the crucial turning point that led to Sabo's "death" and Ace awakening Conqueror's Haki.

Since he was here.

This little play needed a few revisions to its script.

"Hey, you three pieces of trash."

Kahn scattered the powder in his hand.

He turned around and looked at the three brothers squatting on the ground, drawing circles.

"Do you want revenge?"

"Revenge?"

Ace suddenly looked up, his eyes lighting up.

"Who are we getting revenge on? You?"

"You won't have a chance against me in this lifetime. Try harder in your next one, and you might have a little hope."

Kahn showed no mercy in crushing them.

"I mean, prove yourselves."

"Didn't you think you were strong? Didn't you think those noble guards from High Town were too weak?"

"Perfect."

"A real pirate crew is heading this way."

Kahn pointed toward the coastline.

"The Bluejam Pirates."

"Remember them?"

Sabo's expression shifted.

"That... Bluejam, the one infamous for his cruelty?"

"That's right."

Kahn walked over to the water barrel, picked up a ladle, and took several huge gulps of cold water.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

"That guy's been hanging around this area lately. Seems those nobles hired him to deal with three little brats who don't know their place."

"That means you three."

"What?!"

Ace sprang to his feet, his fists clenched until they cracked.

"Those fat pigs actually dared to collude with pirates?"

"What's so surprising about that?"

Sabo pushed up his nonexistent glasses, his face darkening.

"The nobles' moral bottom line is lower than the sewers of the Goa Kingdom."

"So what?"

Luffy looked utterly confused, still picking his nose.

"Is that guy called Blue-whatever really strong? Does he have meat?"

"He's a pirate, Luffy."

Ace slapped the back of Luffy's head.

"A pirate who wants to kill us!"

"Then perfect!"

Not only was Luffy unafraid, he jumped up excitedly.

"I'll send him flying! I'll show Shanks that I'm strong too!"

"That was exactly what I was thinking."

Ace cracked his neck, his gaze fierce.

"Since he's a pirate, there's no need to hold back. Perfect timing to test my new move on him."

Only Sabo seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Big brother... what's Bluejam's bounty?"

"Over ten million, I think."

Kahn answered carelessly.

"Over ten million..."

Sabo breathed a sigh of relief.

Good.

After years of Kahn's hellish training, they might not have been able to beat Kahn, or even one of Garp's fingers.

But against those small-time pirates worth only a few million, they could basically take them down instantly.

Over ten million was troublesome, but if the three of them worked together, they should have a chance.

"Go on."

Kahn waved his hand as though shooing away flies.

"If you can't even handle trash like that, don't ever say you were taught by me."

"How embarrassing."

"Just watch! We'll beat that bastard flat!"

Ace grabbed a water pipe and charged out first.

Luffy and Sabo followed close behind.

The three figures rushed into the forest like beasts unleashed from a cage, carrying the fearless momentum of calves unafraid of tigers.

Kahn watched their retreating backs disappear.

The smile at the corner of his lips widened.

"Naive."

"Did you really think a pirate worth over ten million was just like those drunkards you met before, who only knew how to swing big swords around?"

"Besides..."

Kahn lay back down in his lounge chair.

He placed a banana leaf over his face to block out the sunlight.

"That ship has a 'big gift' I prepared for you."

The waters near the Goa Kingdom.

A large ship flying a skull flag was anchored in a hidden bay.

On the deck.

A burly man in an ornate captain's coat sat in a chair with one leg crossed over the other.

He held a glass of red wine.

This was Bluejam.

At that moment, he looked smugly at the few subordinates kneeling before him.

"Have all the arrangements been made?"

"Rest assured, Captain!"

A pirate with a scar across his face replied ingratiatingly.

"That big idiot called Porchemy has already been sent to Gray Terminal to keep watch. As soon as those three brats show up, we'll catch them immediately."

"We need to capture those three brats alive. That's the king's demand."

Bluejam swirled his wineglass.

"Those nobles paid a high price."

"However..."

Bluejam's gaze shifted to the other side of the deck.

Two people stood there.

Unlike the rough-looking, crooked bunch of pirates around them.

The aura around those two was so cold it made people shudder.

The one on the left.

He was huge, standing a full two and a half meters tall.

The muscles all over his body bulged like granite, while his skin carried an odd grayish-brown hue.

He wore no shirt, and a vicious tiger head was tattooed across his chest.

But that was not the most terrifying thing about him.

The most terrifying thing was his hands.

They were covered in thick calluses, and his knuckles were frighteningly thick.

He was Garino, known as "Iron Wall."

His bounty was 155 million Beli.

He had once been a combatant in some pirate crew in the New World, but had fled back to the East Blue after offending an important figure.

He was a genuine user of Armament Haki.

The one on the right.

He was a tall, skinny man playing with two short daggers.

The daggers danced between his fingers so quickly that only afterimages could be seen.

His eyes were gloomy, like those of a venomous snake.

Salome, known as "Viper."

His bounty was 142 million Beli.

He was famous for his speed and assassinations.

These two were bodyguards Bluejam had spent a fortune to "hire."

At least, that was what he believed.

"Hey, you two."

Bluejam called out to them. Though he tried to sound polite, there was still a commanding edge to his voice.

"If those three brats resist too fiercely later, I'd appreciate it if you two could suppress them."

"After all, they're three mad dogs who dared to cause trouble in High Town."

Garino, "Iron Wall," slowly turned his head.

There was not the slightest reverence for the "captain" in his eyes, only the indifference of someone looking at a dead man.

"As long as the money is right."

His voice sounded like two rocks grinding together.

"Even if you want us to kill the king, it can be done."

"Hahaha! Straightforward!"

Bluejam burst into laughter.

He had no idea.

Why these ruthless men, who had been doing perfectly well in the New World, had suddenly appeared in a backwater like the East Blue.

Nor did he know why they had been "coincidentally" recruited by him.

In a corner.

The dagger in Salome's hand suddenly stopped.

He lowered his voice and spoke at a volume only Garino could hear.

"A letter from that lord has arrived."

Garino's gaze instantly froze.

His previous casual demeanor vanished without a trace, replaced by almost fanatical reverence.

"What did it say?"

"That we should give those three brats a proper 'welcome.'"

Salome licked his lips, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth.

"Especially the one named Ace."

"That lord said that as long as they don't die, beat them half to death."

"Make them understand what true despair is."

Garino grinned, revealing a cruel smile.

"I like this job."

"I've been hunted all over the New World by those monsters, hiding here and there. It's been a long time since I stretched my muscles."

"Since it's Sun's order..."

He clenched his fist.

A layer of black Armament Haki silently covered his knuckles.

Though it was only a thin layer.

In the paradise that was the East Blue.

It was an overwhelming, dimensional advantage.

It was godhood.

"Then let those three flowers raised in a greenhouse witness the storm outside."