Capturing Tashigi

"Pirate! Prepare to die!"

Smoker turned into smoke and charged forward with his Jitte in hand. Rune silently coated his fist with Conqueror's Haki and threw a punch straight at Smoker.

The intangible smoke was caught by the Haki, and the coat Smoker wore, emblazoned with the word "Justice," instantly shattered.

Smoker himself rolled his eyes back, his Devil Fruit elemental form dispelled, and crashed onto the Marine warship's deck with a bang.

Tashigi froze on the spot.

She looked at that towering figure, at Rune, who seemed like an invincible god. The overwhelming pressure even made her body tremble instinctively.

As a Marine, she knew very well what would happen if she lost to pirates. Being killed was already the most merciful outcome.

And she...

"Looks like you haven't returned to headquarters or watched the news lately."

Rune looked at Tashigi and smiled faintly. "You knew I killed Kuma, yet you still dared to bring your ship over? Who gave you the courage? The King of Ships?"

Rune's words startled Tashigi again. He said he had... killed Kuma?

That was one of the Seven Warlords!

No wonder Smoker had been knocked out in a single exchange.

Tashigi drew the sword at her waist and watched Rune warily. Even though she knew she could not possibly be his match, as a Marine who upheld justice, she could not simply surrender.

Rune was somewhat surprised to see Tashigi still daring to draw her sword. Smoker had been knocked unconscious by a single punch from him. Someone with less courage would probably have been scared to death.

However...

Rune rubbed his chin and curled his lips slightly.

"Tashigi, you're too weak. I can't even be bothered to fight you. But you took the initiative to provoke me, so this can't simply be forgotten."

Rune looked at Tashigi. "I'll give you two choices. First, come aboard my ship and become my servant. In that case, I'll spare this entire ship of Marines.

"Second, you can choose to die rather than submit. If you do, I'll kill all of them, including you, and throw the bodies into the sea to feed the fish.

"I'll give you five seconds to think it over. The lives of your comrades are in your hands."

Rune looked at the sweating Tashigi and could not help curling his lips slightly.

"Five—

"Four—"

Rune raised one hand and deliberately slowly curled his fingers inward. He counted very slowly, but that only placed even greater pressure on Tashigi.

Should she die rather than submit, or sacrifice herself for her comrades?

Tashigi fell into a difficult dilemma. According to the justice in her heart, yielding to pirates was an absolute humiliation.

But...

Was she going to let Smoker and all these Marines die in these seas because of her own justice?

"Why should I believe you?"

Tashigi's heart had already wavered. She was not afraid of death herself. But bearing the lives of so many people was far too heavy a burden for her.

Since I have to sacrifice myself anyway...

It would be better if my sacrifice meant something.

"Do you think you're qualified to bargain with me?"

Rune smiled slightly, then his expression turned cold.

"Three!

"Two!"

Only one finger remained raised on his outstretched right hand, and that finger began to bend as well. Tashigi gritted her teeth and threw the sword in her hand to the ground.

"You'd better keep your word..."

Tashigi said this as she put on an appearance of giving up resistance. She intended to surrender first and preserve the lives of these Marines.

Once she boarded Rune's ship and confirmed that they had all survived...

Tashigi would resist again. At that point, whether she informed the Marines or assassinated this man herself, she would not implicate anyone else.

"Do I have to come over there and invite you aboard?"

Rune looked at Tashigi. Tashigi gritted her teeth, picked up her sword from the ground, sheathed it, and leaped onto the Thousand Sunny.

"Bonney, I'll leave this to you."

After Tashigi jumped aboard, Rune looked at Bonney. Bonney immediately stretched out her hand and touched Tashigi's body.

The next moment, Tashigi turned directly into a tiny child version of herself.

"Y-you... What did you do to me?"

Tashigi stared at her shrunken body in shock. She was now no different from a child.

"Just a little insurance. I don't want to have to guard against you every time I sleep."

Rune looked at Tashigi and smiled faintly.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. You just need to lend a hand and pull my companions back aboard if they fall into the water.

"Of course, you can also stand by and do nothing. You can look for an opportunity to assassinate me, too. But if something like that happens, the lives of your former superior and colleagues may not be safe."

Hearing Rune's words, Tashigi wore an utterly humiliated expression. But because she had turned into a child, that humiliated look was rather cute.

Rune did not intend to keep Tashigi on the ship for long anyway. He had merely captured her on a whim, in case she proved useful later.

After all, Rune was a Devil Fruit user. If Bonney or Kuma accidentally fell into the sea, he would have no way to dive in and pull them out.

To Rune, that was Tashigi's only use right now.

Over the next few days, Tashigi remained withdrawn and ignored everyone. The Thousand Sunny also sailed to an unknown island nation. Before landing, however, Rune spotted an unfamiliar pirate ship.

Pirates had already landed...

"Kuma, I'll leave the Thousand Sunny in your care. Luffy, Bonney, Tashigi, come with me. We're going ashore to resupply."

Rune looked at Tashigi, who was in her child form. "Bonney, remove her restrictions. I don't want to be distracted taking care of her."

Bonney followed Rune's orders and restored Tashigi to her normal age. Tashigi reluctantly followed Rune. These past few days, she had been searching for an opportunity to stab him in the back at every moment.

However, there had been no opportunity at all.

This man was terrifyingly strong!

"Hahaha! From now on, this island belongs to me, Tea Beard! Boys, loot to your hearts' content!"

The rough voice was deafening. The moment she set foot on the island, Tashigi heard words that angered her. Yet she herself had already been captured by pirates, and she was even less capable of facing so many people.

However...

"Tea Beard? What gives you the right to use a title like that?"

Rune, who stood beside Tashigi, charged out. Tashigi did not even see him clearly before Tea Beard, who had just been laughing loudly, was knocked unconscious by a single punch from Rune.

Then Rune released Conqueror's Haki. The pirates on the island fell one after another, while the ordinary people who had already been terrified remained completely unharmed.

That sight left Tashigi frozen on the spot.