One Slash

The pirates had docked at the shore in what was unmistakably a standard-issue warship from Marine Headquarters!

Beside the warship, a huge bonfire blazed fiercely on the beach.

More than a dozen pirates sat around the fire, every one of them wounded and exhausted.

Like beasts that had starved for three days and nights, they frantically tore into the half-cooked meat in their hands while guzzling rum by the mouthful.

Their leader was a hulking man nearly three meters tall. One of his arms was wrapped in thick bandages, blood still seeping through them.

"Damn it... we actually made it out alive."

A one-eyed pirate swallowed a mouthful of meat whole and said with lingering fear, "We were damn lucky! We actually ran into a Marine warship here! Otherwise, our crappy ship probably would've sunk within half an hour!"

"Tell me about it." Another pirate took a huge swig of liquor and picked up the conversation.

"I wonder if that female Marine with the sword caught up to us. Damn it, she was a real monster!"

At the mention of that woman, every pirate paused, and the atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

"Don't fucking mention her!" roared a pirate who was bandaging his wounds. "The boss... the boss and his sword were split in half by a single slash! My legs are still shaking!"

At the mention of their boss, every pirate paused, and the atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

The tower-like brute smashed the barrel in his hand onto the sand and roared, "Shut the fuck up, all of you! The boss is dead, so I'm the new boss! Once we've rested up, we'll set sail again. Sooner or later, we'll avenge him!"

Yet despite his words, the undisguised terror deep in his eyes had already betrayed him.

Rayne's gaze slowly shifted from the celebrating pirates to the warship they had claimed as loot.

The hull was covered in signs of battle and large patches of dark-red blood that stood out horrifically against it.

The Marine flag aboard the ship had been torn down and was being used by a pirate to wipe the mud from his boots.

Rayne lowered his binoculars and closed his eyes, focusing his Observation Haki to its limit as he slowly swept it across the warship.

There was no trace of life aboard the massive warship. It was utterly silent.

Hidden in the shadow of the cliff, Rayne's mind raced as he linked every clue together in an instant.

So that's it... he analyzed calmly. A group of pirates being pursued by the Marines panicked and fled into these waters.

Then, near this uninhabited island, they found a ship belonging to the instructors guarding the perimeter to protect rookies like us. And then... they killed every instructor aboard and took the ship.

Rayne instantly understood why the Marines aboard the warship had fought to the death without retreating. They had been afraid the trainees on the island would be caught up in the conflict.

Looking at that Marine warship, he felt an indescribable sense of regret.

Rayne let out a soft sigh.

The next second, Rayne quickly composed himself. There were more important matters at hand.

He did not act immediately. Instead, based on the conversation he had just overheard, he quickly made a final risk assessment.

They were chased into this state by a powerful female Marine. There don't seem to be any female admirals at Marine Headquarters right now. That means the one pursuing them was, at most, vice admiral level.

She killed this group's captain with one slash. They still managed to escape, but that means these pirates aren't all that strong. That self-proclaimed new boss is probably only at the level of a Headquarters field officer.

Having assessed the enemy's strength, Rayne made his decision at once.

The risk is manageable. I can make a move.

Having made his decision, Rayne did not hesitate in the slightest.

Like a ghost, he slid down the cliff and silently melted into the shadows of the forest.

The pirates had placed several hidden sentries around the beach, but before Rayne's radar-like Observation Haki, their so-called vigilance was utterly useless.

He had initially planned to use his custom Fine Firearm to eliminate those sentries, but after thinking it over, he gave up on the idea.

Rayne casually picked up several pebbles from the ground and weighed them on his fingertips.

With a thought, a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki instantly spread from his fingertips and wrapped around the otherwise ordinary pebbles.

"Pfft."

With a nearly inaudible sound, a lookout hiding in the treetops was struck before he could make a sound. A pebble pierced precisely through his eye socket, completely destroying his brain.

[Judgment Successful!]

[Criminal: Miro]

[Overall Rating: R4]

...

"Pfft." "Pfft."

With two more soft sounds, the other two sentries hidden in the bushes fell silently in the same manner.

[Judgment Successful!] X2

...

After clearing the perimeter, Rayne appeared silently behind the pirates by the bonfire like the grim reaper in the night.

They were still drinking heavily in celebration of surviving the disaster, completely unaware that death had arrived.

"Hey."

A calm voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Hm?" Every pirate froze and instinctively turned around.

They saw a tall young Marine standing behind them, though none of them knew when he had arrived. He wore a harmless smile on his face.

"A Marine?!" The tower-like brute was the first to react. With a vicious grin, he grabbed the giant axe beside him. "There's a road to heaven, but you refuse to take it. There's no gate to hell, yet you came charging in! Boys, get—"

His words came to an abrupt halt.

A crescent-shaped azure sword wave flashed from Rayne's scabbard at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, instantly sweeping across the entire beach!

Fast! Too fast!

So fast that they only saw that dazzling azure light. They did not even have time to draw their weapons!

When Rayne pushed his blade back into its scabbard with a soft click, the dozen or so pirates behind him remained frozen in all kinds of poses—some still drinking, some preparing to stand, some even still wearing vicious grins.

The next second, their bodies split cleanly into two like precisely carved wooden statues.

Blood burst forth like fountains, instantly dyeing the entire beach red.

Only one pirate still had a breath left.

He was the hulking man who had proclaimed himself the new boss.

He stared in disbelief at his lower body separating from him, then looked in terror at the young Marine before him, unable to tell whether Rayne had even fully drawn his sword. His voice was filled with the madness and confusion of a man facing death.

"Y-You... who are you...?"

In his mind, he recalled the pink figure from two days ago, who had cleaved his former boss and his sword in half together.

"...M-More... terrifying... than that female Marine..."

Those were the last words he left in this world.