What Kind of Monster Is This?

The seawater slapped against the dock pilings, making a rhythmic splashing sound.

The pirates who had rushed forward one after another now lay peacefully asleep on the planks.

Just moments ago, the air had been filled with screams and wild laughter. Now it was so quiet that one could hear dentures hitting the ground.

It had happened too fast!

So fast that hardly anyone had realized what had happened.

After a brief silence, thunderous cries of astonishment erupted across the dock.

"Huh?! They fell asleep?!"

Beside Jogo, the people who had just brushed past him and fled frantically toward town were now staring so hard their eyes nearly popped out.

A few seconds ago, they had still been pitying the brother and sister who had supposedly been scared senseless.

—The little girl looked so adorable, and her brother had such a gentle voice and calm demeanor... What a shame that they were about to fall into the pirates' hands!

But in the next instant, following the boy's command-like "Kneel"... those vicious-looking pirates had actually all collapsed to the ground!

Was this a dream?!

And was this even kneeling?

Looking at them, they had gone straight to sleep!!

"Who is he?" someone asked in shock.

An old woman beside them shakily picked up her dentures from the ground. "It's... Fishmonger Jogo!"

"Read more books! He's Ohara's youngest historian, Jogo!"

"Huh? So he's not a gangster?"

"Forget that, hurry up and leave! It'll be trouble if these pirates wake up!"

Completely ignoring the noisy chatter around him, Jogo crouched down and pulled open the collar of the burly man before him, revealing a somewhat faded tattoo of a skull with chest hair.

"The Chest Hair Pirates?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.

Remembering the wanted poster, he even lifted the man's head to confirm it.

—Aside from looking a bit dumber when he smiled, he was indeed Chase Hail of the Chest Hair Pirates, with a bounty of fifteen million.

"What a coincidence?"

Having sold fish around the docks, Jogo had often heard passing travelers speak of that name in terrified tones.

It was said that his parents, whom he had never met, had died at the hands of that vicious pirate.

Throughout the waters around Ohara, that name was practically enough to stop children from crying at night.

...He had not expected him to be so weak.

He could not even withstand a single ordinary strike of Jogo's Conqueror's Haki.

But...

"Why were they riding on an Acne Pirates ship?" Jogo asked in confusion.

Did the Chest Hair Pirates not have their own pirate ship?

"A coincidence? Or are they playing some kind of trick again?"

Robin cautiously poked her head out from behind Jogo. Seeing that he was unharmed, she sighed in relief, her eyes curving into a smile.

"I knew pirates were no match for you!"

Jogo rolled his eyes.

Not just pirates.

This little girl thought he was invincible.

Last time, when he had shown her her mother's wanted poster, she had even dragged Jogo off to beat up Marine hero Garp.

"Make way... Everyone, move aside..." Hurried footsteps approached from behind.

Doctor Clow and his group had finally arrived, fashionably late.

"Are you all right, Jogo?!"

The old man braced his hands on his knees and panted heavily beside Jogo.

Several idea men followed behind him with weapons in hand. They looked at the pirates sprawled on the ground like dead fish, then at Jogo, then at the pirates, then at Jogo... Their mouths hung open, their guilty expressions and utter disbelief practically overflowing.

Is this reasonable?!

They all screamed inwardly.

These are the Chest Hair Pirates, a vicious pirate crew that would bring us terrible luck if we ran into them!

And they just went down like that?

This kid is that strong?

Jogo's gaze swept over their faces, and he narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine..."

"But don't you lot have something to say to me?"

He knew these idea men far too well. One look at their expressions told him they definitely had something to do with this.

"Ahem, well..."

Just as one of them was about to speak, Doctor Clow raised a hand to cut him off.

"Get on the ship first!"

The group followed Doctor Clow aboard the pirate ship.

They pushed open the cabin door.

A strong stench of blood rushed at them.

Jogo frowned and carried Robin aside, telling her to get off the ship and wait for him first.

Doctor Clow picked up a pirate's curved blade from the floor and took the lead as they descended the stairs together.

Following the blood trail on the floor, they soon found the Acne Pirates members in a corner, tied up tightly, covered in blood, and barely clinging to life.

"Clow? Why are you here?!" The captain's face was full of surprise when he recognized them.

He had heard the sudden silence outside and assumed the Chest Hair Pirates had already succeeded.

After all, it was the terrifying Chase Hail!

It was not impossible to imagine him succeeding in an instant.

Yet the ones who came in were this group of historians.

Could it be that the Chest Hair Pirates had been defeated?

No, not only that...

The captain's gaze swept over their clothes, and a flash of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

Aside from being slightly rumpled, their clothes did not even have a trace of blood on them.

What did that mean?

It meant they had defeated the Chest Hair Pirates with almost no effort at all!

But... was that possible?

Those were the Chest Hair Pirates!!

"Chase Hail and his men have already been defeated by Jogo." Doctor Clow spoke calmly as he swung his blade, precisely cutting the ropes around the captain.

The captain supported himself against the cabin wall as he stood, then looked past Doctor Clow.

The black-haired, black-eyed youth stood a little over six feet tall, with a sturdy, well-proportioned build. Yet he did not look intimidating. Instead, he carried the quiet air unique to a scholar.

He was said to be only eighteen.

At that moment, his clothes were neat, his hands tucked into his pockets, and he looked utterly at ease, as though he had never taken part in a battle.

When he noticed the captain looking, he even smiled at him.

He looked more like a historian than the old man in front holding a blade.

The captain burst into laughter.

"It's been so long, Clow. You've learned to tell jokes too! Hahaha~"

Doctor Clow said nothing, merely staring at him with a grim face.

The smile on the captain's face gradually faded.

"You can't be serious, can you?"

Doctor Clow snorted. "Historians never lie!"

"How is that possible?!"

At once, the captain and the other Acne Pirates crew members in the cabin looked at Jogo as though they had seen a ghost.

This polite-looking brat...

Had defeated the Chest Hair Pirates alone?!

Then what did that make them, who had been defeated by Chase Hail alone?

"He... he's only eighteen, right?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

He was already this fierce at eighteen!

What kind of monster was he?

The captain limped hurriedly to Clow's side and lowered his voice.

"Y-you... you had us come teach a monster like this a lesson?!!"

I think you wanted to teach me a lesson!

Doctor Clow's expression nearly cracked as well.

He had not known this kid was so powerful either!

"Regardless, you were the ones who leaked the information!" he said coldly.

The captain took a step back. His expression shifted for a long while before he gritted his teeth and held out a hand. "Give me the sword!"

Doctor Clow handed him the curved blade.

Carrying the blade, the captain limped toward the darkness.

The Acne Pirates crew seemed to know what he was going to do. They all lowered their heads and shut their eyes in pain.

A moment later, the sound of someone begging in terror came from the darkness.

"Captain... spare me... You said we were brothers... I did so much for you... No, no, don't... If you can't even protect your companions, what kind of captain are you?!"

After a sharp whistle of wind, the pleading stopped. Only the sound of limping footsteps returning remained.

The captain threw the bloodstained blade back at Doctor Clow's feet.

"The informant is dead. The Acne Pirates owe Ohara a favor."

Doctor Clow did not respond. Instead, he turned to look at Jogo.

"Did you see that, Jogo? This is what pirates are like. Their lives are cheap as grass. No one in this world will pity a pirate's death. Even so, you still don't intend to change your mind?"

Jogo smiled, his eyes curving slightly, yet there was not the slightest wavering in them. "You know me, old man. Whether it's piracy or archaeology, it's all the same to me."

"I'm just doing what I want to do, no matter what identity I have or what means I use."

Doctor Clow sighed, not surprised by Jogo's answer.

"Do as you please."

With his hands behind his back, he turned and headed back the way he had come.

"Hey, Doctor..."

"Aren't you going to try persuading him again?"

The idea men beside him grew anxious.

"His Conqueror's Haki has already awakened. What's the point of persuading him?" Doctor Clow snapped.

Others might still be guessing that Jogo had used some weapon like poison gas, but how could he fail to see that the kid had awakened Conqueror's Haki?

Moreover, judging from his control—knocking out only the pirates without harming anyone else—his Conqueror's Haki had clearly awakened long ago.

The fact that he had endured until now before setting out to sea made Doctor Clow want to praise his patience.

"Conqueror's Haki?" The idea men all sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Jogo as though he were some monstrous prodigy.

As historians, how could they not know what that was?

Legend said it was the qualification of kings, an unparalleled talent that only one person in a million might possess!

Many heroic figures throughout history had possessed this Haki.

Jogo actually had such potential?!

Someone like him truly should not be trapped in tiny Ohara.

With that realization, their eyes immediately cleared.

They honestly confessed their previous plan, then jogged after Clow under Jogo's speechless gaze.

"The Acne Pirates don't owe Ohara anything. If you want to thank someone, thank Jogo instead. He's the one who saved you."

Doctor Clow's voice came from the cabin entrance.

He stopped and turned back to look at the people remaining in the cabin.

Finally, his gaze landed on Jogo.

"And leave the Chest Hair Pirates alone. I'll handle them. If you're leaving, set out early. A pirate ship is much faster than a cargo ship."

Jogo looked at the old man's serious expression, deep in thought.

It seemed there was something else hidden behind the Chest Hair Pirates.

"Do you need my help, old man?" he asked.

Doctor Clow waved him away as though swatting flies and walked out of the cabin. "Don't think having Conqueror's Haki makes you invincible. This isn't something you can handle yet!"

Inside the cabin, the remaining people looked at one another.

An hour later, amid little Robin's sorrowful cries, seagulls wheeled into the sky. The sails of the pirate ship Blackhead billowed full as it headed toward the distant horizon.

Jogo leaned against the railing and looked at Ohara.

Only when the enormous crown of the Tree of Knowledge gradually shrank into a tiny dot did he withdraw his gaze. He found a comfortable spot atop the ship's ram and lay back.

The sea breeze brushed across his face.

"A brand-new adventure always begins with a farewell."

For some reason, he suddenly recalled an ancient passage he had read in historical records.

The waves crashed, and the seagulls cried softly.

They were right.

Parting was for the sake of a better reunion!

He closed his eyes contentedly, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.

New data surfaced in his mind.

[Obtained Trait: "Pirate Hunter (White)"]

[Obtained Trait: "Leaving the Nest (White)"]