Bloodsail Landing

The Bloodsail Pirates' ship slammed brutally into the beach, sending sand flying as if a giant beast had swiped its claws.

The next second—

"Charge!!!"

Like a horde of demons pouring out from the cracks of hell, they surged down the gangplank, carrying madness and the stench of blood.

A lookout stepped onto the sand, spotted smoke rising from the woods, and a cruel gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Captain! There are definitely people here—it's a village!!!"

"Flayer" Barto Lomiu landed heavily, sand exploding beneath his feet.

He rolled his neck and swept his sinister gaze across the area.

Deep in his mind, a scene that still shamed him flashed by—

Back then, after he had arrogantly massacred a village, a purple-haired Marine passing by had punched him straight into the mud.

Dozens of his subordinates had been suppressed without even being able to resist.

But that Marine had not killed him.

Nor had he killed anyone else.

He still did not understand why, but it no longer mattered.

Because today, he would continue the "game" he had left unfinished back then.

Barto Lomiu licked his teeth and slashed an arm downward. "Go!"

"Find those pieces of trash—!!!"

Dozens of pirates behind him let out beastlike howls, raising curved blades and torches as they bared twisted, crazed grins and charged deep into the forest like animals.

What they wanted was people.

Corpses.

Crying.

A bloody "feast."

Deep within the island.

The little village had once been quiet and peaceful.

But with Rock's sudden arrival, everyone was on high alert.

Only after seeing his Marine uniform did the village elders burst into tears. "Sir Marine..."

But just as everyone began to relax, Rock's Observation Haki suddenly stirred.

Several teenagers clutched the wooden wall tightly, their eyes fixed on Rock.

That was not fear.

It was hatred.

Rock's heart sank.

Their gazes turned into mournful cries that screamed through Rock's mind: Someone wearing that uniform... let the murderers of our fathers go...

Rock took a deep breath, his gaze darkening like the stillness before a storm.

He faced the villagers and spoke calmly. "Hide first."

"Those pirates from back then have returned."

The moment his words fell, the villagers' faces went pale, and panic spread through the crowd.

Crying, prayers, and hurried footsteps mixed together.

These people were the elders, women, and children who had narrowly survived the old village massacre.

Rock's expression turned solemn. "This time, I'll give you an answer."

The village chief nodded through tears and immediately led everyone toward the underground shelter built over the past two years.

The teenagers looked back at Rock. Then, as the heavy wooden door creaked shut, the firelight vanished, as though even their breathing had been pressed back into the darkness.

At the same time, beastlike howls rose from the dark forest. "Ooh ooh ooh—! Search everywhere!!!"

"Women! Children! Drag them all out!!!"

The footsteps of the Bloodsail Pirates drew closer and closer.

Rock stood alone at the village entrance, his cloak of justice snapping in the wind.

The youth slowly raised his head. Lightning quietly flickered in his black eyes.

Dozens of Bloodsail Pirates burst through the brush like a tide and stormed into the village entrance.

Yet what greeted them was neither screams nor chaos—

But the deathly silence of an "empty town."

A wooden basin beside the road had been overturned, and the food was still warm.

The chicken coop stood open, with a lone feather swaying in the breeze.

Every door was tightly shut, as though some invisible giant hand had muted the entire village.

"Huh? Where are they?"

"There was obviously cooking smoke earlier... How did everyone disappear all at once?"

"Damn it, did the little rats hide? Think they can escape us? Hahaha!"

As they shouted noisily, everyone's attention finally fell upon the figure standing in the middle of the village entrance.

It was a youth wearing a Marine cloak.

He stood there silently, as if he had been waiting for them all along.

Barto Lomiu abruptly stopped.

"...A Marine?"

He instinctively took half a step back, but quickly realized there were no other Marines in sight.

No naval cannons, no soldiers, no encirclement.

Only this... young man, who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen.

Then the corner of his mouth slowly twisted into a vicious curve. "Hahahaha..."

"What are you standing here alone for? Get lost?"

His malicious words spread like wolf howls, and the pirates immediately gathered around excitedly.

"Haha! Did this brat come here to die on his own?"

"Catch him! I want to hear him scream!"

"Marine flesh must be especially delicious—hehehe!"

But Rock ignored them. His Observation Haki spread outward like a tide—

Every pirate's thoughts, impulses, and killing intent became as clear as if they had been carved beside his ears.

Catch the village children and skin them for fun...

I'm going to drag that little girl out...

Who cares if these lowlifes die? No one will bother...

Malice crisscrossed everywhere, reeking like a swamp.

The look in Rock's eyes gradually turned cold to the extreme.

"Sure enough..."

"Most pirates really are things that must be eliminated."

He raised a hand and lightly pointed toward the sky. The surrounding pirates looked confused.

The gesture was as casual as brushing away dust, yet lightning instantly lit up the sky.

"—Lightning Roar."

"Boom—!!!"

A colossal pillar of lightning roared down from the clouds and crashed directly into the pirates' midst!

Light swallowed everything, and the thunder tore through the air.

More than a dozen pirates did not even have time to scream before they became charred shells, collapsing to the ground and twitching like broken puppets.

The smell of scorched flesh rapidly spread through the air, and birds at the forest's edge instantly took flight in alarm.

Barto Lomiu froze completely, his pupils shrinking as though pierced by needles.

His throat bobbed, but he could not make a sound.

A moment earlier · Marine landing point

The entire Marine squad was already prepared for battle, yet no one took a single step forward.

Zephyr stood at the front of the group, his brows tightly furrowed.

He slowly turned toward the intelligence officer. "Rock said he went to scout for information?"

"Did we really arrive before the pirates?"

The intelligence officer stiffened, his eyes shifting left and right as he utterly failed to meet Zephyr's gaze—

That reaction was more of an answer than any reply could have been.

Seeing this, Zephyr's heart sank. "Did Rock tell you to do this?"

The intelligence officer clenched his teeth. His silence was an admission.

Zephyr took a deep breath and looked around.

Soon, he noticed the intelligence files clutched in the soldiers' hands. The horrifying records of crimes nearly stabbed his eyes.

At that moment, the intelligence officer could no longer hold back the thought he had been suppressing for so long. "Vice Admiral Zephyr, those pirates are too brutal!"

"They have to die!!!"

Those words were like a match tossed into a powder keg. Zephyr's fury surged into his chest, and he immediately rebuked him. "Utter nonsense!!!"

"Even if they are to die, it must be decided by order!"

"They—are lives too!!!"

The moment he finished speaking, a young Marine recruit suddenly roared.

"What about the lives of those innocent people?! Vice Admiral Zephyr!!!"

That question pierced directly into the softest, deepest part of Zephyr's heart.

He froze.

His throat moved, but he could not form a complete rebuttal.

It was the question he had always avoided, yet could never escape.

In the instant he fell silent—

"Boom—!!!"

A pillar of lightning that tore through heaven and earth suddenly rose from the center of the island!

Lightning pierced the clouds, shaking even the sea!

Zephyr's expression changed dramatically. "Rock...!!!"

He hesitated no longer. He kicked wildly through the air with Geppo and shot straight toward the village!

At the village entrance, the blackened air seemed to smoke.

The surviving pirates had their limbs pierced by lightning spears and lay on the ground, twitching and screaming.

Barto Lomiu's face was smeared with tears, snot, and ash. Pinned beneath Rock's foot, he shook like a leaf.

Rock's lightning spear was pressed against his heart.

If it moved forward even half an inch, he would become a pile of charred bones.

"Sir Marine, spare... spare my life...!!!"

"I don't want to die... I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!!!"

His terror seemed magnified tenfold, but beneath it was utter disbelief—

Because in his eyes, the one standing on him was so young, yet possessed strength as terrifying as a demon god.

Arcs of electricity danced at the tip of the lightning spear, already scorching through the cloth over his chest.

Just then—

"Rock!!! Stop—!!!"

Zephyr rushed in and seized Rock's wrist!

His voice was a hoarse roar, trembling as it never had before. "Our duty is to arrest them!!!"

"Hand them over for judgment under the law!!!"

"You can't kill them!!!"

The lightning spear stopped half an inch from Barto's chest, and the smell of burnt cloth filled the air.

When Barto Lomiu saw Zephyr's unmistakable purple hair, his expression changed from extreme terror to shock...

Then to uncontrollable ecstasy...