Kuja Pirates

On the deck of the Perfume Yuda.

A faint crackle of electricity sounded. Rock slowly descended from the sky, and the instant his feet touched the wooden planks, the lightning around his ankles quietly faded away like birds returning to their nest—tame and restrained.

Yet the air around him seemed to bear an immense invisible pressure, so taut that it was hard to breathe.

"Swish, swish, swish—!"

The Kuja Pirates' female warriors immediately drew their bows to full tension. Their arrowheads hummed as they all aimed at Rock's throat, heart, and forehead.

The air was thick with killing intent.

But Rock acted as if he saw none of it and gave Shakuyaku and Toritoma an easy smile.

"Hi."

Shakuyaku's eyelashes twitched slightly, while Toritoma was tense as a drawn bow.

For powerful warriors like them, who had long relied on instinct to fight for survival at sea, their sense of danger never lied.

And at this moment, the aura around this man—

Was as cold as the deep sea.

As oppressive as thunderclouds.

As violent as some primordial beast.

Their Observation Haki had been screaming warnings without pause ever since he appeared.

But what shocked the two female pirates most was not merely his danger or strength. It was the way this man looked at them.

There was no amazement.

No desire.

Not even the instinctive reaction of a man seeing unparalleled beauty.

For the first time, an emotion beyond danger surfaced in Shakuyaku's heart—bewilderment.

"He actually... has no reaction at all to our beauty???"

Toritoma looked utterly despondent. "Could he... be the kind of man... who likes men?"

The Kuja warriors behind them whispered among themselves. "Why isn't he reacting at all..."

"Even Lady Shakuyaku's charm has no effect?"

"Could he really be... one of those people?"

"What a shame. He's such a handsome man too..."

The atmosphere abruptly turned strange and dangerous.

When Rock sensed what they were thinking, several dark lines instantly appeared on his forehead, leaving him speechless.

Shakuyaku's heart had always belonged to that future bespectacled old rogue, Dark King Rayleigh.

He had no interest in meddling in a love story destined to be written into history.

As for other women?

I'm the king of a Sky Island. What beautiful woman haven't I seen?

If he had not insisted that he was still young and needed to go out and gain experience, Kai and Gan Fall would have long since wanted to stuff every girl on the Sky Island into his arms and make a three-thousand-beauty harem for the Thunder God.

Noticing the Kuja Pirates' tension, Rock lightly waved a hand. "Don't be so nervous. I have no intention of attacking you."

He smiled gently. "I really am just... hitching a ride along the way."

He sounded utterly sincere.

But to the Kuja crew, it sounded like—

A provocation.

Shakuyaku slowly raised her eyes and exhaled a puff of purple smoke, her voice cold. "Kid, you're very confident. Do you know... whose ship you're standing on?"

Rock laughed at that. His smile was more relaxed than the sea breeze, without the slightest hint of tension. "The Kuja Pirates, right? I've heard a little about you."

The instant those words left his mouth, the deck exploded.

"You're going too far!!!"

"How dare you speak to Captain Shakuyaku in that tone!!!"

"Die!!!"

Before the words had faded.

A Kuja warrior roared and released her bowstring.

"Whoosh—!!!"

The arrow tore through the air like lightning, flying straight for Rock's brow!

Shakuyaku's pupils constricted. "Stop—!!"

But it was already too late.

"—Bang."

The arrow hit with perfect accuracy.

But in the next instant.

The entire arrow passed straight through Rock's head, trailing arcs of electricity as it shot out before him!

The moment before impact, Rock's head had completely transformed into a swirling mass of azure lightning, like smoke scattered by the wind, before slowly gathering back into human form.

Shakuyaku and Toritoma cried out together, "A Logia?!!"

The deck fell silent.

The Kuja warriors stared in stunned disbelief, their hands clutching their bows and arrows trembling nonstop.

—A Logia.

In this chaotic old era, it represented the ranks of sea emperors.

No weakling could possess such power.

Rock slowly turned around and glanced at the arrow that had already flown into the sea, sounding slightly displeased. "Hey... I told you already..."

"I really just came to hitch a ride..."

Every member of the Kuja Pirates felt their hearts jolt.

Shakuyaku took a deep drag of smoke, struggling to steady the heart that was pounding hard enough to explode.

For the first time, she spoke in a truly serious, lowered voice. "Kid... who exactly are you?"

Rock smiled faintly as lightning quietly flickered in his eyes.

"Me—"

He raised his head and looked out at the boundless sea and sky.

"I'm merely... a traveler who came down from the heavens."

The scene shifted—

The Perfume Yuda continued cutting through the waves, spray exploding against its bow and scattering white mist into the air.

Rock sat brazenly atop the head of one of the giant sea serpents.

That fierce Sea King was now as obedient as if its spine had been broken. Its body was stiff, its tail pressed close to the sea, and even its breathing was cautious.

It was terrified of receiving another round of that horrifying "lightning discipline."

Facing the sea breeze, Rock's clothes and black hair whipped wildly in the wind.

He looked as relaxed as some wealthy young master taking a cruise on his private yacht.

He patted the sea serpent's head and spoke casually. "Good. Go a little faster."

The sea serpent shuddered all over—

"Hiss... hiss..."

(Translation: I'm really trying my best! Don't electrocute me again!!)

—The scene moved to the deck.

Shakuyaku stood by the railing with her arms folded, Toritoma beside her. The two stared fixedly at the sea serpent being ridden by that man.

That sight was simply too insulting to the Kuja Pirates' dignity!!!

They were a people famous for taming snakes!!!

And yet now... their own snake had become "a man's mount"?!!

Toritoma asked in a pitifully small voice, "Lady Shakuyaku... are we really taking him to Hachinosu?"

Shakuyaku froze at those words, her expression complicated.

The first thing that surfaced in her mind was the brutal and humiliating scene from earlier.

—Moments ago, the entire Kuja Pirates had declared confidently, "What's so great about a Logia!"

"This is the New World! Everyone, Armament Haki, now!!!"

The next second, over a hundred warriors aboard the ship were all subjected to group lightning discipline, instantly electrocuted into a "map of charred briquettes."

Even the two giant snakes had been shocked until their eyes rolled back and foam spilled from their mouths, turning from Sea Kings into "soft domestic pets."

Shakuyaku's mouth twitched violently.

She glanced at the female warriors at the stern, who were still smoking and sizzling, then at the two giant snakes at the bow, which had been completely tamed to the point of mental exhaustion.

"...What else can we do?" She rubbed her forehead helplessly.

"Do we... have any room to choose?"

Toritoma choked up slightly. "Right... even if we don't take him... he can just blast our ship apart and fly there himself..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shakuyaku fell silent for three seconds.

"Stop talking. My head hurts even more now."

The wind swept across the horizon.

Rock let his legs dangle casually as he gazed at the endlessly stretching sea ahead. Deep within his eyes was a name.

Hachinosu.

Lightning danced at his fingertips.

It was restlessness.

It was fighting spirit.

And it was a yearning for the strongest warriors at the peak of the era.

"Hachinosu..."

"The nest of the Rocks Pirates..."

"The craziest stage of the old era..."

The sea breeze tossed up his black hair, and sunlight traced sharp golden lines across his profile. The corners of his mouth slowly rose.

"Rocks..."

"I'm really looking forward to this."