Heads or Tails

Flames raged wildly across the pirate ship, thick smoke billowing into the night sky.

Pirates kept hauling over seawater and desperately splashing it onto the burning hull, trying to suppress the blaze.

Just then, a dark figure crashed down from the sky, smashing through the ship's mast.

The enormous mast came crashing onto the deck, scattering sparks everywhere and making the fire burn even fiercer.

Hungry Wolf stared fixedly at the shadow and demanded sharply, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The shadow slowly turned around, sitting atop the broken mast as she raised her eyes toward Hungry Wolf.

"Uncle, who do you think I am?"

"What? It's just a little girl."

A pirate in a white headscarf spoke up first, his expression full of contempt. "Hey, kid, did you start this fire?"

A faint smile rested on Amina's face.

"Uncle guessed right. Too bad there's no prize."

"Brat, are you looking to die?!"

The white-headscarf pirate abruptly drew his gun and pointed the barrel straight at Amina.

Amina gave a soft shout. "T!"

A gunshot rang out suddenly.

The white-headscarf pirate hurriedly looked around, but Amina was nowhere to be seen.

"Uncle, guns are dangerous things." A voice came from behind him.

"She's behind you!" Hungry Wolf warned sharply.

The white-headscarf pirate's pupils contracted. Just as he tried to turn around, a dull thud sounded.

He screamed as his body toppled stiffly onto the deck.

"Brat, you're really looking to die!"

Just then, a violent explosion thundered out. Boom!

"This is bad, Captain! The bottom of the ship is leaking! We need to get off now!"

The smile on Amina's face did not fade.

"Uncle, I'll be leaving first."

She spread her black wings, beat them once, and leaped into the night sky.

"Damn it! Get off the ship!" Hungry Wolf roared his command.

Hungry Wolf led the remaining crew off the ship in a panic and onto the dock.

He swept his gaze over his shaken subordinates and demanded harshly, "Who exactly are they?"

The crew looked at one another, all utterly baffled.

One crewman raised his hand and spoke. "I remember that Iron Head got drunk today, and a kid was the one who brought him back. I don't know..."

"Where's Iron Head?"

"Iron Head is still on the ship. He didn't come down."

Hungry Wolf cursed angrily. "That bastard! At a time like this, he still didn't run down!"

At that moment, a cold voice slowly drifted out from the depths of the dark forest.

"His name is Iron Head? I guess he's already been buried in the sea of flames. Even if you want to save him now, I'm afraid you can't."

"Who?!"

Hungry Wolf and the pirates instantly turned their heads, staring intently into the gloomy woods.

Clear clinks rang out one after another as a coin was repeatedly flicked into the air and caught, its sound especially distinct in the silent dock.

Amid those sounds, Charlos's figure slowly emerged from the trees.

A pirate's pupils shrank as he immediately shouted:

"Captain! I remember him! He's the kid who brought Iron Head back tonight!"

"Kid, how did I offend you?"

"You didn't offend me. But my two companions don't like pirates, especially pirates like you who raid villages."

"Brat, you're looking to die!"

Hungry Wolf suddenly charged straight at Charlos.

Charlos grinned.

"Now this is interesting. Armament Haki Enhancement!"

The instant Hungry Wolf lunged forward, his body abruptly transformed. His flesh, bones, and skin twisted and swelled continuously, dense earth-yellow wolf fur covered his entire body, sharp claws burst from his fingertips, and his head turned into that of a ferocious Rock-Mane Wolf.

In his Rock-Mane Wolf form, Hungry Wolf swept out his claws, his hand carrying a fierce gale as it slashed viciously toward Charlos.

Charlos neither dodged nor retreated, raising one arm to block it head-on.

Bang!

A violent collision exploded across the dock.

Hungry Wolf's pupils contracted, his face filled with shock.

"This is called Armament Haki, Uncle."

As the words fell, Charlos's charged left fist shot out and smashed fiercely into Hungry Wolf's abdomen.

Bang!

The massive wolf-shaped body was sent flying, rolling several times across the ground before crashing down heavily.

The remaining pirates roared in anger at the sight.

"Let's get him together!"

Countless gun barrels swung toward Charlos as a dense barrage of bullets poured down upon him.

"It's useless."

Charlos stomped his foot, and his body shot forward in an instant, charging straight through the rain of bullets.

In the blink of an eye, he was back in front of Hungry Wolf. His right hand, covered in black Armament Haki, rose high and slammed a vicious punch into Hungry Wolf's face!

Hungry Wolf was smashed down by the blow, his body carving a long trench across the ground before crashing heavily into burning planks from the ship.

He shook his dazed head and barely pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Kid, you're pretty strong."

The remaining pirates nearby were all terrified, whispering among themselves.

"That's terrifying. He can actually suppress the captain. Run!"

The crew immediately scattered, fleeing in every direction across the dock.

Charlos pulled out a gold coin and lightly flicked it with his fingertip. The coin spun through the air before he caught it in his palm.

"Uncle, take a guess. Heads or tails? If it's heads, I'll spare your life today. If it's tails... heehee."

The pirates who had fled into the forest ran desperately, clutching tree trunks as they gasped for breath.

"We're safe now."

The companion beside him panted in agreement, but before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly froze.

"What's that?"

The pirate abruptly turned toward the darkness between the trees, but his sight found nothing at all.

"There's nothing there. You scared me..."

When he turned back again, the companion at his side had already vanished.

He panicked instantly and shouted in a trembling voice, "Hey! Where are you? Where did you go? Don't scare me!"

A dull thud suddenly landed!

A dark figure fell straight from above and crashed down in front of him. He lowered his head in horror and saw that it was the companion who had just disappeared. The man's head had been forcibly twisted all the way around, and he had long since stopped breathing, lying motionless on the ground.

"W-What is this?!"

Utter terror seized him. Not daring to linger, he turned and fled madly deeper into the forest.

Miserable screams echoed continuously from every direction in the woods, making his scalp go numb.

In his frantic flight, he stepped on a dry branch and snapped it. The crisp crack made him stop dead in his tracks.

He stiffly raised his eyes toward the branches ahead, and his pupils widened instantly.

One of his companions had been pierced straight through the chest and nailed firmly between intersecting branches, blood dripping endlessly down the trunk.

The overwhelming fear finally broke him completely. Unable to bear it any longer, he let out a heart-rending scream.

"Ah—"

Just then, a dark figure rushed toward him.

He instinctively turned around, and Amina's face rapidly filled his vision.

"Hello, Uncle."

The pirate's pupils shrank sharply. Only one thought remained in his mind: The sky was so blue, so beautiful.

With a gurgle, the pirate's head rolled onto the ground.

Amina pulled the small knife from her waist, took out a cloth, and slowly wiped the blade clean. When she was done, she casually threw the cloth hard into the dirt.

The ship by the sea was still blazing fiercely.

One of Hungry Wolf's arms was drenched in blood, one of his eyes had been completely ruined, and he panted heavily as he stared fixedly at Charlos before him.

"Kid, I'm going to kill you!"

Hungry Wolf roared and charged at him again.

"You could've just obediently picked heads or tails. Why make things so difficult?"

Charlos spun and delivered a roundhouse kick, smashing it heavily into Hungry Wolf's wolf muzzle.

Hungry Wolf, in wolf form, was kicked flying and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Honestly, I'll give you one last chance. Heads or tails, which do you choose?"

Hungry Wolf stretched out his only remaining intact arm and grabbed the gold coin that had rolled before his eyes.

"I choose neither! Kid, if you think you can make Hungry Wolf surrender, you're dreaming!"

Before he could finish, he suddenly opened his mouth wide, his eyes going blank as he fell straight to the ground.

Charlos raised his eyes toward the blazing bow of the ship. A figure stood silently there, with a pair of pure white wings.