Pirate: Invincible from the Start

They believed only in the Beli before their eyes and a life without restraint.

They had simply gone along with the tide.

For that alone, Gol D. Roger deserved to die. The World Government hated him, the Marines hated him, and most civilians living on the islands hated him even more.

A pirate's cruelty had never depended on strength. Most were bullies and scum who preyed on the weak and cowered before the strong.

And often, the weaker the pirates, the crueler they were. Unable to rob merchant ships with guards and firepower, they turned their sights on remote villages without Marine Bases.

At first, they might only rob them. But robbery led to murder and arson, and eventually to the slaughter of entire villages.

He had read plenty of reports like that over the years.

"Ah—!"

A sudden shout broke through his churning thoughts.

"I'll take ten!"

Ahua charged toward the cabin first.

"You?"

A-Luo curled his lip and hurried after him. "I'll take fifteen!"

"Then I'll take twenty."

A-Tao brought up the rear. Watching the two start bickering again, she rubbed her forehead and said, "Then let's see who gets more."

"You're on."

"Hmph!"

Kuta looked away, ignoring the three clowns who had gone to fetch their weapons. He turned to Kuina, who had been staring ahead, rested his right hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Nervous, Kuina?"

"I'm going to become the greatest swordswoman. Why would I be nervous?"

Kuina turned to him, a trace of excitement breaking through her calm expression.

She looked back at the Krieg Pirates with determination and said,

"I left nerves behind at the dojo the moment we set sail."

"Good."

"Enjoy the fight. Everyone over there deserves to die."

Even if they had not come to him, he would not have let them go.

More than once, he had read reports of them raiding towns.

He was no saint.

But when villains delivered themselves to his doorstep, he could only send them all to hell.

There might be new recruits aboard who had not committed any crimes, and others who were not quite so cruel.

So what?

He was not Luffy. He would not waste his energy sorting out who was guilty and who was not.

He was not a policeman.

He was not a judge.

Nor was he

Lu Pan.

He was just an ordinary man who, in his previous life, had grown up under the red flag.

Anyone with a sense of justice should have left a pirate crew like this long ago. Those who stayed, whether they had done anything yet or not, at least wanted to be villains.

He was an ordinary man. All he could do was treat them alike.

By then, the two sailing ships, one large and one small, had finally met.

The Dauntless Warship Saber swung across the little boat's path from an angle, cutting it off.

Beside that behemoth, the Fake Merry looked like a child facing an adult.

"What? It isn't a merchant ship?"

The pirates leaned over the railing and looked down at the tiny sailboat, disappointment showing on their vicious faces.

When they first spotted a small boat without a flag, they had taken it for a merchant vessel and immediately changed course to intercept it.

Their haul this time had been a little light. Another ship to plunder would have been just right.

Only when they drew close did they see that the deck below was bare except for five youths with swords at their waists, standing calmly at the bow.

They hated boats like that.

One glance told them these were rookies who had just put to sea and thought playing pirate was a game.

They had seen plenty of rookies like them. There was nothing worth taking.

So even though the young man and woman at the front were strikingly handsome and beautiful, neither caught their interest.

They were not slavers, after all.

They cared only about plunder—taking whatever supplies they needed.

"Ugh."

The pirates sighed.

They lowered a rope ladder, ready to climb down to the little boat. A scrap was still worth taking.

Just then, a sharp, swift sound of steel rang out.

Shing—!

A silver-white slash flew up from below, sweeping toward them with terrifying speed.

"Watch out!"

"Uh!"

The slower pirates barely managed a cry before the slash swept across their throats, leaving them frozen where they stood.

Thin red lines appeared on their necks, then rapidly widened.

Sssht—!

Their heads flew into the air and fell toward the deck behind them.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud—!

The quicker pirates, who had just stumbled back onto the deck, heard the sounds behind them and went rigid.

Then they felt something roll against their feet.

They slowly looked down. On the deck lay heads with eyes wide open, their faces fixed in expressions of disbelief.

A chill shot from the soles of the pirates' feet to the tops of their heads. Their bodies went cold, their scalps prickling.

They did not dare turn around. They knew what a swordsman's Flying Slash was, and they were no match for it. Only their captain or the officers could fight someone like that.

They ran for the middle of the deck, shouting in terror as they went. "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"What's all this racket?"

A calm, commanding voice came from among the pirates.

The crowd quickly parted to either side, opening a path.

A tall figure emerged. He wore golden armor, black boots, and a great cloak. A headscarf bound his purple hair, and his fierce eyes marked him as someone best left alone.

To his left walked a thin man in a striped headscarf, green T-shirt, gray jacket, and gray trousers.

To his right was a man with a bubble atop his head and round shields covering his body.

The pirates who had fled to them trembled as they told their captain and officers what had happened.

"A swordsman?"

Krieg looked at the headless bodies by the rail and the heads that had rolled aside. Fury rose from him.

Someone had dared kill his crew in the East Blue. They must have had a death wish.

Partners in Justice

Aboard the Fake Merry.

When she saw the pirates preparing to climb down, Kuina struck first.

She would not let them board the Fake Merry before fighting. They would dirty the ship, and might even damage it.

As soon as the rail of the Dauntless Warship Saber was cleared, Kuta leaped aboard.

He stood on the railing, took the wine gourd from his waist with his left hand, and tipped his head back for a drink. When he lowered his gaze, it met Krieg's.

A teasing smile touched Kuta's lips. "Hey, pirate. I hear you're some kind of overlord of the East Blue. Come on, dance for me."

"Who do you think you are, talking to Captain Krieg like that?"

Gin, standing to Krieg's left, stepped forward and shouted, oblivious to the danger.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to dance too?"

Kuta frowned and looked calmly at Gin.

Gin might have seemed decent in the anime, but he was, in truth, a cold-blooded and cruel villain.

The moment Kuta looked his way, Gin felt an immense pressure bear down on him.

Cold sweat broke out over him, and he could not speak.

Krieg stepped forward, breaking the pressure on Gin.

As soon as it vanished, Gin retreated behind Krieg, gasping for breath.

He raised his head and stared at Kuta, his eyes full of shock, his face grim.

He'd silenced me with his presence alone. How could he be this strong?

"You're the swordsman, I take it? When did someone like you appear in the East Blue without my hearing about it?"

"I'm not the swordsman. Someone else will be playing with you today."

"Hm? There's someone else?"

Krieg turned his gaze to Kuina, who had just climbed aboard. He ignored Ahua and the other two climbing up behind her. Only Kuta and Kuina felt threatening to him.

Kuina gave Krieg a cold glance and paid him no more attention. He was not her target. The officers opposite her were.

Then she looked at Demon Man Gin and Iron Wall Pearl beside Krieg.

When Gin saw the dark-blue-haired woman looking his way, he hurriedly drew the tonfa from his waist and watched her warily.

Without a word, Kuina drew Wado Ichimonji, stamped hard against the railing, and used Shave.

Whoosh! She appeared before Gin in an instant and slashed.

Clang—!

Too fast.

Gin barely managed to raise his tonfa in front of him to block.

Then his body lifted beyond his control, his feet leaving the deck as a tremendous force hurled him backward.

Crash—! He slammed into the cabin.

Amid the cabin wreckage, Gin braced his left hand against the floor and clutched his chest with his right as he shakily sat up.