The Girl Who Wants to Become a Dragon Slayer

Another Marine interrupted his thoughts.

"There are a few suspicious people in the restaurant. Four men and one woman."

"Yes, exactly, them! Those four men are covered in gold jewelry. One look and you can tell they stole it."

The first Marine hurriedly picked up the thread, viciously embellishing the story.

He simply couldn't stand their nouveau riche air.

"Take a look. Are these the people?"

Laster handed them the photograph.

This was why he hadn't gone to the restaurant. He had originally come for a meal, only to suddenly receive a message and a fax from the base.

Marine Headquarters had sent the message to the Marine Branch bases.

When the Marines left at the base saw that their Base Commander was patrolling the very waters Kuta's group was headed toward, they hurriedly forwarded the message and photograph to the Navy Warship.

After reading the message and looking at the photograph, he had been lamenting that he was about to return to base and finish his patrol, leaving him no chance to encounter Kuta's group.

Who would have thought the surprise would come so suddenly? He had actually run into them.

"Yes, that's them."

The Marines took the photograph, glanced at it, and nodded repeatedly.

Although the photograph wasn't very clear, they recognized the five people from the restaurant at once.

Kuta's silver hair and Kuina's dark blue hair were far too distinctive.

Hearing their answer, Laster grew serious. He lowered his head and thought for a while before looking up and giving the Marines their orders.

"Set sail. Return to Base 123. Our mission is over."

"Huh? Captain Laster, aren't we going to eat?" the Marines asked in confusion.

"No. Take a look at this!"

He handed them another sheet of paper.

The Marines took it and gathered in a circle to read its contents. As they read, all their expressions changed dramatically.

They had never imagined that the silver-haired brat in that group might actually be a Great Swordsman.

At that thought, they shuddered involuntarily, breaking out in cold sweats.

A Great Swordsman was someone considered powerful even on the Grand Line.

And they had actually been planning to bring Captain Laster along to give that guy trouble!

Then they all breathed sighs of relief. Thank goodness they hadn't actually clashed with that group.

"Captain Laster, we'll go prepare to set sail."

The Marines spoke hurriedly. They didn't want to stay here any longer.

"Yes, go."

He watched the Marines shoot out of the captain's cabin as though their pants were on fire.

Laster breathed a sigh of relief too. Since Headquarters had told him not to provoke them, he would keep well away.

Hmm...! It's not that I'm scared.

I just don't want a confrontation with them. After all, there are still so many pirates in these waters waiting for me, the commander of Base 123, to deal with them!

I don't have time to bother with a bunch of brats who aren't even pirates!

Yes! That's it.

Laster reclined in his chair, nodding repeatedly.

The Girl Who Wanted to Become a Dragon Slayer

Early morning.

The sky was clear for miles.

A warm spring breeze drifted slowly over the sea, following the ocean currents.

The Fake Merry sailed with the wind, its sail billowing full on the mast.

On either side of the ship, schools of fish swam swiftly forward alongside it.

Some of the livelier fish occasionally leaped from the sea, sending up showers of spray.

The spray glittered in all colors beneath the morning light.

The sky around the ship was filled with seabirds hunting for food.

Kuta and the others hadn't seen this many seabirds since setting out to sea.

Judging from this, they were probably close to land.

A few days earlier, after eating at Baratie and buying several days' worth of supplies, they had set out to sea and continued their voyage.

Zeff hadn't brought up Sanji, and Kuta hadn't asked.

Aboard the Fake Merry.

Kuta lay on the sheep's head at the bow, basking in the sun.

Kuina sat in a deck chair at the bow, reading a newspaper and a nautical chart.

This time, they were heading specifically for the Gollome Islands, the territory of the Arlong Pirates and the islands where Nami's hometown, Cocoyasi Village, was located.

To get to the Gollome Islands, Kuta had even specifically asked old man Zeff for a nautical chart showing their coordinates.

Otherwise, with the East Blue so vast, even he couldn't have found the Gollome Islands in such a short time without a chart.

"Hey, Kuta, why are we going to the Gollome Islands?"

"Is there something special there?"

Kuina looked up at Kuta on the sheep's head and asked the question she had wanted to ask back at Baratie.

Their original plan had been to head straight for Loguetown, but at Baratie, Kuta had suddenly changed his mind and decided to visit the Gollome Islands first.

Kuta opened his eyes, gazed at the sun, and said quietly, "Nothing much. There's just an evil dragon living there, and I want to take a look."

"An evil dragon?"

Kuina froze for a moment before saying, "You mean the Arlong Pirates?"

"Mm! That's right!"

"But they have nothing to do with us!"

Kuta paused. Watching the black-and-white seagulls flit across the sky, he spoke in a somewhat subdued voice.

"Mainly because that evil dragon isn't just oppressing the villages around his territory. He's also making a fool of an innocent girl."

"A girl?"

Kuina suddenly stood up and raised her voice.

Kuta realized he seemed to have said something he shouldn't. He tried to keep his tone calm.

"Yes, a girl. Don't you

know that legends about evil dragons always involve a girl?"

"Do they?"

Kuina eyed him doubtfully.

"Yes."

Kuta's voice had never sounded more resolute.

Kuina stared at him suspiciously for a while before continuing.

"Why not just say you want to defeat the evil dragon, save the villages there, and be a hero?"

"It's so simple. Why make it so complicated?"

Kuina lowered her head and thought for a moment. Suddenly, her calm eyes lit up.

"Hmm...! A beautiful girl defeating an evil dragon. That would be pretty cool!"

She lifted her head, stared ahead excitedly, and declared loudly.

"I've decided!"

"Decided what?"

"I've decided I'll be the one to defeat Arlong."

Kuina turned to Kuta and spoke with determination.

"All right, all right. Our dragon-slaying maiden Kuina is sure to leave behind a legend of her own someday."

Kuina lifted her chin slightly, looking proud.

Seeing that Kuina wasn't asking any more questions about the girl, Kuta quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He had nearly let something slip.

In truth, he had suddenly remembered Nami, then thought of the dozens of villages still suffering under Arlong's oppression. That was why he had abruptly changed course and headed straight for the Gollome Islands.

If he didn't intervene now, those dozens of villages would have to wait another two years, until King Luffy set out to sea, before they could be saved.

How many more families would suffer tragedies in those two years?

He couldn't do anything about what he didn't know, but once he knew, he had to act.

Having grown up under the red flag in his previous life, he had a sense of justice etched into his bones, one he could never change.

Besides, wiping out the Arlong Pirates would be as easy for him as crushing an ant.

Since it was easy and aligned with his sense of justice, of course he would do it!

He hadn't been wrong, really. He truly was one of the Partners of Justice. Of course, he wasn't some bleeding heart. He wouldn't let any evildoer he encountered get away.

Evil was evil. He didn't believe someone could lay down their butcher's knife and instantly become a Buddha. If every evildoer could become a Buddha, then... what about the people they had hurt?

Who would soothe their resentment? Who would make amends?

So, since they had run into him, he could only send them all to hell to repent.

As more and more seabirds joined the flock flying alongside them, a long coastline gradually appeared ahead.

As the distance to the coast shrank, Kuta could already smell the faint scent of soil.

He took a deep breath and straightened

his back, swung his legs up, and pivoted on the sheep's head to face the coastline ahead, scanning it closely.

"Hm!"

He found that there was no sign of an entrance to the Arlong Pirates' base on this side.

If he remembered correctly, their base had been built right by the sea.

He turned, jumped down from the sheep's head, and shouted toward the wheelhouse behind him, "A-Tao, adjust our course. Let's circle the island and see where the entrance to the Arlong Pirates' base is."

"Got it!"

A-Tao, who had been sitting in a chair in the wheelhouse staring into space, hurriedly stood and shouted back.

She walked over to the helm, first placing the cigarette between her fingers in her mouth, then gripping the helm with both hands and wrenching it to the left.

Outside, the Fake Merry immediately turned left.

Just then, Ahua emerged from the kitchen with a wanted poster in his hand.

He slowly walked to the bow, looked at Kuta, and pushed up his glasses, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Just as I thought. Kuta's target is the Arlong Pirates."

Kuta looked at Ahua as he approached and motioned for him to give the wanted poster to Kuina.