Was he a monster?

Back aboard the warship, Crocodile fell rather silent. He watched the smiling, relaxed River with a grave look in his eyes.

"Were you really going to attack back there?"

River raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Of course not."

"That was Sabaody!"

Crocodile naturally did not believe him. That murderous intent and rapidly surging aura had left him trembling with fear at such close range.

Only now did he truly realize that the man before him was a terrifying powerhouse whose name had shaken the world twenty years ago.

He stood on the same level as the three legendary great pirates and the Navy's Garp the Hero.

Beneath that gentle, friendly exterior lay the savagery and madness of the Daytime Tiger!

"Let's get moving!"

"We're on a tight schedule!"

Seeing Crocodile standing there in a daze, River prompted him.

"Right!"

Crocodile nodded and took the helm himself.

As the boss of Baroque Works, he had always left such things to his subordinates. Crocodile had not steered a ship in years.

But traveling with someone like River meant these little chores naturally fell to him.

Looks like we really need to recruit some more crew members!

Crocodile thought to himself.

As for the Navy, judging by River's current situation, that was basically out of the question. Besides, what this man intended to do seemed to have nothing to do with the Navy anymore.

He wanted to rebuild his own Void Night, recruit new members, and assemble a powerful force.

That was precisely why he had set his sights on Crocodile, who had been locked away in Impel Down.

Crocodile was simply curious about what kinds of people he would recruit next.

From what he knew, this man was an odd one, and the members of Void Night had been just as strange, coming from every imaginable background.

The warship sailed onward, soon leaving the Sabaody Archipelago behind.

Seven days later, they reached the Sabaody Archipelago. After a brief stop to replenish their supplies, they soon departed.

River was pressed for time, but he was also keeping an eye out for signs and markings left by Void Night.

Yet he found none, either in the Sabaody Archipelago or in Water 7, and his heart sank a little.

Perhaps twenty years really had swept away every trace of the organization he had once built.

The World Government would certainly never spare someone like him, much less the former Void Night.

"We can only take it one step at a time!"

River murmured.

Three days later, the warship reached Long Ring Long Land.

"We still have plenty of supplies. They should last us until Mock Town!"

Crocodile said.

During their voyage over the past few days, they had occasionally encountered pirates. Plundering their food and treasure had been easy enough.

As a result, the warship's hold was already piled high with chests of treasure.

They also had enough food to feed the two of them for a long time.

"Then let's keep heading toward our destination!"

River said.

But that afternoon, somewhere in the waters near Long Ring Long Land, a pirate ship with a fox-head figurehead appeared ahead of them. Its flag bore a skull with what looked like a fox's nose.

"The Foxy Pirates!"

Crocodile quietly spoke the name of this Pirate crew.

"Them?"

River sounded surprised.

He vaguely remembered this pirate crew. Their captain seemed to be called Foxy, a user of the Slow-Slow Fruit.

He was not particularly strong, but his Devil Fruit ability was unusual, belonging to the rare category of time-based powers.

"Bring us alongside them."

River said.

"You're interested in them?"

Crocodile asked in surprise.

"Foxy the Silver Fox. I'm very interested in his ability."

River's eyes glinted.

A time-based ability was naturally no trivial matter. The problem was simply that the person using this fruit was far too weak.

That also meant the fruit's power could not be fully brought out.

But an ability like that could definitely play a vital role at a crucial moment.

Soon, as the warship approached, the Foxy Pirates noticed them too.

"Captain, it's the Navy!"

"Something's strange about these Navy guys. There are only two people aboard!"

"They're coming straight for us!"

On the ship, the pirates could not help shouting as they watched the warship approach.

Foxy narrowed his eyes, looked ahead, and laughed. "No need to make a fuss. There are only two enemies. Just wipe them out!"

"Get ready for battle!"

"Once those two get close, kill them!"

The crew immediately burst into laughter. "Yes, Captain!"

Naturally, they thought nothing of a mere two Navy men. Their captain was a notorious pirate with a bounty of twenty-four million Beli, after all.

He had made something of a name for himself even on the Grand Line!

What was more, they knew their captain's strength well. With his Devil Fruit ability, his true worth was far beyond twenty-four million!

But as the two ships drew closer, with only two or three hundred meters between them, they were stunned to see a figure leap high into the air from the other vessel.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Ripples spread through the air, and the man actually began racing through the sky.

Almost in the blink of an eye, a figure dropped down, slamming onto their deck with a thunderous crash and landing in the midst of them all.

"It's been a long time since I stretched my muscles!"

"I hope you can give me a good warm-up, Foxy Pirates!"

River grinned. His eyes gleamed as he tilted his neck from side to side, producing a series of distinct cracks.

Battle!

It really had been a long time!

So long that it felt almost unfamiliar.

"This bastard's too cocky! Get him!"

The sudden arrival of an enemy stunned the Foxy Pirates for a moment before their shock turned to anger. Foxy's eyes blazed with fury.

In an instant, pirates all around River drew their weapons and charged him.

The air whistled with vicious attacks from above, behind, in front, and on both sides.

"Now this is getting me a little excited!"

River laughed, a brilliant light suddenly flashing through his eyes.

The next second, several swords slashed down, and River shifted his head.

Shhk!

The sound of weapons slicing into flesh rang out, leaving everyone present frozen.

"This guy!"

"He isn't dodging at all?"

"Can't he dodge, or does he just not care?"

"But he's already bleeding!"

At that moment, several swords cut through River's body. Some had even pierced straight through him, their blades protruding from his back and abdomen.

Any normal person would surely have died from wounds like those!

"Ha!"

Yet a moment later, the enemy they had slashed and stabbed raised his head and grinned.

"I'm really sorry about this."

"It's been so long since I last fought!"

"So I forgot that you're supposed to dodge in a fight!"

As he spoke, River reached out and slowly pulled the swords embedded in his body free, inch by inch.

Blood dripped as the sound of steel scraping against bone rang out.

Everyone who witnessed the scene felt a chill run through them.

"This guy!"

"Is he a monster?!"