Submission or Death

The next second...

Boom!

The Pirate Ship seemed to have been struck by a cannonball. A massive hole was smashed straight through the deck, splintering planks flew everywhere, and even the mast was snapped in two.

Jango dodged the flying wood, but his gaze remained fixed on the stern-faced figure in the middle of the deck. A chill ran down his spine.

Though the newcomer had not spoken, the aura he radiated gave Jango the illusion that he was facing Kuro himself.

Thoughts churned through Jango's mind as he gradually connected the young man before him with a Wanted Poster from his memory:

"Knight Gawain? A Bounty of Eight Million?"

Jango's voice trembled as he spoke the number.

Damn it!

My Bounty is nine million. How could an eight-million pirate possess such terrifying killing intent?

In an instant.

Jango determined that he was absolutely no match for this man. If he wanted to survive, his only chance was to wait for Kuro's support!

"I can explain..."

"Submission or death!"

Gawain looked coldly at Jango, his tone indifferent. He only wanted to suppress these pirates as quickly as possible.

After all, the potential of everyone on his ship had already been exhausted. He urgently needed fresh blood, and these pirates before him were the finest crops to harvest.

As for good and evil, right and wrong—who could truly tell them apart on these seas?

He had never considered himself a good person. Not exploiting commoners like certain people was already the limit of what he could do.

"I..."

Jango swallowed. Before he could continue, the surrounding pirates had already raised their Flintlock Pistols and glared viciously at Gawain...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

After several rapid gunshots, Gawain had vanished from the deck. As Jango stood there in confusion, a cold voice came from above:

"Looks like you made the wrong choice."

"I'm sorry."

Everyone looked up.

Gawain lightly swung his Knight Sword, and a silver-white Sword Qi shot forth. Carrying a razor-sharp aura, it steadily filled their entire field of vision...

Slish!

After a crisp sound, the Pirate Ship—over fifty meters long and nearly ten meters across—was severed down the middle.

Two unlucky pirates failed to dodge in time and were struck directly by Gawain's slash, leaving behind an arm and half their bodies.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

The crimson blood and the gradually sinking Pirate Ship jolted everyone back to their senses. As they looked at the figure slowly descending, nothing remained in their eyes but fear.

"Monster!"

"A monster just like the captain!"

Jango stood on the deck and watched Gawain slowly land, his eyes filled only with dread.

Even the captain, who had always seemed invincible to him, could never achieve something like this with nothing but a blade!

"Run!"

Someone cried out, and only then did everyone snap out of their shock. But with the sea stretching endlessly around them and their ship destroyed, where could they possibly run?

Gawain's earlier words surfaced in Jango's mind once more. Without the slightest hesitation, he made his choice:

"We submit! We submit!"

"Be careful of Kuro. He has a technique called Spoon. He's incredibly fast—too fast for the naked eye to see."

Gawain raised a brow.

"Faster than me?"

"I don't know."

Jango shook his head.

The two had never truly fought, so he had no way to judge. But he knew exactly how terrifying Kuro was.

He was a ruthless man who left nothing to chance. In every battle against an enemy, the Black Cat Pirates held every possible advantage of timing, terrain, and manpower.

Logically, under such circumstances, the Black Cat Pirates' casualties should have been kept to a minimum.

But the reality was the exact opposite. In every battle, the Black Cat Pirates suffered grievous losses.

Most of them had not died at the hands of their enemies, but had instead fallen victim to Kuro's indiscriminate attacks!

"I admit you're strong, but Kuro is a genuine monster too. His Bounty doesn't match his combat strength at all!"

"Most of the pirates and Marines who vanished in the East Blue over the past few years became Kuro's prey!"

Jango's expression was grave.

He felt no psychological burden whatsoever over betraying his captain. Or rather, bowing to the strong was the instinct of most pirates.

"Is that so?"

Gawain neither confirmed nor denied it. He turned to look at the pirates still struggling in the seawater and said:

"Try to stay alive for now. At least hold on until this battle ends. I'll go test Kuro's mettle..."

With that said.

Gawain stomped down hard. The terrifying force drove the wreckage beneath his feet completely underwater, while he used the recoil to shoot toward the Warship a hundred meters away.

A pirate handed Jango a life ring, then turned to look at Gawain's departing figure and asked in confusion:

"Boss, are we really just going to betray the captain like this?"

"Betray him?"

Jango clung to the life ring, a mocking smile curling across his lips.

"If Gawain wins, this is our pledge of allegiance. If Kuro wins, who here would take the initiative to expose this?"

"No matter what we choose, we can't lose."

"Besides, do you really think Kuro trusts us? How could he possibly not know about the Catman Brothers' little schemes behind his back?"

"He simply doesn't care. Everyone in the pirate crew is nothing more than a tool to him."

"I only just realized it. When Kuro's plan is finally complete, our existence will become his only weakness."

"With Kuro's personality, what kind of end do you think awaits us?"

The pirate froze, then felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart, sharper and colder than the icy seawater around him.

Thud!

Gawain landed steadily on the Warship without even wetting his clothes, while the Pirate Ship that had been pursuing them in the distance had already been swallowed by the sea.

His astonishing feat made everyone aboard the Warship regard him almost as a god. As awe showed on their faces, confidence also rose in their hearts.

As long as the captain remained standing, the Gawain Pirates would never lose!

Gawain took in the excited looks in everyone's eyes, but had no interest in them. He turned to the first mate beside him.

"How is the battle going here?"

The first mate answered respectfully:

"Our men haven't had time to familiarize themselves with the Warship's cannons, so their aim is poor. The Black Cat Pirates' equipment is inadequate as well, so they can't damage the Warship."

"If we truly want to decide the outcome, we'll have to board each other's ships—!"

"They're coming!"

Suddenly.

The Lookout cried out.

Gawain looked up.

The Black Cat Pirates' flag was rapidly closing in. Apparently, their opponent had the same idea as the first mate.

With Gawain's eyesight, he could already clearly see the lean man standing on the opposing deck, his face cold and his expression gloomy.

The man wore strangely shaped Claw Blades on all ten fingers. The sharp blades meant that he could only push up his glasses with his palms.

Yet that awkward motion only made the aura emanating from him seem increasingly savage.

"Not Morgans?"

In the distance.

Kuro, standing on the deck, paused slightly as his expression suddenly darkened.

It was not Morgans, yet they were on Morgans's ship, and their attire clearly did not belong to Marines. There was no need to say what had happened.

"No wonder the technique used earlier didn't seem like Morgans's style."

"Never mind."

"A pirate clash where both sides suffer, followed by the death of Hundred Plans Kuro from severe injuries... It isn't as reliable as being captured by the Marines, but it will do."