Da-da-da

"I-it's Bax!"

"What's he doing here?!"

"Nice Guy Cody's ship was supposed to arrive today..."

The gang members instantly descended into chaos.

Although Xie Wen had mocked him for copying Red-Haired Shanks's lines, this burly middle-aged man really did seem to command some respect... at least around these parts.

After a brief panic, the gang members who had been facing off against one another all aimed their weapons at him. Clearly, they considered him alone more troublesome than the other two rival gangs.

"What? You think this handful of people is enough to take me on?"

Bax narrowed his eyes and slowly swept his gaze over them.

Honestly, if you ignored who he was warning, he did have a bit of that Red-Hair air about him.

"You're just a beaten dog who fled his hometown after the Devil Sheriff drove him out! Don't think the Caster Family is afraid of you!"

"Th-that's right! You're alone, and we've got the numbers!"

Their words might have been more convincing if their voices hadn't been shaking so badly.

Still...

He actually escaped alive from a future member of the Blackbeard Pirates. Old Bax is pretty strong.

Xie Wen saw him in a new light.

Lafitte might not have been as strong now as he would be when the main story began, but he could hardly have been weak. After all, someone Vice Admiral Tsuru remembered and Blackbeard acknowledged couldn't have earned that recognition without real strength.

Besides, he hadn't been hammered by Teacher Kaido, so a sudden leap in strength seemed unlikely... not everyone had the talent and perseverance of the Admiral of Hard Work.

"I'll say it one more time. Either leave now, or come try my swordsmanship and see who really has the advantage!"

Apparently, they had hit a sore spot. Bax's expression instantly darkened as he drew the Rapier hanging at his waist and snarled his threat through gritted teeth.

The gang members all took a step back. Clearly, they weren't nearly as confident as they had claimed.

"Big Brother Xie Wen..."

Klee Meow tugged at Xie Wen's sleeve again, her little face looking utterly aggrieved.

She finally had a rare chance to set off some firecrackers, only for Uncle Bax to threaten to spoil it. The little ragdoll was feeling rather glum.

Since Bax seemed to be helping rather than looking for trouble with them, Xie Wen decided to watch a little longer.

"Let's wait and see, just a little longer..." He rubbed Klee Meow's little head and soothed her softly. "If nothing else, I'll take you to the shore to blast fish later."

"All right, then..."

Klee Meow pouted but obediently stopped fussing.

While the human and cat whispered to each other, Bax had already begun fighting the gangs...

Despite delivering the famous line, "Do me a favor," Bax wasn't Red-Haired Shanks, after all. His reputation didn't carry quite as much weight as he thought.

Still, even if his reputation wasn't much use, his strength was more than enough to back up his threats.

An entire gang armed with guns couldn't handle a single swordsman. Bax easily deflected the incoming bullets with his sword, and even while protecting Xie Wen and the others, he had enough breathing room to counterattack.

With strength like that, it was no wonder he had escaped from Raphael.

What was more, despite Uncle Bax's burly build, his swordsmanship actually favored agility. His moves mostly consisted of Thrust techniques, which explained his choice of a Rapier.

Xie Wen just wasn't sure where Uncle Bax's strength ranked in the world of the Pirate King.

He watched intently from the sidelines, using Bax as a reference to assess his own swordsmanship and strength.

In terms of finesse alone, Xie Wen's hunter-style swordsmanship, primarily designed for hacking at large monsters, couldn't compare. When it came to lethality, though, Uncle Bax's swordsmanship fell far short.

The combat techniques hunters had gradually developed to defeat large and even gigantic monsters had always pursued greater destructive power and more efficient burst damage. Although the pirate world also had Sea Kings, they weren't humanity's main opponents here.

Of course, if they actually fought, Bax would be no match for Xie Wen. Even without Armament Haki, the sheer advantage in strength and speed would let him win easily.

But if their physical attributes were roughly equal, Xie Wen's odds in a duel might be a little lower... the key would be whether he could seize an opening to land one devastating hit on Bax.

While Xie Wen compared himself with Bax in various respects, the gangs were gradually showing signs of defeat. In fact, if Bax hadn't held back from killing them to avoid causing trouble for Mr. Cody, the fight might already have ended.

Seeing that Uncle Bax was about to send that bunch of "wallets" packing, both Xie Wen and Klee Meow beside him looked dejected.

Klee Meow was upset because she wouldn't get to blow up the bad guys. Xie Wen, naturally, was upset because... his plan to rob the robbers... no, to rob the bad guys as a good guy, seemed about to fall through.

But there was always a way out. Just as the useless gang members were preparing to flee, Sanji Meow, who had barely spoken all this time, suddenly twitched his ears and warned, "More people are coming, meow."

Immediately afterward, a mass of footsteps rang out, loud enough for even Xie Wen to hear. Another large crowd of men in black suits poured into the secluded alley, packing both exits solid.

"Now we're in trouble..."

With a grim expression, Bax drove back the opponent in front of him with a strike, then quickly retreated to Xie Wen and the others.

"Stay close to me. I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Uh... there's really no need to make it that complicated... we can just beat them all."

It looked as though Uncle Bax couldn't handle this anymore. Since the man truly had come to protect them, Xie Wen decided to stop watching and reveal the truth.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Bax clearly still thought Xie Wen was putting on a brave face, and snapped, "Do you know how terrible things would be for Klee and Sanji if these people got their hands on them?! This isn't the time to act tough!"

Rather than argue, Xie Wen turned and patted Klee Meow's little head, smiling lightly. "Klee, I'll leave it to you. Just make sure you control..."

"Yay! Klee will do her very best, meow!"

The little ragdoll had been itching to act. Before Xie Wen could finish, she cheered and pulled various models of the "Boom-Boom" bombs she usually made from her backpack, flinging them all at the men in black. Her little paws moved so fast they left afterimages!

"...Huh? What was Big Brother Xie Wen trying to say, meow?" After throwing dozens of bombs in the blink of an eye, Klee Meow turned back and asked in confusion.

"Oh... I was going to say, keep the bombs' power under control and don't go overboard..." Watching the bombs already filling the air, Xie Wen answered in a calm voice, his face utterly blank.

Klee Meow said, "...Ehe~"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-!!!

While Klee Meow tapped her head and acted cute, the bombs she had thrown detonated. Explosions roared all at once, leaving Xie Wen and the others' ears ringing as crimson flames and pitch-black smoke completely filled their vision.

A moment later, the explosions stopped and the smoke cleared, revealing an alley that had been razed to the ground and gang members sprawled every which way...

Yep, people in the pirate world really are tough. Xie Wen couldn't spot anyone missing an arm or a leg.

Of course, that also had something to do with Klee Meow having used only the most basic "Boom-Boom" bombs.

Clang.

Bax was so stunned that his sword fell from his hand.

At the moment, though, Xie Wen had no time to chat with him. Looking at everything Klee Meow had done, he covered his forehead and sighed, then told the two cats beside him, "Let's hurry and search their pockets. We should offset as much of the damage as we can."

With that, he took the lead and walked toward the gang members strewn across the ground.

The original Klee always tried hard to pay for the damage whenever she caused trouble. Klee Meow had mentioned similar situations during their conversations, so Xie Wen had no intention of changing that good habit...

Even though it would most likely mean a lot more work for him, Xie Wen didn't consider it a bother.

That was what keeping cats meant. If he enjoyed the comfort they brought him, he naturally had to take responsibility for the trouble they caused, too.

My stockpile of chapters is getting used up... faster than I expected. For some reason, I had a splitting headache again today and didn't write anything at all.

I'll get some sleep first and see if it gets any better.

I'd originally wanted to flesh out the character cards, adding pictures, tags, and things like that... but that'll have to wait.

I tried the new illustration feature, but it seems to require approval. I have no idea what it'll look like when the update goes live.