In an instant, the quiet bar filled with grating voices, its atmosphere turning rowdy.
Rayleigh sat quietly and watched it unfold as though he were watching a show, completely unaffected by the tension. He wanted to see how the bar's owner would handle a situation like this.
After all, this was the Grand Line, not the Four Seas. A pirate with a bounty over a hundred million here was a truly formidable pirate. Though someone like Rayleigh would consider that kind of strength as feeble as a child's, it would at least rival a Rear Admiral's in the Marines. The stronger ones could even overpower a Vice Admiral.
Su Yu sighed. Were all pirates idiots? They got right in people's faces and provoked them without first figuring out whether they could afford to.
He propped an elbow on the counter and rested his chin in his hand, saying wearily, "I'll give you a chance. Get out now, and I'll spare your lives."
Abeli dug at his ear. He thought he must have been hearing things. How did this brat dare speak to him like that?!
"You damn bastard! You dare make a fool of me? Die!"
Abeli cursed viciously, then charged straight at Su Yu with his cutlass.
The underlings behind him looked excited, as though they could already see their captain cutting Su Yu's head off with one stroke.
"Hahahaha! That bastard's dead!"
"Serves him right for being stupid enough to piss off the captain."
"The last guy who angered the boss died horribly!"
"..."
Someone even shouted at Rayleigh, "Hey, old man! Get the hell away, unless you want blood splashed all over you!"
By then, Abeli had reached the counter. Seeing Su Yu sitting motionless, he assumed the boy had been scared stiff. A vicious, gleeful smile spread across his face as he raised his cutlass and brought it down at Su Yu, clearly intending to split him in half from head to toe.
The blade drew closer and closer to Su Yu's head. The pirates seemed to see the blood spraying already, their faces lit with bloodthirsty excitement as they cheered loudly.
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be disappointed.
Just as the blade was about to touch the top of Su Yu's head, an invisible barrier suddenly stopped it with a sharp clang.
That crisp clang echoed through the bar with startling clarity.
The underlings abruptly fell silent, as though someone had seized them by the throat.
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell what kind of ability Su Yu was using, but Devil Fruit abilities came in all sorts of strange forms, so he wasn't surprised. He simply assessed Su Yu's strength in silence.
Abeli's gleeful expression froze for a moment. Still, he was a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million. He quickly recovered, pulled back his blade, and took a step back.
"Didn't expect you to have some strength of your own. You're a Devil Fruit User, aren't you?"
When Su Yu said nothing, Abeli took it as confirmation and immediately burst into arrogant laughter.
"You think eating a Devil Fruit gives you the right to provoke me? I've killed plenty of users, too! Go regret it in hell, you damn bastard!"
As Abeli spoke, he tightened his grip. A layer of black spread from the hilt to the tip, turning the entire blade jet-black.
At the sight, the pirate underlings grew rowdy again.
"Th-this is... the boss is getting serious!"
"Armament Haki!"
"..."
Abeli raised his Armament Haki-coated cutlass over his head and brought it crashing down at Su Yu with all his strength.
Unfortunately, it still had no effect. With another clang, the black blade was once again stopped by something invisible.
The underlings' eyes went wide, their expressions frozen.
"Th-this... how is this possible?!"
"The c-captain's strike... h-he once split a whole ship in half with it!"
Their voices trembled with fear, cold sweat pouring off them.
"H-how is this possible?! How can this be possible?!"
Abeli stared at the scene before him in disbelief. He staggered back a few steps, and only then noticed Su Yu's eyes. That calm gaze looked at him as though he were an ant.
As though provoked by Su Yu's gaze, Abeli suddenly went berserk, rushing forward and hacking at him again and again.
"Impossible! This has to be fake! It's all fake! Break already!!"
But reality wouldn't change to suit his will. Every attack was blocked.
"Done swinging?"
Su Yu's calm voice seemed to snap Abeli out of it. He finally stopped his futile efforts and stared at Su Yu in terror, drenched in sweat.
Then he seemed to think of something, and a hysterical grin returned to his face.
"I get it! Your ability only lets you defend, not attack! That's why you've been hiding in there without moving! You bluffing bastard, you can't scare the great Abeli!"
Hearing Abeli's strained explanation, the underlings seemed to regain their confidence and began taunting Su Yu again.
Su Yu sighed helplessly. What a bunch of morons.
Then he stopped watching the show. He slowly raised a hand and gently curled his fingers around empty air. Instantly, Abeli and his underlings fell silent, lost all ability to move, and floated into the air.
Though they couldn't even control their facial muscles, the intense fear in their wide eyes was unmistakable. Anyone would be terrified if they suddenly lost all ability to resist.
But they could no longer speak, let alone beg for mercy or surrender.
Even if they could speak, Su Yu wouldn't have spared them. He had already given them a chance.
Rayleigh watched in amazement, silently wondering, Could this be the Logia Air-Air Fruit?
Su Yu then pushed his hand forward, sending the whole group out of his bar at once.
Then he said to Rayleigh, "Old man, watch the place for me. I'm making a trip to the Marines."
Apparently, this guy had a bounty. He might as well take him to the Marines and exchange him for Beli, as payment for his drinks.
Su Yu then headed toward the nearby Marine Base with the whole string of them trailing behind him. The strange sight instantly drew the attention of everyone on the street, turning every head. Still, the inhabitants of the Pirate King's world had seen their share of trouble. They were only a little surprised, not frightened.
He walked all the way to the Marine Base like that. When the Marines saw Su Yu approaching with a group of people floating in the air, they immediately raised their guns and took aim warily.
Su Yu set Abeli and the others down in an open area and explained why he had come. A Marine soldier immediately fetched a wanted poster to compare the picture and confirmed that this was indeed a formidable pirate with a bounty of 120 million. The surrounding Marines looked at Su Yu with awe. This unusually young-looking "Pirate Hunter" had captured such a powerful pirate; his strength was clearly no joke!
With the base commander overseeing the process, Su Yu received his bounty without any trouble and politely declined the commander's offer to recruit him.
Rayleigh waited in the bar for a while before seeing Su Yu stroll back in.
"Impressive strength you've got, young man. That pirate had a bounty over a hundred million, yet he couldn't put up the slightest resistance against you!"
"You're joking, old man. Someone like him probably couldn't even withstand your Conqueror's Haki!"
Su Yu smiled, went back behind the counter, and poured another drink, setting it before Rayleigh. "This one's on me. Thanks for watching the place."
Rayleigh accepted without hesitation. He really did like this liquor. "Thank you, young man!" Then he drained the glass.
Good as this liquor was, it was simply too expensive. That one mouthful cost a hundred thousand Beli!
Setting down his glass, Rayleigh looked at Su Yu. He seemed to be an Air-Air Fruit user, but without fighting him, Rayleigh couldn't gauge his strength. The sudden appearance of such an unpredictable presence where he lived in seclusion gave Rayleigh a bit of a headache. He didn't want trouble. He was getting on in years, and all he wanted now was to enjoy a peaceful retirement here with Shakky.
So, as though making idle conversation, he asked a probing question. "With strength like yours, young man, what made you decide to open a bar here?"
Before you continue