Atop a massive tree branch near Coating Factory GR 51 sat an old man, quietly sipping his wine as he watched the coaters below enjoy their workday.
He'd already earned enough for his drinks today. No more labor required.
Relaxed, he suddenly furrowed his brows and looked toward the direction of GR 50. A dark thought crept into his mind.
"Such terrifying killing intent... Who could it be coming from?"
It was none other than the Dark King, Rayleigh!
Across the island, several powerful individuals turned their gaze toward the same direction, where Weiss was located. Even from such a distance, the murderous pressure was unmistakable.
Just how many had he killed?
Meanwhile, Clodia's group—tasked with escorting Karina and Joanne—was suddenly struck with a wave of dread. Their bodies chilled, as though some beast had set its eyes upon them.
"Hey, you feel that? That bone-deep chill?" one of the thugs asked his companion.
"Yeah... It's the middle of the day, sun blazing overhead. How the hell is it so cold? Don't tell me we ran into a ghost or something," another replied with a shiver, idly popping a bubble beside him with his dagger.
"Ghost? Don't joke about that! Say stuff like that and one might actually show up!" a pirate snapped, fear flashing in his eyes.
Clodia also felt the same frigid chill, like an ice dagger stabbing through his skull. He heard his subordinates' murmurs but didn't bother responding.
Ghosts? Hmph. If something like that really existed, it'd probably just be another type of Devil Fruit!
Back with Karina and Joanne—after Weiss hung up his call—the two began walking more slowly, dragging their feet with deliberate sluggishness.
"Move it! What're you trying to pull—stalling for time?" one thug barked as he shoved Karina forward.
She stumbled, nearly falling, but Joanne quickly caught her.
The thug, after pushing her, brought his hand to his nose and sniffed.
"So fragrant... and such a soft back..." he mused lecherously.
Seeing this, the rest of the thugs perked up, crowding behind the girls like wolves catching a scent. The slower they walked, the more excuses they'd have.
Karina glanced behind, steadying herself and quickening her pace slightly—just enough to prevent them from getting what they wanted.
The group followed Clodia down the road in a noisy, vulgar procession, occasionally pushing or prodding the two girls.
"Boss, these two are real beauties. Don't you think... maybe we have some fun before handing them off to the Celestial Dragons?" one of the pirates said with a crude chuckle.
To them, slaves were trash—nothing more than toys for the world nobles. It didn't matter what happened beforehand.
Clodia gave the speaker a sidelong glance, then swept his gaze across the others.
"Fine," he said slowly, "but be careful. Don't damage them. They're gifts for the Celestial Dragons."
The thugs broke into vile grins.
Karina and Joanne, of course, understood exactly what he meant. Their expressions shifted briefly—but then returned to calm.
Weiss was on his way.
But the thought that others had likely suffered before them—that others might not have been so lucky—sparked a seething fury in Karina's chest. Her eyes locked onto the predators around them with quiet hatred.
"What're you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before?" one thug sneered, reaching out to touch Karina.
"Ugh!" Karina didn't react, but Joanne immediately doubled over in disgust.
"Sorry," Joanne said dryly. "You're more 'distinctive' than a deep-sea anglerfish. Definitely not even in the same realm as handsome."
Her naturally innocent tone only made the insult sting more.
"Oh, real funny," the thug snarled. "Keep running your mouth, see what happens. I'll show you how 'distinctive' I can be!"
As he raised his hand to strike—
WUNG!
A strange ripple echoed in the air.
The raised arm of the thug froze in mid-air.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" his companion asked, alarmed by the unmoving limb. He reached out to pat him—and recoiled in horror as the man suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
"Impressive, huh? Just how 'impressive' do you think you are?"
A voice drifted down from above.
The surrounding pirates all turned toward it. When they finally saw the speaker's face, they gasped in unison.
As if they were looking at a ghost.
The rumors were true. The women weren't bluffing.
"WEISS!"
"WEISS!"
Karina and Joanne shouted at the same time.
He stood atop a thick tree branch, cold and composed. The moment he had sensed the thug's intentions, his killing intent surged forward like a blade, rendering the man effectively brain-dead.
Now, he leapt down from the tree and strode forward.
His eyes locked onto Clodia.
"You kidnapped my companions... and tried to extort me?"
Clodia stood paralyzed. He had immediately recognized him.
Weiss.
His face had been plastered across every newspaper for months.
He'd fought an admiral. Defeated the Heavenly Yaksha of the Seven Warlords. Battled Kaido. Most recently, he'd clashed with the world's strongest swordsman.
The results didn't matter.
What mattered was—he was standing right in front of him.
"Weiss!"
Karina and Joanne broke from the group and ran toward him. One of the pirates instinctively reached out to stop them.
Shing!
Two clean arcs. His arms fell to the ground.
"AHHHH!" "MY HANDS! MY HANDS!"
"Great Sword Demon! This is all a misunderstanding! I was just inviting the ladies to visit my estate, really!" Clodia cried, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Too late.
He had impersonated one too many times. Now the real deal was here.
I kidnapped the Great Sword Demon's crewmates.
And now he's in front of me. What do I do? Send help. Urgent!
Weiss said nothing. He took out a small dagger, casually trimming his fingernails.
"Is that so?"
Karina and Joanne stood behind him now, staring at his not-so-broad back—and yet, they felt completely safe.
"Y-Yes! That's exactly what happened, sir!"
"Fine," Weiss replied. "Karina, you two aren't hurt, are you? And the things you bought—did they take them?"
"They robbed us," Karina said bluntly.
"How much did you spend?"
"A hundred million Berry."
The pirates couldn't stay silent.
"What?! No way! It was just a few clothes!"
Weiss turned his head toward them, eyes expressionless.
"Really? In that case... goodbye."
With that, he turned away.
Sword intent exploded from him.
His Sword Domain spread out, engulfing the entire group.
No blades were visible. And yet—slashes appeared all over the pirates' bodies, one after another.
"Please! We were wrong! Mercy! Please, Sword Demon!"
He didn't answer.
Under his control, the sword aura cut them slowly. Like a dull knife, peeling flesh from bone. Agonizing.
Clodia tried to run—but he couldn't move. A bloody killing intent pinned him in place like chains.
"Sword Demon! I'm working for the Celestial Dragons! If you kill us, things will get complicated. Why not let this go, pretend none of it happened?"
Tch!
Weiss answered with a cold, disdainful click of the tongue.
Within the Sword Domain, the pirates were reduced to meat. Their bodies were no longer recognizable. Shredded by a thousand cuts.
Squelch. Slash.
The domain faded.
They collapsed silently into a pool of blood, lifeless and still.
Weiss turned and left without a word.
The nearby pirates who had witnessed it all stared at the mangled corpses—then fled the area in terror.
Not far away, atop his branch, Rayleigh took another sip of wine.
He'd seen everything.
---
Read 120 chapters ahead on P@treon and Ko-Fi:
patreon.com/Sami_27
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27
COMPLETED story available on Patreon and Ko-Fi.