————
On the Endgame.
It was already deep night, and considering there hadn't been a feast for a long time, Zeff was directing everyone in preparing food. The deck was filled with barbecue grills and barrels of wine, the aroma wafting everywhere.
Shano, who had been training all day, finally left the training room with satisfaction. After a quick rinse, he changed clothes and headed to the deck.
"Hmm?"
Nojiko, standing on the lookout, suddenly squinted her eyes:
"Hey, everyone, there seems to be someone over there!"
Everyone looked in the direction she pointed.
They saw a damaged large ship half-sunk among the reefs several nautical miles away. The hull was tilted, the mast broken, and the edges were crowded with disheveled survivors.
"Have they encountered a shipwreck? It seems there are quite a few people, maybe thirty or forty."
Zeff looked back at Shano, "Captain, should we go and check it out?"
"Of course."
Shano nodded without hesitation, "Rescue comes first."
"Understood!"
Smoker immediately adjusted the course, and the Endgame quickly approached the ship.
As the distance closed, the situation aboard the wrecked ship became clearer—
It was a passenger ship that had obviously been hit by a storm, the hull damaged in multiple places, seawater continuously pouring in. The survivors were in tattered clothes, some clinging to planks, others holding onto the ship's edge desperately, their expressions terrified and hopeless.
And when they noticed from afar that a giant ship was heading their way, many were initially stunned, then burst into cheers.
"We, we're saved!"
"Hey—! Save us!"
"Please! The ship's about to sink!"
However, when the Endgame truly got close, and the survivors saw the emblem on the sails, the cheers abruptly ceased.
In its place was a dead silence.
"Th-that flag is...?!"
Someone looked incredulous, their face turning pale with shock.
"There can be no mistake, the guy on the bow..."
A middle-aged man in noble attire stared intently at Shano at the bow, his voice trembling, "It's Great Blade Sword Master Shano, the one on the recent newspaper headlines!"
"It really is him!"
"The Great Pirate with a billion bounty from the World Government?!"
In an instant, the survivors' expressions shifted from despair to deeper fear.
On these seas, pirates wouldn't rescue people for no reason, especially monsters of this caliber!
Many even began to retreat, as if the figure before them was not a savior but a greater disaster.
"Tsk."
Smoker exhaled a smoke ring and sneered, "Seems our reputation is scarier than the storm."
"Perhaps only around Log Town and over in Alabasta are things slightly better." Robin also shook her head slightly.
"..."
Shano stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his expression calm.
The composition of survivors on this passenger ship was quite complex.
There were glittering nobles, merchants dressed as wealthy traders, humble civilians and sailors, and even a few burly men with shackles.
Class divisions were clear, yet in the face of terrifying natural disasters, they were equally disheveled.
"Hey."
He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, yet it made everyone shiver.
"Those who want to survive, climb up yourselves."
"..."
The survivors glanced at each other, and for a moment, no one dared to move.
"Why?"
Shano raised an eyebrow, "Do you want me to come down and invite you?"
"N-no, we wouldn't dare!"
Finally, a sailor gritted his teeth, mustered up the courage, and was the first to climb up the rope ladder cast from the Endgame.
Smoker, a cigar in his mouth, guarded the entrance to the rope ladder. Noting the sailor's weakness, he even reached out to help.
Seeing this, the others followed suit, nobles and merchants, though terrified, ultimately chose to board the ship under the threat of death.
Soon, more than thirty survivors were all rescued onto the deck.
They huddled together, heads bowed, not daring to breathe, afraid of accidentally angering this group of notorious Great Pirates.
"..."
Nami, cooking meat, looked at this group trembling in fear and couldn't help but hold her forehead, "Do we really seem that scary?"
"Can't be helped, bro's been in the limelight lately. A billion bounty is there; anyone would be scared." Nojiko shrugged.
"..."
Robin stood aside, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, finally resting on the corner where a few burly men were shackled.
Heads down, bodies marked with whip scars, even more scared than the other survivors.
"Slaves?" she spoke softly.
"Ah, this..."
A merchant wiped his sweat, smiling apologetically, "Can't be said like that. It's just that Master Jade's estate is short of a few gardeners. If this lovely young lady is interested, you can also pick two for free..."
"Shut up."
Shano coldly interrupted him.
The merchant shivered in fear, immediately lowering his head, silent as a cicada in winter.
"The keys." Shano extended his hand.
"Ah?"
"I said, the keys."
"..."
The merchant exchanged a glance with the middle-aged noble named Jade, both of their expressions shifting.
But under Shano's gaze, they ultimately trembled as they pulled out a set of keys.
Shano took it and casually tossed it to Robin, "Here."
Robin exchanged a look with him, smiled, accepted the keys, and approached the slaves.
"..."
The survivors watched this scene, their expressions varied.
The middle-aged noble and merchant looked displeased but did not dare speak;
While the civilians and sailors appeared somewhat dazed, seemingly unable to believe that the rumored ruthless Great Pirate would actually do such a thing.
"Th-thank you..."
The newly freed slaves knelt on the ground, their voices choked.