The Krieg Pirates Attack
The wooden boards overhead groaned as footsteps thudded back and forth. Heavy crates were dragged across the deck, each impact echoing through the cramped hold.
Yang Ning stood awkwardly against the wall.
It wasn't that he didn't want to sit.
It was simply impossible.
The floor was coated in grime, fish guts, and rotting food. In this stench, even a half-spoiled dessert from his hometown would have seemed clean by comparison.
He curled his feet inward, trying not to touch anything unnecessary.
Around him, the villagers reacted in their own ways.
Some stared blankly, minds clearly broken.
Some whispered to each other between sobs.
Others watched with darting, calculating eyes.
Yang Ning merely observed coldly. He didn't know them. He had no bond with them. Sympathy didn't come easily when he himself was barely holding on.
But as he watched, something struck him as wrong.
The physical resilience of people in the One Piece world was absurd.
He had noticed it earlier when they were forced to carry crates onto the ship—ordinary villagers lifting loads that would require three grown men in his old world.
But now he could see it clearly:
Bleeding villagers were still chatting and breathing steadily, treating deep wounds as if they were mosquito bites.
He sucked in a quiet breath.
If he had been injured like that, he would already be in a hospital bed—or a morgue.
The reality of this world pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating.
A strange, sour ache stirred in his chest.
He didn't want to be here.
Not anymore.
He wanted to go home.
Creak.
The overhead hatch opened once more.
The last group of villagers—those forced to haul the stolen supplies—were shoved inside. The cramped hold instantly became suffocating, bodies pressed shoulder-to-shoulder.
A tall, emaciated pirate stepped into view, looking down at them with undisguised contempt.
"Listen up, you pigs!"
His voice dripped with disdain.
"Stay quiet. Don't try anything stupid. Our captain is the legendary pirate Sonic Ajax, bounty 18 million Berries! Cause trouble, and you die."
"Eighteen million…"
A chorus of gasps rippled through the villagers.
To Yang Ning, who grew up watching Yonko and supernovas, 18 million was laughable.
Barely a small-fry.
But to the villagers of East Blue, 18 million was a nightmare made flesh—a pirate whose name alone could silence children.
Their faint hope collapsed. Whispers died. The hold became perfectly silent.
The slender pirate smirked at their fear.
"You country bumpkins should be grateful. You're going somewhere nice. If you're lucky, you'll never need to work again. Food, drinks—everything provided. Hahaha!"
Yang Ning sneered inwardly.
Sonic Ajax, huh? Let's see if your arrogance lasts until my skills come online.
But cowardice kept him silent.
He wasn't ready to throw himself into a sword.
The hatch slammed shut again.
Darkness swallowed them.
Yang Ning tried to speak with the others, hoping to gather information, but the villagers were hollow—too broken to respond. So he fell silent as well.
Above them, on the deck, a raucous banquet was raging. Pirates laughed loudly, seated on stolen furniture and crates filled with loot.
"Boss is incredible! That strike demolished half the village wall!"
"Hahaha! Why isn't his bounty higher? Eighteen million is way too low!"
"Even in the Grand Line, not many can match Boss Ajax!"
Ajax sat at the head of the feast, drinking in their flattery.
He loved it.
He lived for it.
In truth, his crew was mediocre. He kept them only because they praised him like a living god.
But then—
A panicked shout from the lookout shattered the revelry.
"Boss! A pirate fleet is approaching! It's the Krieg Pirates!"
The deck went dead silent.
Captain Ajax's expression darkened instantly. He crushed his wine glass with his bare hand, shards crunching under his grip.
"That stubborn brat Krieg again… Does he have nothing better to do?"
He clicked his tongue, annoyed.
His crew trembled.
They could bully villages. They could rob merchants.
But the Krieg Pirates?
That was a different matter entirely.
On the horizon, a monstrous fleet tore through the waves—dozens of ships advancing in tight formation.
On the command deck of the largest ship, a tall man in full golden armor lounged in an ornate chair, listening to the report.
"Admiral, we've spotted the Sonic Pirates. Sixty nautical miles ahead. They looted a village earlier. With the weight of the supplies and hostages, they won't escape."
The armored man—Don Krieg, "Admiral of the East Blue"—snorted, crushing the wine glass in his gauntleted hand.
"That rat Ajax… getting a higher bounty than me? Absurd. He's nothing but a coward who runs fast. In the East Blue, there's room for only one overlord."
His subordinate slapped his chest with pride.
"The Admiral stands unmatched! Ajax is trash in comparison!"
Don Krieg grinned, satisfied by the flattery.
Then he raised his voice.
"Gin!"
A blur dropped from an upper deck—thin, hard-eyed, bandana wrapped tight around his head.
Gin, Krieg's trusted battle commander, bowed deeply.
"Here."
Krieg eyed him for a long moment.
"Take Ajax's crew. Don't disappoint me."
Gin nodded.
"Yes, Admiral."
Back on Ajax's ship, terror spread like wildfire.
Their one advantage—speed—was gone.
The hold below was stuffed with over a hundred villagers, along with crates of treasure and supplies.
Their agile vessel had become a lumbering barge.
"Captain, what do we do…?"
The slender pirate's voice shook violently.
Ajax stood at the bow, robe fluttering, fists clenched white on the railing.
His tone was icy.
"Throw the villagers overboard. And the extra cargo. Lighten the ship. Full speed—now."
The slender pirate didn't hesitate. He didn't feel pity.
Only relief.
"Yes, Captain!"