At the same time—
Three thousand meters away, floating on the sea, a large pirate ship sat still.
Its skull flag snapped sharply in the wind.
That flag belonged to the White Bear Pirates.
On the pirate ship's deck—
"Boss! It's the Marines!"
"We ran into the Marines!"
The ship erupted into panic and noise.
Pirates scrambled, faces pale, staring at the warship approaching in the distance.
Fear spread fast.
For pirates, the Marines were a natural enemy.
If you'd made a living doing evil, then running into law enforcement was never "just another day."
"Shut up."
"Quit screaming."
"Every last one of you—close your mouths."
A heavy-footed figure walked to the railing with slow, steady steps.
He stared at the incoming warship with cold focus.
He was huge—broad like a bear, thick with muscle, towering over his men.
A scar like a centipede crawled along the corner of his eye, making his face look even more vicious.
White Bear Rabiz.
Bounty: 110,000,000 Berries.
A pirate with a nine-figure bounty didn't get there by being timid.
His reputation in the Grand Line was real.
"If it's just a normal warship," Rabiz said with certainty, "I can sink it with one hand."
"Who says pirates have to run when we see Marines?"
"Other crews fear them."
"I don't."
His voice rolled across the deck, loud and commanding.
The chaos cooled.
The crew looked at him like he was a pillar holding their world up.
Their panic tightened into something else—excitement, aggression, confidence.
"Get the gunners ready!" Rabiz ordered immediately.
"Yes, boss!"
Cannons were dragged into position.
Pirates grabbed blades and guns, grinning like wolves about to eat.
"Listen up!" Rabiz shouted.
"The Marines are just a bunch of useless trash."
"Watch how I slaughter them."
The bravado worked.
The pirates' fear burned off into bloodlust.
Closer.
The distance shrank—one thousand meters, eight hundred, seven hundred—
"Boss… something's off."
"The Marines aren't attacking."
A few pirates near Rabiz frowned uneasily.
Rabiz narrowed his eyes.
"Wait and see."
The warship slowed.
And stopped at roughly two hundred meters away.
Then—
A small sailboat was released from the Marine warship, drifting forward toward the pirate ship.
Rabiz blinked.
The pirates collectively stared.
"…Huh?"
"What is that supposed to be?"
"Are they sending someone to negotiate?"
A pirate blurted it out before he could stop himself.
Otherwise why send a small boat?
They couldn't understand it.
The little sailboat kept approaching.
Two hundred meters.
One hundred.
Fifty.
"Negotiate?" Rabiz threw his head back and laughed.
"Hah! The Marines want to negotiate with us?"
"They must be scared of the White Bear Pirates!"
"Boss is incredible!" the pirates roared, hyping themselves up.
Finally, the sailboat pulled alongside.
And at last, Rabiz and his around three hundred pirates saw who was on it.
They went dead silent.
Because…
It was a child.
A kid who looked six or seven years old.
No escort.
No backup.
Just a single child standing in that little boat.
Rabiz's face stiffened.
Even with his experience, this scene was bizarre enough to throw him off balance.
One child?
That was it?
Where were the Marines?
Why send a child?
Were they insane?
The deck fell into a strange, heavy silence.
"B-Boss… what does this mean?" pirates whispered, turning to Rabiz.
And while they stood there frozen—
The kid stepped onto their ship.
Calmly.
Like he was walking into a market.
Rabiz's eyes sharpened.
"Is this a provocation?"
"Or some kind of trick?"
He didn't overthink it.
No matter what it was—
A hostage was a hostage.
A bargaining chip was a bargaining chip.
"Either way, he's free leverage."
"You—go grab him!"
"A gift-wrapped hostage? We'd be stupid not to take it."
"Yes, boss!"
Raifeng boarded successfully.
The whole thing was ridiculous…
But the result was the same:
He was on the pirate ship.
Alone.
Surrounded by enemies.
He hadn't even finished glancing over the ship's layout when several rough-looking pirates strode up, grinning.
"Kid, I don't know what the Marines are planning…"
"But if they sent you here to die, we'll gladly accept the gift."
Raifeng lifted his katana slightly and asked plainly:
"Where's your captain?"
The pirates laughed.
"Captain? You'll see him soon enough."
Raifeng's gaze stayed calm.
"Tell him to come out."
"I don't want to waste time."
A pirate sneered.
"And who the hell are you? You think our captain comes out because some brat demands it?"
Raifeng sighed.
"Fine."
"To avoid wasting time…"
"I'll use the quickest method to find him."
"And while I'm at it…"
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing just a fraction.
"I'll make you irritating people shut up."
"You're too loud."
"You're giving me a headache."
The pirates didn't even get the chance to shout back—
Hummm…
A terrifying, invisible pressure began to spill outward from Raifeng's body.
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