Kuina paused slightly and turned her head to take a look.
But it was just a glance.
After a quick look, she turned back and continued walking to the shore, leaving behind a calm sentence:
"You are not worthy."
"Huh?!"
Sasaki's wild laughter froze on his face, veins bulging at his forehead.
"Don't look down on me! Bastard, who do you think I am—"
Before he could finish, he had already dashed forward, slashing straight at Kuina's back!
Boom!
A dull impact rang out—Sasaki was suddenly halted mid-air.
He was stunned, then raised his head.
A towering black shadow blocked his path.
A large hand covered in dark Armament Haki gripped his blade like a vice.
"Wow? Another fishman?"
Jack grinned, flashing his white fangs.
"You're pretty strong, but your ears don't work so well, huh? Didn't our vice-captain make it very clear—"
"A guy like you isn't qualified to challenge her!"
With that, he tightened his grip.
Crack—
In just a moment, Sasaki's blade shattered.
"What?!"
Sasaki's pupils shrank sharply, and before he could react—
Boom!!!
Jack's heavy punch slammed into his chest.
The terrifying force exploded, sending Sasaki flying like a cannonball.
He smashed through several docked pirate ships before crashing into a distant mangrove trunk.
As the dust settled, Sasaki lay there, dazed and bloodied, his limbs twitching weakly before falling still.
No one knew if he was alive.
"..."
The dock fell into dead silence.
Even the sound of bubbles popping seemed jarringly loud in this moment.
Countless stunned eyes flicked between Jack and Kuina.
After a long while, whispers broke the silence.
"Such force… Who is that big guy?"
"I've never seen him before. Don't we have bounty posters for the Enders? Take one out!"
"I already did! No match… He must be a newcomer."
Newcomer?
The surrounding pirates gasped.
That was Sasaki!
The fleet captain with the second-highest bounty among the five supernovas…
And he was defeated by a newcomer without a bounty?!
If even a newcomer of the Enders was this terrifying…
Then how strong are the veterans?!
"..."
Garrett, standing at the front, was sweating coldly. She looked at Harta beside her.
"What now?" she asked hoarsely. "Sasaki's out. Should we retreat?"
"How could we? That'd be disgraceful."
Harta inhaled deeply, his eyes fixed on Kuina and the others heading off.
He then looked at Jack, now standing alone in their way, and gripped his sword.
"No matter what, we have to defeat him."
Even if they couldn't beat the whole crew, they couldn't go down like Sasaki.
They still had to fight—but now the goal was downgraded:
From three people taking down the Ender Pirates…
To two people trying to defeat just one newcomer.
Jack grinned and stepped forward.
He wanted to see whether these two could force him to use his mammoth form!
Just then, two more figures descended from the Ender.
A mature woman with a gentle aura, and a girl with brilliant orange hair.
"Hey, Jack!"
Nami called out cheerfully, "Don't hog the spotlight. Leave these two to me and Sister Robin!"
"No problem, Big Sis Nami!" Jack stepped aside without hesitation.
"…Don't drag me into your showboating," Robin said helplessly.
"Come on, Sister Robin, our bounties are still way below average. Don't you want to catch up?"
Nami grinned.
"You've gotten way stronger these past two months. Isn't it a perfect time to test your new moves?"
"Also…"
She leaned in and lowered her voice.
"Mizu didn't leave any CP9 agents alive, so the World Government still doesn't know you're sailing with us. It can't stay like that! This is a great chance to go public—to let the world know you've been one of us all along!"
"…"
Robin looked at her and, after a pause, chuckled.
"That… is a hard reason to refuse."
Four figures began to clash.
Blazing flames surged.
Arms sprouted from the ground.
The onlookers could only gasp.
No one noticed—
Above, atop the tallest building, a young man sat at the edge, chin in hand, smiling faintly.
The sea breeze lifted his black hair.
"So they're no longer on the level of mere supernovas…"
These five supernovas were powerful.
The two fur tribe warriors were known. As for the other three—
Sasaki, former Flying Six from the Beast Pirates.
Harta, 12th Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Garrett, Minister of Butter from the BIG MOM Pirates.
All future high-ranking cadres of the Four Emperors.
Sasaki and Harta especially—future bounties above 500 million.
But now?
They had just finished the first half of the Grand Line.
Their strength wasn't enough.
Not enough for him to make a move.
So Shano stayed hidden, giving the spotlight to Kuina and the others.
Kuina and the veterans, in turn, held back—giving the fight to the three with the lowest bounties.
Perfect.
This way, Jack and Robin's fame could catch up to the crew average.
And Nami—with her Flame-Flame Fruit fully unveiled—
The Navy Intelligence Division ought to realize how wrong they'd been.
Shano's gaze shifted to Kuina.
She was leading the rest to the shipyard.
Following his earlier instructions, she was there to negotiate coating work.
Once that was settled, they'd split up and explore the islands while the ship was coated.
As for Shano, the hands-off boss—he had his own business…
Wool-harvesting.
Shano closed his eyes, letting Observation Haki ripple outward.
Sabaody Archipelago was huge. His Haki couldn't cover it all.
But the dozen or so islands near GR No. 52, including all the shipyards and coating shops—no problem.
"Tsk… Not at work again?"
He opened his eyes in disappointment.
Not surprising.
Pluto Rayleigh—the old man in hiding—never really did his job as a coating craftsman.
Always drinking, gambling, or selling himself to slave traders for a laugh.
"Guess I'll go to GR No. 13."
Shano shook his head.
He didn't feel like searching aimlessly.
Dinner time was near anyway.
Might as well head to Shakky's bar and wait.
He doubted an old drunkard like Rayleigh could resist showing up.
With a light tap of his foot, his figure vanished from the rooftop—
A blur flashing across the town, headed for the island with the highest number.
Dozens of kilometers from Sabaody Archipelago…
A massive Marine warship sailed full speed against the wind.
Chaton stood at the bow, cigar in mouth, face dark.
For a week, he'd combed every island Doflamingo might've come from—but no trace of Shano.
In the end, he had to give up and return to HQ.
A waste.
He'd been an Admiral candidate for months, with no standout achievements.
Rumors were swirling. Not nice ones.
This time, he had hoped to capture the 1-billion bounty criminal and prove himself…
"Message? Got it."
The adjutant ran up with the Den Den Mushi.
Chaton exhaled smoke lazily. "From HQ?"
"No, sir. It's the Sabaody branch."
The adjutant smiled, "Apparently, a bunch of pirates are fighting in the shipyard. It's causing a big stir. The branch base has dispatched troops."
"We're nearby, so we got the emergency signal too. Should we go?"
"Hmm…"
Pirates causing trouble in Sabaody wasn't rare.
Usually, the branch base could handle it.
But Chaton's fists were itching after a week of failure.
"I've got time. Let's go check it out."
He grinned.
"Poor bastards picked the wrong time to start something."
"Yes, sir!"
At the same time, Island No. 1.
Swish!
A figure dropped from the sky.
Shano.
Not at GR No. 13—but at the human auction site on Island 1.
He crouched on a grassy hilltop, resting his chin in his hand, watching the auction house with amusement.
The reason for this stop was simple—
Devil Fruit radar.
Before arriving, the radar had activated.
As he approached the auction site, it turned yellow.
Within ten kilometers.
The surrounding area was open plains, so it had to be inside the auction house.
They were selling slaves… and Devil Fruits?
Even better.
If it's in the hands of bad guys—just take it.
Rescue some slaves too.
Clean out the scum.
Only pity—
No Celestial Dragons.
He scanned the parked carriages—nothing special.
A shame.
Would've been nice to meet the infamous Charloss.
"Hmm?"
A glint of red light flashed in his eyes.
He noticed something—but didn't move.
The next moment—
A thin sword touched his shoulder.
"Shano, the swordsman with a 1-billion bounty… If I were you, I wouldn't move."
A hoarse voice spoke behind him.
The blade pressed down slightly, cold light gleaming near his neck.
"I didn't move?"
Shano still didn't look back.
"What a way to meet… Pluto Rayleigh."
"You recognize me?"
The voice behind him sounded surprised.
"Vice-captain of the Pirate King… hard not to know you."
Shano glanced sideways at the sword.
"I thought we'd meet at a bar… drink, talk. Never imagined this. Why?"
The sword's cold light reflected the silver-haired face of Rayleigh.
"You forgot?"
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes.
"Four or five years ago, you killed some fishmen in East Blue. One was named Hachi—he saved my life once. Since then, I swore to never let anyone hurt him."
"Hachi…"
Shano recalled vaguely.
A distant name.
Arlong's crew. He remembered Hachi vaguely.
Others? Kroobi? Chirp?
"Oh, yeah. That guy joined Arlong in invading my hometown. I tore him apart. Pretty justified, no?"
"If you hadn't killed him, would you have bought him a drink?"
"Of course he should've died."
Rayleigh nodded.
"He was kind, but chose the wrong path. Left the Sun Pirates and followed Arlong. Naturally, he did evil things."
"Then I don't get it."
Shano tilted his head.
"You admit he deserved death. You say I was right. So why draw your sword at me?"
"If you'd stayed a civilian, I wouldn't have sought you out."
Rayleigh said slowly,
"I learned about the Arlong Pirates' fall five years ago but never went after you."
"But now… You've become a pirate. You came to me. If I ignore that, I break my promise."
"If you choose piracy, you accept the risk of death. Just like Hachi paid for his crimes."
He sighed.
"But… I really don't want a new generation talent like you to die. So I won't take your life."
Shano finally turned and squinted at him.
"Then what do you want?"
"Your little finger."
Rayleigh said with a complicated look.
"To honor Hachi's soul. That's all. Just a finger. You can cut it yourself—or I will."
Shano stared for a few seconds… then suddenly smiled.
"A finger?"
A cold, mocking grin appeared.
"You want me to offer it? Rayleigh… have you gone senile?"
Rayleigh frowned. The sword pressed firmer.
"Young man, I'm not negotiating."
"Neither am I."
Shano's eyes sharpened.
"All this for a thug? You want me to pay a price, and you act all high and mighty?"
As he spoke—
His fist clenched.
Overlord Haki surged—black and red lightning crackled violently!
"—What are you pretending for, Rayleigh!!"
Rayleigh's pupils shrank. His Observation Haki screamed a warning—
Bang!!!
Shano's punch smashed into his face!
Rayleigh blocked with his sword.
But the impact was monstrous.
The blade bent under the blow.
The shockwave blasted him away!
Swish!
Rayleigh's body skidded across the grassland, carving out a deep trench, then crashed into the auction house gates.
Boom!
The building shook violently.
Its ornate door shattered.
Inside, nobles screamed and scattered in panic.
In the smoke and rubble—
Rayleigh slowly stood, blood at his lips.
He looked up, stunned, as the black-haired boy approached step by step…