Cover Story: Straw Hat Crew, Arc 3 – "Another Photo?"
In a small town in the West Blue, a large gang surged through the streets like a tide. A few minutes later, a rustling sound comes from a garbage pile. An eleven-year-old black-haired girl peeks out and lets out a long sigh as she looks at the end of the street.
Just as she is about to hurry away, a crumpled old newspaper suddenly catches her eye. The black-haired girl pulls it out and looks at it carefully. Her face shows a look of surprise. She folds and tears off the photo on the front page, carefully hides it in her chest, and slips into a dark alley...
...
Bang!
Before the words were finished, a gunshot rang out. A sharp black bullet streaked through the air.
She shot without hesitation?
"Damn it—!"
Onigumo's expression changed. He subconsciously drew his sword, trying to stop the bullet.
But he was a step too late. He could only watch as the shot streaked past him, shot straight toward the cages on the high platform...
Vice Admiral Nao didn't stop it? Why?
He looked at Nao out of the corner of his eye, only to see Nao's calm gaze, as if he didn't care about the bullet at all.
Swoosh!
In that split second, a shadow flickered across the platform.
The next moment, Onigumo was astonished to see a black right hand wrapped in a thick layer of Armament Hakieasily pinch the bullet in mid-air and stop it.
The owner of the black right hand was a thin young man.
The two fingers that were holding the bullet squeezed slightly, and countless iron shavings scattered and fell from the air.
"Oi, you woman…"
The red-haired youth tilted his straw hat back and raised his head slightly. His eyes, hidden deep in shadow, burned with anger.
"…you really piss me off."
Who is this guy?
Onigumo was stunned. He felt that this red-haired young man with a straw hat looked a little familiar, but for a moment, he couldn't remember who he was.
"Oh my, and where did this little brat come from?"
The noble girl with the elegant demeanor raised her eyebrows. She looked at the red-haired man and said with a smile. "You don't get to stop me from killing someone, do you? Since that's the case..."
"Then why don't you die for these slaves first?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunshots rang out again. Only this time, a series of bullets was heading straight for the red-haired man.
But the straw hat boy still stood there, motionless. He just tilted his head a few times and easily dodged all the bullets that were shooting toward him.
"Too slow..." Shanks muttered to himself in a low voice.
Nao watched all of this quietly, his eyes flickering slightly.
The reason he didn't make a move was that he had already sensed that the moment Hathaway raised her pistol, Red-Haired Shanks had already left his seat and was rushing toward the high platform.
So similar. Too similar.
Luffy, who would cause a ruckus in Sabaody seventeen years later, and the twenty-year-old Shanks in front of him, were carved from the same mold, both in temperament and expression.
The only difference was that Shanks still carried some measure of calm rationality—unlike Luffy, who would have punched a Celestial Dragon without hesitation.
Just as this thought flashed through his mind.
BOOM!
"A bastard like you…"
The straw-hat boy on the high platform suddenly stomped the ground. He turned into a blur and shot towards Hathaway. His black right arm slammed down with a furious punch towards her—
"Should be sent flying with a good beating!"
Buzz!
The fist stirred up a gust of wind. The guards who had followed the noble girl to the auction house immediately turned pale.
"Not good! Stop him!"
"Protect the princess!"
Compared to her panicked subordinates, Hathaway's expression was still calm. She looked at the constantly enlarging fist in her sight. She was smiling, completely unconcerned…
As expected.
Just as the red-haired boy's fist was only two meters away from Hathaway.
THUD!
Along with a dull thud, a huge hand, far more powerful than the red-haired boy's right fist, firmly stopped him and wrapped around it.
No matter how hard the straw hat boy tried, he couldn't advance an inch, and he couldn't even break free.
Is the gap that big?
In a remote corner, Dark King Rayleigh, who witnessed this scene, raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
Putting everything else aside, in terms of strength, these two people of similar age were not on the same level at all…
"Oi! You bastard!"
The straw hat boy, who was held in place, suddenly looked up. He glared at Nao, who was standing in front of him, and gritted his teeth.
"You clearly hate a woman like this too. Why are you stopping me from sending her flying with a punch!"
He's looking more and more like him… Nao looked down at Shanks, his eyes as calm as still water.
"It is the duty of a Marine to protect nobles from being harassed and attacked by pirates."
He ignored Shanks's anger. He retracted his gaze and said calmly. "No matter what great crime Princess Hathaway has committed, it's not for you to deal with."
Shanks' mouth fell open slightly. He looked at him in disbelief, his eyes saying, "I really misjudged you before."
Onigumo, who was familiar with Nao's personality, felt his heart skip a beat. As he looked at the expressionless, handsome profile, he had a subtle and ominous premonition.
"So he's just a pirate. I thought he was some kind of commoner, but it's all the same anyway..."
The noble girl didn't notice the strange atmosphere. After looking at the red-haired boy with contempt, she turned her gaze back to Nao.
A man like this is not only easy on the eyes but also gives me a sense of security. Isn't he so much better than those bubbleheads in Mary Geoise who are just obsessed with women?
Hathaway's breathing became a little heavy for a moment. She subtly and greedily stuck out her tongue and quickly licked the corner of her lips.
Mmm…
She couldn't...
...wait to take this man back to her palace and tame him into her loyal little puppy.
"Oh my, I knew it. Vice Admiral Nao still has a soft spot for me and wouldn't just stand by and abandon me..."
After looking Nao up and down, Hathaway's gaze became even more infatuated. She couldn't help but extend a slender hand and gently caress his chest.
Her fingertips drew enticing circles on his skin through the hoodie. She stood on her tiptoes and breathed out like a gentle breeze:
"Tell me, aren't you going to have a cup of coffee with me? If you can make me happy, I won't hold you accountable for destroying my people's business..."
As she was saying this, her other hand quietly raised her revolver again, and she smiled as she pointed the barrel at the cage in the distance.
This vicious woman!
Shanks, who was being held firmly in place, saw this and his eyes were about to burst with rage. He was about to struggle to break free and stop her when he suddenly heard Nao's plain voice enter his ears.
"Of course, besides that annoying obligation, it is also the duty of the Marine to protect civilians from being harmed by these maggots..."
Eh?
Shanks was stunned. Before he could react, he saw Nao suddenly let go of his fist.
Then, in Hathaway's expectant gaze, he pinched her exquisite, smooth chin. He smiled slightly and said in a gentle voice.
"I'm going to use a lot of force. Just bear with it."
A lot of force? What does that mean?
Shanks was even more confused. He watched helplessly as Nao's right hand moved down from Hathaway's chin.
It was as gentle as a lover's caress as it slowly wrapped around the girl's beautiful neck, like a white swan's. And then...
CRACK!
In an instant, his grip tightened. Like an eagle seizing a chick, he yanked the unprepared noble girl into the air, then slammed her brutally into the ground!
BOOM!
The earth shook, shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.
At the bottom of the pit, Hathaway's body convulsed violently. Blood sprayed from her lips as she clutched her chest in agony, raising her eyes in utter disbelief.
Nao stood at the edge of the crater, looking down with cold, indifferent eyes that met hers.
"You dare to hit me? A mere Marine, hitting me for a few commoners?!"
"Who gave you the guts, you bastard!"
After coming to her senses, Hathaway's elegant and composed demeanor was gone. She struggled to sit up. Her eyes were full of malice, and she let out a hysterical scream and curse:
"You filthy mongrel! If you've got the guts, kill me today! Otherwise, when I get back, I'll tell Saint Yaska and Saint Jaika and the others to lock you up in the Holy Land's prison, and you'll die without a..."
BOOM!
A fist suddenly slammed down. The thud of a heavy hammer abruptly cut off the rest of her words.
Her bruised and bloody head was deeply caved in, hitting the metal railing next to her. There was no trace of her former beautiful appearance.
The next moment.
Her slender and graceful body fell lifelessly to the side, completely losing all signs of life.
In her bulging eyes, the terror and disbelief of seeing the fist coming toward her just before her death remained.
"As you wished."
Nao expressionlessly retracted his fist. Under Shanks's dumbfounded gaze, he nonchalantly shook the blood off his hand. He turned his head and looked around coldly.
Silence. A deathly silence.
The entire auction house was as if time had frozen. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Ordinary customers, pirates, gang members, and even the Marine soldiers and the royal guards who had followed Hathaway...
No matter their identity, whether they were sitting or standing, all of them had their mouths agape, wide enough to fit two ostrich eggs.
From the moment he attacked until she died, Nao's series of actions were performed in one swift motion. The speed was simply too fast.
The onlookers' brains didn't even have time to think. While they were in a state of paralysis, everything was already over.
In just a minute or two.
The noble princess who had been so high and mighty, like a god, had turned into a corpse with a tragic look on her face.
And now—
With just a sweep of Nao's icy gaze, countless people shuddered instinctively, finally snapping out of their daze.
"W–wait, did I see that right…?"
In a corner, a middle-aged merchant wiped at his dripping forehead with a handkerchief, his voice trembling.
"A Marine Vice Admiral… actually killed Princess Hathaway?!"
"He didn't show any mercy…"
His companion beside him shook violently, unable to stop himself.
"And it wasn't just any princess—that was Her Highness Hathaway! Mary Geoise… the Celestial Dragons, they'll be furious. They have to be, right?!"
"Vice Admiral…"
Onigumo looked at the corpse on the ground. He felt incredibly satisfied, but he was also a little worried for Nao. He couldn't help but sigh.
"You're still the same as you were back at the G-2 Branch. You never think about the consequences before you act…"
"I just took care of a piece of trash. What consequences could there be?"
Nao glanced at him and said calmly, "If you're talking about the Kingdom of Machino and those Celestial Dragons who had ambiguous relationships with her… If they want to come and find trouble with me, then let them try."
Onigumo was stunned.
He looked at Nao, who was completely unconcerned. He finally woke up and realized something.
Back then, when he and Nao were in the G-2 Branch together, they were both unknown. The title of a student of Zephyr was their greatest honor.
But now, two years have passed in a flash.
He was still the same Onigumo he was back then, but Nao was no longer the same Nao he was back then.
That year, as a rookie on probation, Nao dared to kill the Warlord William in front of a crowd.
And now, as Vice Admiral Nao, who was considered the future absolute core leader of the Marines, why would he be afraid of retaliation from a mere small country's royal family and hesitate to act?
Back then, Nao would be taken away and interrogated by CP9 agents and would have to rely on the big shots at the Headquarters to be safe.
But now, Nao himself was a big shot! He was his own support!
In this world, the strongest who stand at the top can never be bound by rules!
"Give the order!"
Just then, Nao's cold voice rang out again:
"Surround the auction house! Don't let a single pirate or gang member escape! Anyone who dares to resist will be killed on the spot! I will take full responsibility for all the consequences!"
The moment his words fell.
He casually tore off the Altair hoodie he was wearing, revealing the white suit underneath. The white cloak of justice he wore billowed in the wind that was blowing in from the main door.
Onigumo took a deep breath and saluted solemnly in response:
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
The Marine soldiers finally came back to their senses. After looking at Nao's back with admiration, they quickly acted according to his orders. They soon surrounded the entire auction house, making it impossible to escape.
Countless black gun muzzles were pointed at the pirates who were in a state of panic in their seats.
And at this moment.
The pirates whose escape routes were cut off, and the members of the gangs knew that they were in a desperate situation and had to fight for their lives.
"Don't panic! We'll work together and break out!"
"Let's kill this Marine Vice Admiral first! Once we get rid of him, the remaining Marine soldiers won't be able to stop us at all!"
"Charge! Everyone, go!"
...
A roar of battle cries rose into the sky.
A large number of pirates and gang members furiously drew their swords and raised their guns. They roared and charged toward Nao in the middle of the corridor from all directions.
Meanwhile, the biggest pirate there, the Warlord Black Shark Tooke, looked at these pirates who were fighting to the death with a speechless expression, as if he were looking at a bunch of idiots.