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As Aero's hood was yanked down, the pirate who exposed him froze mid-motion. The sight of Aero's face made his whole body stiffen paralyzed by instinctive fear.
His hand was still hovering awkwardly above Aero's head, who locked eyes with him silently.
Then, Dylan and the others pulled down their hoods, revealing their true identities one after another.
Even the pirates who had surrounded them just moments ago were completely stunned.
One of them frantically pulled out a stack of bounty posters, flipped through a few pages, and glanced between the photos and the real people standing before him.
And then… reality hit him like a cannonball.
The people they had just tried to surround weren't impostors.
They were the real Hurricane Pirates.
That young man? Aero, the captain.
And behind him? The three elite officers: Dylan, Eddie, and Gin.
Only one thought echoed in their minds now:
We're screwed.
The pirates instantly dropped their weapons and tried to flee.
Aero and his crew didn't even bother chasing them. They weren't concerned with the runaways. What they were concerned about were the cowards who had dared to recruit pirates under the Hurricane Pirates' name, in broad daylight, using their banner.
Aero stepped toward the frozen pirate in front of him and asked calmly, "I'm Aero, Who the hell are you?"
His gaze didn't waver.
Eddie strolled over with a grin, right up to the black-robed pirate who had pulled off Aero's hood. Without a word, Eddie tugged down the man's hood too.
The pirate's rough, unshaven face was revealed as completely unfamiliar.
Aero gave him a dismissive glance and gently pushed the man's still-raised arm out of his sight.
"Heh," Eddie chuckled and then, in a flash, a dozen black-robed pirates collapsed behind him.
In that single instant, Eddie had fired over a dozen lead bullets with lightning precision, knocking them all out cold.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that," Aero said with a laugh. "Posing as us?"
The filthy-faced imposter was speechless, frozen with fear.
Behind him, Eddie's sarcastic voice rang out: "With those shaky knees, you call yourself a pirate? You're gonna pretend to be us?!"
The man trembled even more. Slowly, painfully, he turned his head and saw that every one of his men had been taken out.
All of them.
Silently.
In an instant.
Monsters…
They're all monsters.
Regret flooded him. Why had he ever dared to use the Hurricane Pirates' name?
Aero looked at the man, now wide-eyed and brain-dead with fear, and kicked him straight to the ground.
Then he called to Eddie, who was picking up his bullets from the floor: "Strip those jackets off. We're not letting them wear our colors."
"...Huh?" Eddie blinked, dumbfounded for a second. But when he saw the strange glint in Aero's eye, he immediately obeyed.
As he stripped the robes off the unconscious men, Eddie made sure to give each of them a solid kick muttering curses under his breath the entire time.
Meanwhile, Aero's eyes drifted toward the townspeople who had gathered to spectate. When they saw him glance their way, their smiles quickly faded, and the crowd dispersed like cockroaches under a lantern.
In moments, the street was deserted. Not a soul in sight.
Aero turned to Dylan and Gin, gesturing casually as they stepped past Eddie, who was still "working."
"We're going to find a place to eat. Catch up when you're done."
"Wait! Captain! Don't leave me behind!" Eddie called after them, half panicked, half whining.
---
The four strolled through the streets. Those who recognized them gave them a wide berth. But most people didn't know who they were.
They may have heard the name Hurricane Pirates or Aero, but few had seen their faces in person. Posters and real life rarely matched, and ordinary civilians weren't bounty hunters they didn't need to remember faces.
Even if they'd seen Aero's wanted poster a few times, most people forgot it soon enough.
After wandering around for a while, they finally found a cozy little tavern and eatery.
Aero pushed open the half-closed wooden door. Dylan, Gin, and Eddie followed him inside.
The place had been a lively local pirate hangout.
But the moment they stepped in, the entire atmosphere changed. The clatter of mugs and chatter stopped. The door creaked on its hinges in the silence.
Eddie headed for the counter. The barkeep clearly recognized him.
With a cheerful grin, Eddie called out, "We're starving! Bring out your best!"
The barkeep nodded nervously and scurried off.
Nearby pirates quickly shoveled the last bites of food into their mouths, slapped money on the table, and made a hasty exit.
And just like that, with the room nearly empty, only Aero's group remained.
---
"Pffft—Hahahaha!" Eddie plopped into his seat, howling with laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye. "In the East Blue, people take detours just to avoid us! These folks are scared stiff!"
Dylan added with perfect timing, "Same way we avoid the Navy whenever we see them."
"Ugh…" Eddie couldn't respond. He gave an awkward laugh, he knew that they were very weak in the context of the world.
Then Gin spoke up, sipping from a flask he'd brought along. "Speaking of the Navy… don't you think it's strange? After what happened a few days ago, they haven't raised our bounties."
The table went quiet for a moment.
Then Aero nodded slowly. "Maybe… they think they'll catch us all soon anyway. Why bother raising the bounty if they're confident we'll be in chains?"
"Come on…" Eddie started to brush it off. After all, in the East Blue, no one could beat them.
But then he remembered that battle.
That day, the three officers had failed to protect their captain. It was Aero who had saved them.
Since then, for the first time, all three of them had begun training harder than ever.
They had to get stronger.
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