"Claim reward!"
Rosinante gave the command without hesitation.
| "Congratulations! The host has received the Giant's Belt from the League of Legends Equipment System. Equipment bonus: +380 HP!" |
Whoa—380 HP? That's insane!
Even something like a Crystalline Bracer only grants +200 HP. But this Giant's Belt gives nearly double that!
Solid item. Definitely a solid item, Rosinante thought as he immediately equipped it.
The moment he did, he felt his stamina surge—more than double what it had been before.
"ROOM!"
To measure exactly how much his stamina had increased, Rosinante activated Room. After all, the diameter of his Room was directly tied to his stamina output.
Sure enough, the diameter expanded from 30 meters to 58 meters—almost double its previous range.
Rosinante took a moment to sense the change in his strength, then deactivated his Devil Fruit powers. Acting as if nothing had happened, he grabbed his longsword and made his way to the deck to begin sword training.
His dedication quickly inspired Wild Boar and the others, and soon the deck was filled with Navy cadets, all hard at work, sweating under the sun.
Watching them through the window, Commander Mandral couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"No doubt about it… these HQ kids are on a whole different level."
…
Two days at sea passed in a blur of rigorous training. As they approached the North Blue, Rosinante called off the drills and had everyone rest up to ensure they were in peak condition for the imminent battle.
"Contact the local branch. Confirm the location of the Quick Slash Pirates." Mandral ordered his adjutant.
"Yes, Commander!" The adjutant immediately dashed to the communications room, where a Transponder Snail was waiting.
Purupuru… Purupuru… Clack!
"Moshi moshi. This is Commander Mandral's vessel. Please confirm the current position of the Quick Slash Pirates."
"Quick Slash Pirates? Last confirmed near Mushroom Island."
"Mushroom Island. Got it."
The adjutant relayed the info back to Mandral, who then gathered with Rosinante in the ship's conference room to discuss their strategy.
"The Quick Slash Pirates are a crew made up entirely of swordsmen. Their captain, Boss Dars, is a bloodthirsty butcher. Since setting sail, he's slaughtered countless civilians. He surrounds himself with nothing but the most violent of criminals. Their combat power is terrifying. We cannot take them lightly."
Rosinante gave a relaxed smile.
"No need to worry, Commander. We joined the Navy to eliminate evil. If the enemy wasn't this wicked, they wouldn't have sent us."
Mandral blinked.
"You kids are really something else…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the conference room door burst open.
"Commander! We've found them! The Quick Slash Pirates have been sighted near Mushroom Island waters!"
…
Mushroom Island—a small, impoverished island in the North Blue, home to a modest farming village. The locals survived by harvesting mushrooms and cultivating meager crops. It was quiet, humble, and now, under siege.
On the shoreline, hundreds of villagers knelt, surrounded by dozens of pirates brandishing gleaming blades. A large, scarred man strode up to the front of the crowd, dragging a massive sword across the sand.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Boss Dars, captain of the Quick Slash Pirates. We didn't come here to kill, we came for money. Hand over 20 million Berries, and we'll leave. If not... this island might as well cease to exist."
"T-Twenty million Berries? Pirate, please! We're just a poor village, how could we possibly come up with that kind of money? Have mercy!"
The village elder—an old man with a trembling voice, crawled forward and begged at Dars' feet.
"What's that? No money? You old rat, are you looking to die?!"
With a vicious snarl, Boss Dars kicked the elder to the ground and pressed the edge of his blade to the man's neck.
"Village Chief!!"
"Don't! Stay back!"
The chief gritted his teeth and raised a hand, stopping the villagers from rushing forward.
"Listen up, old man. If we don't get our twenty million by noon, everyone in this village dies. I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you one chance. Pick a few of your fastest folks, send them back to the village, and bring me everything you've got. If I don't see the money in time…"
Boss Dars ground his boot into the elder's skull, blade still pressed to his throat.
Panicking, the village chief waved frantically, signaling his son and five others to run back and gather anything of value.
Tears streamed down their faces as they sprinted away, leaving behind the helpless crowd and the boot planted firmly on the elder's head.
With a smirk, Boss Dars kicked the old man aside and sat down lazily on a nearby chair.
Meanwhile, his first mate, the blade-wielding Ronni, led a few crewmates into the crowd, scanning for prey like wolves in a pen.
He soon stopped in front of a delicate young girl, whose terrified body trembled uncontrollably.
"Raise your head." Ronni commanded coldly.
"Ah…"
She flinched and looked up, eyes filled with fear.
"Excellent… she's so beautiful. Take her."
"No! Please—!"
The girl shrieked as two pirates stepped forward to drag her away.
"Johnny, help me!!"
"Let her go!"
A young man—Johnny—leapt to stop them, but Ronni stepped in front of him.
"And who might you be to her?"
"I… I'm her boyfriend…" Johnny stammered, his entire body shaking.
"Boyfriend, huh? Heh… A girl that fine doesn't need trash like you."
SLASH!
A flash of silver light, and Johnny's head tumbled to the ground.
"JOHNNY! JOHNNY!!"
The girl broke down instantly, screaming and sobbing uncontrollably.
Ronni sneered.
"Take her away!"
And then came the sound of ripping fabric, followed by the girl's hysterical and broken screams. The villagers clenched their teeth, trembling with rage and grief. But no one dared move.
This was reality. These were pirates. And if you doubted it, just look at Johnny's severed head.
"Hey hey hey… Keep it down, will you?" Boss Dars called out lazily. "You'll scare our clients."
He turned to the crowd with a crooked grin.
"Relax, we're reasonable men. If someone dies, we pay up—ten thousand Berries per head sound fair?"
Ronni frowned at the captain's words. Displeased, he grabbed the girl's face, forced her mouth open, and sliced off her tongue.
"That'll keep her quiet."
"You… you monsters! You're not pirates, you're demons! SOMEBODY HELP US!!"
Finally, someone snapped. A man tried to flee but before he took two steps, a pirate guarding the perimeter lopped off his head with a single swing.
"Hey hey… Did the captain give you permission to run, sheep?"
(To be continued...)
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