At Mock Town's port, the bustling streets were loud with drunken laughter, brawls, and pirate chatter. But high above it all, on a neglected rooftop, a thin, gaunt man sat silently. His long face and strange black hat gave him an eerie look, while his black cloak swayed faintly in the wind.
"Southwest wind, temperature 25°…" he murmured.
This man was Van Auger, the sniper of the Blackbeard Pirates, feared across the seas as Sound Wave. Every day, he honed his deadly precision with long-range shots, ensuring his skill never dulled.
His targets were never the same. Sometimes a seabird soaring thousands of meters away, sometimes a sea beast surfacing for air. Other times, he casually took aim at pirates, travelers, Marines, even children. To Van Auger, it made no difference. Once his scope locked onto a victim, death was inescapable—and silent. None ever saw their killer.
"You're in my sights…" he whispered coldly.
He steadied his prized rifle, Senriku, its muzzle shaped like a trumpet. The barrel tracked a hawk gliding over the sea, diving at a seagull.
"What a pitiful hunter," Van Auger muttered. "It believes itself unmatched in the skies, blind to the fact it has already become prey."
With a faint sigh, he pressed the trigger.
"Die ignorantly and painlessly. This is your destiny."
Bang.
The gunshot was almost inaudible. A wisp of smoke curled upward as the supersonic bullet tore through the air, shrieking toward the hawk's eye.
But before it struck, a shadow appeared in its path.
A man stood there—floating midair. His fingers, hardened with Armament Haki, pinched the speeding bullet between them with a casual smile.
The hawk screeched in terror, abandoning its hunt and fleeing frantically.
Van Auger's eyes widened, his hands trembling on the rifle. For a sniper like him, trained to maintain absolute calm, such a shock was rare.
"That speed… He caught my bullet with just his fingers?"
Through his scope, Van Auger saw the figure clearly now—six black wings spread wide from his back, his presence radiating menace.
"Him," Van Auger whispered. His expression sharpened. "The target Captain Teach wants… Shirogai Yamikuro."
Also known as "The Plunderer," Shirogai was a new pirate whose very first bounty reached 100 million berries. One of the prime targets the Blackbeard Pirates had come to Mock Town to capture.
"As expected of someone worth such a bounty," Van Auger muttered, steadying himself once more. "But Devil Fruit users all share one fatal weakness…"
He reached into his cloak and loaded Sea Stone bullets into his rifle. Aimed again, he found Shirogai hovering in the sky, not approaching but instead smiling down at him. With a small flick of his fingers, Shirogai beckoned mockingly.
Come on, try again.
Van Auger's lips curled faintly. "Arrogant fool. Then perish."
Bang.
The silent shot released, a Sea Stone bullet streaking toward Shirogai's chest. Through his scope, Van Auger anticipated his opponent's mistake—trying to pinch it again. If he touched the bullet, his powers would vanish, and he would drown helplessly in the sea.
But Shirogai merely chuckled, flicking his hand.
Clink!
Midair, another bullet deflected the Sea Stone round, knocking it off course and into the distance.
Van Auger froze. "Impossible…"
With nothing but a flick, Shirogai had redirected the lethal bullet. The control, the timing, the sheer wrist strength required… it was terrifying.
His mind raced. His sniping ability surpasses mine.
For the first time in a long while, Van Auger's instincts screamed—retreat.
A true sniper did not gamble with death. One miss meant a thousand-mile withdrawal to find another opportunity. Without hesitation, he leapt from the rooftop, weaving through crowds, slipping into the maze of Mock Town's alleys.
Only after a long, twisting escape did he finally pause in a filthy, shadowed lane. Breathing heavily, he glanced back. No pursuit.
"…Good," he muttered. Now he had to regroup with Teach and the others. Together, they could capture Shirogai.
But as he turned, his body froze.
Shirogai was already there.
Leaning casually against the wall, eating fried fish, he smiled warmly, as if greeting an old friend.
"Oh, Van Auger," Shirogai said cheerfully, waving. "What took you so long? I've been waiting."
Van Auger shivered violently. That smile carried a suffocating weight. Killing intent poured from Shirogai like an ocean tide, filling the alley, cutting off every path of escape.
His breath caught. "Such killing intent…"
Only two men had ever given him this feeling before: Marshall D. Teach, when extending a hand to recruit him, laughter hiding murderous intent. And Monkey D. Garp, whose distant glance through a sniper scope had made Auger feel as though death itself stared back.
But this was different. Shirogai's killing intent was raw, unfiltered, pure.
It screamed one message into Van Auger's very soul—
Turn around, and you will die.
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