Moments later, Mad Dog Torf, who had just clawed his way onto the boat, collapsed to his knees and wailed for mercy, tears streaming down his face. The other pirates swimming toward the small craft abruptly changed course, frantically paddling in the opposite direction.
Just minutes ago, they had watched their captain bravely climb aboard, thinking he might seize the boat for them. Instead, they witnessed a horrifying sight: the lone swordsman pinned their captain down and pummeled him mercilessly with his fists.
Torf's screams carried far across the waves—raw howls that could stir grief in anyone listening. But the remaining pirates quickly agreed, at least silently: better he suffer alone than we risk climbing aboard and sharing his fate.
On the endless sea, losing your ship meant a 99% chance of feeding the fish. But getting on that boat meant a 100% chance of being beaten to death.
Don glanced at the retreating pirates, then turned his attention to the sobbing man before him.
"Do you know any other pirates?"
The young swordsman's calm voice instantly cut Torf's weeping short.
"Y-yes! Yes, I do!" Torf nodded desperately.
"Do they have bounties?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Do you know where to find them?"
"Y-ye—ah, I mean yes! I know, I know!"
"Then take me there."
With that command, Don settled at the bow.
Torf scrambled to his feet, ignoring his bruises, and snatched up the oars. He turned the boat around and began rowing hard, his face twisted into a sinister grin.
"Heh… heh-heh-heh…"
There were pirates where he was taking Don. But not just one—an entire den. A gathering point where crews brought stolen goods and split the loot.
This bastard dared humiliate him! Once they reached that place, Torf swore, he would make Don pay a hundredfold.
But every movement, every flicker of malice, was within Don's Observation Haki. He could practically hear Torf's thoughts.
And that suited Don just fine. Why bother hunting aimlessly when the prey could row him straight to the nest? After all, while he could read small charts well enough, broader sea maps were another matter. His navigation was amateurish at best. Having a "guide fish" wasn't a burden—it was a blessing.
The voyage dragged on for days.
Even so, the durability of people in this pirate world was remarkable.
Torf was given no prisoner's rations—not a sip of water or a bite of food in several days—yet somehow he kept rowing, driven by hatred and survival instinct.
At last, when a strange island loomed ahead, shaped like an upside-down mushroom, despair gave way to manic joy on Torf's face. His rowing grew frantic.
Don flicked an orange peel into the sea and rose, eyes narrowing on the distant island. With his Observation Haki, he immediately swept across its shores.
Crowds filled the place. Most were pirates, but there were also some merchants of dubious background. The port buzzed with life.
Don sat back down and studied Torf, who was rowing with crazed energy. He nodded slightly. Truly, the survival instinct brings out one's greatest potential.
At the harbor, a massive pirate ship docked. Dozens of rowdy crewmen leapt ashore, eager to stretch their legs.
"Look—it's Lone Wolf Arashi!"
"Damn it, even that bastard showed up?"
The man wore a wolf pelt, its head still intact and perched atop his own. His presence sent unease rippling through the crowd.
A pirate with a bounty of 7.8 million berries, Lone Wolf Arashi was notorious in the East Blue—one of the most dangerous men around.
He raided inhabited islands without hesitation, but worse, he preyed on fellow pirates' ships. To cross him was to vanish without a trace. Many crews unlucky enough to meet him had been erased from the seas.
"You bastard, you're here too?"
The challenge came from a giant of a man, nearly four meters tall, hefting an axe larger than most men. His disdain was clear.
"It's Big Axe Onwa!"
"The pirate with an 8.5 million berry bounty!"
The crowd swallowed nervously, shuffling back. These two clashing here would be catastrophic for bystanders.
Pirates might be cruel to common folk, but in the face of stronger predators, fear always seeped in.
"Onwa, I've no wish to fight you now," Arashi growled. "Since you've come, you must know why I'm here. That damned Dog-Head bastard has returned."
At his words, faces all around went pale.
Dog-Head bastard?
There was only one man that could mean—Vice Admiral Garp, the hero of the Marines, hailing from the East Blue.
If Garp was truly back in these waters, then no wonder so many infamous pirates were gathering here, hoping to vanish under his nose. Everyone knew the stories: Garp flinging cannonballs by the dozen with his bare hands, devastating pirate fleets in a single onslaught.
The tension deepened—until raucous laughter burst from the docks.
A small boat had just reached shore. From it, a haggard figure rolled onto the ground, clutching his stomach as he howled with mad delight.
"Ha-ha-ha! You fell for it, bastard! This is a pirate nest—you'll die here! Hahaha!"
It was Torf, giddy with triumph, though so weak his body seemed hollowed out.
His hysterical laughter drew the gaze of every pirate at the port.
Then they noticed the figure stepping calmly off the boat behind him.
A young man with a sword at his side.
Handsome. Strikingly so.
The pirates froze for a moment, then sneered in disgust.
How dare someone so pretty walk into our den? He deserves to die for that alone.
Don's eyes swept across the crowd. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a stack of wanted posters and began comparing them one by one.
"Lone Wolf Arashi, 7.8 million… Big Axe Onwa, 8.5 million… Bloodhand…" he murmured aloud, tallying up bounties.
His muttering only made the pirates' faces twist uglier.
Meanwhile, Torf's earlier laughter was collapsing into pitiful wheezes. His moment of defiance spent, he was barely breathing, lying half-dead on the planks.
"Let's see… that makes 33.21 million berries in total," Don said with satisfaction, tucking the posters away. Then he lifted his head and locked eyes with the mob.
"You're surrounded."
The words rang out clear and strong.
"Wah-haha! Did you hear that, boys?"
"Gya-ha-ha! This brat says we're surrounded!"
"What a joke! He's just one kid!"
"A loud-mouthed little punk… Don't tell me he's a bounty hunter?"
That last line hit the truth, but it only made the pirates cackle harder.
After all, this was their stronghold. Hundreds of pirates, against one man.
No matter how you looked at it, the truth was obvious.
The advantage was theirs.
End of chapter...
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