Captain Bazzarelli watched as Gojo savored his food and liquor like a man who had not eaten for months. After draining the last drop from the bottle, Gojo let out a satisfied sigh. "Thanks for the meal," he said, bowing his head respectfully.
"You bastard. Prepare to die."
"Before I die, may I ask a few questions?"
"Say your last words."
Gojo cleared his throat. "I recall you claimed to be the strongest pirate in the East Blue?"
"Yes, that's me."
"And your bounty is 13 million berries?"
"Correct."
"So this world uses berries instead of yen?" Gojo murmured to himself before raising his voice again. "Can you tell me more about this world?"
"Huh? Who the hell do you think you're talking to, eh?" One of Bazzarelli's crewmates, Jin, gestured in frustration.
"Calm down, Jin. Let me educate him before he dies."
"First question—is piracy common in this world?"
"You truly know nothing? Kwachichichi!" Bazzarelli sneered. "This world is ruled by the World Government, and the Marines enforce their so-called justice. But the real question is—who do you believe upholds justice? The Marines… or the pirates?"
Gojo pondered the question carefully. 'Does that mean it's similar to the jujutsu world? Instead of curses and sorcerers, there are Marines and pirates… Amusing.' He smirked inwardly before answering aloud, "I'd say… the pirates."
"Kwachichichi! Exactly!" Bazzarelli snapped his fingers. "The Marines hunt us down, placing 'Dead or Alive' bounties on every pirate's head."
"'Dead or Alive'? Then what about those you called 'pirate hunters' earlier? Do the Marines capture them?"
"No. Those scavengers profit from our bounties. They deliver us—alive or dead—to the Navy as proof to claim their reward."
Gojo nodded twice in understanding. "So what drives people to become pirates? Is there some ultimate treasure or goal?"
"Indeed, there is." Bazzarelli's eyes gleamed. "To become the Pirate King—just like Gol .D. Roger, who conquered the seas and claimed the title."
"Gol D. Roger, huh? What happened to him?"
"You really are clueless! Kwachichichi!" Bazzarelli cackled. "He was executed twenty years ago. His final words were: 'My treasures? If you want them, you can have them! Seek them out! I left everything this world has to offer there!'"
"And what is 'there'?" Gojo's interest was piqued.
"Kwachichihi! 'One Piece'—the greatest treasure in existence. Whoever finds it first in these vast seas… will become the next Pirate King."
"Ohhh, I see. So you aim to be the future King of Pirates?" Gojo mused.
"Precisely. I will rise above the World Government, its lapdogs—the Marines—and even the Seven Warlords. They will all kneel before me."
"Ehh? How lame." Gojo scoffed.
"Mock me all you want. But face reality—you're outnumbered, and no one, not even the Marines, will save you now." The captain smirked. "Kill him, men."
"Yes, sir!"
Gojo picked himself up from the ground, dusting off his clothes with deliberate slowness. "I'll say this—I really don't want to hurt you guys. But since you've left me no choice, I'll beat every single one of you and turn you over to the Marines. That 13 million bounty will feed me nicely." He began hopping lightly on his feet, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders in preparation.
"This nobody wants to turn 'me' in? Kwachichihi!" The captain sneered, turning to his crew. "Hey, guys—what did he say his name was again? Gochi?"
"No, Captain, it's Gopi," one pirate chimed in.
"Nah, Gopo," another corrected.
"Gogo!"
"Goto!"
"Goso!"
Bazzarelli and his thirty-two subordinates erupted into raucous laughter, deliberately butchering Gojo's name as if it were some childish game.
Gojo's patience frayed. 'These scum—calling themselves pirates—dare mock my name? If only they knew the fear it once struck into every cursed demon and sorcerers back in my world.' His fingers twitched. "I'll kill eve—"
*CRACK!*
A fist clad in brass knuckles collided with Gojo's face, sending him crashing through the wooden deck before he could finish his sentence.
"Hahahahaha!"
The pirates howled with laughter as he sprawled across the splintered planks. Blood trickled from his nose, dripping into his mouth. "Blood?" He whispered, still lying motionless.
"What's the meaning of this? Did he bypass my Limitless?" The realization left him stunned.
Brushing off the debris, he rose to his feet, his piercing blue eyes scanning the pirates. "Let's see if they can do it again."
"Still alive after a direct hit?" Bazzarelli clapped mockingly. "But how long can you last?"
Another pirate lunged at Gojo, who immediately dropped into a combat stance. The attacker's fist clenched, muscles coiling like a spring before—
"DEVASTATING PUNCH!!"
The blow hammered into Gojo's abdomen, forcing a spray of blood from his lips as he was hurled backward.
*BOOM!*
His body slammed against the far end of the ship, blood streaking from his mouth. 'He bypassed my Infinity? No…' His mind raced. 'I haven't awakened my Cursed Energy yet—but I can feel it stirring in my veins.' The truth settled in: he had arrived in this world stripped of his power.
'So I'll have to train to reclaim it? Fine by me.' Wiping the blood from his lips, a sinister grin crept across his face, his blue eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "Entertain me."
In a blur, he closed the distance to the nearest pirate, driving a brutal thrust into the man's throat. The pirate gagged, collapsing as his windpipe split open. Before the others could react, warm droplets splattered their faces—their comrade's blood.
"This blue-eyed bastard just killed our crewmate! UNFORGIVABLE!"
Rage ignited among the pirates, their bloodlust palpable—all except Bazzarelli, who watched from the rear, a calculating smirk on his lips.
*BAM! BAM!*
A panicked pirate fired his flintlock wildly—until—
*CRACK!*
Gojo twisted the man's neck with a sickening snap. "That's two," he counted, leaping back as a blade whistled past him. The swordsman charged again, raising his weapon high—only for Gojo to sidestep, drive an elbow into his jaw, and wrench the sword from his grip.
Slash!
Gojo's blade severed both of the pirate's hands in one clean motion. The man wailed in agony before a brutal roundhouse kick sent him hurtling overboard. Before the remaining crew could react, Gojo became a whirlwind of steel—dashing between them with lethal precision, his sword painting the ship crimson as one after another collapsed in gushing arcs of blood.
The captain's eyes bulged in horror. In mere seconds, this lone fighter had dismantled his entire crew, their lifeless bodies turning the deck into a grotesque scarlet pool. Bazzarelli's boots squelched in the thickening blood, his teeth grinding so hard his jaw ached.
Gojo exhaled sharply, steadying his breath. Drenched from head to toe in red, he advanced, each step leaving a macabre footprint. "These are the men you boasted would make you Pirate King?" His voice was eerily calm, a stark contrast to the carnage around them.
"You bastard… It's far too late for apologies now." Veins throbbed like worms beneath the captain's skin, his rage distorting his face. "You'll regret crossing the great Bazzarelli!"
"Enough talk." Gojo smirked, beckoning him forward. "Show me what you've got."
With a roar, Bazzarelli hefted his massive axe—its height matching Gojo's own. "He's a monster," Gojo muttered, adjusting his grip on the stolen sword.
"Let's see you scratch me now!" The captain thumped his chestplate. "This is the second-most expensive armor in the East Blue!"
"Spare me the sales pitch." Gojo lunged, sword flashing upward in a vertical arc—only for the blade to rebound harmlessly off the gleaming metal.
"My turn." Bazzarelli's fist cannoned into Gojo's crossed arms, launching him backward into a heap of corpses. "Pathetic. My crew lost to 'this'?" He spat on the deck. "Worthless fodder."
A low growl rumbled in Gojo's throat. "You call yourself a captain when you treat your men as disposable pawns?"
"The weak die. The strong survive." Bazzarelli shrugged. "I'll replace them."
"Then prove 'you're' not weak." In one fluid motion, Gojo hurled the sword straight at Bazzarelli's face. As the captain dodged, Gojo blurred behind him—fist cocked, knuckles white—and slammed a crushing blow into the armor's spine. A web of cracks spiderwebbed across the metal.
Gojo's assault became a tempest. His fists rained down like meteors, each strike echoing like a hammer on an anvil, his cerulean eyes blazing through the darkness.
"Fuck you!" Bazzarelli snarled, stumbling under the barrage.
"No—fuck you."
Suddenly, azure flames erupted around Gojo's fist. The final punch detonated—shattering the armor into shrapnel and catapulting Bazzarelli through the ship's hull in a geyser of splinters and seawater.
Gojo stared at his smoldering hand, lips curling into a feral grin. "Well, well… After such a long nap, my Cursed Energy's finally waking up..."
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