Bang!
Nezumi slapped Pearl across the face, then quickly turned to Gawain with a fawning smile, seeing only confusion in the man's eyes.
"I must have remembered it wrong earlier," he said obsequiously. "It's not that rare for navy officers from the Grand Line to return to the East Blue. Vice Admiral Garp, for example, often comes back."
He forced a laugh. "You... you don't look like a pirate."
"Really?" Gawain replied flatly, sheathing his knight sword. His expression was indifferent, but inside he understood: Nezumi had recognized him. Judging by the sudden shift in attitude, the man had no intention of starting a fight—understandably so.
Even someone like Arlong had been able to manipulate this petty officer. Gawain, whose bounty was more than double Arlong's and whose strength eclipsed his, was far beyond Nezumi's ability to confront.
"So," Gawain said calmly, "it seems we've had a little misunderstanding."
Nezumi nodded frantically.
The moment he recognized Gawain's face, he had nearly dropped dead from fright. Of course it was a misunderstanding. It had to be a misunderstanding!
As a senior officer of the East Blue Navy, he knew exactly what a bounty of 48 million meant. That kind of pirate couldn't be handled by anyone under the rank of Colonel—or even some Rear Admiral.
In the East Blue, a man like that was practically unstoppable. If Gawain had chosen to fight here, no one would've survived.
And then it hit him. The man standing beside Gawain, calmly sheathing his claw blades... he looked familiar too.
Wait—
Ten clawed fingers. A cold, brooding face. That oppressive, killer aura...
Kuro.
Kuro of a Thousand Plans!
Nezumi's heart nearly stopped. Everything matched the rumors. There was no doubt—he was the real Kuro!
Realizing what he had just claimed earlier, Nezumi wanted to disappear into the sea. Damn it! Just a bit of bragging, and the real deal shows up?
Kuro's eyes swept toward him. The cold glare made Nezumi's back stiffen with fear. He's going to kill me! I've got to get out of here!
Just as he opened his mouth to find an excuse to retreat, a wave of heat surged beside him.
Pearl trembled. He reached up and touched his nose—blood.
"I'm... bleeding?" he muttered, stunned.
An invisible flame burst from beneath his armor—blue-green and far hotter than normal fire. Even at a distance, the air felt like it was peeling skin.
"Oh no," Gin muttered, his face darkening.
Among Krieg's men, Pearl's strength was second only to Gin. Covered in armor, he could survive even point-blank cannon fire.
But he had one fatal flaw.
The moment he was injured, he'd lose his mind.
"This is bad!"
"Flame Pearl!"
The flames exploded violently around him, his face twisted in rage and madness. Pain overtook reason—he had snapped.
Without a word, Pearl raised the massive shield on his arm and swung it straight at Nezumi.
"Help... help!" Nezumi squealed, his voice breaking.
A thin figure suddenly appeared between them. Gin.
With a swift horizontal swing of his iron crutch, Gin channeled the full force of Pearl's charge and struck the shield dead-on—
Bang!
Pearl's shield shattered. The man flew backward, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold.
The port guards stared at Gin, stunned. Fear crept into their eyes. They instinctively formed a protective wall around Grayza and stepped back, weapons still drawn but hands trembling.
Anyone who could knock out a monster like Pearl with a single blow... wasn't human.
Nezumi, still shaking, looked down—and realized his pants were soaked.
"I-I'm alive!" he gasped. "Good job! I'll pay you! I'll promote you! No—I'll transfer you to my command!"
Gin wrinkled his nose. A strange smell filled the air.
"Sir," he said, voice flat, "we still need you to verify our identities."
"Oh—yes! Yes, of course!"
Ignoring the humiliation pooling in his trousers, Nezumi turned to Gawain with another sycophantic smile, then looked to Grayza.
"I can vouch for them," he said. "They're both legitimate navy officers."
Grayza frowned and glanced between Nezumi and Gin.
"None of the three of you are trustworthy right now."
Nezumi flushed red with embarrassment but said nothing—Gawain was still nearby, after all.
Reluctantly, Nezumi pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat and made a call. After a few moments, he handed the receiver to Grayza.
"Father?" she said, surprised.
"He is an old acquaintance of yours?"
As she listened to the voice on the other end, her eyes narrowed.
"You're telling me this guy's not corrupt?" she whispered under her breath, eyeing Nezumi with thinly veiled disgust. "He's colluding with pirates in Cocoyasi Village. Damn bastard."
After a few more exchanges, she hung up and handed the Den Den Mushi back.
"Since this was a misunderstanding, let's put it behind us," Grayza announced to everyone. "I apologize for my earlier actions, but I hope you understand—I was simply fulfilling my duty as lord."
She motioned for the port guards to stand down, then gave Gawain one last lingering glance before turning and leaving.
The tension in the air finally eased.
No one wanted a full-scale fight here. This outcome was as good as they could hope for.
The three parties went their separate ways.
From a distance, Nezumi glanced nervously at Gawain and shivered.
"We're leaving," he told the Marines. "Right now."
One of them looked unsure. "But sir, our supplies won't last a week, and it'll take at least two to reach another port—"
"If we stay here, we're dead!" Nezumi snapped, voice trembling. After composing himself slightly, he added, "Contact a nearby base. Tell them our ship suffered damage at sea and needs resupply."
Then, under his breath, he muttered, "Let those monsters deal with each other."
He glanced at Gin, then Gawain and Kuro.
"Loguetown is not far. Isn't that guy from HQ always acting high and mighty? Let him handle it!"
Without waiting to restock supplies, Nezumi boarded the ship and departed in a flurry—like a man fleeing death itself.
Back at the port.
Kuro watched the warship sail away and licked his lips.
"I know that rat. He's weak and poses no threat. But that navy guy who attacked me—he's dangerous. Even I felt a bit uneasy. He's one of the strongest in the East Blue."
"His name's not Nig," Gawain said, shaking his head. "He's Man-Demon Gin—bounty of 12 million Berries. First officer under Admiral Krieg."