Spring Island, one of the Four Seasons Islands in the first half of the Grand Line.
A pirate crew from the West Blue had just crossed Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line—and before their feet were even warm, they couldn't wait to start plundering.
To them, this raid wasn't strictly necessary.
It was fueled more by the excitement of stepping into the Grand Line for the first time—a restless itch to do something big.
The goal was simple.
Money.
Fame.
Women.
Alcohol.
What they didn't know was that an unremarkable Marine internship ship was already drawing close.
Karl raised his rifle, steadied his aim, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The lookout pirate on the mast howled as he toppled from the crow's nest.
"Damn… I'm rusty," Karl muttered with a helpless shake of his head.
Back at the 108th Branch, he'd been a crack shot.
Two months without touching a gun and his accuracy had clearly slipped.
"Karl! From that far away, one shot was still a clean hit—that's amazing already!" Ain said excitedly, fully transformed into a devoted fan.
"Alright, enough flattery," Karl replied.
"Get ready to land."
Spring Rain Town
"Wahahaha! As expected of a Grand Line island—this place is loaded!"
A tall, lanky man with a long firearm slung across his back greedily stared at the piles of gold and jewels his subordinates had looted.
He was Derman, captain of the Firelock Pirates, with a bounty of 13.5 million Beli.
Things hadn't worked out for him in the West Blue, so he'd dragged his crew to the Grand Line to gamble on fortune.
He never expected his first raid to go this smoothly.
He even spotted reporters snapping photos earlier.
Perfect, he thought.
Once those photos were published, how much would his bounty rise?
"Boss, this is enough! Any more and the ship won't be able to carry it. We should retreat—what if the Marines show up?"
Derman glanced at the burning town.
Terrified civilians.
Weeping women.
Crying children.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"No rush. Since we're already here, let's go big."
"Listen up! Slaughter the town—kill all the men and kids."
"As for the women…"
"Hahahaha—have your fun!"
A chorus of mad cheers erupted.
"OH! BOSS IS WISE!!!"
Bang!
The door of a well-kept, medieval-style house was kicked open.
A burly pirate strode in, eyes gleaming as he took in the luxurious furnishings.
"Jackpot! No one's touched this place yet! Looks like I'm getting rich today!"
He dove into the room, stuffing anything valuable into his sack.
Under the bed, a beautiful mother and daughter clutched each other, shaking violently, desperate not to make a sound.
Please… don't find us…
Footsteps drew closer.
They held their breath.
An old boot heel appeared in their view—the pirate was rummaging through the wardrobe.
"Huh? All women's clothes?"
The pirate's eyes lit up.
"So that's it… no wonder this place was so quiet."
"Hehehe…"
A lewd laugh escaped him as he scratched his crotch.
"Come on out. I know you're here. Don't worry—I promise I won't hurt you~"
He slammed the wardrobe to the ground.
Ah!
The daughter's terrified cry betrayed them.
"Hahaha! Found you!"
The pirate reached for the bed—
"MARINES! THE MARINES ARE HERE! RETREAT! RETREAT!!!"
Curses echoed from the street.
"Damn it!" the pirate spat, stomping in frustration before fleeing.
The mother and daughter collapsed in relief, their clothes soaked through with sweat.
They had escaped—this time.
Aboard the Internship Ship
"Karl," Zeff said solemnly,
"You have the most combat experience here. I'll leave this operation under your command."
"These pirates aren't strong—but don't be careless."
Karl smiled.
His slacking quota for the day was already more or less done.
Might as well stretch a bit.
"Don't worry, Instructor Zeff. Leave it to me."
He stepped in front of the eager recruits, golden light gathering in his hand.
"May the Holy Light bless you."
"Marine victory!"
"MARINE VICTORY!"
The recruits charged in high spirits, forming a tightening encirclement around the town under Karl's commands.
"Marines! It's the Marines! Get them!"
Bang!
The battle erupted.
Elite recruits easily dodged wild gunfire and counterattacked.
Against trained Marines, these pirates were nothing but fodder.
Ain locked her eyes onto the tall, thin man.
Shave!
"Damn woman! You think you can beat me?! I'm Firelock Derman!"
He raised his long gun and unleashed a barrage—over ten shots in rapid succession.
As expected of a pirate captain—he had some skill.
"Tch!"
Ain flashed left with Shave but still caught a graze on her arm. Pain shot through her limb.
Then—
Warmth.
Golden energy flowed over her wound, sealing it in seconds.
"So this is the healing Karl talked about…"
"You really have to experience it to understand how powerful it is."
With no fear of injury, Ain surged forward and slapped Derman squarely.
"W-What did you do to me?!"
Derman screamed as his body shrank.
In an instant, he went from a grown man to a young lad.
Then—
Another slap.
Now he was a child, barely able to lift his beloved firearm.
"Bind him."
Town Center
Temporary Commander Karl sat casually on a rough wooden stool, legs crossed, lazily blowing smoke rings.
A bearded pirate crept out of an alley, leveled his gun at Karl's unmoving figure, and roared:
"DIE, PRETTY BOY!"
Bang!
Karl tilted his head slightly—
the bullet whizzed past.
Calmly, he looked at the attacker.
He hadn't consciously noticed the pirate before—but something had warned him.
He hadn't awakened Observation Haki yet.
Half a step away, Karl thought.
"Hey, that's pretty rude. Jealous because I'm handsome?"
"Damn you!"
The pirate hurriedly reloaded—
His vision filled with Karl's hand.
"Finger Pistol."
Pshk!
A bloody hole appeared between the pirate's brows.
He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
"Hey, at least your death raised the average male looks in the world by a tiny bit."
Moments later, a recruit ran over, panicked.
"Karl! Someone's seriously injured—hurry!"
Karl blinked, startled.
What?
Everyone was supposed to be buffed!
How was someone still badly hurt?!
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