"The ship is their nakama," Luffy repeated, his voice firm. He stood between Darian and the Bezan Black, arms crossed.
Darian rubbed his temples. He knew Luffy valued ships. The Going Merry would eventually develop a soul because of that love. But these pirates? These murderers?
"Luffy," Darian said, his tone cooling. "I understand you respect the pirate code. But give the ship back to them? Do you know what that means? It means they sail away. It means they attack the next village. They will burn, kill, and plunder again. Not every pirate is like you."
"No," Luffy said stubbornly. He pulled his straw hat down over his eyes. "A ship is a ship. You can't just sell their home."
Darian looked at him, frustrated. Luffy was a romantic. He lived in a world of dreams and adventure. Darian lived in reality.
"Enough," Zoro interrupted, stepping forward. He looked at Luffy. "Luffy. Darian has a point. If you choose this life, you have to accept the consequences. But..." He glanced at Darian. "This isn't our crew. It's their business."
Luffy stood silently for a moment. Then, without a word, he turned and walked toward the village. Zoro followed him, casting one last look at the defeated pirates.
Nami watched them go, her expression cold.
"Idiot," she muttered. "Letting pirates go free to hurt more people? I'm done with him."
She turned to Darian. "What do you want to do?"
"We do it my way," Darian said flatly. "Usopp!"
The long-nosed sniper jumped. He was standing awkwardly nearby, unsure of what to do as the "monsters" argued.
"Y-Yes?"
"Go check on Kaya. We'll handle the trash here."
"Right!" Usopp didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted up the hill, terrified of Darian after seeing the massacre.
"Rude," Darian sighed. "Not even a thank you."
He looked at the beach, littered with unconscious bodies.
"What now?" Nami asked, kicking a pirate in the ribs.
"We turn them in," Darian said. "There's a Marine base nearby. Most of these guys have bounties. Jango, the Nyaban Brothers... that's easy money."
Nami's eyes lit up. "Money! Finally, someone speaking my language."
It took hours.
Darian and Nami stripped the pirate ship of chains, ropes, and shackles. They tied up every surviving pirate, linking them together like a string of sausages.
Darian didn't hold back. If a pirate resisted or woke up too early, a quick jolt of electricity put them back to sleep. Permanently, in some cases.
"This is exhausting," Darian wiped sweat from his brow. "I'm more tired now than during the fight."
"Quit complaining," Nami grumbled, dragging a sack of loot from the captain's cabin. "These guys are broke! A hundred crew members and they barely have 10 million Berries between them!"
"Without Kuro leading them, they were small-time," Darian explained, tossing Jango (the hypnotist) onto the pile. "They couldn't hit big targets."
"Speaking of Kuro," Nami paused. "His bounty is 16 million. Where is he? Don't tell me you threw him in the ocean like Bakal?"
Darian flinched. Crap.
"Uh... well..." Darian scratched his head. "Actually, the Marines revoked his bounty three years ago because he faked his death. So... he's worth zero."
"WHAT?!"
BAM! BAM!
Nami exploded. She punched Darian in the head twice, leaving two steaming bumps.
"You let 16 million slip away?! Useless!"
"It's not my fault the bureaucracy sucks!" Darian whined, clutching his head. But he vowed silently to get his revenge later.
With the pirates secured and Nami's anger vented, the adrenaline finally wore off. Nami yawned, covering her mouth. She looked exhausted. She hadn't slept properly in days.
"Go take a nap," Darian said softly. "I'll watch the prisoners. We'll leave for the Marine base at noon."
Nami didn't argue. She stumbled back to their small boat, curled up in the cabin, and was asleep in seconds.
Left alone on the Bezan Black, Darian sat on a crate, watching the prisoners.
A few pirates started whispering, shooting glances at him. They were clearly plotting something.
Zzzzt.
Darian didn't even look up. He released a pulse of electricity across the deck.
"Aaaagh!"
The pirates seized up and fell silent.
"Next time I use more voltage," Darian warned lazily.
The silence was absolute after that.
Bored, Darian rummaged through a stack of magazines he found in the crew quarters. No cell phones, no internet. Just old-school entertainment.
He picked up a magazine titled Grand Line Fashion. It featured models in swimsuits.
"Well," Darian smirked, leaning back. "At least the culture here is advanced."
He flipped through the pages, waiting for noon, while the future Pirate King ate meat in the village, and the Black Cat Pirates realized their days of terror were over.
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