The bombardment ended in haste.
Jango lowered his telescope, puzzlement flickering in his eyes.
Scanning the horizon, there was only that tiny island, yet no one scrambled about on deck.
The report claimed the crew numbered just three, but even so, they should have shown some reaction.
"Jango, we've got him. Told you it would be easy."
Buchi stared excitedly at the distant ship's outline. "Wonder how much we'll rake in this time, wouldn't a fat haul be nice?"
"What are we waiting for? Charge in and finish it."
Sham urged with equal excitement, "Stop the shelling, that ship'll fetch a tidy sum too."
"Shut it. I'm the Captain!"
Jango's gaze chilled and the brothers snapped their mouths shut.
It wasn't Jango's personal might that forced Sham and Buchi to obey, but the fact Kuro himself had put him in charge.
…Fine, his strength helped a bit too.
After silencing the noisy pair, Jango raised the telescope again.
"Abandoned ship and fled? With an island that size, where could they run? They'd have been smarter to sail away."
Muttering, Jango was suddenly struck by an absurd notion.
The prey hadn't fled—they were waiting aboard or on shore.
But then, he instantly dismissed it.
Unless they were idiots, or utterly ignorant of the Black Cat Pirates, they wouldn't just wait for them.
"Close in!"
After a moment's thought, Jango gave the order.
He'd heard of Alvida, but their hunting grounds had never overlapped.
For pirates, bounty often equals strength.
The target was a mere 7-million-Berry bounty. His own 9 million topped that by 2 million, plus the 7-million Catman Brothers and a hundred elite crew.
One ship versus three men—the advantage was his. Simply crush them.
"Charge!"
"Go, go, go! Treasure, here we come!"
"Yahoo! Full sail ahead!"
The pirates sprang into action.
Distance shrank rapidly.
Jango kept the telescope glued to his eye. He couldn't believe anyone could be that stupid, yet hoped they were.
Soon, Jango spotted something off.
Beside the ship lay a broken, half-sunken wreck. Through the lens he could clearly see a section of the hull jutting skyward, sliced smooth.
The mark of a slash!
'Impossible. That's an entire ship…'
Jango laughed at his own fancy.
Even the mighty Captain Kuro had never cleaved a vessel in two.
A very long sword was only a few metres, how could it split a hull seven or eight metres wide so cleanly?
Yet…
How had such a blade-like scar appeared on that wreck?
Sea Kings?
No answers.
The island was now so close he could make out details on the target's deck.
The pirates whooped, bustling to land and seize their prey.
Then…
Sham suddenly pointed ahead. "Is that… a person?"
Buchi froze.
A black blur had shot from the target vessel, straight toward them.
Jango calmly lowered the telescope, his eyes cold.
His most absurd guess had come true.
The enemy's leap showed monstrous leg power. The fellow was worth far more than 7 million—no wonder he felt confident.
Pity he was alone.
"Enemy on deck—battle stations!"
Jango's roar rang across the planks as the pirates snapped to readiness.
At that instant, the black figure landed on deck with no more sound than a drifting feather.
Instantly, countless gun barrels levelled and blades slid from scabbards as the crew grinned at the prey delivered to their door.
"Reason says you can't know who we are."
Jango said, stepping forward with the Catman Brothers, looking down at Hiroto on the waist deck.
"But instinct says you do and came anyway."
Hiroto said, "Your instinct should tell you more than that."
"Such as?"
Confirmation soured Jango's mood, being underestimated didn't feel good in the slightest.
"Such as…"
Hiroto tightened his grip on his long blade. "Your death flags are already fluttering."
[Sharp Sword] activated.
Perception, reflex, presence ↑
"Take him alive, squeeze the treasure's location out of him." Jango flicked a hand.
Behind him, the Catman Brothers pounced.
"Don't surrender too quick, kid. Let me enjoy this."
Sham's black gloves ended in razor claws like a cat's.
He shared a feline love of toying with prey.
Buchi hung back, giving his brother room to play, they weren't meant to kill outright.
Whoosh—
A sudden gale swept the deck.
Hiroto vanished into the wind. [Thrust] engaged, his blade slashing upward.
[Agility: E→E+]
Ssshh—
A dash tore the air, a line of steel flashing at Sham.
As gale roared past, mid-leap, Sham froze. He stared, bewildered, as crimson lines rose across his clawed fingers.
Darkness crept in and the world tilted, agony flooding every nerve.
What… happened… where…?
Sham's head slid from his shoulders.
Buchi hadn't even registered it, he saw only a blur, then his brother's head drop.
The same gust hit him. The black blur was already before him, a slash cleaving down.
"Damn it!"
Buchi crossed his arms over his head and sprang backward.
Steel flashed and two severed arms thudded to the boards, blood dripping.
'So fast!'
Armless, Buchi shook with pain.
How could the gap be this vast?
Their combined bounty equalled the enemy's 7 million.
Yet in a single second Hiroto had erased Sham.
Why?
The sword had moved faster than even Buchi could track.
No time for answers.
Still leaping back, Buchi glanced up—Hiroto stood distant, yet slashed downward.
Too far to reach.
Jango would back him.
Hope flared, then died as a visible wind tore across the deck.
Steel-Severing Slash!
(End of Chapter)
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