Chapter 331: Nana Charged In
The sea battle between two ships on the surface had entered an even more intense state.
After a round of cannon fire across the long stretch of ocean, the ship flying the pirate flag had now closed in on the merchant vessel. Next came boarding combat.
The merchant ship—which had barely held its own during the artillery exchange—now began falling apart.
The pirate captain wielding a curved blade casually brutalized the merchant ship's guards.
With mere casual swings of his blade, he cut through both weapons and men, cleaving them in half.
Soon the pirates had already seized control, herding everyone aboard onto the deck.
"Hahahaha! If you'd just surrendered earlier, none of this would've happened!"
The sword-carrying pirate captain grinned, but his narrow triangular eyes held no trace of humor. That cold gaze silently sweeping over each person made them tremble from head to toe.
"Leave the money and treasure. As for the people—"
The pirate captain spoke. His mouth twisted, revealing yellowed teeth between thick lips. "Toss them in the sea to feed the fish."
Many aboard began screaming. Some had already fainted from sheer terror.
No helping it. Even in the Four Seas, being thrown into the ocean's center meant certain death. This was the New World—far worse.
If thrown in here, survival was absolutely impossible. Only death awaited them.
They wept and begged, but pirates never cared about such things.
Those who dared resist received immediate punishment from guns and swords. Those trembling in fear were seized and thrown directly into the sea.
For a moment, the sea surface resembled dumplings being dropped into water as people were tossed in one after another.
No amount of screaming or wailing helped. Instead, it only made the pirates laugh more gleefully.
But an unexpected situation suddenly occurred.
"Hey! What are you guys doing?!"
A questioning voice suddenly came from below the ship.
A pirate holding someone he was about to throw looked down in surprise.
"Huh?"
He blinked incredulously. "Captain, there are two kids on the water!"
What was going on? They'd completely missed these kids on deck earlier!
The one who'd just spoken wasn't particularly conspicuous, but the silent one's size was astonishingly large. If she'd really been on the ship earlier, how could they have missed her?!
Where had they come from? This was New World waters!
Wait!
Though seawater wasn't transparent, this sharp-eyed pirate faintly glimpsed below the two little girls' waists—what swished beneath didn't seem like human legs!
"That—that is!!"
The pirate's eyes widened. After brief shock, joyful excitement blossomed uncontrollably across his face, distorting his entire expression.
"Captain! Captain!! You won't believe this, but—mermaids! They're mermaids! Two mermaids!"
"What?"
The pirate captain excitedly rushed over, leaning on the gunwale to look down.
He saw two little girls floating on the water surface below.
He also saw clearly—the two tails swishing beneath the waterline.
They really were mermaids!
They'd struck it rich!
The pirate captain's face instantly flushed red. Indescribable excitement swelled in his chest.
On the sea surface, Princess Shirahoshi had already furrowed her brow.
Having awakened Observation Haki, she possessed an ability similar to her mother's—perceiving hearts.
So at this moment, she sensed humanity's malice.
Not a trace of goodwill. That pirate's gaze toward them contained only complete malevolence.
"Nasty guy, take this!"
Nana didn't think nearly as much as Shirahoshi.
The little girl had some talent in martial arts classes. After awakening Armament Haki, she'd become nearly unmatched at school.
Simply put—Nana was currently somewhat overconfident.
Her long tail suddenly exerted force in the water. Nana's body shot out like an arrow leaving its bow, charging directly toward the deck.
"Fish-Man Karate—Five Hundred Tile True Punch!"
The little girl called out sweetly. Invisible ripples coiled around her delicate small fist as she threw a punch at the pirate captain!
Nana's face currently wore a smug smile.
She could already foresee it—after defeating this pirate, Brett-niisan's face would show approving smiles!
The little girl had a strong sense of justice. Even though these attacked humans had no connection to her, she was still willing to fight pirates for their sake.
But—
Smack.
Nana's small fist was caught in the pirate captain's hand.
A layer of pitch-black Haki covered the pirate's hand.
"Hahahaha!"
The pirate captain laughed heartily. "You even know Haki! That makes you even better! More valuable!"
A mermaid with some skills was naturally worth more than one with just a pretty face!
"Waaah!"
Nana screamed.
She couldn't break free at all!
How was this guy so strong?
"Brett-niisan, help!"
Little Nana couldn't help crying out.
"Brett?"
The pirate captain's smile froze.
That name—few people on these seas didn't know it anymore.
In the New World especially, it was thunderously famous and deeply ingrained.
No way—had that monster actually come?
Could it just be someone with the same name?
"Nana, didn't you say you'd handle everything?"
Cold sweat instantly streamed down the pirate captain's forehead.
He hadn't sensed anything at all!
He didn't even dare turn around.
The pirates on deck had also instantly fallen silent.
At some unknown moment, a tall, imposing man had appeared on deck.
Just standing there made everyone's hearts tremble with fear. They could barely grip their weapons.
"I'm too weak..."
Little Nana, dangling from the pirate's grasp, muttered reluctantly.
"Recognizing that much is already quite good."
Brett said with a smile. "Recognizing your own weakness is also a form of growth."
The most frightening thing about people was lacking self-awareness.
Then Brett looked at the pirate captain who still had his back turned, unmoving. "So then, pirate—what do you plan to do?"
The pirate captain's body trembled.
This monster had actually come!
Escape was absolutely impossible now! So then—
His curved blade instantly shot toward Nana's neck.
Not intending to kill her, but to take the little girl hostage and escape safely from the Deep Sea Emperor's grasp.
But—
Snap.
Brett casually flicked his finger. A bolt of lightning shot like a bullet, instantly piercing through the pirate captain's body.
"AAAAH!"
The pirate screamed, his body convulsing violently before crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud.