Kurosawa Raion had come up with a simple, yet brutal plan.Tonight, he would sneak into Tom's cabin and stab him to death in his sleep.
There were plenty of low-ranking thugs like Tom aboard Bucky's pirate ship—nobodies who no one really cared about. Raion didn't believe for a second that a guy like Tom would bother locking his door or setting traps when he slept.
But no matter how simple the plan sounded, Raion wasn't plotting to kill a chicken—this was a human being. If Tom died, Bucky would definitely investigate. And everyone on the ship knew about the animosity between Raion and Tom. The moment Tom's body turned up, all eyes would be on him.
No one would bother to prove his innocence. Someone like Raion—a nameless deckhand—was lower than dirt. His life meant less than an insect's. Executing him would simply be a warning to others.
So Raion's plan was to kill Tom and then end his own life.
If he had to go on living in humiliation like this, without a shred of hope, then dying on his own terms was better than being broken day after day.
With this resolve, Raion got to work.
Since he was just a lowly ship repairman, he wasn't allowed to carry a weapon—no katana, no cutlass, nothing. But down in the dim lower deck, at his workstation, he found what he needed:
A rusty boning knife, long forgotten in a dusty corner, and an old whetstone with a chipped edge.
The knife hadn't been used in years. Its blade was dull and brown with corrosion. But it was still steel. Still sharp enough—if you worked at it.
Raion filled a basin with seawater and began sharpening it.
The screech of metal against stone echoed in the silence.
In Raion's eyes, this long-abandoned piece of scrap had become something else entirely: a blade meant for revenge.
And in truth, after an hour of careful grinding, the rusted edge began to shine faintly. It had taken on a real edge—sharp enough to cut.
Raion didn't have superhuman strength. He didn't have a Devil Fruit or a powerful bloodline. But he had anger, and he had this knife.
He wasn't someone who just accepted his fate. If he let this go on forever, it would mean he was a coward—and he'd lose all respect for himself.
"I'll pay you back—with blood," Raion muttered, staring at the blade in his hand.
He was preparing to strike that very night. But before sunset, something unexpected happened that made him abandon the plan altogether.
To be more accurate, he no longer needed revenge.
Bucky's ship was en route to Orange Town in the East Blue. The clown captain had recently gotten hold of a sea chart for both the East Blue and the Grand Line. Orange Town, according to his intel, was isolated and lightly defended—relatively wealthy and too far for the Navy to bother with.
Perfect for conquest.
Bucky intended to attack the town and establish it as his new stronghold.
For the defenseless townspeople, it would be a massacre.
But that's a story for another time.
That afternoon, Bucky was in high spirits and threw a banquet to celebrate.
Pirates love banquets. Even the cruelest and most violent among them yearn for the carefree, chaotic joy of freedom. A good feast was one of the few things that kept their wild spirits satisfied.
The festivities began. Roasted sea beasts sizzled on the fire, releasing waves of savory steam. Unnamed vegetables and tropical fruits were piled high. And of course—there was booze. Lots of it.
Wine is the true star of every pirate banquet.
And it was thanks to the wine that Raion no longer needed to kill Tom.
See, Tom wasn't just a bully—he was a drunk. A loud, violent, mean drunk. He drank straight from the bottle any chance he got. And the more he drank, the crazier he became.
Every time he got plastered, Raion was his favorite target.
So it was only fitting that booze would also bring about Tom's downfall.
Bucky, seated proudly in the center, raised his glass and toasted with the crew. Kabaji, his jester-like chief of staff, rode his unicycle while juggling for entertainment. Vice-Captain Mohji's oversized pet lion, Richie, devoured meat like a glutton, scarfing down everything in sight.
The crew cheered, raised their mugs, and celebrated Bucky's upcoming assault on Orange Town. A violinist played a lively tune. Raion and a few other low-ranking workers scurried back and forth, hauling drinks, trays, and fruit platters.
The scene was loud, chaotic, and—at least on the surface—joyous.
Then Tom opened his mouth and ruined everything.
"Our red-nosed captain is finally gonna take over a town!"
He had downed nearly two pounds of brandy by then. The liquor burned away what little brainpower he had.
As the words left his mouth, a heavy silence fell across the ship.
Glasses were lowered. Forks stopped mid-air.
Every pirate turned their head toward Captain Bucky.
Raion, watching from a distance, felt the air grow cold. Even he knew that Tom had just signed his own death warrant.
The entire ship had heard those words—loud and clear.
Bucky's ridiculous clown face was suddenly not funny at all.
His expression darkened, and his mouth twitched.
"Tom... what did you just say?"His tone was calm, but his lip trembled with rage.
Tom, still woozy from the drink, blinked at him. Then he saw the cold fury in Bucky's eyes... and realized what he had done.
He was in deep, deep trouble.
Before he could say another word, Bucky snarled, "Tie him to the cross."
The order was immediate.
Several crew members leapt to obey. Tom, now panicked, struggled weakly, but he was far too drunk to resist. They dragged him to a wooden cross, roped him in tightly, and began wheeling him to the front of the ship.
Kabaji leaned forward on his unicycle, watching with interest—he loved scenes like this.
Only now did Tom seem to wake up from his drunken stupor. He screamed, "Captain Bucky, I'm sorry! Please! I was drunk! I didn't mean it!"
But Bucky wasn't moved in the slightest.
There was one rule everyone on the ship knew: never, ever call him "red nose."
Anyone who broke that rule—no matter how loyal or strong—would suffer Bucky's wrath.
And Tom had not only said it—he had shouted it in front of the entire crew.
You don't seek death and expect to live.
Now strapped to the wooden cross like a prisoner awaiting execution, Tom trembled in terror. His moment of drunken stupidity had cost him everything.
Bucky's face twisted into a grin full of cruelty.
The show was about to begin.
And Kabaji, the ever-sadistic entertainer, was eager for the curtain to rise.