Two years later, somewhere near the Calm Belt of the Grand Line.
A fully armed galleon was speeding across the sea. After a narrow but successful escape from the Calm Belt, they immediately hoisted the sails, causing their speed to surge.
"Whew! Finally! We made it out of that death trap alive!"
"This time, we really had to rack our brains to come up with a plan! It was risky as hell, but the payoff… is huge!"
"That's right. The Sabaody Archipelago has now completely banned human trafficking! But this time, we didn't just find treasure—among all the gold and jewels, we even caught three little brats with incredibly pretty faces! With looks like that, and in today's market..."
"If we sell them to the Celestial Dragons... they might be worth even more than all this treasure!"
The group of savage pirates celebrated their escape from the Calm Belt while calculating just how much they stood to make from this haul.
But their captain hadn't lost his head over the high return.
Instead, he swept a cold gaze over the crew around him.
"Don't get cocky just yet, you idiots!"
"Don't you know? In the past two years, a mysterious new Navy unit has emerged on the Grand Line!"
"They're not just after pirates like us—they're obsessed with wiping out anyone guilty of major crimes. Once they've marked someone, no one gets out alive!"
"And according to some World Government officials we bribed, even the World Government and the Celestial Dragons want to know more about this unit. But the top brass in the Navy are all brushing it off."
"So if we try to sell the loot... it won't be easy! We definitely can't go to Sabaody!"
"Of course, that also means there's a big opportunity here. If we can make contact with the Celestial Dragons or one of their lackeys, these high-quality goods we've got will fetch a premium price!"
As the pirate captain spoke, he pointed at a small island on the sea chart.
"The Donquixote Family has been making a name for themselves in the underworld lately."
"Rumor has it that their leader used to be a Celestial Dragon living in Mary Geoise!"
"If we go through them, we might be able to reach the Celestial Dragons!"
"As for the treasure, we could even trade it directly to the Donquixote Family in exchange for Belly."
"I've already contacted them—this time, we'll make the deal on this island!"
One of the lackeys instantly started sucking up to the captain.
"Boss Baruka, you really are the best! Strategic! Cunning! A master schemer! A backstabbing genius! Cold-blooded and ruthless!"
"...Throw him overboard and feed him to the fish!"
After tossing the socially inept crewmate—whose words did more harm than good—into the sea, the pirate captain known as Baruka was about to continue when the ship suddenly jolted violently...
Inside the cabin, the pirates were tossed in all directions, banging into walls and furniture, groaning in pain.
"Damn it! Can't any of you steer this ship properly!?" Baruka, already on edge, lost his temper. "This is the Grand Line! You have to be cautious at all times! If the Navy doesn't get us, the sea will swallow us whole!"
"Boss Baruka! We got rammed by another ship!"
"A ship? What kind of ship!?"
"I think… it's a warship?"
"What do you mean 'think'!?"
Baruka, struggling to stay on his feet, grabbed the longsword resting on the table and headed for the deck.
At the same time, a bloodthirsty grin crept across his lips.
If it really was the Navy blocking their path, well, too bad for them!
He was a fully-fledged swordsman capable of cutting through steel!
Ordinary Navy grunts were no match for him.
His disoriented underlings were no longer of use. He had to take matters into his own hands.
With that thought, Baruka shoved open the cabin door and stepped onto the deck.
Looking around, he saw his men lying scattered all over the place, the planks beneath them soaked in dark, sticky blood.
Baruka froze.
Not good!
Just as he was about to leap into the sea, the mist above suddenly stirred to life and surged toward him.
As it reached him, the mist gradually condensed into a human form—a white-haired youth carrying a massive jitte on his back.
Despite his young appearance, his features carried a ferocity that made even a seasoned pirate like Baruka momentarily forget to breathe.
A crisp white cape draped over his shoulders. The word "Justice" flapped fiercely in the sea wind.
"Well, well, you finally decided to crawl out of your little hole, you sea trash."
The white-haired youth grinned maliciously.
Baruka stared, dumbfounded, at the young Marine in front of him.
Even with his limited experience... he knew this guy was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
In plain terms...
He was screwed.
That thought sent his eyes darting around.
Until now, he had been too focused on the bloodied bodies of his crew to notice, but now he realized there were many others on deck wearing the same "Justice" cape.
Near the ship's rail, a black railing had materialized from thin air.
Perched on it was a beautiful girl with long pink hair—though her expression was anything but lovely.
And on the warship that had rammed into theirs, stood a tall man who looked like a walking corpse.
He was brandishing an enormous sword that was clearly of high quality, waving it dramatically at their ship.
Next to him stood a man wearing a face covering, chiming in without missing a beat.
"If I go like this, then like this—do you think I could slice this ship in half while sitting?"
"You can! Of course you can! And who might you be, oh mighty zombie?"
"I'm your damn uncle!"
Near the mainmast, a golden-haired woman stood smiling cheerfully. Even in this life-or-death moment, Baruka couldn't help but admire her beauty.
Tiny clouds followed the motion of her fingers as she twirled them, dancing in sync with her gestures.
She seemed to be the leader of this group of young Marines.
The white-haired youth once again turned into mist and slipped into the ship's interior.
Soon after, every surviving pirate was dragged out and thrown onto the deck.
Baruka swallowed hard.
Then opened his mouth, voice hoarse:
"I…"
"Stop. Don't talk."
"Your excuses are worthless. We only took action because we already have full evidence of your crimes."
"This is not an arrest. This is a public execution by the SWORD Secret Special Force—and the confiscation of all your stolen goods."
"Baruka the Swift Blade. Bounty: 76 million. I suppose... you barely qualify as a big fish."
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