The pressure on his face suddenly eased as the old policeman watched the pirate collapse to the ground, weeping bitterly.
"Living trash that only pollutes the air!"
"Just jump into the sea and end it all!"
"Idiot! Do you want to taint the pure ocean with scum like us?!"
Staggering to his feet, the old policeman widened his eyes to survey the scene.
The once-ferocious pirates were now all prostrate on the ground, consumed by utter despair.
What... just happened?!
Frowning, his gun hand remained remarkably steady.
Regardless, he had survived. And as long as he lived, he would keep fighting!
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Gunshots rang out consecutively as bullets entered through skulls and exited through foreheads before embedding themselves in the ground.
The stench of blood and brain matter filled the air.
While Happy Town operated on the principle of bringing joy to all, its residents were no pushovers.
Facing vicious pirates, they wouldn't simply stand by and let them have their way.
The town's burning by pirates years ago had left them with particular loathing for such scum.
"Charge! Finish them off!!"
The townsfolk swarmed forward, wielding all manner of weapons to deliver coup de grâce to these demoralized criminals.
No one stopped them—Barrels had already left.
The pirate ship raised its sails, fleeing the harbor like prey escaping a predator.
"Captain, why?!"
A pirate protested angrily,
"At least we should've rescued Bolin and the others!"
Bang!
A bullet whizzed past his ear, the deafening report making him break out in cold sweat.
Barrels, with his distinctive cleft chin, holstered his pistol with a grim expression.
"Either stay and get wiped out, or abandon some crew to escape safely. If you're confident about fighting Phantoms, I can send you back right now."
As a former Marine Rear Admiral (albeit from a branch office, not matching Headquarters standards), he was no ordinary man.
The Marines naturally possessed a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
The Phantoms appearing in the harbor were clearly the power of the Ghost-Ghost Fruit.
Impossible to hit, and delivering hard crowd control upon contact.
Upon recognizing the Ghost-Ghost Fruit's ability, he'd immediately decided to flee.
He was greedy, not stupid.
His rear admiral position had been earned through sheer physical prowess and years of military achievements.
He possessed neither Haki nor the Six Powers.
Against such an unbeatable ability, retreat was the only option.
Unfortunately, it seemed slightly too late.
"G-g-ghost..."
A pirate pointed trembling behind him:
"The Phantom is following us!"
Barrels whirled around, pupils dilating as he stumbled back two steps.
The seemingly dopey Negative Hollows now appeared like demons from hell.
Then he relaxed slightly.
Phantoms couldn't actually kill—they just induced negativity.
He'd fled the harbor because policemen were present there; losing morale meant surrendering.
But now they were on the pirate ship.
Surrounded by crewmates, even if affected, the worst outcome would be embarrassment, not death.
"Adjust our course and gather everyone on deck."
Having sorted his thoughts, he commanded calmly:
"No need to worry. These things can't kill directly. Just stay away from the railings so no one falls overboard."
The pirates quickly followed orders, gathering on the deck back-to-back as they warily watched the Phantoms floating in the air.
The Negative Hollows scratched their heads before descending and darting wildly through the crowd.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Waaah~
The pirates collapsed one after another, their wails shaking the heavens.
Before long, every pirate on the deck had been utterly defeated—including Barrels.
"I'm so despicable! Betraying the Marines for money, even stealing a warship—I'm utterly despicable!"
He pounded the deck with his fists, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Dier sat silently in the crow's nest, observing the group's pitiful display while holding an active Den Den Mushi.
"Perona, recall the Phantoms. You've worked hard today."
"Okay~"
Click.
The call ended, and Dier tucked the snail into his coat.
The distance between the dense forest and the town wasn't far, and the town itself wasn't large.
By the time the pirate ship docked, he had already arrived at the port with Hina and the Negative Hollows.
However, he didn't make his presence known. Instead, he took advantage of the chaos to fly onto the ship with Hina, subdued the lookout, and lay in wait.
The port was too crowded—far from an ideal place for interrogation.
But here? Perfect.
Holding Hina, Dier descended from the crow's nest. She then activated her ability, binding the entire group with iron rings.
Thanks to the effects of the Negative Hollows, they offered no resistance—in fact, they lined up eagerly, competing to be restrained.
Barrels, being particularly large—roughly three meters tall—ended up with the most rings.
Counting them, there were at least seven or eight, covering every part of his body except his head.
"Hey, do you have a son named Drake?"
Dier walked up to him and asked bluntly, simultaneously activating his Hypnosis ability.
Though it seemed a bit unnecessary.
Barrels spilled everything without hesitation.
He did have a son—but not named Drake. His name was Dolly.
"Dolly! Dolly!!"
He turned and roared toward the cabin:
"Get your ass out here and greet this gentleman!!"
After a long silence, there was no response from inside.
Seeing Dier's displeased expression, Barrels panicked.
"I'm not lying, sir! Ask them—they know! I really have a son named Dolly, about fourteen years old!"
The surrounding pirates nodded in agreement.
Barrels wouldn't lie about something so trivial.
"I'll check the cabin."
After instructing Hina to stay on deck, Dier stepped inside, his body emitting a soft glow to illuminate the surroundings.
Names could be changed—he needed to see this "Dolly" for himself.
BOOM!!
A cannon blast rang out, violently shaking the ship. The pirates on deck cried out in pain.
Before he could finish searching, Dier immediately turned back, grabbing Hina's hand.
With his ability to fly, even if the ship split apart instantly, he could avoid falling into the water.
A massive hole had been blown through the left side of the ship—the cannon's power was clearly no joke.
Dier looked to the left and spotted a very familiar vessel.
"A submarine?!"
Moored nearby was none other than the ship he had been longing for—the Polar Tang.
Gold-plated from bow to stern, with two masts—one fore, one aft—and a modest deck in front of the main mast.
Lying unconscious on that deck was a young boy.
Where the boy came from didn't matter—right now, Dier only had eyes for that submarine.
Wiping away the nonexistent drool at the corner of his mouth, he carried Barrels toward the left side of the ship.
The one piloting the submarine was likely Wolf, who had probably come for Barrels.
Though Wolf might not recognize Barrels, he would certainly recognize Dier.
After all, the two had just met not long ago.
Sure enough, the submarine that had been preparing to continue its bombardment halted its actions.
"Ogre Mask—isn't that the guy who saved me?"
Wolf, who had been observing the situation through binoculars, froze for a moment. But seeing Barrels bound in iron rings, he quickly pieced together the truth.
He turned to the innkeeper steering the vessel and said,
"Bring the ship closer!"