"Why do you have to be so tall?"
Dier grumbled at Hina standing beside him by the ship's railing.
With her two-centimeter heels, Hina stood at exactly 180 cm—considerably taller than him.
A smirk curled at Hina's lips as she deliberately pressed closer to Dier, her raised chin level with his nose bridge.
Whoosh—
Dier's body suddenly expanded, transforming into his 2.3-meter-tall Beast Form. His white hair grew wildly, cascading down to his waist and whipping wildly in the sea breeze.
Looking down, he retorted,
"Why do you have to be so short?"
Tch—
Hina clicked her tongue and elbowed him in the ribs.
In his normal state, Dier stood just over 170 cm—not even considered disabled in this world.
He didn't particularly care about height; being around two meters was enough.
Being too tall made interactions awkward, especially since most people around him were of average height.
If needed, he could always acquire an ability to grow larger later, ensuring he wouldn't be outmatched when facing true giants.
"Let's go. Time for a boarding battle."
He bent down, scooped Hina into his arms, and with Perona on his back, leaped toward the Marine warship.
Thanks to the Storm Petrel's accelerated pursuit, the distance between them had narrowed significantly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Marine soldiers aboard the warship opened fire, gunshots erupting like a storm as bullets rained toward the trio midair.
Perona remained unfazed, as if the barrage of bullets before her didn't exist, still idly playing with Dier's hair.
Boom!
A cluster of flames materialized in front of them, twisting and rotating until it formed a Flame Vortex, swallowing the bullets and carving a path through the barrage.
Gulp—
A rookie Marine who had recently joined swallowed hard, muttering in disbelief,
"W-what just happened?"
"It's Flame Power!"
The lieutenant beside him answered the question.
As the most notorious criminal drew closer, a flicker of despair flashed in the lieutenant's eyes.
This was supposed to be just a routine patrol mission...
"No, I can't give up! Mary's waiting for me to come back and marry her!"
Clenching his fists, the lieutenant roared,
"Prepare for battle! They only have three people—the advantage is ours!!"
Thud!
Before the Marines could react, the enemy had already landed on the deck.
"I am Perona, the Ghost Queen! The one who wields the power of Phantoms!!"
Perona waved her tiny fists, making a grand introduction in an attempt to assert her dominance as the true master of ghosts.
"That's just the Hypnotist's mascot—ignore her!"
Perona: "..."
Who said that!? How dare they disrespect her!
Pouting, she glared at the lieutenant and sent a Negative Hollow flying toward him.
The lieutenant, however, stood firm, gripping his standard-issue sword before rolling to the side, narrowly dodging the phantom's charge.
Countless humiliating experiences from his comrades had taught him one thing—never let those things touch you.
Unfortunately, he forgot that phantoms could turn. Dodging once meant nothing.
"Forgive me, Mary... A worthless worm like me doesn't deserve..."
"Charge! Attack!!"
With the lieutenant incapacitated, the ensign acting as his second-in-command immediately took over, raising his sword and leading the charge.
The surrounding Marines unsheathed their blades, the cold glint of steel seeming to drop the temperature by several degrees.
During close-quarters combat, few would choose to use firearms unless they were confident marksmen, as there was no guarantee bullets would hit enemies rather than allies.
Especially now, with only three enemies present—the chances of hitting a comrade were far higher than striking a foe.
Bang!
Dier scooped Perona into his arms, sidestepping a slash while lashing out with his right leg like a whip, sending the lieutenant flying.
"Put the Phantoms away."
One arm cradling the girl, he extended his other hand, catching a descending blade between his index and middle fingers.
A faint coating of Armament Haki shimmered over his fingers, accompanied by crackling sparks.
Zzzzt—
"GAAAH!!"
Electricity surged through the sword, jolting the marine and leaving him with a frizzy, explosive hairstyle.
With that one dealt with, Dier leisurely moved to the next, though his gaze remained fixed on Hina's position.
Back in 1503, he could casually conjure fireballs two meters tall.
If he went all out, none aboard this ship would last even a minute in his Flame Power.
But he hadn't chased them down to burn everything—he was here to let Hina train.
"Die!!"
A marine roared, swinging his sword down in a vicious slash.
Hina spread her arms and stepped toward the blade. The moment her hand touched the steel, it elongated, wrapping around the marine's body—and passing right through.
A black iron ring clamped around the man's torso, pinning his arms in place.
Thud!
Hina lifted her long right leg and drove a kick into his stomach. With a pained cry, he flew backward, slamming into the mast before collapsing unconscious.
She had no time to admire her handiwork, immediately diving back into the fray.
The deck was still swarming with enemies, and they were only three.
"Take to the skies."
She called out a warning, signaling Dier to take flight.
Once she confirmed they were airborne, she broke through the crowd and dashed to the edge of the battlefield.
"Feather Cage!"
Her arms spread wide as black iron bars extended from them, weaving into a cage that encircled the enemies.
The marines on deck were herded like sheep, trapped within the dark enclosure.
Snap!
Hina clapped her hands together. The bars surged inward at blinding speed, twisting and coiling around the marines they touched, binding them tightly.
In a single strike, nearly the entire deck was cleared.
"Ugh—!"
They writhed helplessly, unable to break free from the iron restraints.
"These numbers are a bit lacking."
Dier landed with Perona in his arms, scanning the deck.
At most, there were thirty men—pitifully few for a warship.
"Hey, what mission were you sent out for?"
Handing Perona to Hina, Dier approached the first officer to fall.
The battle had ended swiftly, and the man hadn't even shaken off his despair. Dier easily extracted the intel he wanted.
"The Donquixote Family?"
According to the lieutenant, they weren't on an offensive mission—they were scouting.
The infamous Donquixote Family had been spotted in nearby waters, and they aimed to locate and raid their hideout.
"So that flamingo's around here?"
Dier rubbed his chin, eyes glinting with contemplation.
Doflamingo's reputation was nothing to scoff at—the future Joker, the first to display an awakened Paramecia Ability User's power.
His Birdcage was practically an invincible rule-based ability. Unless someone could storm straight in and take down Doflamingo himself, even a Navy Admiral would have no choice but to push the cage bars like everyone else.
Dier had no intention of confronting him directly, but he was quite interested in planting a spy within the Donquixote Family to keep an eye out for the future Hobby-Hobby Fruit Ability User, Sugar.
But that was a matter for later.
He picked up Hina and Perona and returned to the Storm Petrel, ready to make their escape.
The Navy was different from ordinary pirates—pirates could be fought without consequence, but the Navy would call for reinforcements. If they lingered too long, more battleships would arrive.
That was why the Storm Petrel never stayed after a battle, immediately setting sail to flee.
This time was no exception.
The engines roared at full power, propelling the ship away at high speed.
By evening, they finally docked near an island covered in crimson earth.
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