The port fell silent in an instant.
Everyone turned to stare at Nezumi-faced man, their expressions blank, at a complete loss for words. Even Kuro and Gin, who had been locked in a tense standoff, glanced at each other and quietly sheathed their weapons.
Grayza looked at Gawain, then at Gin, before asking with a strange expression:
"Wait... your opponent was also Kuro?"
Nezumi blinked in confusion.
He thought of a small pirate on his ship, whose bounty barely scraped five million, and then compared it to the terrifyingly strong figures of Kuro and Gin standing in the distance.
Still, clinging to the idea that one could lose a fight but not their pride—and refusing to be looked down upon—Marine Captain Nezumi stiffened his neck and declared:
"That's right! It was Kuro, the infamous pirate of the East Blue with a 16 million bounty. I fought him in a bloody battle, killed him, and escaped in chaos."
Next to Gawain, Kuro—who had been slowly sliding his claw blades back into their sheaths—froze mid-motion. His hands trembled, and he nearly cracked a molar grinding his teeth.
If not for the bigger picture, he would've already rushed forward and chopped those three... no, two bastards into dog food.
Why is it always me!?
Gawain caught Kuro's resentful gaze and had to exert serious effort to suppress his laughter.
Behind him, some of his subordinates visibly trembled. If the situation weren't so tense, a few might have collapsed from laughing too hard.
"Commander... next time, change the damn name," Kuro hissed through clenched teeth.
Grayza turned her cold gaze on the arrogant, swaggering Nezumi before her.
If Gin looked like a sickly ghost, clearly a cold-blooded killer, then this man had treacherous and slimy written all over his face.
"Alright, gentlemen of the Navy," Grayza said flatly, "Please identify which of you are legitimate. Otherwise, I can't just let you in. I'm responsible for the civilians in this port. For all I know, you could be pirates in disguise."
Nezumi blinked—then exploded.
"I'm the base commander of the Navy's 16th branch! Do you have any idea what it means to defy me?!"
"Damn bitch!"
Grayza's face turned icy.
That kind of attitude only made her more convinced the man wasn't what he claimed. Even if he was Navy, he was the kind that colluded with pirates and exploited the people.
She already had a poor opinion of the East Blue Navy.
More than a decade ago, they had taxed the villages near Raven Port under the pretense of building a new base, securing trade routes, and protecting the locals.
To this day, there was no sign of that base.
It had all been a money-making scheme.
With that memory burning in her mind, Grayza's gaze turned frigid as she said:
"Please leave. Now."
"You dare disobey the Navy?!"
No sooner had Nezumi barked, a sharp swish cut through the air. A row of black gun barrels immediately trained on him.
He froze. Cold sweat broke out across his back.
Unlike real officers promoted by merit, he had risen through the ranks by writing flattering reports and brown-nosing his superiors. His subordinates were no better—paper soldiers, not fighters. None of them dared move.
If a fight broke out here, he'd be crushed.
"D-Don't be impulsive!" he stammered, panicking. He raised a hand to signal his men to lower their weapons, then turned to glare at Gin and Gawain in the distance.
His heart boiled with resentment, and his tone turned harsh:
"Which branch are you from?!"
Gin answered calmly:
"I serve under Colonel Baxter of the 18th Branch. You should be familiar with him. They claim to be from the GL-5 Branch, under Vice Admiral Vergo."
Nezumi's face twisted.
"GL-5? That's in the Grand Line—even in the New World! There's no way people from there would come to the East Blue—"
He trailed off. His eyes locked onto Gawain's face—and his entire body went cold.
He'd seen that face recently. At a Navy conference about a rising threat in the East Blue.
The man had a bounty of 48 million Berries.
The highest bounty ever recorded in the region. And bounties—especially that high—almost always corresponded to raw strength.
A pirate like that could massacre everyone here without breaking a sweat.
Nezumi paled. His mouth moved, but his tongue tripped over itself.
"Y-You… you… you—!"
"You're the one disguised as a Navy officer!"
Pearl jumped in:
"I knew it! Since when does the East Blue have a 'GL' branch? And there's no way the Grand Line brass would come all the way here!"
"Exposed, huh?"
As Pearl spoke, Grayza slowly turned toward Gawain. A flicker of caution appeared in her eyes.
She may have been a fangirl, but she wasn't stupid—far from it. You don't gain control over territory at her age by being naïve.
Immediately, the gun barrels shifted and aimed at Gawain's group.
Gin felt sweat bead on his palms. That had been way too close. But if they could get past this hurdle, the rest of the plan would be much easier.
Yet another worry crept into his mind.
If things got out of hand... could he survive a clash between these two monsters? Even with the port's guards and Nezumi's men combined, their odds weren't great.
Sure enough, as the tension escalated, Kuro drew his claw blades once more. That faint, predatory aura began to leak from him again.
He bent slightly, adopting the stance for his Death Walk technique.
He was ready to strike—just waiting for Gawain's word.
And this time, Gawain didn't stop him.
He simply stared at the crowd, silent and indifferent.
Of course, he didn't want to fight here if he could help it.
After all, with Raven Port's infrastructure, if he could establish a stable trade channel, his crew wouldn't lack weapons, food, or medicine for a long time.
"Ah…"
A soft sigh echoed.
Gawain quietly tightened his grip on the knight's sword. An overwhelming pressure radiated from his body.
In that moment—even Kuro, whose mere presence had stifled Gin and terrified Pearl—seemed to vanish into the background.
All eyes turned to one man.
Gawain.
"This…" Gin swallowed nervously, clutching his iron cane. The man standing before him now was like a beast awakened.
A natural predator.
And he? He was the prey.
But right then, a shrill voice shattered the atmosphere—
Bang!