What a pity—the enemy's hero turned out to be his enemy!
Gin's expression remained unreadable. After scanning the area, his gaze settled coldly on Grayza.
"Do you realize what you're doing?"
"Drawing your weapon against the Navy. Even if you're a noble of the kingdom, I have the authority to execute you on the spot."
As he spoke, a chilling murderous aura burst forth from Gin—so dense it was almost visible to the naked eye.
The guards at the port shivered. A cold sensation climbed from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.
Their hands trembled on the triggers of their rifles, as if they weren't facing a man, but a beast wearing human skin.
Grayza felt it too. Goosebumps ran up her arms, and her fingers, hidden beneath her sleeves, trembled. But as the port's lord, she forced herself to meet Gin's piercing stare.
"Funny you mention that," she said, steadying her voice. "The man beside me—Lieutenant Commander—just fought Kuro in a fierce battle at sea."
Grayza was alert—especially wary of the man in front of her.
It wasn't uncommon for pirates in the East Blue to impersonate navy personnel and launch sneak attacks on ports. Even the infamous pirate Don Krieg, known as the "Admiral," had used this tactic to raid multiple coastal towns.
She shot a subtle glance to one of her nearby guards.
The guard caught on instantly.
He turned away, beginning to organize the port patrols, evacuate lingering civilians, and set up a defensive perimeter.
The atmosphere shifted—ready for battle.
"This is..." Gin's eye twitched slightly.
He turned to glance at the heavily damaged warship anchored nearby, then at Gawain, who stood calmly with a righteous expression.
For a moment, it felt like a thousand donkeys were stampeding through his mind.
No way.
Was that off-the-cuff excuse really going to backfire this badly? How could it be this absurd?!
But then he remembered what Krieg had told him before departing. Gin forced himself to calm down.
He'd followed Krieg for years—long enough to know the man wasn't sloppy with logistics. It might not be airtight, but Krieg never left loose ends when it mattered.
Suppressing his killing intent, Gin spoke again.
"I'm under Commander Baxter of the 18th Naval Branch. You can confirm this with the nearby naval bases."
"But you..."—his sharp gaze turned to Gawain—"I've never seen you before. Report your warship's number and the branch you're with."
"If you can't..." his voice turned ice-cold, "...I'll kill you where you stand for impersonating a navy officer!"
With that, Gin pulled a strange iron staff from his waist—twin iron balls mounted on either end. He began spinning it slowly in his hand.
As it spun faster, the air grew more tense. Kuro's expression darkened.
Clang!
A clawed knife shot from Kuro's sleeve, gleaming coldly in the air.
The weapon's bizarre shape drew everyone's attention. Even Gin faltered for a moment when he saw it.
"Hey, hey, hey... this doesn't feel right."
Sweat beaded on Pearl's forehead. He instinctively raised his shield in front of himself.
"Other than the Captain, this is the first time I've felt such terrifying bloodlust from an enemy."
"This guy—he's definitely not Navy!"
Gin didn't respond immediately, keeping his serious gaze on Kuro.
"So you really are impostors, then...?"
"Tch. Looks like..." Kuro started, but was cut off when Gawain firmly placed a hand on his shoulder.
Kuro turned in confusion, only to see Gawain offering Grayza an apologetic smile. He spoke calmly:
"My apologies, madam. Condoriano has trouble tolerating perceived threats."
"His family was slaughtered by pirates when he was young. It's left him... somewhat extreme."
Kuro blinked in surprise, then quickly caught on.
Gawain was running interference.
He sheathed his claw weapon, suppressing his killing intent, and muttered in a tone of forced anger and shame:
"You're too damn talkative."
Gawain smiled mildly, as if used to this behavior—but inwardly, he gave Kuro a silent thumbs-up.
Beautifully done.
How else could he have hidden in Kaya's mansion for three whole years without slipping up once? This man got into character instantly, without a script! Even seasoned actors would have to go back to training after watching this performance.
"It's all right. He's not to blame," Grayza said softly, visibly moved by Kuro's display.
Gawain then turned toward Gin, his expression serious:
"We're with the GL-5 Naval Branch. Our direct superior is Vice Admiral Vergo."
"GL-5...? Vice Admiral?!"
Gin's eyes widened slightly.
He'd never heard of a GL-5 branch before. It certainly wasn't part of the East Blue. GL had to be an abbreviation—for the Grand Line.
Grand Line. Vice Admiral.
Those two words were enough. Gawain didn't need to say another thing. Everyone at the scene instantly grasped the implication.
Gin's face grew darker with hesitation.
Should he press the issue? Or eliminate them now to avoid future complications?
But Gawain's next line made Gin break into a cold sweat.
"I haven't seen you in the East Blue before," Gawain said mildly. "But I did see a very familiar face... on a bounty poster. Twelve million Berries. Alias: Cold Hearted Demon—"
Swoosh!
Gin moved.
His staff spun at blinding speed, one iron ball slicing through the air straight toward Gawain's head—
Bang!
Kuro intercepted it. His claw sword caught the spinning ball mid-strike.
He looked at Gin with disgust.
"He may be an ass, but you don't get to touch him. Also... you're a little too eager to kill him. You're really not with the Navy, are you?"
"Tch!"
Gin's face twisted in frustration.
His cover was blown. There was no chance of infiltrating Raven Harbor now. His only option left was to fight.
But as he stared at Kuro's oppressive aura, Gin hesitated.
This man—Condoriano—was stronger than Krieg. And Gawain, standing further back with a calm expression, shielding Grayza behind him, was even more unreadable.
After all, even someone like Condoriano was just his subordinate.
Gin found himself stuck. His identity was exposed. Fighting would be suicide.
Krieg's fleet was still dozens of nautical miles away. Even if they rushed here, his own men would be slaughtered long before reinforcements arrived.
Pearl saw it too. He braced himself behind his shield and asked nervously:
"What now?!"
More port guards had arrived, their flintlock rifles trained on Gin and his crew.
…
Then, suddenly—a whistle rang out from the distant sea.
Everyone's heart sank with a sense of foreboding.
They turned.
Another warship was slicing through the waves, slowly pulling into port.
The guards looked to Grayza. She gave a slight nod, and they moved to assist the approaching vessel.
Soon, a navy officer with a rat-like face descended from the gangway, flanked by soldiers.
He surveyed the scene. Noting that both Gin and Gawain were lower in rank than himself, he raised his chin and addressed Grayza from a distance.
"I've just come from a battle at sea. We're in desperate need of food and medical supplies."
"My warship won't make it to the next base without resupply. Please assist us in carrying out our duties."