Mid-air.
Gin's body blocked Gawain's line of sight—and with it, the ferocious expression on Krieg's face.
Clutching his wound with one hand, Krieg raised his uninjured arm. His fingers curled slightly, triggering the hidden mechanism inside his armor.
Bang!
A sharp, armor-piercing bullet erupted from the contraption embedded in Krieg's arm. It shot forward at an almost unimaginable speed, so fast it split the air with a distinct sonic boom.
This was a weapon designed to pierce enemy armor—even warships. A ten-centimeter-thick steel plate wouldn't have stood a chance.
Krieg was confident that no one could survive such a blow, especially not when it came from a sneak attack.
He intended to pierce both targets with a single shot.
"Die!" he snarled with a twisted grin.
But just as the bullet raced forward—Gawain vanished.
A flash of silver split the air. The blade's edge caught the bullet mid-flight and sliced it in two without losing momentum. The sword energy continued its devastating arc, slicing clean through Krieg's torso, then carving a path through the harbor waters before vanishing beyond the horizon.
Gin's body hit the ground with a dull thud. His eyes went blank as he lost consciousness—his final sight was Krieg's body splitting neatly in two.
But Gawain's attention wasn't on Krieg.
He was mesmerized by the blade in his hand—Seikō Masamune.
The sword moved as if it were an extension of his own arm, with a responsiveness that even the knight's sword of his had never given him. It resonated with something deeper, something that stirred his soul.
It's not that Krieg's armor was weak... it's that Seikō Masamune is just too sharp. Even a flying slash carried such overwhelming force!
Cuts through iron like butter. Slices gold and shatters jade.
From now on, we're partners.
Seikō Masamune!
A soft hum escaped the blade in response.
It only further convinced Gawain—these famed swords, so coveted across the world of One Piece, each possessed a will of their own.
And this one had chosen him.
Swish!
With a flick of his wrist, Gawain sent the blood flying from the blade and turned to face the distant fleet.
On the sea.
The moment the pirates saw their captain defeated, all movement ceased.
Spotters aboard the ships stood in stunned silence as they stared at the bisected body lying in the harbor. The sight chilled them to their very souls.
"Captain... Captain is dead!"
"Lord Gin's down too—we don't even know if he's alive. What now?!"
"Do we fight or flee?!"
Panic rippled across the fleet like wildfire. The fearsome image of Krieg they had long held in their hearts was shattered. And if he had died so miserably... what chance did they stand?
In the blink of an eye, the fleet turned and began to retreat—faster than they had arrived.
But as they sped away, something else appeared on the sea.
Smoke.
Thick, white smoke rose in the distance, blocking their line of sight. The engines rumbled louder and louder.
"Wait!"
"What the hell is that? When did this fog roll in?!"
"No... it's not fog—it's smoke!"
"Look! There's a guy riding a jet ski—his whole body's made of white smoke!"
The pirates' shouts were full of panic.
Out of the smoke roared a steel-armored jet ski, creating towering waves in its wake.
And on it stood a man.
He had a rugged, intimidating face, short white hair—and no eyebrows. Two cigars jutted from his mouth, and his unbuttoned jacket revealed a powerful, muscular build. On his back, a massive ten-handled jitte tipped with seastone gleamed in the sunlight.
It was Smoker—the White Hunter.
A graduate of the Navy Headquarters Officer Academy, Smoker had chosen not to remain at the Navy HQ like his peers. Instead, he had stationed himself in Loguetown, acting as the final wall protecting the East Blue.
As his eyes fell on the retreating Krieg Pirates, his brow furrowed.
Then his gaze locked with Gawain's—still standing in the harbor, blade in hand.
Sparks flew silently in the space between them.
Knight Gawain? So that rat actually caught a big one.
It all made sense now. Smoker immediately understood why Krieg's fleet had crumbled so quickly.
After all, a pirate's bounty was usually a good measure of their power.
And Krieg, with a 17-million bounty, had stood no chance against someone nearly three times that amount.
After a moment's thought, Smoker made his decision.
He'd let the small fry go.
Without Krieg, the rest of the pirates were nothing more than headless chickens. But Gawain... Gawain was different. The threat he posed far outweighed all the rest combined.
As the Navy jet ski sped by, the pirates left behind couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
They recognized who it was.
"That's Smoker! The White Hunter!"
"He's the monster stationed in Loguetown!"
"No pirate's made it to the Grand Line in years... because they all fell before him!"
"Some say he ate a Devil Fruit—turned his body into smoke! You can't even hurt him!"
"Guns, swords—nothing works! There's just no way to beat a guy like that!"
"We... we..."
"Let's run!"
With their morale shattered first by Gawain and now Smoker, the Krieg Pirates scattered like rats in a storm.
Gawain looked up as Smoker drew closer.
If there was anyone in the East Blue he truly wanted to test himself against—but couldn't defeat yet—it was this man.
A Logia-type user.
Even the weakest Logia wielders were nearly untouchable without Haki.
After all, once you enter the Grand Line, the first two bosses are Logia types—and they were way more terrifying than Lucci or Moria on the Thriller Bark.
If Luffy hadn't found their weaknesses—and if he hadn't eaten the Nika Fruit—they'd never have gotten past them.
Smoker's sheer power was a reminder of the vast difference in class.
A real problem has shown up.
Gawain frowned.
He could escape if he was alone.
But Kuro was badly injured, and several of their allies were still disguised as Marines in the harbor. He couldn't just leave them to be captured.
He reached into his coat, pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and called Kuro.
"Kuro. Listen carefully. Krieg is dead—but someone even more dangerous has shown up from the Navy. I can only stall him for now."
On the other end, Kuro—having just finished bandaging his wound—fell silent.
"There's a Marine even you can't handle?"
His tone was uneasy. He knew what that meant.
Gawain continued, "Until we master Armament Haki, that guy's power is practically another dimension."
"What do you need me to do?"
"He's already in the port. Our ship is gone, so you won't make it out to sea."
"Find Lady Grayza. She'll know how to help you hide."
Kuro responded immediately.
"Understood."