"I told you we should go on a killing spree. See? Didn't even need me to start it," Valthior said, clearly pleased rather than upset.
The Roger Pirates did have a relatively decent moral code among pirate crews. For example, one of Roger's rules was not to indiscriminately slaughter or rob civilians.
But that didn't mean they were bound to that rule no matter what.
In the original story, the Roger Pirates had wiped out an entire country just because one of their crewmates had been insulted.
That alone showed—companions always came before rules in Roger's eyes.
And if the other side made the first move?
Then all bets were off.
"Return fire!" Roger immediately ordered.
The combatants aboard the ship swiftly adjusted the cannons and unleashed a barrage toward the port.
Rayleigh drew his sword and slashed several times, destroying the incoming cannonballs midair.
Valthior was even less restrained. Frost rapidly condensed on his forehead, forming the jagged horns of his Ice Zheng. Energy gathered quickly, and in the next moment, a pale, frost-white beam shot out.
It didn't even need to touch the sea—just passing over the surface was enough to freeze everything in its path.
The moment the beam struck the port, dense white mist exploded outward. At the same time, the coastal cannons fell silent.
As the sea breeze swept the frost away, the entire Habu Port was revealed—completely encased in ice.
Buildings, docks, the sea itself, the cannons—all frozen solid and rendered useless. The armed personnel stationed there had been turned into lifeless ice sculptures.
Several shells fired from the Oro Jackson landed right then, the explosions shattering those frozen figures into pieces, leaving devastation in their wake.
At that moment, Shimotsuki Yasuie arrived with a large group of samurai. Seeing the port turned into a frozen wasteland, they were all stunned.
"An Ability User!" one samurai gritted his teeth. "To dare attack the port so brazenly—this is unforgivable! Lord Yasuie, give the order! We swear to cut these madmen down!"
Unlike the armed personnel at the port, samurai were of the noble class. To become one required strong swordsmanship and mastery of Armament Haki. Though shocked by the frozen port, they were far from afraid—this wasn't the first time they had dealt with invading pirates.
Yasuie quickly snapped out of it, his face dark as he cursed, "Damn pirates… Attack! Kill them all!"
With that command, the samurai roared and charged toward the port, blades drawn.
"I originally wanted to deal with these samurai in a peaceful way, but I guess that's not happening," Roger said theatrically. "Fine, I'll stop pretending—I'm a pirate, and I'm here to steal the Poneglyphs!"
His expression hardened as he drew his saber, Ace, and roared:
"Captain's orders—wipe them out, then plunder Wano!!!"
"I'll turn them into a bloody mist!" Valthior burst into laughter, stomped his foot, and vanished from the deck in an instant with Soru.
Not just him—everyone charged out, afraid they'd miss their share of the fight.
After more than two months of dull sailing without encountering a single enemy, the crew had been thoroughly pent up. Now that the captain had ordered a full-scale plunder of Wano—why hold back?
Valthior was the first to land at the port. He didn't use his powers, nor did he bother intimidating these small fry with Conqueror's Haki. With a flick of his arm, the chain loosened, and his battle axe, Merciless, began to swing.
One throw.
The samurai in front of him drew his blade to block—but it was useless. Valthior's strength far surpassed these opponents.
A spray of blood cut through the air. The samurai—and his sword—were split clean in half by the chained axe. His body even ran forward a couple more steps before splitting apart and collapsing in a gruesome, bloody heap.
Valthior didn't slow down. He swung the chain axe in wide arcs across the battlefield—wherever the blade passed, flesh and blood exploded, and screams filled the air.
And it wasn't just him.
Bullet, a veteran of countless battles, was equally brutal. With Armament Haki coating his fists, a single punch was enough to blow a samurai's head apart—red and white splattering across his face. He showed no discomfort—in fact, he wore a frenzied grin.
Gaban charged in with his twin axes, hacking wildly. Several samurai were instantly shredded into fine pieces under his relentless assault, showcasing the prowess of a true axe master.
Even Shanks and Buggy joined in, firing their muskets wildly. They didn't even care if they hit anything—it was all about the thrill of the fight.
Perhaps the long voyage had really stifled them. The Roger Pirates fought like beasts unleashed—yet none of them used overwhelming techniques or Conqueror's Haki to crush their enemies outright.
They fought the old-fashioned way—weapon against weapon.
Sunbell unleashed Fish-Man Karate, blasting a samurai into a cloud of blood. Before it even fell, he used Fish-Man Jujutsu to manipulate the blood into a barrage of droplets, tearing through the charging samurai like bullets.
And yet—
Despite being completely outmatched, Wano's samurai showed incredible resolve. Not a single one fled. With feral cries, they charged forward again and again.
The slaughter continued for over ten minutes.
In the end, even Shimotsuki Yasuie, the daimyo of Hakumai, was cut down—reduced to minced flesh along with the rest. The frost-covered port was now drenched in crimson.
After the killing was done, Valthior slapped his thigh.
"Damn it—we overdid it. Forgot to leave someone alive to ask about the scholars."
Roger wiped the blood splattered across his face and said casually, "What's there to worry about? This is just the port. Let's head inland and look for them—we can grab someone later and ask."
Gaban rested his axe on his shoulder, still looking unsatisfied.
"Weren't Wano's samurai supposed to be strong? They didn't seem like much… not even as good as elite Marines."
"Maybe these were just average fighters. The real monsters haven't shown up yet. Don't get careless," Spencer said thoughtfully.
After taking some time to clean the blood and grime off themselves, they docked the Oro Jackson at the port. Valthior froze the entire ship with his powers to prevent any sabotage.
With no one left behind to guard it, all twenty-six members of the Roger Pirates cheerfully set off toward Hakumai.
Looking at them laughing and joking along the way, one would have thought they were out for a picnic.
...
Meanwhile, Kurozumi Orochi had already reported the attack on Hakumai to Kozuki Sukiyaki via Den Den Mushi.
Sukiyaki quickly ordered the various daimyo to gather their forces and head to Hakumai.
If Yasuie had already handled the situation, then it would simply be a gathering—a chance to reconnect.
But if the invading pirates were strong, they would unite their strength and wipe them out.
As Sukiyaki's orders spread, samurai across Wano began mobilizing. Among them, Kozuki Oden of Kuri was the most excited.
"I hope the ones who showed up are strong! Don't let Yasuie handle them before I get there—that'd be boring!" Oden said eagerly as he rushed toward Hakumai with his retainers.
What he didn't know…
Was that Valthior, currently joking and laughing with his crewmates, was just as eager to meet him.
So he could cut him down into a bloody mist—and finally satisfy that lingering urge.
And just like that, both the Roger Pirates and Wano's samurai forces moved with the same unspoken understanding—converging on Hakumai from all directions.
The catastrophe later recorded in Wano's history as the "Great Pirate Plunder"… was about to begin.
...
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