Gin.
There were countless rumors swirling around this man on the seas.
Kaido's son. A Marine Admiral. A walking catastrophe. Wherever the truth was uncertain, his shadow always loomed behind the chaos.
That was the past.
Sarg held a decent impression of Gin — loyal, honorable, unwavering when it came to carrying out a captain's command.
A man like that... was worth recruiting into a pirate crew.
"Pirate?"
Before Gin could speak, Krieg tilted his head back and burst into wild laughter. He laughed long and hard — then suddenly lowered his gaze, bloodshot eyes glaring beneath his furrowed brow.
"You mean to tell me... me, Krieg, is now being ridiculed by a fledgling pirate like you? You want me to join your little crew?"
"No."
Sarg smiled calmly. "You, I have zero interest in."
He didn't remember every plot detail, but having lived in the East Blue, he was well aware of the pirate rumors circulating there.
'Commander' Krieg was known to be ruthless and despicable. If Gin represented loyalty, then Krieg was the embodiment of betrayal — disguising himself as a merchant to ambush trade ships, joining the Marines just to sabotage naval vessels. He'd done it all.
Even if you were building a pirate crew, it didn't mean you accepted just anyone.
"Well, aren't you full of yourself?!"
Krieg's voice grew cold. "Kill him!"
Shing!
The command had barely left his lips when a flash of silver light slashed through the dark — so sharp and sudden it forced the campfire to shrink back.
The flash swept in an arc.
Half the pirates screamed, blood erupting from various parts of their bodies as they collapsed one by one.
Lili stepped past their falling corpses, flicking her rapier clean. The blade caught moonlight once more as she lunged at the remaining enemies.
Her swordsmanship... was formidable.
Blood sprayed again. The final pirates dropped like flies. The cold flash twisted midair and flew straight toward Krieg's back.
Clang!
A metallic crack rang out — the tip of the rapier met a round shield.
At some point, Palu had fully suited up in armor. Two massive shields strapped to his arms. Mini-shields adorned his elbows, knees, and even his hands. His helmet and boots gleamed with embedded fluorite stones.
He pointed at Lili, sneering.
"Using a sword in battle? How shameless can you be?"
"…?"
Lili froze, stunned.
This idiot was covered head to toe in shields, and he had the nerve to accuse a swordswoman of being shameless?
"…Whatever. I'll beat you anyway," she said coolly.
"Beat me? Impossible!"
Palu raised a finger. "In my last sixty-two battles, I only lost once! And I've only ever bled a single time! My shield armor — only the Captain has ever broken through. Now, it's even stronger!"
He flipped his crescent-shaped bangs with flair, flashing pearly white teeth.
"I'm the Shield Man! The Handsome Wall! The indestructible Lord Palu! Impressed? You should be!"
…Clearly, the guy was a moron.
Lili lifted her rapier slightly, stepping to the side in a fencer's stance. Her blade snapped forward like lightning — a piercing arc of silver flashing toward Palu's face.
Clang!
He reacted fast, raising a shield to block the strike in time.
"Give it up," Palu chuckled. "You're not strong enough. These shields? Not even a naval cannon can break them!"
Shlick!
But the very next moment, blood blossomed from his exposed shoulder.
Lili said flatly, "Absolute defense?"
Shields didn't cover the entire body. His shoulder had been wide open.
"AH—IT HURTS! I'M BLEEDING!"
Palu's face twisted in panic. He began banging the fluorite stones embedded in his shields together.
"IT HURTS! I'M IN DANGER! REAL DANGER!"
With a whoosh, the fluorite ignited, flames erupting across his armor — including the one embedded in his helmet.
"FLAME PALU MODE!!"
Palu spread his limbs, fluorite stones clamped between his fingers now also glowing.
"BURN! BURN IT ALL!"
"…Huh?"
Sarg squinted at the scene, unimpressed. "Hey. Set fire to the forest and you'll rot in jail, y'know."
Lili's brows furrowed. She vanished in a blink, appearing at Palu's side. Her rapier darted toward the weak point near his neck.
If that fluorite really did ignite everything…
This place was a forest, after all.
Crack!
Just as her blade closed in, a foot struck upward, sending the rapier flying. A dull boom followed as the shield on Palu's back shattered, the sheer impact knocking him out cold.
"Captain Gin… it's you again…" Palu whimpered.
Gin lowered his leg and rested his iron-ball cane on his shoulder. He gave Palu a glance.
"Palu. This is a forest. No fire."
"…So, you're refusing my offer?" Sarg asked softly.
Gin turned his gaze to Sarg. "I'm still the Combat Commander of the Krieg Pirates. A small-time pirate like you can't take on our captain. Leave while you still can."
"Oh? But your captain doesn't seem to be letting me go."
Sarg smiled — and disappeared.
BOOM!!
A massive, diamond-plated fist smashed into the earth where Sarg had just stood, pulverizing the broken tree stump and carving a deep crater into the ground. The impact blew away the firepit's embers in an instant.
Sarg reappeared some distance away, raising a brow.
"Not bad strength."
Krieg now stood fully armored in golden steel. His tone was cold and vicious.
"Fast, huh? But no matter how fast you are… can you outrun a bullet?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The shoulder plates and side plating of Krieg's armor suddenly opened, revealing several gun barrels. Sparks flew as he unleashed a volley at Sarg — even as he charged forward, leaping high and aiming another crushing punch.
Bullets and brute force. Let's see how the brat dodges this.
"Kami-e."
Sarg murmured.
He didn't even move from his spot — but his body twisted, elegantly dodging each bullet by a hair's breadth. Not a single shot even grazed his skin.
Then he reached forward.
Boom!!
The ground beneath him cracked slightly. Sarg looked straight at the stunned Krieg.
"I'm not just fast. I've got power too."
Krieg's strength was no joke. He could easily lift a one-ton weapon with one arm. A single punch from him could kill a normal man.
And yet… this brat had taken it head-on.
That body — could it really contain that much power?
Krieg gritted his teeth. His shoulder armor opened again, gun barrels glinting.
"At this range, let's see you dodge now! Fire!"
Click-click-click!
"Tekkai."
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Bullets slammed into Sarg's torso and dropped to the ground like pebbles.
Sarg chuckled. "Looks like… I don't even need to dodge."
Rokushiki. What a damn useful set of techniques.
Bullets did nothing?
And he took Krieg's punch without flinching?
Krieg's eyes widened. His mind raced.
Another one... like that Straw Hat brat?
No!
He couldn't lose again!
Krieg jumped back and yelled, "Gin! Kill him! I'll forgive everything!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Gin bent his knees — and launched forward with a boom, his body shooting like a cannonball.
Swish!
Just then, a silver gleam streaked from the side. Lili's rapier flashed straight for Gin's body.
But Gin twisted midair, dodging the stab by a hair. His iron ball cane knocked her blade aside, and with the other cane, he struck — Lili dodged backward just in time.
She steadied her grip, ready to thrust again—
But he was already gone.
Gin stomped the ground again, ignoring her entirely, and in a blink was in front of Sarg. His twin canes spun into a deadly circle, generating a vortex of pressure as they came crashing down.
He followed orders. That part of him hadn't changed.
He might've woken up from the Krieg nightmare, but he still obeyed commands.
One step at a time.
Sarg tilted his body, dodging the iron ball — but midway through its descent, the cane twisted. Gin curved it into a tight arc and slammed it hard into Sarg's side.
Wham!
Sarg's body jerked slightly, but he didn't retaliate.
Instead, he smiled with admiration.
"Incredible."
His voice carried genuine praise.
"Your combat experience is outstanding. Far better than mine. Join my crew, Gin. It's a better place than under Krieg."
Sarg didn't have much experience in real combat.
He hadn't trained long either. His adoptive father never let him — just wanted him to live a quiet life. And after his father died, he had to focus on surviving, building something out of nothing, slowly developing his skills.
Actual battles?
They were rare.
Especially in the East Blue.
He'd run into plenty of pirates… but most of them were nobodies.
Ennio had been the first real strong opponent he'd ever met.
But Gin?
...Gin was on another level.