“According to the intelligence provided by the News Coo earlier, this is the mark of the Jackal Pirates.” Their jolly roger was a wolf-skull flag.
Their captain had a bounty of 30 million Berry.
By capturing or killing the whole crew, they should be worth about 40 million Berry in total…
quite a tidy sum.
Generally speaking, if the target was a Devil Fruit user, Richard preferred to capture them alive, since the Marines would pay 1.2 times the standard bounty.
If a fruit user died, the fruit would randomly reappear somewhere in the sea.
If it ended up with the Marines, that was fine, but if it fell into the hands of pirates, it would become an unknown threat.
After all, there were no useless Devil Fruits…
only useless users.
Years of experience had taught him one thing: never pass up the chance to bag a 40-million-Berry-level pirate.
Murderous pirates weren’t human lives in his eyes…
they were walking Berry.
There was that saying…
when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.
Most pirates gained fame by committing atrocities and killing.
Only a few of the great warriors of the sea were labeled outlaws simply because their very existence posed a major threat, or because they sought to uncover the secrets of the world, thereby threatening the ruling powers.
Richard nodded.
“Indeed.
Not much of a challenge.
Let Mihawk handle it.” “Young Master?
But he’s never been in a life-or-death fight before…
what if…” Liam looked uneasy.
A pirate with a 40-million-Berry bounty was considered a troublesome opponent even in the first half of the Grand Line.
“Ah, as long as I’m here, he won’t get hurt.
Don’t worry.” “Understood!” Liam quickly led his men away.
The sailors in the cabin adjusted the ship’s heading, hoisted the sails, and with the sea breeze filling the canvas, the ship’s speed more than doubled.
It shot across the water like a cannonball skimming the surface, charging straight toward the distant pirate vessel.
…
Aboard the Jackal Pirates’ ship.
The great pirate Jackal, from the West Blue, had assembled this crew of over three hundred men.
Their ship was also a large three-masted vessel, eighteen meters tall…
an absolute behemoth.
“Listen up, lads!!” Jackal had a thick, bushy beard and a scar running vertically down from his right eye, making him look exceptionally fierce.
He was a user of the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Jackal, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allowed him to transform into a massive, formidable jackal-human hybrid, enhancing all aspects of his physical abilities.
“Ahead is the Sabaody Archipelago!
They say it’s the most dangerous place near Marine Headquarters, and it’s also got a thriving slave trade.
Rich merchants flock there.
We’ll hit them hard, grab our loot, then bolt into the side seas!
Lie low for a while and stay off the main routes!” “Then we’ll have money to spend!
We can even go ashore at Sabaody…
most of islands 1 through 30 are unguarded, so we can hide out for a long time!” “Is that so?!
Sounds like a great place!!
Hahaha!!” The pirates burst into wild, arrogant laughter, completely unaware that danger was rapidly closing in.
When the lookout finally spotted something with a surprised shout of warning, the reinforced steel bow of the Order Keeper had already slammed into the side of the pirate ship.
A young swordsman in white trousers and a black coat leaped into the air with a single spring, landing lightly on the deck of the Jackal Pirates’ vessel.
“Who the hell are you?!
Damn bastard!” “Is he a pirate?!” Jackal’s expression shifted.
He sized up the young man before him…
a cross-shaped greatsword strapped to his back, an aloof air about him.
He looked like a proud and solitary swordsman.
“Who are you, you bastard?” Mihawk fixed his hawk-like eyes on him.
Jackal immediately felt every hair on his body stand on end.
He wasted no time in activating his Devil Fruit ability, transforming into a massive, furry monster…
a seven-meter-tall, towering jackal-man.
“ROOOAR!!!” He opened his gaping maw and unleashed a ring-shaped shockwave roar straight at Mihawk.
“It’s a monster…” Mihawk was momentarily stunned, but quickly drew Yoru from his back.
Pirates swarmed toward him from all directions, their furious roars and curses filling the air.
Mihawk’s focus wavered for an instant.
Dammit…
which one should I strike first?
Do I have to kill them?!
Though he had lived through war and endured loneliness, at this stage of his life, Mihawk’s heart was not yet cold enough.
If the heart is not cold, the hand is not steady.
Clang!!
A man who looked like a first mate rushed in, leaping and slashing downward, his blade crashing against Mihawk’s horizontal block with Yoru.
Crack.
The attacker’s weapon shattered and broke apart, but Mihawk still stumbled back a few steps.
At that moment, Jackal’s eyes gleamed brilliantly, then took on a cruel glint.
“Hahaha!!!
You snot-nosed brat…
you think you can play pirate hunter?!” “Die!!!” ROAR!!
A wolf-wind howled, a dark shadow blotted out the sky, and Jackal charged forward with such speed that his form blurred.
His claws gleamed with a bloody light, their sharpness carving gashes into the deck, filling everyone with dread.
“Blood Wolf Piercing Claws!!!” BOOM!!!
At that critical moment, a golden sword beam appeared out of nowhere, instantly piercing straight through the entire pirate ship!!!
With a single wet thwack, it cut clean through Jackal and everything else in its path, splitting them in two!!
The enormous blade-force continued to surge forward, leaving a perfectly smooth cut across the entire vessel.
“Mihawk…
focus on the battle.
Don’t panic.” A low, calm voice steadied Mihawk’s mind in an instant during his first true life-and-death battle.
Brother…
And at that moment, the pirates aboard Jackal’s ship stared at the half of their vessel slowly tipping away into the sea, and at Jackal who had been cleaved into the depths.
With a collective thud, they all collapsed onto the deck.
This…
what kind of godlike monster was this…