Marine G-51 Branch, port.
The royal merchant vessel *Akyon* of the Kingdom of Nismail remained quietly docked.
Inside the branch, a grand banquet had already begun.
The Marines and the merchant vessel’s administrators were currently enjoying fine food and wine.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the merchant ship.
“I’m so envious…
I heard the Chief prepared a hundred-thousand-Berry red envelope for every single Marine soldier this time.” A guard from the Kingdom of Nismail lamented, “Especially for that Colonel Ast…
I heard the treasure the Kingdom gave him privately is worth this much.” He held up his hand to show a number, clicking his tongue in awe.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Another veteran guard beside him grinned.
“That Colonel Ast is no simple character.
Some time ago, a ship of slaves escorted by Chief Mantal met with an accident at Master Port.
Several slaves escaped and ran to the Marine branch for help.” “Among those slaves was a female, a special cargo from the ‘Bloom Tribe’—she was premium goods!” Hearing this, the younger guard looked surprised.
The Bloom Tribe—a special race on the sea.
Superficially, they looked like ordinary humans, but their bodies emitted a floral fragrance, their proximity caused plants to grow, and their sweat was one of the finest nectars in the world.
A female of the Bloom Tribe commanded a price no less than that of a female mermaid; at the Sabaody Archipelago, her starting bid would be at least fifty million Berries.
Naturally, if such cargo escaped, Chief Mantal would definitely have a hard time.
But…
“Back then, it was Colonel Ast who sent those slaves back to the Chief and even destroyed all the corresponding distress reports.” The veteran guard chuckled.
“Now you get it?
The Marines are our critical ‘protective umbrella.’ Of course the Chief has to feed them well!” Hearing this, the young guard grew even more envious.
But the veteran guard quickly changed the subject.
“Still, don’t be too envious.
Our harvest this time is massive.
Chief Mantal will surely reward us.” At the mention of this, the young guard perked up instantly.
“Right?
Who would have thought that a tiny fishing village on a remote island would hide such a great beauty?
In the end, she actually caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon and was bought.” As he spoke, he swallowed hard.
The veteran guard nodded in agreement.
“Yeah.
That World Noble traded a Devil Fruit and two hundred million Berries for her.
Counting the other slaves this time, we’ve made five hundred million Berries in total…
Huh?!” He stopped mid-sentence, his face turning pale.
At that exact moment, the two guards realized their legs, necks, bodies, and arms had been pinned down tightly.
Before they could even struggle, two short daggers plunged through their backs, skewering their bodies.
“Six—no, seven intruders?” The veteran guard rapidly deduced the number of intruders in his head before collapsing heavily.
Soon, the seven intruders quickly dragged the collapsed guards into a corner and stripped off their uniforms.
Once done, all seven intruders began to pant heavily.
Looking closely, one would discover a shocking truth: the seven intruders who had sneaked aboard the ship shared the exact same face.
It was none other than the young pirate, Aran.
Needless to say, this was Aran himself, along with his six remaining slice clones.
“Colly…” Aran muttered in a low voice, grinding his teeth so hard they nearly broke.
From the conversation between the two guards, he had naturally learned of Colly’s fate.
“No…
I can’t rush.
Grandpa and the others are still in the hold…
I have to save them first…” But he quickly suppressed his rage for the moment.
Two of his clones changed into the guards’ uniforms.
“In fifteen minutes, it’ll be shift change for the guards.
The hold will be opened, and I can take the opportunity to slip inside and rescue Grandpa and the others.” He ran through every detail of his plan in his mind.
Indeed.
Ever since he had claimed to be a pirate and written that threatening letter to force this merchant ship to halt at Master Port, he had been watching every move of everyone on board from afar, waiting for his plan to commence.
“When the time comes, only four guards will remain in the hold for a brief window…
I’ll ambush and take out two first, and as for the remaining two, I’ll throw my life at them to finish them!” At this thought, Aran couldn’t help but recall the strange Marine lieutenant whom his “discarded” clone had encountered earlier.
For some reason, the man seemed to know his plan inside out, his every word hitting right where it hurt.
“But according to the memory synced from my clone, he didn’t seem to head back to the port…
Was he really just bluffing?” Aran shook his head violently to clear his mind.
Things had come to this; he had no time to waste on idle thoughts.
He knew his own strength all too well.
Although the fruit he ate in his childhood had granted him special abilities, he was still just an ordinary boy from a fishing village.
The only reason he hadn’t been captured as a slave like the others was pure luck; he just happened to be away from the village at the time.
Even if he and all his slice clones attacked together, they might not be able to defeat three kingdom guards in a frontal clash.
Therefore, he only had one shot.
“Must focus!
Focus!” Just as this thought crossed his mind…
*Tweeeet!* A sharp whistle shattered the silence of the merchant ship, echoing from behind him.
Startled, Aran spun around in disbelief.
There, the two guards he had stabbed were struggling to sit up.
“Kid…
first time killing someone?” Blood was still pouring from the veteran guard, but his face was contorted in a sinister grin.
“You were nervous.
With a dagger that short, you have to aim for the head, heart, or major organs…
but you didn’t hit a single one!
Idiot!” As he spoke, dozens of guards heard the whistle and began pouring out of the hold one after another.
“Intruders!” “Why invade now?
We don’t have any treasure left on the ship.” “Who cares?
Capture them first!” “Wait, these intruders…
septuplets?” Upon seeing Aran and the two wounded guards, they immediately grasped the situation.
Aran’s face drained of all color.
As he had realized earlier—he only had one chance.
And clearly, that chance was now gone.
The next second, he heard the veteran guard bark, “Don’t kill him!
They’re not septuplets—this guy must be a Devil Fruit user.
He’s precious cargo!
Take him alive!” Hearing this, Aran’s pale face suddenly flushed with a rush of blood.
He gripped his dagger tightly.
“You pieces of trash…
I’ll…” He would never become a slave—not even if it cost him his life!
With that, he and his six clones lunged at the guards with their daggers.
But clearly, it was futile.
In just two short minutes, Aran and his clones lay collapsed on the deck, drenched in blood.
“Which one is the real body?” “Who cares?
Grab them all.” “We’re going to strike it rich!
Devil Fruit user slaves are extremely popular!” Chattering and laughing, several guards stepped forward, reaching down to grab Aran.
“Damn it…
damn it…” Sprawled on the deck, Aran tried to fight back, but he was pinned down instantly, unable to move a muscle.
Right at that moment…
*BOOM!* He suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind breaking.
Then, he felt the heavy weight pressing down on him vanish instantly, replaced by a warm liquid splashing over his skin.
This allowed him to struggle to look ahead.
There, the fierce-looking guards who had been standing before him were gone.
In their place was a massive hole in the deck.
Through the hole, the blood and shattered corpses of those guards were visible—the source of the warm liquid on his body.
“Who’s there?!” “What’s with this hole?!” “What’s going on?!” “Look!
In the sky!” He heard the alerts of the remaining guards.
He instinctively looked up.
And then, he beheld a scene that he was destined never to forget for the rest of his life.
In the pitch-black sky, a full moon hung high.
Moonlight cascaded over the waves, casting a silver glow.
At the same time, a figure stood silhouetted against the center of the moon.
He wore a rooster mask on his face and was slowly pulling back his fist.
“Who is that guy?
An accomplice of the intruder?” “He can fly?
Is he a Devil Fruit user too?” “Quick!
Shoot him down!” The guards raised their firearms, shouting to one another.
But some had already noticed something amiss.
For instance, the wounded veteran guard noticed that the figure was indeed standing in mid-air, but upon closer inspection, his feet were rapidly kicking the air.
“That’s…” As an experienced veteran, he had heard of such a technique.
Combined with the fist that had just shattered the deck…
“No!
Wait!” The veteran guard shouted, trying to give orders.
“Retreat!
Quickly notify Chief Mantal and Colonel Ast!
This guy is a monster—” But clearly, it was already too late.
*Whoosh!* With a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye and a fierce gust of wind, the guards saw the figure in the sky vanish in an instant.
“Splendid.” The next moment, a low, quiet voice drifted into his ear.
“On my very first mission, I get to run into scum like you.
This means I can hunt to my heart’s content!” As the deep voice sounded, the veteran guard felt his field of vision soar into the sky.
Then, he saw his own body below.
And so he realized that it wasn’t him who had flown up, but only his head.
In that brief, fleeting remnant of consciousness, the veteran guard saw the figure in the rooster mask sweeping through the crowd like a specter, without a moment’s hesitation.
Screams and battle cries echoed through the dark night.
In the pitch-black sky, the full moon hung high.
The moonlight spilling onto the deck seemed to be stained with the color of blood.