"Prepare the cannons! Go, Alpacacino! Wipe out these filthy pirates!"
Aboard the massive submarine, Shuzo, a dark-skinned, muscular Long-Arm Tribe warrior, patted the head of the alpaca standing beside him, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Roar!"
The alpaca's eyes turned blood-red as it let out a guttural roar. It opened its mouth wide, transforming into a living cannon barrel as it aimed directly at the pirate ship.
BOOM!
The next instant, accompanied by a burst of flame, a pointed shell erupted from the alpaca's mouth. The recoil was so powerful it forced the creature backward. The shell streaked through the air with a piercing whistle, striking the pirate ship's starboard side in the blink of an eye.
KABOOM!
A violent explosion rocked the vessel, sending plumes of thick smoke billowing upward. The shell tore a gaping hole over three meters in diameter right through the hull. The sheer pressure of the blast created a shockwave that sent jagged wooden splinters flying in every direction like bullets, shredding through the interior of the cabins and instantly cutting down a dozen pirates.
"AAAH! My leg!"
"I can't see! Someone help me!"
"It hurts! Doctor! Where's the doctor?!"
The pirates who hadn't died instantly were riddled with splinters and drenched in blood, their screams echoing across the deck.
"Bahrarara! Good work, Alpacacino!" Shuzo laughed, satisfied with the carnage.
This pirate ship was no Marine warship; it lacked external steel plating. A single shot from his "cannon" was enough to cause devastating damage.
"You bastards! Who are you?! Why are you attacking us?!"
A middle-aged man in a brown coat, missing one ear, roared with a twisted expression. He brandished a flintlock pistol in one hand while his other rested on the hilt of a cutlass.
"Bahrararara! We are the Neo Marines, dedicated to the total annihilation of all evil pirates!" Shuzo leaped into the air, stepping on the empty sky as he shouted, "One-Eyed Binogi, I'm taking your life!"
"Walking on thin air? What kind of ability is that? Is he a Fruit user?" Binogi stared in shock.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Shuzo utilized Geppo, sprinting across the sky. He locked onto Binogi at the bow and thrust his finger forward like a spear.
Rokushiki: Shigan!!!
"Damn you!" Binogi drew his cutlass in a flash, swinging it in a horizontal arc.
CLANG!
Shuzo's index finger struck the cold steel of the blade, producing the sound of metal clashing against metal. A shockwave rippled out from the point of impact.
"What?! Haki?!" Binogi was stunned. He couldn't believe his eyes, a single finger had stopped his blade cold.
"Bahrararara! You're just a pirate, now die! Tekkai!!!" Shuzo laughed. A faint, nearly invisible shimmer passed over his arms as he threw a heavy punch.
BOOM!
Binogi desperately crossed his sword over his chest to block, but the sheer force of the impact sent him flying. He smashed into the deck below, his body indenting into the wood. He nearly crashed through to the lower deck.
"Captain!"
"Captain Binogi!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The crew watched in horror. They couldn't believe their captain had been blown away in just two moves.
High above, aboard the Chris, Aeridar watched the battle with the detached amusement of someone watching a play.
"Captain, that group below is the Binogi Pirates. The captain is 'One-Eyed' Binogi, bounty: 107 million Berries," Gin said, flipping through a stack of bounty posters.
"They give out hundred-million-Berry bounties for that level of strength? Are the Marines blind?" Aeridar scoffed. To him, Binogi's combat ability was a joke for someone with a nine-figure bounty.
Shuzo was strong, comparable to a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, but a pirate worth over a hundred million shouldn't have been handled that easily.
"That guy once stole a Marine vessel in the Grand Line. To evade capture, he used the ship to disguise himself as a Marine, entered a World Government member nation, and pillaged the city. He killed hundreds of civilians and many nobles. It caused a massive scandal," Gin explained with a frown. "So the Navy hiked his original 57 million bounty by another 50 million."
Gin was reminded of his former captain, Don Krieg. Krieg used to pull similar stunts, but he usually hit ports rather than slaughtering nobles. While his deeds were vile, they never caused such a high-profile political stir.
"Well, he certainly is a piece of work." Aeridar raised an eyebrow, suddenly finding this "One-Eyed" fellow a bit more tolerable.
"Shall we go down and finish off these Neo Marines guys?" Gin asked coldly, gripping his twin battle-tonfas.
"Of course. This Shuzo has decent strength, he'll make for some high-quality experimental material!" Aeridar let out a cruel laugh and vanished from the spot.
Gin wasn't surprised. He turned to the crew and shouted, "Prepare for battle!"
On the ship below, Shuzo was a wolf among sheep, tearing through twenty pirates with ease. His fingers were like bullets, punching bloody holes into their bodies.
"I have no grudge against you! Why are you doing this?!" Binogi scrambled to his feet, eyes bloodshot, not even stopping to wipe the blood from his mouth.
"Bahrararara! I told you, we are the Neo Marines! Our goal is to eradicate all evil pirates!" Shuzo looked at him with utter disdain.
"How pathetic. Since when does a pirate need a reason to be attacked? If you haven't realized that yet, why are you even a pirate?"
A cold, low voice rang out, causing everyone to freeze.
"Who's there?" Shuzo whipped his head toward the bow.
"Shuzo. Former Marine Commodore, current Commander of the Neo Marines." Aeridar stood at the bow, his lips curled into a menacing grin. "Tell me... where is Zephyr? No... where is Z?"
Gulp.
Binogi swallowed hard, his eyes wide with pure terror. "G-G-Golden Ring... Aeridar!"
Binogi's legs were shaking. Great beads of sweat dripped onto the deck. Shuzo's forehead was also breaking out in a cold sweat. Even facing his teacher, he had never felt such overwhelming pressure.
Why? Why does it feel... like I'm standing before a colossal, world-ending beast?