So many pirates?
Don's Observation Haki had already spread, covering the countless black dots that appeared on the horizon.
They were massive pirate ships — each one carrying anywhere from a few dozen to a couple hundred crew members.
"No wonder they call it the Grand Line," Don murmured. "Back in the Four Seas, I've never seen pirate crews of this scale."
He couldn't help but sigh in awe.
During the Alabasta affair, there were pirate ships docked at the harbor too, but even then, such numbers never gathered together at once.
Besides, large-scale pirate fleets rarely stopped at a kingdom like Alabasta anyway.
A ship or two? The Navy might turn a blind eye.
But a whole fleet like this? No way. The Navy would never ignore such a force.
Yet even with all these ships before him, Don noticed something strange — they seemed to be fleeing.
That thought sparked in his mind, and his Observation Haki spread outward again.
Every person's Haki carried different characteristics.
Even upon awakening, its expression varied slightly from one to another.
Perhaps because Don had long been accustomed to releasing his Observation Haki freely, his range continued to expand.
Now, when he fully opened it up, a radius of several dozen kilometers around him was enveloped in his perception.
And then — he understood why this enormous pirate fleet was in such panic.
Behind them were warships — a dozen or more — each far larger and heavier than the pirates' own.
The slower pirate vessels were caught in the barrage of naval cannon fire, their hulls erupting into flames before sinking beneath the waves.
Was this… a Navy pursuit?
"What should we do? Should we steer clear? There's still room to detour."
Robin leaned out from behind Don, glancing toward the distant silhouettes of burning ships. The instinctive question slipped from her lips.
Immediately, Don, Hawkeye, and Issho turned their gazes toward her.
Robin froze — then gave a sheepish smile.
Right. She'd forgotten for a moment that there were three monsters aboard this tiny boat.
"Keep going," Don said, stepping forward and pointing ahead. "I'm not changing course because of a few pirate ships."
At his words, Robin crossed her arms, and a dozen arms sprouted from the deck, grasping the oars as the boat pressed forward.
"Damn it! Have those Marines gone insane?! All we did was raid a single island!"
A towering man nearly four meters tall roared in fury on the largest pirate ship.
"Captain, we've already lost several ships!" his panicked first mate shouted beside him.
They'd encountered Marines before — one or two ships at most — and even then, the Navy had never dared fight them head-on.
But this time, there were ten… no, more than ten warships chasing them!
Now they finally understood the Navy's terrifying might.
Their cannons couldn't even reach the enemy, while the Marines' volleys struck clean and precise from afar.
Just one barrage had cost them a quarter of their fleet and crew.
As for boarding and engaging in close combat? Impossible. The cannon fire alone kept their heads buried.
And yet, after days of relentless pursuit, the Marines showed no sign of stopping.
The pirates' remaining ships were now less than half their original number.
At this rate, a few more days, and they'd all be wiped out.
"Damn it! Tell every ship — full speed ahead! Push it to the limit!"
"We can't, Captain! We've already pushed the engines several times — those warships just won't fall behind!"
"Do it anyway!" the captain bellowed, spittle flying. His foul breath reeked of blood and fish.
"Y–yes, Captain!"
The first mate scurried off to deliver the order — though it was hardly needed. Every ship was already moving as fast as it could, wishing they had wings to escape.
Aboard one of the pursuing Navy ships
"Vice Admiral Mouse, should we increase speed?" a Rear Admiral asked, saluting the mohawked officer before him.
"No need," Vice Admiral Mouse said, resting his hand casually on his blade. "They can't escape. This distance is perfect — we'll crush them with cannon fire. No need for boarding combat."
These pirates were finished.
Attacking a member nation of the World Government… their audacity was beyond belief.
Normally, as a G-Branch base commander, Mouse wouldn't personally join such hunts.
But this time, the pirates had attacked a trade port vital to a member kingdom.
That meant lost revenue — something the World Government would never overlook.
Orders came down from the top: from the kingdom, to the Government, to Sengoku, and finally… to him.
"Maintain pursuit at this distance," Mouse commanded. "Have the flanking ships spread out. If any pirate vessel tries to break off to the sides — destroy it immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
The Rear Admiral snapped a salute and went to relay the orders.
"Ram them!"
The pirate at the head of the fleeing fleet spotted a small boat up ahead.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even bother robbing such a vessel.
But now? In panic and rage — he wanted to crush anything in his path.
On the small boat
"They're charging straight at us," Don said calmly. "So… who wants to handle it?"
Without a word, Hawkeye stepped forward, hand on the hilt of Yoru.
A clean motion — and he brought the blade down in a single slash.
Shing!
A flying slash cut through the air.
The oncoming pirate ship was cleaved perfectly in two, its halves sliding apart as the sea swallowed it whole.
Their small boat sailed right through the wreckage, passing between flaming splinters and sinking debris.
The surviving pirates gaped in terror.
"Let me join in."
Issho unsheathed his blade, Gambler's Line.
A wave of gravity rippled outward, rising toward the heavens.
Moments later, fire blossomed in the sky — a meteor descending from above.
"Just don't hit us, all right?" Don muttered, glancing up with a wry smile.
"Don't worry," Issho replied calmly, sheathing his sword. "It won't."
"Good." Don nodded. "Robin, brace for the waves."
He leapt high — the sword En flashing from its sheath. Flames coiled around him, wrapping the blade in blazing light.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
A dozen massive fire slashes swept outward, striking the pirate ships below.
Unlike Hawkeye's clean cut, Don's fiery attacks exploded upon impact — engulfing entire ships in roaring flames.
The sea blazed red, waves churning beneath the storm of fire and smoke.
The sudden chaos stunned both the pirates still at sea… and the Marines trailing behind.
"What… what just happened?!"
END OF CHAPTER
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