"Where is the captain?" Gin's voice rang sharp and cold across the deck, every syllable laced with menace. His grip tightened on the tonfas in his hands, arms tensed, ready for violence. The calm sway of the ship only heightened the stillness that followed his question.
Johnny and Yosaku, upon seeing this uninvited guest, slowly stood up, their eyes darting toward each other briefly. The card game was long forgotten, as they could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on them. It wasn't hard to guess why Gin had come.
He was here to rescue Don Krieg!
There was no mistaking it now. Before, Zino captured and brought the infamous pirate captain into the Silent Orca, and now being guarded by both of them. So, Gin's arrival was predictable. But what really threw them off was the man standing just behind Gin.
Sanji.
The blond cook from Baratie looked more annoyed than tense, his hands casually in his pockets, as if he'd wandered into the wrong drama. But he wasn't stopping Gin either. If anything, his presence only added more confusion.
Was he helping Gin? Watching him? Or just caught in the middle?
Johnny tried to play it cool. "Who exactly are you looking for?" he asked, his voice steady but cautious. He was stalling—buying time in case Zino or the others returned. Right now, neither he nor Yosaku wanted to take on Gin alone.
Gin didn't take the bait. His eyes narrowed with a deadly edge as he took another step forward. "Don't play dumb. I know you two were involved. You took Captain Krieg. You ransacked our weapons. So stop screwing around and tell me—where is he?"
Yosaku's hand twitched toward the blades on his hip, but he didn't reach for it. He wasn't stupid. He'd heard what Gin was capable of, and who's his nickname. That kind of feat wasn't something you can challenge lightly.
Then, from somewhere nearby—behind them—a muffled voice broke through the tension.
"Mmmm! Mmmph!"
The sound was distant, but unmistakable.
A person struggling. Someone gagged. Someone trying to speak.
Johnny's heart dropped. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. *Damn it,* he cursed internally. *Why is he conscious now?*
Yosaku's reaction was just as stiff, his shoulders rising as if to shield the sound. It had echoed just enough to draw attention—and it did. Even Sanji, still standing off to the side with an arched brow, perked up at the noise.
Gin's eyes widened.
"Captain!? Is that you?" he barked, instantly turning toward the source of the voice.
Without hesitation, Gin darted toward the source of the muffled sound. But Johnny and Yosaku moved at the same time. Both drew their blades in a flash, trying desperately to intercept him before he reached the mast.
"Not so fast!" Johnny shouted, slashing horizontally.
But Gin was faster.
He ducked low, sliding across the deck with fluid motion. With one swift twist of his body, he spun and struck Johnny's legs with a heavy sweep kick, knocking him off balance. Johnny stumbled back, his blade missing by a hair's breadth.
Yosaku was already lunging forward with a downward slash aimed at Gin's back. But Gin reacted instantly—he swung around, meeting the falling blade with his tonfa, the metal clashing with a sharp clang, creating sparks upon impact. Gin twisted his wrist and redirected the force, sending Yosaku stumbling sideways.
"You're in my way!" Gin growled.
With a powerful shove, he knocked Yosaku back and burst forward. Both bounty hunters were momentarily disoriented, allowing Gin to close the distance to the mast.
There, he saw his captain, Don Krieg, bound tightly and gagged, seated at the base of the mast like a captured beast. His once-glorious golden armor had been stripped, and what remained of his cloth was ragged. The proud captain of the Krieg Pirates looked more like a prisoner than a pirate lord.
"Captain Krieg!" Gin gasped, his eyes burning with anger and guilt. "I've come to get you out!"
He dropped to one knee, hands already reaching for the ropes. But just as he began to untie them, his instincts screamed—*danger!*
He threw himself to the side just in time.
SHING!
A blade sliced through the air where he had just been kneeling. Johnny's blade cut through one of the ropes instead, narrowly missing Krieg's shoulder.
"You bastard!" Gin snarled, spinning around.
Yosaku followed up with another strike, his blade swinging low. Gin blocked it with one of his tonfa, gritting his teeth as the force surged through his arm. He shoved Yosaku back with his elbow and stood between the two bounty hunters and his captain.
"You think I'll let you keep him like some trophy?" Gin spat.
Both Johnny and Yosaku steadied themselves, panting slightly.
"You don't understand who you're messing with," said Johnny, tightening his grip.
"No," Gin replied coldly, his stance widening. "You don't understand what I'll do to protect my captain."
Tension crackled like static on the deck as the three men stood locked in a standoff. Gin stood firm beside the bound Don Krieg, his tonfa raised and ready. Johnny and Yosaku, swords in hand, exchanged a brief, knowing glance.
In an instant, they lunged.
Johnny took the lead, leaping through the air with surprising agility. His blade came down in a powerful arc, aiming straight for Gin's right shoulder.
Gin reacted instinctively. He twisted to the side, letting the blade slice through empty air. As Johnny landed, Gin used the momentum of his pivot to drive a fierce kick into Johnny's gut.
"Guh—!" Johnny gasped, wind blasted from his lungs.
The force sent him flying backward. He slammed into the cabin wall with a *thud*, crumpling for a moment under the impact, his blade falling from his hand.
But there was no time to breathe.
Yosaku was already closing in. His feet were light, his stance low. With a sharp yell, he lunged forward, his blade aiming for Gin's exposed flank.
*CLANG!*
Gin raised his right tonfa in the nick of time, the metal catching Yosaku's blade in a burst of sparks. The clash rang through the deck. Muscles tensed, eyes locked.
Gin snarled, "You're persistent—I'll give you that."
Without warning, he lashed out with his left tonfa in a sweeping arc. The end of the weapon cracked against the side of Yosaku's head, just behind the ear.
"Ghk—!"
Yosaku's balance broke. His eyes blurred for a split second, and his grip faltered. The blade slipped from his loosened grips.
Gin didn't hesitate. Dropping his right tonfa, he kicked Yosaku's on his hip, then scooped up the falling blade in one fluid motion.
"Oh no… he's going to free Don Krieg!" Johnny gasped, clutching his side as he struggled to sit up against the wall. Pain lined his face, but his eyes were wide with dread.
Gin stood over the bound Don Krieg, now wielding Yosaku's blade in place of his dropped tonfa. Without hesitation, he brought the blade down.
Shing!
The steel sliced cleanly through half the ropes binding the pirate captain. Another stroke, and Krieg would be free.
But it never came.
THUD!
A powerful kick slammed into Gin's ribs from the side. The impact was so sudden, so explosive, that it launched Gin across the deck. He stumbled, legs unsteady, and crashed into the ship's railing.
"You—!" he growled, trying to catch his breath.
WHAM!
A second kick struck the exact same spot—fierce and merciless. Gin bent forward in pain, groaning sharply as his body flew overboard, falling out of the ship.
Another figure leapt off the rail in pursuit.
Sanji landed gracefully on the rocky shore beside the ship, adjusting his tie mid-air. He straightened up smoothly, his face calm but resolute. From his pocket, he pulled a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and lit it with a flick of his lighter. After taking a long drag, he exhaled a stream of smoke.
"I apologize for the sudden interruption," Sanji said coolly, glancing down at Gin, who was already picking himself up from the ground. "But I'm officially joining the Silent Orca crew now."
He tapped the ash off his cigarette, eyes narrowing slightly. "And as a new crewmember, it's only fair that I showcased my ability, especially when things get messy."
Gin, breathing heavily, stood back up on shaky legs. His right hand was empty — the blade had been knocked from his grasp during the fall. All he had now was his left tonfa, gripped tightly in frustration.
Brushing off sand from his clothes, he stared across at Sanji. He hadn't expected the cook—of all people—to interrupt him right when he was about to rescue Don Krieg.
"I thought you said you didn't know them," Gin said, voice low, suspicious.
"There's no harm in being cautious," Sanji replied coolly, flicking the last of his cigarette to the ground and snuffing it beneath his heel.
Gin's eyes narrowed further. "So… are you going to stand in my way?"
Sanji didn't answer. His silence was deliberate. He slipped his hands into his pockets, standing casually but firmly—legs apart, weight centered. His expression made it clear: *he wasn't moving.*
Gin exhaled slowly. Though frustrated, he didn't charge recklessly. "It's a shame," he said. "I didn't want to fight you, cook."
Sanji just stood unmoved. "Just make your move."
Above them, Johnny and Yosaku had climbed up to their feet, watching with wary eyes from the railing. The atmosphere below was thick with tension.
Gin's grip tightened around his remaining tonfa. His free hand flexed, then curled into a fist. "In that case… I'll show no mercy."
He lunged forward, a blur of motion, and opened with a brutal twin strike aimed at Sanji's shoulders. Sanji ducked low, spinning into a sweeping kick.
"Collier Shoot!"
His counter kick connected with Gin's side. Gin grunted and staggered back, absorbing the blow with a grit of his teeth. He responded fast, twisting his tonfa into a mid-air counter.
"Silent Breaker!"
Gin spun, elbowing toward Sanji's face, then snapped his tonfa upward at his ribs. Sanji leaned back at the last second, but the tonfa still grazing his ribs. Grunting from the pain, he retaliated with a short jump and snapped his leg sideways.
"Poêle à Frire: Tendron!"
The heel smashed into Gin's shoulder, throwing him off balance. He tumbled, rolled across the sand, but recovered fast.
"Not bad," Gin muttered.
He charged again, this time he spun with blinding speed, knocking away a rock in his path, and drove his tonfa straight toward Sanji's chest.
Sanji crossed his legs mid-air and flipped backward, landing gracefully. Next, he rushed forward, closing the distance in one breath, and drove his foot upward in a clean arc.
Gin crossed his arms to block, but the sheer force lifted him an inch off the ground before he crashed back down, sand erupting around him.
Gin coughed, one hand pressing to the ground as he pulled himself up again. He wasn't done.
He dipped low, using *Reverse Tonfa Sweep*—his tonfa swung out low to trip Sanji. Sanji hopped up, avoiding it by a hair. Gin followed with an upper tonfa smash, aiming for Sanji's jaw.
Sanji twisted mid-air and delivered a spinning side kick to Gin's midsection.
"Mouton Shot!"
It connected with a thud that echoed across the beach. Gin flew back, crashing against a rocky outcrop.
"Guh—!"
He slumped to one knee, breathing hard, still conscious but clearly rattled.
Sanji exhaled through his nose, adjusting his tie. "I warned you."
Above, Johnny and Yosaku were frozen, impressed and slightly terrified by Sanji's precise and overwhelming skill.
Gin struggled back to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Despite the damage, he is still standing persistently. His resolve hadn't wavered. In fact, his fighting spirit was just ignited.
Their battle wasn't over yet.