The three cannonballs roared out almost at once, streaking toward the black ship two kilometers away.
They missed, splashing down nearby and throwing up pillars of spray.
On the black ship, a one-eyed man gripped a spiked mace, his face cold as he stared at the pirates ahead. A no-name crew without even a bounty dared attack a slaver. He would make an example of these blind fools—capture them all and sell them to nobles.
As the saying goes, what the Celestial Dragons fancy, the nobles copy. The East Blue's slave trade wasn't as thriving as on the Grand Line, but plenty still did the work. One-Eyed Wolf was among them.
In fact, his lookout had spotted the Money long before the Money's lookout spotted them. He hadn't rushed to engage—he avoided tangling with pirates when he could. If the Money had held its course, they'd have passed like ships in the night. But once the Money turned toward him, he couldn't pretend not to see it. He ordered his crew to bring the bow around and meet them head-on.
"Open fire!"
The slaver's guns boomed.
As with the Money's first volley, those shots also missed.
Neither side stopped, though. They traded fire four or five rounds before easing off in unspoken agreement. Ammunition was costly; you couldn't burn through it all at once.
Soon the ships were alongside.
Under Lister's orders, grapnels on hemp lines flew from the Money and bit into the slaver's rails.
Perhaps thinking slavers were no worse than pirates in a boarding fight, One-Eyed Wolf didn't send his men to board. He set a defensive line instead and waited for the Money Pirates to come.
"All hands—kill!"
Lister drew his katana and pointed at the black ship.
"First Division, with me!" Johnson bellowed, wrench in one hand and round shield in the other, charging across the lines.
"Second Division, with me!" Rocky, unwilling to be outdone, took broadsword and shield and rushed after him.
"Kill!"
Spirits high, the rest of the Money Pirates howled and swarmed over.
The instant Johnson and Rocky set foot on the slaver's deck, One-Eyed Wolf snapped the counterorder.
"Fire!"
Gunshots cracked in a storm. Bullets tore toward Johnson and Rocky. They snapped their shields up.
Sparks flew as rounds hammered the iron, but neither man was hurt. They traded a glance, then, in the breath of pause after that first barrage, both hurled their round shields. From different angles the heavy disks smashed into the gunners, sending slavers tumbling.
One-Eyed Wolf's face tightened. With skills and poise like that, these two were no greenhorns. What were men like this doing in a crew with no bounty? It made no sense.
"Kill!" He didn't hesitate. He charged, and the axe-and-blade men at his side surged with him.
Johnson met One-Eyed Wolf head-on. Rocky intercepted the other slavers. As more Money Pirates poured across the lines, the two sides clashed in a roiling melee.
On the Money, Lister watched coolly. Beside him, Nami asked, "Aren't you going?"
"It's not my turn," Lister said.
He wasn't worried about casualties. If some men could only prove useful in fights like this, then dying here simply meant they weren't worth more. If they survived, it proved their value—and then he could justify investing in them.
The battle ground on.
Even at a glance, the Money Pirates held a slight edge. One-Eyed Wolf had a bit on Johnson, but not enough to finish him quickly. As more pirates boarded, Rocky broke free and joined Johnson, the two of them pressing One-Eyed Wolf together. Two against one, he began to buckle.
Elsewhere, pirate and slaver hacked and shot and fell. For every pirate a slaver cut down, one or two, even three slavers paid with their lives. As the slavers dropped one after another, One-Eyed Wolf's nerve began to fray.
"We've no quarrel. Why come after me?" he shouted.
"I'm a pirate," Johnson laughed. "We rob and burn and do every kind of evil. No quarrel means I can't come after you?"
Rage darkened the slaver's face, but strength bowed to circumstance. Time to play humble.
"We concede this fight. The Blackwater Slave-Hunters will pay compensation. Let's end it here—what do you say?"
"Are you stupid? If we kill you, all the money on this ship is ours," Johnson sneered.
He hammered forward with the wrench, battering One-Eyed Wolf back a few steps. Rocky seized the opening and chopped at the slaver's neck. Startled, One-Eyed Wolf threw up a braced forearm. Steel rang; Rocky's blade split the metal vambrace and bit into flesh. Blood gushed. Johnson followed with another blow, his wrench crashing down on the slaver's skull. Bone burst. One-Eyed Wolf died where he stood.
Lister stepped onto the slaver's deck over the lines.
"Slavers! Your chief is dead. Surrender and you will not be killed."
"Surrender and you will not be killed!" the pirates echoed.
Hearing the shout, the slavers' fighting spirit collapsed. One after another, they threw down their weapons and gave up.