Chapter 61: Overlord of the East Blue, the Krieg Pirates!

At noon on a certain day, in the waters of the Conomi Islands.

The sky was clear, and the breeze was gentle and warm.

It should have been ideal weather for a post-lunch stroll.

Yet, at the edge of the horizon, no one knew when exactly, a full thirty pirate ships hoisting black sails appeared, bearing down on Cocoyasi Village.

From afar, they formed a dense, dark mass, resembling storm clouds pressing down upon the realm.

……

Near the dock, alongside the coastal grove.

Several villagers, casually chatting while fishing, noticed this terrifying spectacle.

"Hey, pirates."

"Yeah..."

A dozing villager nearby was startled awake, rubbing his sleep-filled eyes and letting out a lazy yawn.

"It's been a while since any pirates dared come to our turf. Did so many show up all at once this time?"

"It must be that guy, the one making a huge name for himself recently who calls himself the Overlord of the East Blue. What was his name again?"

"Krieg? Or Clara?"

"Probably. Ah, who cares..."

The villagers shook their heads, shifted to another topic, and went back to fishing.

They seemed thoroughly accustomed to such a sight.

……

With the warm sun overhead, the salty sea breeze swept across the flagship's deck.

A towering figure, standing two meters and forty-three centimeters tall and clad in heavy gold armor, stood coldly at the bow, staring at the rapidly approaching island in the distance, his cape fluttering wildly behind him.

"Fleet Admiral Krieg! Everything is going smoothly! We will reach the Cocoyasi Village dock in about twenty minutes!"

A report came from the lookout crow's nest above.

"Is that so?"

Krieg narrowed his eyes. "Maintain full speed. Once we make landfall, all combat personnel from ships number one through fifteen will come ashore with me. The rest of the ships are to surround the dock and prepare to open fire at any moment!"

"Understood! Lord Admiral!"

A chorus of roaring confirmations echoed from the surrounding pirates.

"Captain."

A low voice suddenly came from the right. "Though I've mentioned it several times before, the final chance is right before us, and I still wish to advise you one last time."

***

Hm?

Krieg slowly turned around, casting an unfriendly glare at his chief combat commander.

"We shouldn't have come to Cocoyasi Village."

Agin acted as though he didn't notice the look, lowering his head as he spoke. "Isn't your goal to assemble the most powerful armada and conquer the Grand Line? Why go all the way south just to provoke the man named Xano?"

"This is truly an unwise choice. That man's strength might be even greater than you estimate..."

"Hm?"

Krieg abruptly reached out, grabbing Agin by the throat, and bared his teeth.

"So you're scared, Agin! The so-called Demon who has followed me for all these years has had his courage shattered by a mere rumor from back then! And now you want to desert the battlefield?"

"I didn't mean it that way, Captain. My loyalty to you will never change, and I am always willing to follow you into battle."

Agin forced the words out. "However, the risk this time is simply... Didn't everyone universally acknowledge that those Fish-men were wiped out by him single-handedly? After reading the newspapers back then, didn't you warn me in private never to provoke that—"

"Shut up!"

Krieg violently flung his hand away, glaring coldly at Agin, who had collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.

"The times have changed! Do you understand?! Back then, I only had five ships! What about now? Now I have a full thirty!!!"

"The entire East Blue sings praises of my might, and even the Marines skirt around my fleet! What is that country bumpkin brat supposed to be?! If he were truly strong, he would have gone off to conquer the Grand Line. Daring to cling to the title of the East Blue's strongest swordsman after hiding out in the boonies growing oranges for a few years?!"

Krieg spread his broad arms wide, letting the fierce sea breeze rush in as he laughed wildly and arrogantly.

"Coming here this time, I am going to beat that brat black and blue, and show these ignorant fools in the East Blue who the true strongest of the East Blue really is!"

"Long live Lord Krieg!!!"

This speech instantly ignited a wave of fanatical cheers across the entire deck.

"..." Agin fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft breath. As he stood back up, his eyes held only ruthlessness and determination.

"Since you have made up your mind."

He drew his iron tonfas from behind his back, looked up with an indifferent expression toward the dock that was now right before them, and said, "Agin is willing to charge into the frontline for you."

Thud!

The leading pirate ships violently rammed into the dock, instantly crushing the wooden pier that had only been repaired a few years prior into splinters.

A large mob of pirates, wielding swords and guns, roared with excitement as they swarmed down from the ships, packing the coast near the dock to absolute capacity.

"There's smoke from cooking over there! I see the village!"

"Is there only this one dirt road? What a podunk countryside place!"

"Never mind all that, charge together! The Admiral said whoever finds the brat named Xano first gets a reward of two million Berries!"

Agin stood expressionlessly among the first wave of men leaving the ship. Inadvertently, he noticed a narrow, strangely shaped speedboat parked in a secluded spot nearby.

***

The flag hoisted on the mast bore the large characters 「Shimotsuki」.

Shimotsuki?

Agin frowned slightly, feeling as though he had seen this name—or surname—somewhere before.

It seemed to be from some newspaper a few years ago...

Before he had time to dwell on it.

Bang!

The vanguard suddenly grew noisy. For reasons unknown, several pirates charging at the very front suddenly flew into the air, slammed into the coconut trees on either side, and slumped over unconscious with their heads tilted to the side.

"Ara, my apologies."

A blue-haired beauty with a red ribbon tied in her hair had somehow blocked the center of the only path. Twirling a lock of her hair, she smiled cheerfully at the pirates before her.

"There are still a lot of people in the village who haven't finished lunch yet. We can't let rough fellows like you run over and disturb them."

Ohhhhhhh!!!

No one cared about those few unlucky bastards who had just been knocked flying.

The pirates charging at the front widened their eyes all at once; some began to whistle, others started drooling, and one even twisted his body into a noodle-like shape.

"Whoa, what a super hot babe!!"

"To think a little countryside place like this has such a gorgeous girl!"

"Hey! Beautiful young lady, once we finish our business, how about coming aboard our ship tonight!"

Pairs of greedy, malicious eyes scanned back and forth across the newcomer's face.

"Staring at a girl like that is very rude, you know."

Nami still wore a gentle smile, though blue metallic boxing gloves had somehow appeared on her hands. "I'm asking, do you guys actually have—"

Soru!

Before she could finish her sentence, Nami's figure instantly vanished from the spot. When she reappeared, she was right in the middle of the pirates.

"—any intention of listening to me speak?!"

Accompanied by a roar fierce enough to rival a mother Tyrannosaurus Rex, she threw a brutal, crushing cross-punch. The heads of the two pirates closest to her instantly caved in.

Before their bodies even hit the ground, Nami's slender, powerful right leg swept out in a wide arc, sending dozens of surrounding pirates screaming into the air as they flew backward like snapped kites!