A shrill alarm blared across the sea.
Weevil, with a dull and vacant look, swung his naginata and smashed through the side of a warship in one strike. As the hull splintered, he leapt aboard, intent on slaughter.
The ship rocked violently, taking on water and tilting to one side. Panic spread among the marines.
A young woman with sky-blue hair, Ain, steadied herself and shouted, "Everyone! Abandon the ship immediately!"
Although there was chaos at first, the soldiers regained their composure fast and followed her orders. Ain herself drew the two short blades from her waist and charged at Weevil.
Nearby, the pirate ship that had been surrounded by the training fleet was already half destroyed, littered with corpses. Clearly, Weevil had wiped out the crew long before the Marines arrived.
Miss Buckin, sitting on the wreckage and counting her money, shouted gleefully, "Son! Kill them all!"
"Okay, Mama!" Weevil bellowed while slashing at Ain, forcing her back.
Blood streamed from Ain's shoulder where the blade had grazed her during the brief clash. Though she fought with twin blades, she couldn't withstand his monstrous strength. She quickly used Geppo to leap into the sky.
Weevil blinked in confusion as she soared upward, then crouched slightly.
Boom!
The deck cracked beneath him as he launched himself like a rocket straight toward her.
Ain's pupils tightened in shock. The brute was too fast. She stepped rapidly through the air, retreating as fast as she could.
"Don't run, little bug!" Weevil roared. "Ahhhh!"
He raised his naginata and swung. A crescent-shaped slash tore toward her. Just as it was about to hit, a surge of force burst from Ain's cape, yanking her aside in midair.
"Eh!?"
A few strands of her hair drifted down as she narrowly avoided the slash.
Weevil frowned, puzzled, and raised his blade again, only to strange sounds echo across the sea.
Mosamosa~ Mosamosa~ Mosamosa~
From another ship, thick vines erupted and shot toward Weevil, wrapping around his body before slamming him down toward the ocean.
Crack!
The vines tore apart instantly under his brute strength. Rage twisted his face as he stomped through the air and charged at the ship that had attacked him.
On that warship, Binz broke out in a cold sweat as the rampaging idiot came barreling toward him. "This isn't good."
He commanded more vines to swarm and strangle Weevil, but they were ripped apart in seconds. Bullets, cannon fire, Shigan, Rankyaku, a barrage of attacks rained down, yet none slowed the monster.
* * *
On a warship in the rear, Soter floated above the deck, his right hand raised slightly. The ability of the Float-Float Fruit glimmered faintly over the capes of every marine, ready to activate.
Zephyr furrowed his brows. "Their emergency response isn't bad, but gathering that many people together… are they trying to be sitting ducks? What a waste of their Six Powers training."
In war, no soldier leaves unscathed. That was why neither he nor Soter rushed in right away. Their trainees previous pirate-hunting missions had gone smoothly, masking any weaknesses. But this time, with a powerful enemy suddenly appearing, all their flaws were laid bare.
Soter sighed and smiled bitterly. "We can deal with that later. I'm going to save them first. Warships aren't cheap…"
Zephyr gave a nod. "Go."
Then his gaze shifted toward the pirate ship. As Soter shot upward, he leapt into the air as well.
* * *
Back on the fighting ship, the shattered deck was filled with broken vines. The massive tendrils had been ripped apart from their roots. Weevil's naginata swung wildly, each blow devastating. The entire vessel cracked in half, the hull splitting down the middle.
Boom!
Another diagonal slash and the cabin began to slide apart. The marines swallowed hard at the sight.
Just as Weevil prepared to strike again, everyone's capes burst with energy. Their bodies lifted helplessly into the sky.
Whoosh!
They were flung across the air, landing on nearby warships.
"It's Senior Soter!"
"We're saved!"
"That guy is a monster. only Senior Soter can beat him!"
"Yeah! None of our attacks worked. He's too strong!"
Then a cold, scolding voice sent shivers down their spines.
"I'll deal with you guys later. Reflect on your performance. Bunching up like that? What were you all thinking? Have you forgotten Geppo and how to use Soru?"
Zephyr's voice flashed past as he dashed toward the pirate ship. Cold sweat ran down the trainees' faces. They were finished…
On the other side, Soter descended from above, his boots coated in Armament Haki. He stomped on Weevil's head, slamming him deep into the ship's lower deck.
But he frowned. In his perception Weevil's presence barely changed. That kick had felt like a mere tickle.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand.
Crash!
A violent tremor shook the ship. The hull's bottom rolled. Weevil, who had not yet fully risen, fell again. Then the entire warship tore free from the sea. It rocketed straight up toward the sky, soaring a thousand meters high.
** * *
On the pirate ship, Miss Buckin froze mid-count when she heard the noise. "Wha… what!?"
She turned and saw her son, and the marine ship, rising into the heavens until both vanished. Panic flooded her chest.
Boom!
A thunderous impact sounded behind her.
She jumped, trembling, and turned stiffly. Her blood ran cold once she saw the purple-haired man standing there.
"Z-Zephyr…"
Despite her fear, relief flickered. 'Good… he doesn't kill. I'll live. Just wait for Weevil to come back and—'
Her thoughts stopped as she was suddenly lifted off the ground, unable to breathe.
"Mmm—!"
Zephyr's huge hand gripped her throat, holding her level with his shoulder.
"You know me?" he asked. "Which pirate crew are you from?"
He rarely appeared in public anymore, having spent two decades withdrawn from the seas at the headquarters. The new generation of pirates barely knew his name, and most of the old ones were dead.
His brow furrowed. Her aura was pitifully weak, far too faint to match any real pirate he'd fought.
He loosened his grip slightly to let her speak.
Miss Buckin sucked in air desperately, then pleaded, "N-no… I've only heard of your great name! I saw you in the papers! I'm not a pirate, I swear! Look at my age. How could I be a pirate?!"
Zephyr glanced around at the surrounding corpses, then looked up at the sky. "Not a pirate? Then you're the one controlling that thing, aren't you?"
His eyes returned to her terrified face.
"W-wait—!"
Crack!
Her neck was snapped under immense force.
'Damn it… wasn't he… supposed to never kill?'
Her thoughts faded into darkness.
**
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