In his early years, Don Krieg was nothing more than a street thug a petty swindler who would stoop to anything for money. Then one day, an unexpected incident landed him behind bars.
He later escaped prison through cunning means, assumed a false identity, and managed to enlist in the Navy as an ordinary seaman.
Not long after, he killed his superior officer, hijacked a ship, and turned pirate. It was through sheer shamelessness and ruthlessness that he built up his forces, eventually becoming the infamous "Admiral" Krieg, feared throughout the East Blue.
Now, Krieg planned to leverage his notoriety to recruit other pirate crews, forming a massive fleet to set sail for the Grand Line.
The East Blue? He no longer gave it a second thought. His ambition lay in a grander stage one worthy of his talents, strategy, and military might.
The recruitment went smoothly. Under Krieg's notorious banner, dozens of pirate crews from across the East Blue flocked to the town he had taken over, eager to follow him into the legendary Grand Line.
But in Krieg's mind, these fools were just pawns.
He didn't want a fleet of equals. He wanted absolute obedience a navy of his own, where he alone commanded. His word would be law. That was what it meant to be a true admiral.
"Captain, all the pirate captains have gathered in the square. It's time for your speech."
The moment his subordinate finished speaking, Krieg casually raised his flintlock and shot him to the ground. The man cried out in agony.
"There are no 'captains' here," Krieg sneered. "Only me. Admiral Krieg."
The other men in the room swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on their brows. No one dared object.
Krieg's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. He relished the raw power he held over them. Throwing on his coat, he stepped out of his temporary command post and headed for the stage in the town square.
His appearance was met with roaring cheers.
Towering and broad-shouldered, Krieg radiated the aura of a tyrant. The golden armor gleaming in the sunlight only amplified his intimidating presence. To the gathered pirates, he looked like something out of legend a warlord on par with the Pirate King himself.
Krieg basked in their admiration. With a faint smile, he accepted the microphone handed to him and spoke.
"Quiet."
The square fell instantly silent. You could hear a pin drop. Krieg was all the more pleased.
"I imagine all of you came here with one goal in mind to join me, to serve under my banner, and to set sail for the Grand Line!"
"Serve under you?" one of the captains challenged. "Wasn't this supposed to be a grand fleet where all crews are equal?"
"Yeah!" another pirate shouted. "We want an explanation!"
"Explain yourself!"
"An explanation? Fine. Here's your explanation."
Krieg grinned wickedly, drew his massive spear-gun, and leapt from the stage. In one clean motion, he impaled the first man who questioned him killing him instantly.
Gasps swept through the square.
No one had expected that. The brutal display silenced the crowd even more thoroughly than before.
"Are you all satisfied with that explanation?" Krieg asked coldly, scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes. "If this is truly a grand fleet, it needs a leader. Otherwise, it's just a mob.
"And tell me who here is more qualified than I am to lead it?
"Anyone who agrees, step forward. Anyone who disagrees, step forward.
"I'll give you the chance."
As his voice faded, the pirates present instinctively stepped back.
This was a man with a bounty of 17 million Berries. Who would dare challenge him?
Even the other pirate captains could only clench their jaws in frustration.
Now wasn't the time to go against him. The first to oppose him would simply become the next corpse. Better to endure for now regroup later and find a way to take him down together.
Krieg saw the reluctance on their faces and grew more arrogant.
"In that case..."
"I object."
The voice rang out across the square calm but clear. Though not loud, it exploded like thunder in everyone's ears.
All heads turned toward the sound.
Who was it?
Who dared defy Krieg at a moment like this?
The pirates instinctively stepped aside, forming a path.
At the end of it stood Krieg, veins bulging on his forehead in fury. Someone had just made a fool of him in front of the entire fleet.
It was... a pretty boy?
Ethan Chen walked forward with his companions in full view of the stunned crowd. He looked Krieg in the eye and said:
"What gives you the right to call yourself the leader? What makes you qualified? Have you even been to the Grand Line? Have you seen the dangers that await there?
"In that sea, the strong are everywhere. The waters themselves are full of deadly peril. What can you offer to ensure the safety of your fleet? That pitiful bounty of seventeen million Berries? That's nothing on the Grand Line not even fodder.
"Or is this all just a ploy? Are you gathering these ships just to use them as cannon fodder to die for your ambitions and scout the way ahead for you?"
As he spoke, Ethan stepped right up to Krieg, raising his head to meet the man's bloodshot glare.
"What? He's using us as sacrificial pawns? That's outrageous!"
"No wonder Krieg who always sailed solo suddenly wants a fleet. And he insists on being the sole authority? So that's the plan…"
"Bastard! We've all been played!"
With someone finally daring to speak out, a storm of doubt swept the square. Whispers turned into mutterings, then angry outbursts. Krieg's prestige visibly crumbled before the crowd's eyes.
"Shut your mouth!" Krieg roared.
He couldn't tolerate this shift couldn't let his authority slip through his fingers. The first step to reclaiming it was to crush the one who'd dared challenge him.
He raised his massive spear-gun high above his head and drove it down toward Ethan with deadly force.
In his mind, this would be a clean kill. The scrawny young man would be skewered in one blow.
But Ethan defied his expectations.
With a swift sidestep, he dodged the thrust and grabbed the shaft of the weapon, stopping it cold.
"What, that's it?" Ethan smirked at Krieg's stunned face. Then, slowly but surely, he began to exert force lifting not only the spear-gun but the massive Krieg himself into the air.
Then he slammed him down.
Boom!
The solid brick ground cracked beneath the impact, forming a crater half a meter deep, spiderwebbed with fractures.
The crowd stared in disbelief.
One blow… Just one! Who was this man?
Ethan didn't pause. Seeing Krieg dazed, his instincts screamed to finish it while the advantage lasted.
He flipped the weapon around and leveled it at Krieg's throat.
"With strength like yours, you think you deserve to lead a fleet of dozens of ships? Please."
With that, he thrust forward, intent on ending it.
Boom!
The spear-gun shattered into pieces.
Standing between Ethan and Krieg now was a gaunt, ghostly figure wielding dual maces, his face twisted like a demon.
Gin, the Demon Man.
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