East Blue, a certain sea area.
On a massive warship, seagull flags fluttered proudly in the salty wind.An old man with a slightly graying beard, wearing a dog-head mask and casually munching on senbei, turned to a navy sailor and asked, "How long until we reach our destination?"
The navigator saluted sharply. "Reporting to Vice Admiral Garp, sir! We will arrive in approximately thirty-five hours."
Garp smiled kindly. "Alright, I understand. I'll take a nap for now…"
Shells Town.
When Raion stirred up such a commotion, it wasn't Don Krieg who first arrived — it was the navy stationed in Shells Town.
After conducting an investigation, the navy discovered that the pirates had been killed. Upon confirming that Raion and his companions were pirate hunters, they deemed the killings justified and chose not to intervene.
What the navy didn't realize was that this event had already set something dangerous into motion — a storm that would soon find them.
"Brother, are we really going to wait here for Krieg?" Joseph asked, unable to hide the worry in his voice.
"Of course," Raion replied calmly.
"Uh… alright…" Joseph hesitated.
Although Joseph and Johnny acknowledged Raion's strength, their opponent this time was Krieg — the infamous leader of the largest pirate crew in the East Blue. He was a ruthless tyrant with nearly 3,000 men and over 30 ships under his command. Even if Krieg didn't personally take action, the sheer numbers alone could overwhelm them.
Raion seemed to sense their unease. "You can run if you want. Krieg will likely be here in two days."
To Raion's surprise, Joseph's expression hardened with determination. "Big brother, since you're staying, how can we possibly abandon you?"
Johnny straightened up beside him, mirroring Joseph's stance, both pressing a fist to their chins — one on the left, the other on the right.
"Since we chose to follow big brother…""We're willing to live and die alongside him!"
"Joseph.""Johnny.""Please guide us, brother!"
Raion looked at their overly dramatic display, a vein twitching on his forehead. "Yeah, yeah… I get it."
The reason Raion chose to stay wasn't because he was bored, but because he had discovered that the stronger the enemy he defeated in direct combat, the more experience points he gained. His "Ninja Level" increased much faster this way. It was just like a game — defeating small fry gave little experience, but taking down a boss provided a massive boost.
"If I can defeat Krieg this time, I might unlock that ability…" Raion thought, muttering to himself.
During the wait, the trio returned to their boat. Raion, unwilling to waste even a second, continued his training.
Standing atop the water, he gathered chakra in his hand, forming a [Great Spiral Pill], compressing and refining it further. The glowing chakra sphere grew in size, swirling with unstable energy. At first, the process was clumsy and unstable, so Raion practiced it again and again…
A day later, the man they had been waiting for finally arrived.
Krieg.
From a distance, a navy sentry spotted dozens of warships approaching. The flagship leading them was Krieg's personal vessel, the fearsome [Dreadnought Saber].
The sheer sight of this armada sent the navy sentry into a panic, and he rushed to report to his superiors. Colonel Short, the officer in charge of Shells Town, grew pale upon hearing the news.
This same bespectacled colonel — Short of the 153rd Branch — had only reached his rank due to seniority, never having experienced real combat. The overwhelming force Krieg brought shook his nerves to the core.
Krieg's power was notorious in the East Blue, but no one expected him to be so brazen as to attack a navy stronghold directly.
As for Raion and his group, Raion — having watched the anime in his past life — already knew that Krieg would come. Krieg was the type of man who worshipped brute force, arrogant and domineering to the extreme. There was no way he would tolerate such humiliation.
Raion's thoughts mirrored Krieg's rage perfectly: You destroyed three of my battleships and killed my men. If I don't make an example of you, how can I keep my grip on the East Blue?
However, Raion and his companions weren't immediately aware of Krieg's arrival due to a simple oversight.
The town of Shells had two ports.Raion's ship was docked at the east port, while Krieg's armada entered from the north port.
At the North Port.
Krieg stood with his arms crossed, boots resting on the railing of his flagship. His eyes burned with fury as he barked, "Listen up, you maggots! I don't care if you have to dig three feet underground — find those damned pirate hunters!"
"Yes, sir!""Woohoo!"
The pirates, armed with swords, muskets, and crude weapons, jumped from their ships and charged toward Shells Town.
Krieg's aggressive show of force wasn't born out of a sense of justice or a desire to avenge his men. It was about pride — this incident had damaged his reputation. What's more, he didn't know if the three pirate hunters were still in Shells Town, but attacking so brazenly would send a message and boost morale among his crew.
Krieg commanded a fleet of over 3,000 men, compared to the Shells Town naval branch's meager 1,000 personnel. If he crushed the 153rd Branch, the Krieg Pirates would gain more fame and power. Even if he suffered some casualties, he could still recruit more followers afterward.
When Krieg's forces stormed the town, the navy had no choice but to respond. Though Colonel Short was terrified, he ordered his men to attack.
But the 153rd Branch was just an ordinary naval outpost, and its artillery power and range were limited. Before they could even mount an effective defense, the pirates poured into the town like a black tide.
Among the pirates, several had received specific orders: find and capture the three pirate hunters.
The townsfolk, however, suffered horribly. To these cold-blooded pirates, every civilian was fair game for looting or slaughter.
After all, a pirate is still a pirate. Their nature — to burn, pillage, and destroy — could never be changed. Though Krieg claimed to be looking for specific people, his men used the opportunity to terrorize everyone in sight.
Shells Town was quickly transformed into hell on earth.
The navy was hopelessly outnumbered — Krieg's 3,000 men against barely 700 remaining sailors. The few marines stationed in the residential areas were slaughtered early on, forcing the remaining forces to retreat and defend only the naval base.
The air was filled with chaos — the clang of steel, the screams of the wounded, and the distant boom of sporadic cannon fire. The once peaceful Shells Town had now become a battlefield drenched in blood and terror.