At the port of the Bespa Kingdom in the South Blue, the calm sea surface was broken by a slowly approaching pirate ship. Under the sunlight, the black pirate flag flapped loudly in the sea breeze, its skull pattern appearing particularly ferocious.
"Pirates! Pirates!" A young dockworker was the first to spot the uninvited guest, his panicked shout shattering the port's tranquility. The cargo in his hands fell to the ground with a thud, his face instantly turning pale.
The elderly sheriff walked over leisurely and patted the young man's shoulder: "Don't make such a fuss, it's just a pirate ship." He squinted his eyes as he looked out to sea, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
"That's right, our Bespa Kingdom has Mr. Kuzan," a middle-aged merchant chimed in while adjusting his bowtie. "Last time three pirate ships attacked together, didn't he handle them all by himself?"Exactly," a fishmonger echoed, his fish-gutting knife gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "Those pirates were frozen into ice sculptures before they could even get close to the port."
The young man finally calmed down somewhat, lowering his head in embarrassment as he bent to pick up the fallen cargo.
Seeing this, the sheriff turned to his subordinates behind him and ordered: "Even so, we can't let our guard down. Immediately evacuate the port crowd and send someone to fetch Mr. Kuzan. Tell him there are more foolish pirates coming to die."
"Yes, sir!" Several guards quickly sprang into action. One of them hurried toward the port's bell tower, and soon after, long, drawn-out bell chimes echoed over the port.
The merchants and residents who heard the alarm didn't panic but instead evacuated inland in an orderly manner, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
Meanwhile, on the sea not far from the port, the pirate ship was cutting through the waves. The lookout on deck lowered his telescope and shouted toward the cabin: "Captain, Bespa Kingdom seems to have already spotted us!"
A burst of rough laughter came from the cabin as a burly man with a full beard strode out. The golden badge on his chest glittered in the sunlight, and a scar over his left eye added to his ferocity. "Hahaha, so what if they've spotted us?" He snatched the telescope. "Where can this wretched place run to? Helmsman, full speed ahead!"
"But Captain," a tall, thin man with a slender sword at his waist stepped forward, his voice as cold as a venomous snake's, "I've heard that Bespa Kingdom has produced a formidable figure in the past two years. Several pirate crews have already met their downfall there."
"Bullshit!" The bearded captain threw the telescope onto the deck. "I'm Fletcher, the 'Raging Demon Bear' with a 76 million berry bounty! And you, Fischer the Bloody Swordsman, have a 40 million berry bounty. With our combined bounties over 100 million, who in the entire South Blue besides the Marines can do anything to our Raging Bear Pirates?"
Fischer said nothing more upon hearing this, silently polishing his sword instead.
The pirates on the deck, hearing their captain's bold declaration, raised their weapons and cheered, their eyes gleaming with greed.
The pirate ship finally docked, its heavy anchor plunging into the water and sending up massive splashes. The pirates eagerly leaped onto the pier, their grimy leather boots trampling the pristine stone slabs, leaving behind trails of filthy footprints. Some were already licking their lips, fantasizing about the treasures they were about to seize; others rubbed their hands together in anticipation of bloody slaughter.
On the pier, the last group of evacuating residents glanced back, but their eyes held little fear, instead showing a hint of pity. The sea wind swept up fallen leaves from the ground, as if foretelling the coming storm.
"Hahaha, men, charge for me!" Fletcher led the way, shouting to the crew behind him.
"Kill!" The pirates, hearing his command, brandished their weapons and rushed toward the town.
"Ara ara, pirates again? They just never end, do they? It seems joining the Marines is the only way to truly purge the South Sea of pirates!"
Just as the pirates excitedly charged toward the town, a young man around three meters tall emerged from within. He wore round-framed sunglasses, a loose white shirt, and dark trousers, his hands tucked into his pockets, looking completely at ease—as if he were facing not vicious pirates but a flock of helpless sheep.
"Is that the so-called tough opponent?" Fletcher muttered under his breath, then yelled to his crew, "Men, whoever takes this guy down gets to keep all the treasure we plunder from the Bayspa Kingdom today!"
"Kill!" As Fletcher's words faded, the pirates charged straight at Kuzan, their eyes filled with greed.
Kuzan halted and slowly raised his right hand: "Pirates, don't get too cocky. Frozen Time Capsule!"
A terrifying chill erupted from his palm, instantly engulfing the entire pier. The dozen or so pirates at the forefront, still in their charging stances, turned into crystalline ice sculptures.
The pirates behind them froze in terror, their weapons clattering from their trembling hands.
"W-what kind of power is this?" one pirate stammered.
"M-monster!" Another, staring at the frozen pirates, dropped his weapon in panic and tried to flee.
But before he could escape, Fletcher's face turned livid as he reached out and hoisted the fleeing pirate into the air.
"C-captain, spare me! Please!" the pirate begged, dangling in midair.
Crack—!
Before he could say more, Fletcher ruthlessly snapped his neck and declared, "Don't be afraid. He's just a Devil Fruit user—so am I."
"The captain's right!" Fischer drew his rapier, its blade glinting coldly in the sunlight. "He's just a Devil Fruit user. Let me handle him!"
With that, Fischer charged at Kuzan at incredible speed, covering dozens of meters in mere seconds. "Extreme Path Flash!"
A icy blade of light slashed directly through Kuzan's body, splitting him in two.
Fischer, who had sliced the enemy in half, showed no trace of delight on his face, because the sensation of the strike felt wrong. As a swordsman, he could still distinguish the feeling of cutting through a person versus cutting through something else.
"Not bad, quite alert. But it's over now." Just then, Kuzan's voice rang in Fischer's ear, "Frozen Moment!"
And then Fischer turned into an ice sculpture.
"V-Vice Captain!" The pirates cried out in terror as they saw their vice captain frozen into an ice sculpture in a single encounter.
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