Marine G-51 Branch — Port.
The royal merchant vessel Aekyon of the Nismael Kingdom lay quietly at anchor.
Inside the branch, the grand banquet had already begun. Marines and the ship's overseers were indulging in fine food and wine.
Meanwhile, on the merchant ship's deck—
"Really makes you jealous… I heard the Steward prepared a 100,000-Berry red envelope for every Marine soldier this time."
A royal guard of Nismael Kingdom sighed.
"Especially that Captain Aster… I heard the private 'gift' the kingdom gave him was worth that amount alone."
He gestured a number with his fingers, clicking his tongue in envy.
"You don't get it,"
The older guard beside him chuckled.
"That Captain Aster is no simple man. Last time when Steward Mantal was transporting a shipload of slaves, something went wrong at Master Port. A few slaves escaped and ran to the Marine branch begging for help."
"There was a woman among them—
from the Blooming Tribe. A special 'luxury item.' High-grade!"
Hearing this, the younger guard widened his eyes.
The Blooming Tribe—
A rare race on the seas.
They look human, but their bodies naturally emit floral fragrance; plants grow faster near them; even their sweat is said to be among the finest nectar in the world.
A female Blooming Tribe member could rival even a mermaid in price—
in Sabaody, the starting auction price was 50 million Berries.
Naturally, if such cargo escaped, Steward Mantal would be in deep trouble.
But—
"It was that same Captain Aster who returned those slaves to the Steward and even destroyed all the related rescue documents."
The old guard grinned.
"Now you understand, right? Marines are our important protective umbrella. Of course the Steward must reward them generously!"
The young guard looked even more envious.
But the old guard continued, changing the subject:
"No need to envy too much. We made quite the profit this time too. Steward Mantal will reward us."
Hearing that, the young guard instantly perked up.
"Isn't that right? Who would've thought that tiny fishing village on that little island would have such a stunning beauty? And she actually ended up being purchased by a Celestial Dragon."
He swallowed hard just thinking about it.
The old guard nodded.
"Exactly. That World Noble paid a Devil Fruit and 200 million Berries for her. Counting the rest of the slaves this time, we made 500 million Berries in total—"
And right there, his expression changed sharply.
Because in that moment, both guards realized—
Their legs, necks, torsos, and arms had been tightly restrained.
Before they could even struggle…
Two daggers pierced cleanly through their backs.
"Six intruders… no—seven?"
The old guard's mind made one final assessment
before he collapsed heavily to the deck.
Then, seven intruders swiftly dragged the two bodies into a corner and stripped off their uniforms.
After doing so, all seven were panting heavily.
And looking closely—
One would notice something startling:
All seven intruders had the exact same face.
They were all identical to the young pirate known as Alan.
Needless to say—
These were Alan himself,
and his remaining six sliced clones.
"Kōri… she…"
At that moment, Alan's low voice sounded as though he might grind his teeth to dust.
From the conversation he had just overheard between the two guards, he had naturally already understood Kōri's fate.
"No… I can't lose my head. Grandpa and the others are still in the hold… I have to save them first."
He forced himself to push down the rage boiling in his chest.
Two of his clones quickly changed into the fallen guards' uniforms.
"Fifteen minutes from now is the guards' shift change. They'll open the cargo hold. I can slip inside then and rescue Grandpa and the others."
His mind raced, reviewing every detail of the plan.
That's right.
Ever since he had pretended to be a pirate and sent that threatening letter—
forcing the merchant ship to stop at Master Port—
he had been watching the ship from afar, observing everyone's every move, waiting for the chance to begin.
"When the time comes, there will only be four guards inside the hold for a short moment. I'll take down two with a surprise attack… and for the remaining two, I'll trade my life if I have to."
Thinking this far, Alan couldn't help recalling the strange Marine Lieutenant his "sacrificed" clone had encountered.
That man… for some reason, it was as if he knew Alan's entire plan.
Every word he said struck straight at his weaknesses.
"But from what the clone shared before it died… it looks like he didn't return to port. Was he just trying to get inside my head?"
Alan shook his head sharply.
At this point, he no longer had the luxury to overthink.
He knew his strength very well.
Even though he had eaten that fruit as a child and gained a special ability…
He was still just a boy from a fishing village.
He had only escaped being captured as a slave because—purely by luck—he wasn't home when the slavers came.
Even if he and all his sliced clones fought together, they still might not be able to defeat three royal guards in a straight fight.
So—
he only had one chance.
"I have to focus. Focus!"
Just as that thought formed—
Toot!
A sharp whistle pierced the silence of the ship, coming from behind him.
Alan's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned.
The two guards he had stabbed earlier…
were now struggling to their feet.
"Kid… first time killing someone, huh?"
The older guard was still bleeding, but he grinned with a twisted expression.
"You panicked—
With blades that short, you had to hit the head, the heart, or a major organ.
But you didn't hit any of them! Idiot!"
As he spoke, dozens of guards poured out of the ship's hold, having heard the whistle.
"Intruders!"
"Why would anyone invade now? It's not like we still have treasure on board."
"Doesn't matter—catch them first!"
"Wait… these intruders… septuplets?"
The moment they saw Alan and the two wounded guards, they immediately understood what was happening.
Alan's face turned deathly pale.
Just as he had told himself earlier—
he had only one chance.
But clearly… that chance was gone.
The next moment, he heard the older guard shout:
"Don't kill him! He's not some set of septuplets—this kid's definitely a Devil Fruit user. He's valuable merchandise! Take him alive!"
Hearing those words, Alan's pale face suddenly flushed red.
He clenched the short knife in his hand in a white-knuckled grip.
"You bastards… I will never…"
He would never become a slave—
even if it meant dying first!
With that, he and his six clones charged at the guards with their short blades.
But of course… it was useless.
Barely two minutes later, Alan and several of his clones were lying on the deck, covered in blood.
"Which one's the real body?"
"Who cares? Capture them all."
"We're gonna get rich. Ability-user slaves sell for a fortune!"
Laughing, several guards stepped forward, reaching down to seize Alan.
"Damn it… damn it…"
Alan tried to resist, but he was immediately pinned to the deck, unable to move.
But then—
BOOM!
A thunderous burst of wind echoed across the deck.
Suddenly, the force pressing him down vanished—
and something warm began splattering onto his body.
He struggled and lifted his head just enough to look forward.
The guards who had been snarling at him only moments ago…
were gone.
In their place was a massive hole torn straight through the deck.
Through that gaping hole, he could see the blood and mangled bodies of the guards below—
the source of the warm liquid raining onto him.
"Who!?"
"What happened to the deck!?"
"What's going on!?"
"Look! Up in the sky!"
Hearing their shouts, Alan instinctively raised his head.
And then—
he saw something so terrifying, so unforgettable, that it would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.
In the pitch-black night sky, the full moon hung high.
Moonlight spilled across the waves, shimmering silver.
And at that moment—
a lone figure stood against the moon itself.
He wore a rooster-shaped mask, and was slowly drawing back his fist.
"Who is that guy? One of the intruders' allies?"
"He's flying? Is he a Devil Fruit user too?"
"Hurry! Shoot him down!"
The guards raised their weapons, whispering nervously.
But some of them had already noticed something was wrong.
For instance, the old guard Alan had stabbed earlier—
he noticed that the figure truly was standing in midair, but if one looked closely, his feet were making subtle stepping motions.
"That's…"
As a seasoned veteran, he had heard of such a technique.
Combined with that punch that had shattered the deck—
"No… no!"
The old guard shouted urgently:
"Retreat! Notify Steward Mantal and Captain Aster!
That guy is a monster—!"
But it was already too late.
Whoosh!
With a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye, accompanied by a violent burst of displaced air—
the figure vanished from the sky.
"Good."
The next moment, a low voice whispered directly into the old guard's ear.
"For my first real hunt… running into scum like you is perfect.
I can truly enjoy myself tonight."
As the deep voice reached him, the old guard felt his vision soaring upward.
Then he saw his own body.
He realized he wasn't flying—
only his head was.
And in the final, fading instant of consciousness…
he saw the rooster-masked figure streak into the guards like a phantom, killing without hesitation.
Screams and cries filled the night.
In the dark sky, the full moon hung high.
The moonlight fell upon the deck—
and seemed to take on the color of blood.