One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 61: The Overlord of the East Blue, the Krieg Pirates!

High noon in the waters of the Conomi Islands.

The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, and the sun was warm and gentle. It was the kind of perfect weather for a leisurely stroll after lunch.

But on the horizon, a fleet of thirty pirate ships, all flying black sails, had appeared out of nowhere. They were closing in on Cocoyasi Village.

From a distance, the dark, sprawling mass of ships looked like a storm cloud pressing down on the sea.

…

Near the docks, by a small grove of trees along the coast, a few villagers were fishing and chatting when they noticed the terrifying sight.

"Hey, look. Pirates."

"Yeah…"

A napping villager was woken by the chatter. He glanced out with bleary eyes and let out a lazy yawn.

"Haven't seen any pirates dare to come here in a long time. They sure brought a lot of them this time, huh?"

"It must be that guy, right? The one who's been making a name for himself lately, calls himself the Overlord of the East Blue. What was his name again?"

"Was it Clark? Or Clara?"

"Something like that, I think. Eh, who cares…"

The villagers shook their heads and changed the subject, returning to their fishing.

It was clear they were completely unfazed by the scene unfolding before them.

…

The warm sun beat down as the salty sea breeze whipped across the deck of the flagship.

A towering figure, standing at two hundred and forty-three centimeters and clad in heavy golden armor, stood at the prow. His expression was cold as he stared at the rapidly approaching island, the cape on his back flapping in the wind.

"Governor Krieg! All is proceeding smoothly! We should reach the Cocoyasi Village docks in about twenty minutes!" a subordinate called down from the crow's nest.

"Is that so?"

Krieg's eyes narrowed. "Continue at full speed! After we dock, all combat personnel from ships one through fifteen will follow me ashore. The rest of the fleet will surround the harbor and be ready to open fire on my command!"

"Yes, Governor!" the surrounding pirates roared in response.

"Captain," a low voice suddenly came from his right. "I know I've brought this up several times already, but with our last chance before us, I feel I must try to persuade you one more time."

Hm?

Krieg slowly turned, his face darkening as he looked at his Chief of Staff.

"We should not have come to Cocoyasi Village."

Gin, seemingly oblivious to Krieg's expression, lowered his head. "Isn't your goal to assemble the most powerful fleet and conquer the Grand Line? Why would you travel all this way to the south just to provoke this man named Shane?"

"This is an unwise decision. That man's strength may be far greater than you estim—"

"Hmph?"

Krieg's hand shot out, grabbing Gin by the throat. "So, you're scared, are you, Gin?" he sneered. "The so-called 'Demon Man' who has followed me for so many years, terrified by a mere rumor! Are you trying to desert now, on the eve of battle?"

"That is not my intention, Captain. My loyalty to you will never waver, and I will always follow you into battle," Gin choked out, struggling to speak. "But the risk this time is simply too… Isn't it a confirmed fact that he single-handedly annihilated that group of Fish-Men? After you read the newspaper back then, didn't you privately warn me to never, ever provoke th—"

"SILENCE!"

Krieg violently shoved him away, glaring down at Gin, who was now kneeling on the deck, coughing violently.

"The times have changed! Don't you get it? Back then, I only had five ships! And now? Now I have thirty!!!"

"The entire East Blue sings praises of my name! Even the Marines give my fleet a wide berth! What is some country bumpkin brat going to do? If he were really that strong, he would have charged into the Grand Line long ago! Instead, he's been hiding in the countryside, growing tangerines for years, and he still dares to hold the title of 'Strongest Swordsman in the East Blue'?!"

Krieg spread his arms wide, letting the sea wind blast against him as he let out a wild, savage laugh.

"I came here today to beat that brat to a bloody pulp and show these ignorant fools in the East Blue who the true strongest is!"

"ALL HAIL GOVERNOR KRIEG!!!"

His speech ignited a fervent cheer across the entire deck.

"..." Gin was silent for a moment. He then let out a soft breath and rose to his feet, his eyes now filled with nothing but fierce determination.

"Since you have made your decision."

He drew his twin iron-ball tonfas from his back, his expression grim as he looked up at the docks, now just a stone's throw away. "Gin will be the first to charge into battle for you."

CRUNCH!

The foremost pirate ships slammed into the docks with overwhelming force, instantly crushing the wooden pier—which had only been repaired a few years ago—into splinters.

Hordes of pirates, armed with swords and guns, swarmed off the ships with excited roars, completely overwhelming the coastline near the harbor.

"I see smoke over there! The village must be that way!"

"Is this dirt path the only way in? What a backwater place!"

"Forget that, let's go! The Governor said whoever finds the brat named Shane first gets a reward of two million Berries!"

Gin disembarked with the first wave of men, his face an emotionless mask. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a strangely shaped, narrow speedboat docked in a secluded spot nearby.

The flag hanging from its mast bore two large characters: "Shimotsuki."

Shimotsuki?

Gin frowned slightly. He felt that the name, or perhaps surname, was familiar. He thought he might have seen it in a newspaper a few years ago…

Before he could give it any more thought—

BAM!

A commotion erupted at the front of the pack. Several pirates who had been leading the charge were suddenly sent flying, crashing into the coconut trees on either side of the path and slumping over, unconscious.

"Oh my, I do apologize."

A beautiful, blue-haired young woman with a red ribbon tied in her hair had appeared, blocking the only path forward. She twirled a lock of her hair, a playful smile on her face as she looked at the pirates.

"Many of the villagers haven't finished their lunch yet. I can't let you brutes run in and disturb them."

Whooooa!!!

No one paid any attention to the unlucky few who had been sent flying.

The pirates at the front were all wide-eyed. Some whistled, others drooled, and one even contorted his body into the shape of a noodle.

"Whoa, she's a total knockout!!"

"I can't believe there's such a gorgeous girl in a hick town like this!"

"Hey! Beautiful lady, once we're done with our business, how about you join us on our ship tonight?"

Dozens of pairs of greedy, ill-intentioned eyes roamed up and down her body.

"It's very rude to stare at a girl like that, you know," Nojiko said, her gentle smile never wavering. But at some point, she had slipped on a pair of blue metal knuckles. "I said, are you all even—"

Shave!

Before she could finish her sentence, Nojiko's figure vanished. When she reappeared, she was in the very center of the pirate mob.

"—LISTENING TO ME?!!"

With the roar of a mother T-Rex, she smashed her fists together. The heads of the two pirates closest to her caved in instantly.

Before their bodies even had a chance to fall, Nojiko's long, powerful right leg swept out in a wide arc. A dozen more pirates screamed in agony as they were sent flying like kites with their strings cut

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