One Piece: Pirate Code

"You're right. Before, I indeed had a request to make of you, but now it's you who needs something from me." William ground his foot down firmly, a smile still on his face.

After all, William's former crew, the Danton Pirates, might not have been well-known, but surviving on the sea was always a high-risk occupation, one where you kept your head on the line. In a sea battle, with cannonballs flying and bullets shooting everywhere, it was a situation that a land-dwelling thug like Tony couldn't envision. In terms of threat, William never saw Tony and his gang as a serious challenge, so no matter how Tony acted, William remained unshaken.

"What?" Tony asked through gritted teeth.

William kicked aside Tony's gun, lifted him with one hand, and said, "Now, it's you who needs to ask me to spare your life!"

"Dream on!" Tony had a bit of a thug's fearless attitude and tried to retaliate. He managed to pull out a dagger from somewhere and thrust it at William.

The result was predictable: William easily snatched the dagger away, grabbed Tony by the neck, and slammed him hard against a big tree behind him.

The impact was so powerful that even the huge tree shook. Tony slumped, dazed, against the tree trunk.

A few leaves fell onto Tony's head, and William brushed them off gently, like an old friend. "Your life is in my hands now, so it's you who needs to ask for mercy. Can we talk properly now?"

"Come on, kill me if you dare!" Tony glared at William.

William frowned slightly in confusion. "Why is it that people like you, when their lives are in others' hands, feel the need to shout and taunt? Do you think I'm like you, a small-time thug who only makes threats but doesn't have the guts to kill?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and said to Gin, who was standing nearby, "Kill that one named Manny."

Without hesitation, Gin flipped Manny over and pressed him to the ground.

Just as Manny was about to scream, Gin's iron grip hand covered his mouth, silencing him.

With one knee pressing down on Manny, who was struggling in vain, Gin, with his usual cold expression, slowly inserted his gleaming blade into Manny's back.

Tears streamed down Manny's face as his struggles turned into faint twitches. Tony, watching in terror, broke out in a cold sweat, especially as he saw Gin's indifferent look, as if murder was routine for him.

"Stop! Please stop!" Tony stammered, his voice shaking.

Gin didn't stop until William said he could. He withdrew the blade, and blood began to pool on the ground as Manny took shallow, ragged breaths, barely hanging on.

Tony's face turned as pale as paper, drenched in sweat. Edmond, too, looked uneasy, but William, Gin, Aramis, and even the normally gentle Wallon showed no sign of concern.

After all, Edmond was a self-proclaimed pirate, but William and his crew were genuine pirates.

"He's about to die," William said, turning his gaze from Manny, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently wiping Tony's cold sweat. "Once he dies, it'll be the next of your men's turn, and then it'll be you. So, time's running out."

Tony's voice was bitter. "What is it you want?"

At this moment, Aramis dragged the unconscious Angie by her hair over to William and casually remarked, "Enough talk! These weaklings are useless. Let's just kill them all, then head over to Redleaf Village tonight, eliminate those gang leaders, and take control of his group. Those cowardly thugs wouldn't dare rebel!"

"Don't kill me!" Tony shouted hurriedly. "My uncle is the village head. You won't be able to cover this up if you kill me, and you'll never control my influence in Redleaf Village."

William waved Aramis away, dismissing his scare tactics, and turned to Tony. "Relax. If you cooperate, I won't go that route."

"I'll cooperate, I'll cooperate," Tony nodded vigorously like a pecking chicken.

"Help him stop the bleeding!" William called out to Gin, then turned back to Tony. "This time, I came to discuss a profitable venture. I want to leverage your uncle's connections and your local influence."

William twirled the dagger he had taken from Tony dismissively and laughed. "…not your child's play gangsters."

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from Tony's pocket, lit one for him, and asked, "Can you read? Do you read the news?"

Tony's face remained pale. He first nodded, then shook his head.

William pulled out a few newspapers, with numerous headlines circled in red:

"Wise or Foolish? King Norton I Declares Prohibition!" 

"…If this is true, there will be no place left to legally drink in the Kingdom of Navia." 

"Finance Minister's Speech — 'Alcohol is the Root of Crime!'" 

William, guessing Tony might not fully understand, began explaining: "They say King Norton I of the Kingdom of Navia has hated alcohol since childhood."

William pointed to a red-circled section in the newspaper about Norton I. "He's never touched alcohol. Since he took the throne, he's imposed heavy taxes on alcohol sales, and now he's finally trying to banish it entirely from his kingdom."

With a grin, he continued, "Of course, unlike this palace-bound fool who believes he's the center of the universe, you and I both know alcohol can't just be banned. His decree will only drive up prices tenfold, or even more, while he collects nothing in taxes."

Tony, sharp enough, quickly caught on. "You want to smuggle alcohol into the Kingdom of Navia?"

He paused, thinking it over. It was a profitable idea but also presented challenges. "But it won't be easy."

"Of course not. If it were that easy, I'd do it alone. Why would I need a partner?" William patted Tony's shoulder with a smile, meeting his eyes. "Since you agreed to cooperate, do you have any suggestions for our business venture?"

Tony glanced at William's unyielding gaze, then at his battered subordinates, gritted his teeth, and made up his mind. "I think we should bring one more person into this."

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