One Piece: The Playboy Emperor Starts by Leaving Totto Land

"A former member of the Rocks Pirates?"

Ethan Sugawa's gaze sharpened as he looked in the direction of the voice.

In an instant, he spotted the figure at the center of the siege.

It was a mature woman in her mid-twenties, clad in a high-slit cheongsam that perfectly outlined her graceful, alluring figure. But what truly stood out was the massive purple serpent coiled at her side, its crimson tongue flicking as it glared fiercely at the surrounding pirates.

"The Serpentfolk, the Empress from three generations before Amazon Lily. Gloriosa."

Ethan immediately recognized her identity. Glancing at the pirates closing in on her, he pondered briefly before flying toward the battlefield.

Since they were both former members of the Rocks Pirates, seeing an old comrade in trouble, he chose to step in.

On an unnamed pirate ship, in the center of the clash.

Gloriosa quickly scanned her surroundings. She was completely encircled. The enemy was closing in fast, leaving her with nowhere to escape.

Her brows furrowed, a surge of unease rising in her heart.

"I'm seriously injured, and Little Violet is barely hanging on. If I fight them like this, we'll lose for sure."

Ever since the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Gloriosa had been relentlessly hunted by the Marines and the World Government.

Just a few days ago, although she successfully annihilated the Navy fleet pursuing her, she and her giant purple serpent had suffered severe injuries in the process.

She had originally planned to find an island to recover, but instead, she encountered a pack of pirates and bounty hunters at sea. They had banded together, eager to claim her head and cash in her bounty with the World Government.

The pirates surrounding her now wore greedy, malicious grins, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Man, today's our lucky day! A remnant of the Rocks Pirates, just begging to be captured!"

"Captain, I heard those Rocks pirates stole all sorts of treasures from the Celestial Dragons back in God Valley. This woman's gotta have something valuable on her!"

"Well, duh! Otherwise, she wouldn't have a one-billion bounty on her head!"

"Once we take her down, we're not just getting the bounty bet she's got plenty of loot stashed away."

"Captain, we're gonna be rich!"

The pirate captain, Hardy, was just as excited. He burst out laughing.

"Once we pull this off, I'm buying myself a dozen mermaid girls and that's just the start…"

Before he could finish, one of the bounty hunters cut him off impatiently.

"Enough talk! She's badly injured. If we don't move now, something might go wrong."

"What could possibly go wrong with someone in her state?" Hardy sneered but ultimately followed the advice. He waved his hand and barked at his crew.

"Take her down! Get that bounty!"

At his command, the pirates' bloodlust surged as they charged toward Gloriosa, weapons in hand.

"Even if I die, I won't fall into the hands of the World Government."

Grim determination filled Gloriosa's heart. She readied herself for a final desperate battle.

But just as she prepared to go all out, a figure suddenly landed between the two sides.

The newcomer had a vertical eye on his forehead, dark wings on his back it was none other than Ethan Sugawa.

Standing calmly at the center of the confrontation, Ethan raised a hand, acting like a mediator.

"We're all pirates here, aren't we? No need to turn on each other like this. Why don't we just let this go, yeah?"

"Bullshit! Like we're family!"

Seeing someone try to block his payday, Hardy was instantly furious.

"Kid, get out of my sight, or I'll give you a pretty new necktie with your own blood."

Gloriosa also recognized Ethan, her brows knitting together.

"Ethan, this isn't something you should get involved in. Leave, now."

In her memory, Ethan was nothing more than Big Mom's plaything a pretty boy with less combat power than a low-ranking Marine.

There was no way he could influence the battle. If he stayed, he would just be a burden and split her focus.

"You look kinda familiar."

The bounty hunter narrowed his eyes at Ethan, a faint sense of recognition nagging at him.

A moment later, he quickly pulled out a stack of bounty posters from his coat and flipped through them until he found the one he was looking for.

His eyes lit up as he matched the photo to Ethan's face.

"Ethan Sugawa: Big Mom's lover. Participated in the God Valley Incident with the Rocks Pirates and survived. Later presumed dead after being struck by Admiral Sengoku and falling into the sea."

"So you're still alive!"

"This kid's gotta be tough if he survived an admiral's assault."

Hardy's interest finally perked up, but when he glanced at Ethan's bounty, his excitement immediately deflated.

"What? Only a hundred Berries? He's worthless!"

If Ethan were truly a high-priority target for the World Government, his bounty wouldn't be this pitiful.

Hardy even began to doubt Ethan's strength.

But the bounty hunter's next words rekindled Hardy's interest.

"His bounty's low because the World Government believes he's dead."

Pausing for effect, the bounty hunter's eyes glinted as he stared at Ethan.

"If the World Government and the Navy find out that the man who killed three Marine vice admirals is still alive, they'll stop at nothing to hunt him down."

"I guarantee his bounty will skyrocket."

The bounty hunter smirked darkly.

"Besides, I've heard Big Mom was devastated by his supposed death. In her rage, she destroyed over a dozen Marine bases in a single day."

"If we capture him and offer him to Big Mom, I'm sure she'll handsomely reward us."

Hardy's jaw dropped in shock.

"Didn't expect this kid to be such a hot commodity both Big Mom and the Navy want him."

"That means whoever we hand him over to, we're getting paid big time."

Hardy was practically drooling at the prospect.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Grab him and the Serpentfolk woman together!"

Without hesitation, he ordered his men to surround and capture both Ethan and Gloriosa, reminding them:

"Make sure you don't kill the kid if we hand over a corpse, we can't collect the reward."

They hadn't yet decided whether to sell Ethan to Big Mom or the Navy, but knowing pirates' greedy nature, they would probably try to profit from both sides.

As for the inevitable revenge that would come from both the Navy and Big Mom? They didn't care. Every pirate had enemies what's two more?

They figured they would just lay low after this score. No big deal.

Unlike Hardy's excitement, Gloriosa was now genuinely panicked.

"They're after you now. I'm badly injured and can't protect you. You'll have to fend for yourself."

Ethan remained calm, his voice steady as he replied.

"Relax. These small fries aren't worth worrying about."