Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets aimed at Weiss were deflected with ease, and he stood there completely unfazed. The pirate captain, Torre, was stunned.
Since when were East Blue pirates this straightforward?
No grandstanding, no threats—just open fire without a word? Weren't pirates supposed to monologue first?
So bold?
This wasn't how it went in the original story at all!
"I don't get it. I clearly hit him with every shot. Why does he look totally fine?" Torre frowned and instinctively stepped back, blending into the crowd of his underlings.
Years at sea had taught Torre to be cautious. When something looked suspicious, he let his crew handle it first. He gave Dinger, the combat squad leader, a glance—his signal to step up.
Dinger strutted forward confidently. "Hey, brat! That treasure was found by our great Captain Torre. Be smart and get lost before he gets mad. Our captain's got an 8-million bounty on his head—he's Crazy Blade Torre!"
As Dinger finished, he puffed out his chest with pride, as if basking in the glory of his captain's fearsome reputation.
And honestly, it usually worked. Praise the captain, boast about the bounty, give a threatening warning—he was a genius at intimidation.
But was the person in front of them an ordinary opponent?
...
...
"Oh? But if we're talking about who found the treasure first, that would be me," Weiss replied nonchalantly, sitting atop a pile of gold coins while using a small, elegant dagger to clean his nails.
The dagger had been in the treasure chest. Weiss had just used it to slice through all the bullets.
No way I'd waste time drawing my sword for low-level trash like this, he thought. This little dagger will do just fine.
"Cut the crap and get lost, or you'll regret it when the captain takes action!" Dinger shouted, clearly rattled by Weiss's casual disregard.
His composure—his attitude—was humiliating in front of the other crew members.
"Vice captain Dinger, he's totally looking down on you!"
"Yeah, what are you gonna do now, Vice Captain?"
"Maybe just crawl back behind the real captain!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Dinger's face turned red with embarrassment. He whipped around and shouted, "Shut up!"
Then he snarled at Weiss. "Alright, brat. You didn't listen to reason—then you can die!"
He raised his massive blade and swung it down at Weiss.
Everyone expected to see blood flying and coins drenched in red and white.
But instead—clang!
The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed through the cave.
When they looked again, the expected scene hadn't happened.
"What the hell…"
"That tiny dagger?!"
Weiss's palm-sized dagger had effortlessly blocked Dinger's massive broadsword. A visible chip had even formed on the edge of Dinger's blade.
"Sorry," Weiss said with a smile, "but this is the smallest blade I have."
He hadn't even changed his sitting position. It was like swatting away the attack had required no more effort than brushing off dust.
That's when the pirates finally noticed the black sword sheath resting by Weiss's side—a long sword lay within, quiet and untouched, as if patiently waiting for its master.
Seeing the pirates' stunned expressions, Weiss felt quite satisfied with his dramatic entrance.
So this is what it feels like to show off like Mihawk. Not bad.
Dinger immediately retreated behind Torre.
No one survives long at sea by being stupid—especially not someone like Dinger, who thrived on bootlicking and reading the room. In his gut, he knew even their captain might not be able to handle this guy.
Torre's expression turned serious. He may have swaggered around East Blue like a bigshot, but even he knew there were people he couldn't mess with.
Truthfully, it would take him five strikes to defeat Dinger, and this young man had destroyed Dinger's will to fight with just one.
He's strong. Damn strong.
"Listen, kid," Torre said, stepping forward with a careful smile, "there's treasure all over the sea. No need to fight to the death over this pile. How about we each take half and walk away?"
As he spoke, he subtly moved closer to Weiss.
Dinger immediately realized what was happening and started backing away toward the exit tunnel.
Time to run!
That trick wouldn't work on someone like this. Dinger had survived over twenty pirate crews in East Blue thanks to one thing—his keen danger sense.
"Oh no, that won't do," Weiss said lightly, unfazed by Torre's approach. "I found this treasure first. Now you want to just take half with one sentence? Isn't that a bit much?"
"You're not being very friendly," Torre's smile turned darker. His massive frame—three meters tall—radiated pressure. "Out here on the sea, we're all friends. Leave a little wiggle room today, so we can meet again tomorrow."
"Who said I want to see you again?"
Weiss looked up, locking eyes with Torre without a shred of fear.
"Haha! You've got guts, kid. I like that. In that case, we'll part ways here as friends." Torre turned his back and walked away.
Weiss, unbothered, almost laughed.
And here it comes.
Just as expected, Torre spun around and slashed down with a three-meter-long broadsword.
Weiss didn't even flinch. Really? That's your plan?
Torre's eyes flashed with cunning. He thought Weiss had been caught off guard, and his heart surged with triumph. He'd used this same tactic—deception followed by sudden ambush—to take down countless rivals before.
It worked especially well on rookies.
But just as he was gloating, Torre felt the world spin. He saw the faint scar of a sword cut in the cave ceiling, a glowing night pearl on the wall, the horrified expressions of his crew—and Dingge, already halfway down the tunnel.
Then he saw a headless body fall before everything went black.
"That trick again? Do I look like an idiot?" Weiss stood up, casually pushing the headless corpse over with his dagger. He sneered.
He hadn't planned to let the pirate live anyway. The sneak attack just gave him an excuse.
"Now then," Weiss called out to the terrified crew, "start packing up the treasure and move it onto my ship!"
The pirates, who had been about to beg for their lives, jumped into action at once. Torre's body and head were tossed aside, and the looting began.
We're not dead. Thank the heavens!
With their captain dead in one strike, the underlings had zero will to resist. They simply followed the new top dog.
Such is life on the open sea—dramatic, cruel, and fast-changing.
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Currently at chapter 80 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27