BOOM!
The side cannons of the Black Sail warship fired mercilessly, shells thundering toward the fleeing schooner. Explosions burst across the waves nearby, sending towering sprays of seawater skyward. As soon as the cannons discharged, the warship swiftly veered, charging toward the schooner with its front-facing main guns continuing to fire relentlessly.
The distance between the two ships wasn't small. Even at full speed, the warship couldn't hope to match the schooner's agility—its only option was firepower.
But at this range, even hitting the target with cannon fire was a long shot.
"I'll do it myself!"
Frustrated by the misses, Sarg launched into Geppo, leaping low over the water toward the schooner. Once he'd closed half the distance, he soared into the sky. His right leg raised high above his head.
"Rankyaku…"
His sharp gaze locked onto the schooner below as his leg came down like a guillotine.
"Grand Cleave!"
Slash—!
A massive pale-blue blade of compressed air cut through the air like a divine judgment. It tore open the sea in a giant, inverted V-shaped gash—razor-sharp and lightning-fast. It caught up to the schooner almost instantly, slicing through its rear like butter. The deadly arc cleaved through the ship from stern to bow, mast and all, splitting the vessel in two with a clean, effortless cut.
Sarg landed with a few light steps on the rear half of the broken ship. His grin was feral.
"Run! Go on, try running now!" he barked. "Let's see where you rats go this time."
Days of carrying the blame… and finally, the true culprits were right in front of him.
The pirates stood frozen in horror, still processing the surreal sight of their ship being split in half with a single strike. Fear warped their faces, their courage shattered.
Sarg swept his gaze across the deck. Just regular pirates. No sign of who he was really after.
"Where's the one in black robes?" he demanded.
"Wh-what black robes?" one pirate stammered.
"Your leader. Where is he?" Sarg jumped in front of the man, grabbed him by the collar, and snarled, "You're the ones who raided Kampas Town, right? And you know the navy's been chasing me for that! So tell me—where's your base? Where's the treasure?!"
"I—I don't know anything!" the pirate shrieked. "We just raided the town, that's all! We don't know about anything else!"
They didn't even try to fight back—how could they, when the man before them had split their ship in half with a kick?
"Fine. Don't wanna talk?"
Sarg jabbed a finger at the pirate's forehead. The man froze instantly—only his terrified eyes darted about in panic.
Sarg looked around at the others. "I just sealed his pressure point. He won't be able to move for half a day. Now then…"
Splash!
He kicked the man clean off the ship, sending him flying into the sea.
"Pirates are supposed to be good swimmers, right?" Sarg said coldly. "But what happens when you can't move at all in the water? Can the sea you love so much still keep you alive?"
A cruel smile twisted his lips.
"You don't wanna find out the hard way, do you?"
"D-Don't panic!" another pirate, seemingly their leader, forced himself to raise a shaking sword. "He's alone! W-We're proud pirates! If we all charge at once, we can take him!"
"Oh really?"
Sarg took a single step forward.
That one step was all it took—the pirate immediately dropped his sword and dropped to his knees.
"I-I'm sorry! We're pirates of the Kingdom of Natia! Forgive us, sir! We didn't mean to trouble you!"
The man in the water still hadn't resurfaced. No one wanted to be next.
"Tch. Proud pirates, huh?"
Sarg glanced back at the Black Sail warship as it approached. He said nothing more and waited for his men to arrive.
The schooner's pirates, barely twenty in number, were easily subdued under Sarg's crushing presence. With no fight left in them, they surrendered—along with the spoils of their most recent raid.
They were tied up and thrown onto the deck, kneeling in a row with blades and grins looming over them.
Lili placed a chair on the deck for Sarg, who sat down with a bundle of Berries in hand, lightly tapping it against his palm as he looked over the prisoners.
"So, this 'Nadia' of yours—"
"It's Natia," Lili corrected instantly.
"Same difference, right?"
"No." She frowned. "It just feels wrong. Better to call it by its real name."
Something about "Nadia" gave her a bad feeling.
"Alright, Natia," Sarg said, almost lazily. "Your kingdom sent you out to raid as pirates?"
These Black Sail pirates were all from the nearby Kingdom of Natia. Every plundering expedition had been sanctioned by the kingdom.
Even the raids on the three prosperous towns recently? Their handiwork.
They used black sails to mask their identity. If they fled quickly enough, no one could trace it back to them.
Originally, after the last haul, the kingdom had ordered them to lie low and wait until the heat died down. Word was, they were working on some kind of "treasure"—a trump card that would make them untouchable even by the navy.
But before that plan could bear fruit, a rumor spread: a different crew of Black Sail pirates had attacked a naval vessel and were being pursued by the navy.
And when it was confirmed that they weren't the culprits… many of the pirates saw opportunity.
Someone else had drawn the heat. Why not go out and steal a bit more?
So, they formed a new crew, raided another town… only to run headfirst into Sarg.
"Your king created a privateer fleet?" Sarg's brow furrowed.
The pirates lowered their heads, silent.
Of course they wouldn't answer. Even if it were true, no one would admit it openly.
A king leading pirates? Not unheard of, but publicly admitting it was another matter entirely. A monarch and a pirate—two roles that didn't mix.
"Whatever. I've got my culprit. Now there's just one thing I don't get…"
He flicked the stack of Berries in his hand.
"There was a huge building in that town. Why skip it and only rob the commoners?"
The ship's haul included some jewelry and a million Berries.
Not bad for a single raid. For the average pirate, even a small cut of that was a windfall.
An ordinary citizen might earn 100,000 Berries a month—this was half a year's income in one night.
"Because that rich guy has a powerful security force. We didn't dare touch him," a pirate admitted. "And we were scared the navy would show up, so we just grabbed what we could and ran."
"That's it? Then what the hell are you doing being pirates?"
Sarg scoffed and waved his hand. "Toss them."
One by one, the bound pirates were thrown overboard.
Whether they lived or died—the sea would decide.
The ocean was cruel.
Becoming a pirate meant putting your head on the chopping block every day. Sarg had made peace with that from the very start.
"Sarg, should we head for Natia next?" Lili asked.
"No rush."
He looked toward the distant town—half cloaked in darkness, half still flickering with firelight.
"If I'm already getting blamed for this, might as well go all in. We're all Black Sail pirates now, right? Let's finish what they didn't."
He stood up.
"Boys! Set course for the town—keep raiding!"
"YEAHHHH!!"
The crew howled in unison, blades raised as the ship turned back toward the coast.
Soon, the Black Sail warship had pulled into the harbor.
Sarg leapt from the ship with a burlap sack slung over his shoulder, Lili and Arkin close behind, followed by Palu and a pack of bloodthirsty pirates.
The town was in chaos. Fires had just been extinguished. Civilians were still mourning their losses—some kneeling in the rubble, some comforting the wounded.
And then—they saw the Black Sail pirates returning.
"No! Not again!"
A wounded man who had fought during the earlier raid stepped forward, clutching his side.
"We have nothing left! If they take more, we won't survive! We have to fight!"
The townspeople rallied, armed with sticks and pitchforks. Their eyes were full of hatred.
If they were robbed again, they wouldn't even be able to pay the mayor's tax. And if that happened…
They'd suffer something far worse than a pirate raid.
They braced themselves—
Thud.
Sarg tossed the burlap sack in front of them. It landed with a flop and burst open.
Berries and jewelry spilled out onto the ground.
The crowd froze.
That was… their stuff.
"Outta the way!" Sarg called. "I'm not here for you—I'm here for the rich guy at the top of the hill!"
"…Alright!"
The same angry mob parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path for him.
The rich guy…?
Wasn't that… the mayor?
Well, in that case—carry on.