"Who?!"
The pirates immediately turned toward the voice, their expressions turning fierce.
Behind them stood a tall white-haired man, nearly three meters in height, calmly standing on the deck. His bare upper body and silver-white trousers fluttered slightly in the sea breeze as he looked at them with playful indifference.
"Save me… please don't leave me…"
The woman they had been tormenting hurried behind him, trembling as she clung to her only hope of survival.
"Only one person?"
Captain Jovan, known as the Bloody Plunderer, frowned while observing the man carefully. He confirmed that this face did not belong to any well-known pirate listed on wanted posters.
He was not wearing a Marine uniform either.
A traveler?
No.
Someone who appeared on a burning ship without anyone noticing could never be ordinary.
Jovan's instincts warned him immediately.
Swish!
He drew the scimitar at his waist and pointed it forward, his expression turning cold.
"Kid, do you understand the price of playing hero? Trying to steal prey from the Bloody Pirate Crew means courting death."
"Yes," the white-haired man replied casually, smiling.
"I am looking for death."
He lightly tapped his own chest and beckoned.
"Come, kill me."
Silence spread across the deck.
Instead of anger, unease crept into Jovan's heart.
Anyone fearless in such a situation was either insane or overwhelmingly powerful.
"Captain, why waste time talking!"
The surrounding pirates lacked their captain's caution.
"Kill him!"
"Die, brat!"
With savage grins, they rushed forward, blades stained with blood swinging toward the white-haired man.
"Heh, I really like idiots like you."
The man smiled lazily.
Something felt terribly wrong.
Jovan's pupils shrank.
"Wait!"
But it was already too late.
Whoosh!
Several blades pierced straight through the white-haired man's body.
"Haha! Try acting arrogant now!"
"Opposing the Bloody Pirate Crew only leads to death!"
The pirates laughed while surrounding him, convinced victory had come easily.
"…Too easy."
Jovan suddenly felt cold sweat run down his back.
"No, something's wrong!"
Then the white-haired man spoke.
"Electrotherapy."
The swords embedded in his body caused him no pain. Instead, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, the pirates holding those weapons began trembling violently.
"Ah… it hurts!"
"I can't move!"
Their bodies twitched uncontrollably, fear filling their eyes.
"What are you idiots doing? Why did you stop attacking?"
Other pirates stepped closer in confusion and grabbed their companions.
The moment contact was made, their bodies also convulsed violently.
"Trembling… why am I trembling?!"
"Move away!" Jovan roared instantly. "He's a Devil Fruit user!"
Too late.
Crackling lightning suddenly erupted.
Silver electric arcs burst from the man's body, racing through one pirate after another.
Zzz!
A pirate stiffened as electricity surged through him, then the lightning rebounded toward the next victim.
"Ahhh! It hurts!"
Another pirate was struck, dancing uncontrollably as electricity coursed through his body.
Zzzzz!
The lightning chained endlessly between them.
One after another, pirates collapsed into violent spasms.
Within seconds, every pirate became connected by flashing silver lightning, including Jovan himself, who had attempted to retreat onto his ship.
"Lightning…"
As electricity pierced through him, realization struck like thunder.
Cold terror filled his face.
"Admiral… Silver Serpent…"
The Marine Admiral who possessed the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a living natural disaster capable of controlling lightning itself.
"I was wrong! Please spare me!" Jovan cried desperately, collapsing onto the deck while begging for mercy.
"What a miserable scream."
Silver Snake smiled casually, watching the pirates tremble helplessly. Then he tilted his head slightly, sensing a powerful slash approaching from afar.
A faint smile appeared.
"As sharp as ever."
He raised his hand.
"I'll spare you."
Lightning released its hold, tossing the pirates back onto their own ship.
They collapsed across the deck, stunned before overwhelming relief flooded their faces.
He let them live.
Captain Jovan scrambled up immediately.
"Move! Quickly leave the sight of Admiral Silver Snake!"
Boom!!!
Before his words finished, an enormous sword slash tore across the sea.
The pirate ship split apart instantly.
"I…"
Jovan slowly lowered his head, staring blankly as both his body and ship separated cleanly in half.
Crack!
Blood scattered as the entire vessel disintegrated into wreckage before sinking beneath the waves.
Rumbling echoes faded as debris floated across the sea.
Several pirates who barely survived clung desperately to broken wood.
"H-help… save us…"
Ironically, they begged the very admiral who had defeated them.
"Alright," Silver Snake said with a faint smirk.
"I'll help."
He flicked a blood-stained gold coin into the air.
Ding!
Lightning wrapped around the spinning coin.
Zzz!!!
A terrifying beam of lightning erupted forward.
"Silver Snake, Hyper-Frequency Electromagnetic Cannon."
Boom!!!
The lightning cannon engulfed the remaining pirates completely, vaporizing them along with the surrounding sea spray.
Silence returned.
"So strong…"
Not far away, the green-haired swordsman narrowed his eyes slightly. A faint smile appeared as he bent down and gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Still unmistakable."
"That Admiral Silver Snake… is you, Shirogai."