Chapter 9 — Flame Gun Falls
Bang!
Jero had always relied on his lightning-fast shooting.
At his peak, he could kill more than a dozen people from two hundred meters away using both guns. His reaction speed, eyesight, and marksmanship had always given him absolute confidence.
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Even in close combat, he was extremely agile.
Because of that talent, he had become the vice-captain of the Flame Gun Pirates, second only to their captain, Yan Feng.
On the ship, he stood above everyone else.
Cruel and temperamental, he often shot his own crew members in the head whenever he was in a bad mood.
Tonight—
His eyes locked onto Shinji Ikari sitting in the corner of the tavern.
There was only one reason.
Shinji looked more handsome than him.
And that constant smile on Shinji's face irritated him.
With alcohol clouding his mind, Jero grew angrier the longer he stared.
At first he only planned to provoke the young man.
Maybe find an excuse to kill him.
After all, he had done it countless times before.
In the pirate world, many captains and vice-captains didn't care about their crews at all.
They were nothing but bloodthirsty madmen.
Bullies to the core.
Cowards hiding behind violence.
Unfortunately for Jero—
The person he targeted tonight was Shinji.
As Jero's large hand grabbed toward his head, he fired a shot with incredible speed.
But Shinji wasn't going to sit there and die.
He stomped the ground.
In an instant, he bent low and dodged the grab.
Sliding behind Jero, he rose and struck with a backhand punch.
His fist smashed directly into Jero's face.
Fast?
That's only because you've never seen the real world.
Shinji's punch moved faster than usual.
Against the arrogance of a drunken pirate, he had the advantage.
For a moment, the air around his fist seemed to freeze—
Then it turned into a slicing force.
Whoosh!
With a single punch, Jero's face exploded with blood.
The wound looked as if it had been carved by a dull blade.
Bang!
Gunpowder filled the air as the pistol fired.
But the bullet never hit Shinji.
Vice-captain Jero collapsed onto the floor.
Dead before he even understood what happened.
"Too bad," Shinji muttered calmly.
"If you weren't drunk, you might have dodged."
"But it would've still taken only one punch."
He stepped over the corpse without hesitation.
At the same time, he grabbed Jero's two pistols.
They were high-quality muskets with silver inlays.
"Let's go."
Helmeppo jumped to his feet immediately.
Weren't they supposed to be undercover?
Why had Shinji suddenly killed the vice-captain?
It seemed ruthless—
But in the war between Marines and pirates, nothing about it was wrong.
Shinji's movements had been too smooth.
There had been no hesitation.
"Move!"
Koby grabbed Helmeppo's arm and tried to escape.
But it was already too late.
Every pirate in the tavern had drawn their weapons.
Muskets.
Swords.
Even the drunken ones sobered instantly at the sight of blood.
The tavern fell into complete silence.
At the bar counter, a curly-haired man slowly turned around.
All eyes sharpened.
Common sense said Shinji should be killed immediately.
But pirate crews followed strange rules.
Sometimes when a crew member killed the vice-captain, it meant only two possible outcomes.
One—
The killer would be executed by the captain.
Two—
The killer would replace the vice-captain as the new second-in-command.
Shinji didn't care about either outcome.
Even when the odds were against him—
He never chose patience.
To him, the choice was simple.
Live or die.
During their infiltration, Shinji had already gathered enough information.
Only a small portion of the Flame Gun Pirates stayed on this island.
They trusted the island's cliffs as natural defenses.
Most pirates patrolled the beaches while drinking themselves into stupidity.
Their captain enjoyed trading rare minerals and robbing passing ships.
Their vice-captain slaughtered civilians and abused his own crew.
The rest were desperate criminals drowning themselves in alcohol.
The pirate crew's style was perfectly consistent.
Because of that—
Shinji had decided to strike immediately.
At that moment, when Yan Feng turned around—
Shinji had already figured out where the hostages were.
Sometimes the most dangerous place was the safest one.
After eliminating every other possibility—
The last impossible option became the truth.
The hostages were on the pirate ship docked in the harbor.
The most obvious ship in the port.
Because it was also the most dangerous place.
If the Navy attacked, they would sink that ship immediately.
If that happened—
Even if the pirates died, the Navy wouldn't get the hostages back.
This proved one thing.
Yan Feng wasn't stupid.
He was ruthless—and calculating.
Exactly the kind of villain who could survive in the first half of the Grand Line.
"I've never seen you on this ship."
"But I recognize those clothes."
Yan Feng grinned.
"As captain, even if my crew might die tomorrow… I still remember every face."
He had curly hair and a long, gold-decorated sword hanging from his waist.
According to intelligence, he was a skilled swordsman.
Once, he had fought a Navy major who specialized in swordsmanship.
The major also knew one of the Six Powers—
Shave.
Swordsmanship combined with that speed made for a terrifying opponent.
But Yan Feng had survived the battle unharmed.
That alone proved how strong he was.
His speed clearly surpassed that of ordinary people.
"Hahaha… what an ignorant brat."
Yan Feng stepped away from the bar.
He stood about six feet tall with powerful, well-balanced muscles.
One hand gripped the handle of his sword.
Veins bulged across the back of his hand.
"You three look too clean."
"Even the way you walk is disciplined."
"That's not how pirates move."
His eyes narrowed.
"You're Marines."
He slowly drew his blade.
"I already told the Navy my terms."
"If they refuse to pay the ransom…"
"I'll kill every hostage after I finish killing you."
"Anyone who offends me on my ship has only one fate."
"To be cut into pieces by their captain."
Whoosh!
As soon as Yan Feng moved, he vanished like a gust of wind.
His figure disappeared from where he stood.
Living on the blazing Hot Summer Island, his explosive temperament had pushed his speed close to Shave.
No wonder his nickname contained the word Wind.
It perfectly reflected his ability.
"Run!"
Shinji reacted instantly.
With his incomplete "Storm Fist" speed, he couldn't keep up with Yan Feng.
If Koby and Helmeppo stayed—
They would die.
"Iron Body!"
Without hesitation, Shinji stepped in front of them.
Clang!
Yan Feng's blade slashed directly across Shinji's chest.
The sound of steel striking iron rang out.
Just like a wolf king asserting dominance over its pack by charging the strongest beast—
Yan Feng had targeted Shinji first to establish control.
"So you figured it out?"
Yan Feng smiled viciously.
His blade pressed harder.
The strength behind his strike matched Shinji's—
And might even surpass it.