Chapter 16 — A Dangerous Discovery
The battle at the harbor ended quickly. Shinji Ikari and his squad's decisive attacks had accelerated the collapse of the pirate forces.
An hour and a half later, the fighting was over.
In total, five pirate crews had been defeated.
One crew had been wiped out entirely by Shinji himself. Another had been severely damaged after he led the Marines in a direct assault.
Among them, the strongest pirate carried a bounty of 80 million Berries.
Unfortunately for him—
He still didn't last long against Shinji.
Outside a restaurant near the harbor, the Marines regrouped.
The adjutant returned and reported the situation.
Vice Admiral Garp sat at a table, eating fried rice without a care in the world.
"The truly dangerous pirates on this island are still hiding," he said between mouthfuls.
"Stay alert."
"Our next task is to protect the civilians as much as possible."
The adjutant saluted immediately.
He had also sensed something strange about Storm Island.
The closer someone got to the island's center—
The stronger the presence of powerful fighters became.
The strongest of them might not be a threat to Garp.
But for Shinji and the others…
It would be a serious challenge.
"Vice Admiral Garp," the adjutant asked, "should we prepare additional supplies while we're here?"
"Of course!" Garp barked.
"What do you think we're supposed to do, starve?"
Then he pointed his chopsticks at Shinji.
"That brat spent all his salary buying food!"
Shinji stared at the fried rice with envy.
He had barely spent any time on the island yet.
In fact, this was the first time he had truly set foot on an island by himself since joining the Marines.
Unfortunately—
He was completely broke.
He didn't even have enough money to buy a proper meal.
Shinji glanced helplessly at Koby and Helmeppo nearby.
Koby still looked depressed.
Helmeppo signaled Shinji with his eyes.
"Shinji," he whispered, "Koby's been distracted ever since earlier."
"You were a little too harsh."
"Really?" Shinji asked casually.
Helmeppo blinked in disbelief.
Before anyone could react—
Shinji suddenly grabbed Koby and threw him to the ground.
"Shinji! What are you doing?!" Helmeppo shouted.
Jack and the others rushed forward to stop him.
But Shinji spoke coldly.
"Koby."
"You once told me about a pirate named Luffy."
"He helped you and gave you hope."
"But don't forget why you wanted to become a Marine in the first place."
Koby froze.
Shinji continued.
"Meeting someone like Luffy is a miracle."
"Most pirates aren't like that."
"Even among Marines, there are people who only do the bare minimum."
"But listen carefully."
Shinji's voice grew heavier.
"My homeland wasn't protected by anyone."
"Because we couldn't afford to pay the Heavenly Tribute."
"In the end, pirates invaded again and again."
"We fought until the very last moment."
"My entire family died."
"Only I survived."
Silence filled the air.
"If you want to be merciful," Shinji said coldly,
"Then remember this."
"Every pirate you let go—"
"Every innocent person they kill afterward—"
"Those lives will be your responsibility."
He stepped closer.
"Can you bear that burden?"
Before Koby could answer—
BAM!
Shinji punched him in the face.
Koby's eyes snapped open in shock.
The words echoed endlessly in his mind.
Can I bear that responsibility?
"I'm hungry," Shinji muttered casually.
He turned and walked toward the center of the island.
Storm Island was famous for attracting adventurers and treasure hunters.
Shinji doubted that every pirate had fled after Garp arrived.
Some would escape.
Others would hide.
And where pirates gathered—
There was always treasure.
He glanced toward the forest near the shoreline.
"Maybe I'll find something useful."
He waved his hand.
"I'm going for a walk. Contact me with the Den Den Mushi if anything happens."
Then he left.
Koby slowly stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.
This time—
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
That punch had woken him up.
"Helmeppo," Koby asked quietly,
"Am I really too indecisive?"
Helmeppo hesitated.
"Shinji has always been decisive," he admitted.
"But… you're different."
Koby smiled faintly.
"That explains why I still haven't mastered Shave."
Helmeppo helped him up, and the two walked toward the restaurant.
As they approached—
They overheard the adjutant reporting to Garp.
"It's confirmed," the adjutant said.
"Several dangerous pirates are hiding elsewhere on Storm Island."
"One of them is a Devil Fruit user with a bounty of 500 million Berries."
Everyone outside the door froze.
The adjutant continued.
"He has sailed the Grand Line for many years."
"After his crew died in the New World, he became mentally unstable and returned here."
"Since then, he's been attacking ships and killing travelers."
"His ability is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit known as the Fix-Fix Fruit."
"It allows him to freeze people or objects in place just by touching them."
"The duration depends on the strength of both sides."
As more intelligence was revealed—
Koby, Helmeppo, Jack, and the others felt their stomachs drop.
Because the adjutant finished with one final detail.
"The pirates were last seen landing in the forest on the left side of the island."
That was exactly the direction Shinji had gone.
Koby's face turned pale.
"Damn it… Shinji is in danger!"
Helmeppo clenched his fists.
"A pirate worth 500 million Berries is a monster."
"If Shinji doesn't know his ability, he could easily lose."
Jack began sweating.
"We need to find him before he runs into them!"
Everyone understood the danger.
Pirates worth 50 million or 80 million Berries varied greatly in strength.
But pirates worth over 500 million were different.
Those were monsters capable of threatening the World Government itself.
Even such monsters had once been crushed in the New World.
That alone proved how terrifying the seas truly were.
Meanwhile—
Under the bright sun, deep within the forest—
Shinji had already reached the coastline.
And there, hidden behind the trees—
Was a pirate ship.
"No guards?" Shinji muttered.
Just as he wondered—
A pirate suddenly appeared.
Shinji moved instantly.
Within seconds, the man was dead.
The guard's strength was weaker than Poison Wolf's, but still impressive for someone left behind to watch the ship.
"Perfect."
Shinji entered the cargo hold.
Inside were piles of gold, silver, and treasure.
But more importantly—
Stacks of food.
His stomach growled loudly.
Shinji grinned and immediately began eating.
Roasted meat.
Fresh apples.
Dry bread.
Juice to wash it down.
While eating, he wandered around the ship.
Eventually he entered a large cabin.
At the center of the room was a crude map.
"A treasure map?" Shinji muttered.
He tore a piece of lobster meat with his teeth while studying it.
The map showed several locations across the island.
Forests.
Mountains.
Open fields.
Each location was marked with symbols of strange tornadoes.
At the center—
The eye of the storm was marked with a treasure symbol.
"Do these pirates really believe there's treasure here?"
Shinji examined the title written across the map.
Three large words:
Storm Bay.
He frowned.
"Storm Bay?"
His mind raced.
Could it be related to a dial from Skypiea?
Some dials could store wind or energy.
But storing a tornado large enough to appear every three years seemed impossible.
"Still…"
Shinji looked toward the distant storm twisting above the island.
"What if it's some kind of extremely rare wind dial?"
He shook his head.
"That would be ridiculous."
Yet the curiosity in his heart kept growing.
Because if the map was real—
Then something extraordinary might truly exist in the eye of the storm.
(End of Chapter)
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