"Tekkai of the Rokushiki? Sorry, that one's not in my repertoire!"
A surprised voice echoed from above. Everyone instinctively looked up—and there he was, crouching casually on the yardarm of the nearly ten-meter-tall main mast. The man wore a long, black coat patterned with white waves, twin gold rings glinting from each ear, and a grin as radiant as sunshine.
"Impossible… My Observation Haki didn't even pick up on him…"
Mori's face darkened. With a sudden burst of irritation, he kicked Bamos aside. The shock in his eyes was clear—his Observation Haki had been active the whole time, its radius extending over a hundred meters with him at the center. It should've detected even the slightest movement aboard either ship. He could sense the precise number of people onboard—he knew if someone appeared, or if someone died. Yet this man had arrived without him noticing at all.
Three possibilities crossed Mori's mind.
First—he'd simply missed something. But that seemed unlikely. His Observation Haki was flawless, wrapping around the vessels like a net. There was no way someone slipped through without him realizing.
Second—the intruder possessed a Devil Fruit ability that concealed their presence from Haki. That wasn't unheard of. Devil Fruits came in bizarre and unpredictable varieties, and such a power might well exist. Mori figured this was the most likely explanation.
Third—the stranger also wielded Observation Haki, and his was stronger. Strong enough to nullify Mori's own. But that seemed even less plausible. Among the Four Seas, the East Blue was notoriously the weakest. Hardly anyone even knew about Haki, let alone had mastered it. Even in the first half of the Grand Line, few outside the Navy or Warlords of the Sea could use it. As for Mori himself, a Naval officer from Headquarters, he only specialized in Observation Haki.
Compared to that, the Devil Fruit theory was far more convincing.
"Who are you? How do you know the Rokushiki? You can use them too?"
Mori turned fully, resting his bronze staff across one shoulder, eyes narrowed and voice like ice.
The tension on the deck grew instantly. A high-ranking Navy Captain talking directly to a mysterious pirate? All fighting stopped. Everyone was watching.
"Nice to meet you, Captain. I'm just a newly-set-sail pirate—hope you'll show me some mercy!"
The man smiled like a neighbor's cheerful big brother. But then his tone turned teasing, playful.
"As for the Rokushiki? Why don't you take a guess?"
"Hmph. Save the riddles. You chose piracy, and now you've met me—your voyage ends here."
Mori snorted, tightening his grip on the bronze staff. His stance shifted—he was ready to strike.
"Once I've got you in custody, I'll have you spilling everything—including the color of your underwear."
"Whoa!"
The man on the yardarm, unbothered by the threat, flailed his arms dramatically in mock shock.
"That's a bit intense, don't you think? You're really curious about my underwear color? You've got peculiar tastes, Captain."
"Y-You…!" Mori's expression darkened, a vein throbbing visibly on his temple.
But before he could speak again, the stranger cut him off.
"That's actually something I can help with."
With a grin, he exaggeratedly reached into his waistband, peeked inside, then declared without a shred of shame:
"Hmm… black. Front's got a white wolf on it. You know what a white wolf is, right? It's like a regular wolf, but bigger… and, well, white."
"..." – the pirates of the Great Axe Pirates.
"..." – Bamos, still sprawled on the ground.
"..." – Likiwa, dumbfounded on deck.
"..." – Liorosa, halfway through sneaking away.
"..." – the Navy soldiers on the second warship.
"..." – Commander Torod, sitting on the floor.
"You absolute moron!!"
Captain Mori snapped, gritting his teeth. His aura flared—clearly, he felt mocked. Without hesitation, he leapt into the air and unleashed a savage kick.
Whoosh!
A blue-white crescent slash materialized out of thin air, slicing upward like a scythe.
"Ah! Rankyaku!"
Feigning surprise, the pirate quickly withdrew his hand and gave a cheeky smile.
"Wouldn't you know it… I can do that too."
He kicked toward the air—
Whoosh!
—and another crescent arc mirrored the first.
The two blue-white arcs clashed midair, like twin curved blades colliding.
Clang!
A metallic clang echoed like clashing swords, sending a ripple of wind bursting outward.
"No way!"
Commander Torod's eyes went wide.
"The Rokushiki techniques… those are classified secrets of the Navy and the World Government!"
"You really do know them!"
Captain Mori nearly popped his eyeballs in disbelief. Sure, some pirates had learned parts of the Rokushiki—usually after countless battles, through sheer observation and talent. But this guy? A supposed rookie? How could he possibly—
"Guess again!"
The stranger wagged his head playfully.
"..."
Mori didn't bother responding. His expression hardened. With another leap, he launched himself into the air—using Geppo.
"Moonwalk, huh? Going for an aerial fight?"
The pirate smirked, then leapt down, stepping on air to descend rapidly.
Midair, the two closed in. Captain Mori swung his bronze staff overhead—it howled as it tore through the air, aiming directly at the man's skull.
Before it landed, the pirate felt the pressure and cried out:
"Damn—I still haven't learned how to slash an iron!"
He jerked his head back, barely dodging. At the same time, his right leg shot forward like a spear, aiming for Mori's abdomen.
Mori's eyes widened. His abs tensed instinctively.
Rokushiki: Tekkai!
Boom!
"Impossible—!"
The force behind that kick was monstrous. Mori's Tekkai barely softened it. It felt like his organs had been punched directly. He turned into a blur and was sent flying backward like a missile.
He smashed into the deck of the second warship with a thunderous impact, making the whole ship dip with the force. An invisible shockwave rippled out, tossing pirates and marines alike into the air.
Rumble…!
"Not good!"
Commander Torod paled at the sound.
"That wasn't the deck… that impact went through!"
Sure enough, as the dust cleared, a massive hole had opened up in the deck. A charred crater revealed the lower floor—also punctured through.
Thud~
The pirate landed lightly beside the wreckage, peering into the hole with a mock-gasp.
"Oops. Guess I overdid it."
"I'll kill you!"
With a roar, a black blur burst from the hole—racing straight at him.
It was Captain Mori—the so-called Pirate Slayer. His appearance was ragged now. His Justice coat was gone, probably left behind below deck. His black suit was slashed in several places, and a trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.
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