Chapter 21: Only Kuro Is Hurt in This World

The harbor fell silent in an instant.

Everyone stared at Rat with blank expressions, unsure what to say; even Kuro and Akin, locked in confrontation, exchanged a glance and mutually sheathed their weapons.

This is fucking painful.

Gasha glanced at Gao Wen, then at Akin, and asked with a strange expression:

“Uh… your opponent is also Hundred Tactics Kuro?”

Rat blinked in surprise.

He thought of his own crew’s bounty—under five million—and then looked at Kuro and Akin, who radiated terrifying power from afar.

Determined not to lose face, Rat stuck out his neck and declared:

“That’s right—he’s Hundred Tactics Kuro, the East Blue pirate with a sixteen-million-Berry bounty. I fought him to the death and drove him into retreat, stripped of armor and fleeing in terror.”

Beside Gao Wen.

Kuro’s hands froze mid-sheathing his claw-blade, nearly grinding his teeth to dust.

If not for the bigger picture, he truly wanted to charge forward and chop these three…

These two bastards into pieces and feed them to dogs.

So now anyone can just come and bully me?

Gao Wen noticed Kuro’s resentful gaze and barely suppressed a laugh.

Behind him, his subordinates trembled visibly; if no one else were present, several would’ve fainted from laughter.

“Captain… you should pick your own name next time.”

Kuro gritted his teeth.

…

Gasha’s expression turned cold as he stared at the haughty, domineering Rat.

If Akin’s appearance was merely that of a sickly, murderous killer, then Rat had “cunning and vile” written all over his face.

“So, gentlemen of the Marines, please clarify who your allies are—and who aren’t.”

“Otherwise, I cannot allow you to enter directly. I must be responsible for the civilians living in the harbor—no one can guarantee you aren’t pirates in disguise.”

Rat blinked, then erupted in fury:

“I’m the base commander of the 16th Marine Branch! Do you know what it costs to offend me?”

“You fucking piece of trash!”

Gasha’s face grew colder.

Rat’s demeanor confirmed he was no good man—even if he truly was a Marine, he was one who colluded with pirates and oppressed civilians.

Besides, Gasha had never liked the East Blue Marines.

For over a decade, they’d been taxing people near Crow Harbor, claiming it was to build a new branch base, maintain trade routes, and protect locals.

Yet to this day, not a single foundation of that base had appeared.

Only now did Gasha realize: it had all been a scheme to extort money.

Thinking of this, Gasha glared coldly at Rat:

“Please hurry, my lord.”

Rat roared:

“How dare you defy the Marines?!”

The moment his voice ended, a sharp *shhh* rang out—a row of black gun muzzles simultaneously aimed at him.

He broke into a cold sweat.

Unlike other Marines who rose through battlefield merit, Rat reached his position solely through flawless reports and sucking up to superiors.

Even his own men were mostly his kind—cowardly, hesitant, and unwilling to act.

After all, fighting these clearly dangerous guards would mean certain defeat.

“Don’t act rashly!”

Seeing war about to break out, Rat panicked, raised his hand to order his men to lower their guns, then turned to gaze at Akin and Gao Wen standing opposite each other.

Bitter resentment surged in him; his tone grew harsher:

“Which branch do you belong to?”

Akin glanced at him and said:

“I’m under Colonel Bate of the 18th Branch—you should know him well. These men claim to be from GL-5 Branch, under Vice Admiral Vergo.”

“What nonsense?”

“GL-5 Branch is in the Grand Line—actually, the New World’s rear half. How could people from there possibly…”

As he spoke, Rat’s voice trailed off—he’d just recognized Gao Wen’s face, and ice flooded his body.

Not long ago, he’d seen this face at an East Blue Marine meeting, discussing the bounty on this man.

The headquarters’ junior captain, Branew, had given an outrageous figure:

Forty-eight million Berries.

It shattered the East Blue pirate bounty record. Usually, bounties directly reflected strength.

A pirate with a bounty nearing fifty million could slaughter everyone present alone.

In an instant,

Rat was so terrified his tongue stumbled:

“Y-you—you—!”

“You’re the pirate in disguise!”

Paru cut in:

“I told you—how could East Blue have a Marine branch starting with GL? And how could bigwigs from the Grand Line ever come to East Blue?”

“Now your cover’s blown, huh?”

As Paru’s words landed, Gasha turned to look at Gao Wen, her eyes flickering with suspicion.

She was a fangirl, but not stupid—in fact, she was sharp, or she wouldn’t have controlled such a vast territory at her age.

All gun muzzles instantly turned toward Gao Wen and his group.

Akin, moments from exposure, had soaked his palms in sweat—but if they passed this test, the rest of the plan would be easier.

Still,

A new worry stirred in him.

If these people truly panicked and attacked, could even his own forces, plus the harbor guards and Rat’s soldiers, survive the two of them?

As the situation spiraled, Kuro drew his claw-blade again, releasing a faint but unmistakable aura of killing intent.

He bent slightly, assuming the Death-Scoop stance—ready to strike the moment Gao Wen gave the order.

This time, Gao Wen did not stop him. He simply gazed coldly at the crowd.

If he had a choice, he certainly didn’t want to fight here.

After all, with Crow Harbor’s development, establishing stable supply channels here meant the crew wouldn’t lack weapons, food, or medical supplies for a long time.

“Sigh…”

A sigh reached everyone’s ears. Gao Wen quietly gripped his knight’s sword, instantly radiating overwhelming pressure.

At this moment,

Even Kuro, whose presence had crushed Akin and terrified Paru, vanished from perception.

In every eye, only Gao Wen remained.

“Hey hey hey~”

“Is this real?”

Akin swallowed hard, gripping his iron cane, feeling Gao Wen now like a awakened beast.

He radiated the aura of a predator—Akin was his prey!

“There has to be a limit to how big the gap is!”

At that moment, a shrill voice shattered the tension…

(End of Chapter)