Chapter 61: Overlord of the East Blue, the Krieg Pirates!

At noon on this day, in the waters of the Conomi Islands.

The sky was clear and sunny, the breeze gentle and the sun warm.

It should have been perfect weather for a stroll after lunch.

Yet at the horizon's end, thirty pirate ships flying black sails had appeared from who knows when, closing in on Cocoyasi Village.

From afar, they looked like a vast, dark mass, like storm clouds pressing down on the land.

Near the dock, beside the small grove of trees along the shore.

Several villagers, fishing while chatting idly, noticed this terrifying sight.

"Hey, it's pirates."

"Yeah..."

A villager dozing nearby was jolted awake; he squinted toward the sea and lazily yawned.

"It's been a long time since any pirates dared come here. This time, so many have come all at once?"

"It must be that guy, the one recently making waves, who calls himself the Overlord of the East Blue—what was his name again?"

"Klack? Or Klara?"

"Something like that. Ah, who cares..."

The villagers shook their heads, switched to another topic, and continued fishing.

They seemed utterly accustomed to such scenes.

The warm sun hung high overhead as the salty sea breeze swept across the flagship's deck.

A towering figure, standing two meters and forty-three centimeters tall and clad in heavy golden armor, stood cold-faced at the bow, staring at the approaching island in the distance, his cape snapping loudly behind him.

"Governor Krieg! All is going smoothly; we should reach the Cocoyasi Village dock in about twenty minutes!"

The report came from a subordinate atop the crow's nest.

"Is that so?"

Krieg narrowed his eyes. "Maintain full speed. Once we make landfall, all combat personnel from ships number one through fifteen will disembark with me. The remaining vessels are to surround the dock and stand ready to fire at any moment!"

"Yes, my lord Governor!"

A thunderous response erupted from the pirates around him.

"Captain."

A low voice suddenly came from the right. "Although I've mentioned this several times before, with the final moment now upon us, I still wish to advise you one last time."

Hmm?

Krieg slowly turned, his expression sour as he looked at his Chief Combat Officer before him.

"We should never have come to Cocoyasi Village."

Gin, as if ignoring his captain's glare, lowered his head. "Wasn't your goal to assemble the mightiest fleet and conquer the Grand Line? Why travel a thousand li south just to provoke a man named Siano?"

"This is truly unwise. That man's strength may be far greater than you estimated..."

"Hmm?"

Krieg suddenly reached out, grabbing Gin by the throat, and grinned broadly:

"So you're afraid, Gin! The so-called Demon Man who has followed me for so many years, frightened out of his wits by a mere rumor from years ago! And now you want to flee at the critical moment?"

"I don't mean that, Captain. My loyalty to you will never change, and I am forever willing to fight alongside you."

Gin struggled to force out the words. "But the risk this time is truly... Wasn't it common knowledge that he alone wiped out that entire group of fish-men? After you read the newspaper back then, didn't you privately warn me never to provoke that..."

"Shut up!"

Krieg violently flung his hand away, glaring coldly at Gin, who had collapsed to his knees coughing violently:

"The times have changed! Don't you know it! Back then I had only five ships. What about now? Now I have a full thirty!!!"

"All across the East Blue, they sing praises of Laozi's name; even the Marines give Laozi's fleet a wide berth! What is that backwater brat compared to that! If he were truly strong, he would have already set out for the Grand Line. Instead, he holed up in the countryside growing tangerines for a few years, yet he still dares to carry the ridiculous title of 'Strongest Swordsman of the East Blue'?!"

Krieg spread his broad arms wide, letting the sea wind rush in, and burst into wild, sinister laughter.

"I came this time to beat that brat until his teeth are scattered on the ground, so that all the fools of the East Blue understand who the true strongest in the East Blue really is!"

"Long live Lord Krieg!!!"

This declaration instantly ignited a frenzy of cheers across the entire deck.

"..." Gin fell silent for a moment, then suddenly exhaled softly. As he rose to his feet, only ruthlessness and resolve remained in his eyes.

"Since you have made up your mind."

He drew the twin iron-ball crutches from his back, looked up with an indifferent expression toward the dock now within striking distance, and said, "Gin is willing to charge at the forefront for you."

Boom!

The several pirate ships at the very front crashed violently into the dock, instantly crushing the wooden pier, which had been repaired only a few years prior, into splinters.

Hordes of pirates, brandishing swords and spears, roared excitedly as they swarmed off the ships, packing the shoreline near the dock so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

"There's smoke from cooking fires over there; I see the village!"

"Is this the only dirt road? What a tiny backwater place!"

"Never mind that; charge together! The Governor said whoever finds that brat named Siano first will be rewarded with two million Berries!"

Gin, expressionless, disembarked with the first wave. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a strangely shaped, narrow speedboat moored in a secluded spot nearby.

The flag hanging from its mast bore the two large characters "Shimotsuki."

Shimotsuki?

Gin frowned slightly; he felt as though he had seen this name, or perhaps this surname, somewhere before.

It seemed to be in some newspaper from a few years ago...

There was no time to think further.

Boom!

Suddenly, a clamor erupted at the very front; several pirates who had rushed ahead somehow flew up abruptly, crashed into the coconut trees on either side, tilted their heads, and fainted.

"Oh my, sorry."

A beautiful blue-haired girl with a red ribbon tied on her head had somehow blocked the only path in the center, smoothing her hair tips with one hand while smiling as she gazed at the pirates before her.

"There are still many people in the village who haven't finished lunch; I can't let rude fellows like you run over and disturb them."

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!!!

No one paid attention to those few unlucky souls who had been hammered away.

The pirates charging at the front now all had their eyes wide open; some whistled, some began to drool, and there were even those whose bodies twisted into noodle-like shapes.

"Wow, she's a super hot beauty!!"

"In such a backward little place, there's actually such a pretty girl!"

"Hey! You beautiful Young Lady, after we finish our business, how about joining us on the ship tonight!"

Pairs of greedy, malicious eyes scanned back and forth across the newcomer's face.

"Staring at a girl like that is very rude, you know."

Nojiko continued to smile gently, yet her hands had somehow donned blue metal gauntlets. "I said, do you even have any..."

Shave!

Before her voice even faded, Nojiko's figure vanished instantly from the spot, and when she reappeared, she was already in the center of the pirates.

"—Listen when I'm talking!!!"

Amidst a roar of anger like a female T-Rex, she crossed her two fists and smashed down fiercely; the heads of the two pirates closest to her immediately caved in.

Before the corpses had even time to hit the ground, Nojiko's long, powerful right leg had already swept in a wide arc; the dozen or so pirates around her instantly let out miserable screams, flying backward in unison like kites with cut strings!

Some readers asked about the reader group; it's still the same old group. The link to join is now open on the introduction page, with a link below as well. Since the novel hasn't gone on sale yet, the threshold is set very low. Welcome to come chat in the group.

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(End of Chapter)