Hiro leaned against the rail of the Marine ship; his sharp gaze fixed on the pirate vessel bobbing in the distance.
A low chuckle escaped his lips, his fingers itching with excitement as he cracked his knuckles.
"Finally, something worthwhile," he murmured, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
The Alvida Pirates weren't exactly the caliber of threat he'd hoped for – certainly no Arlong, not yet.
But with a combined bounty nearing 9 million, they would have to do for now.
Dropping his trench coat, he turned to his second-in-command, a cautious NCO who had been with him long enough to anticipate Hiro's unpredictable whims.
"You take care of the ship and follow on my signal," Hiro ordered, grabbing a nearby barrel.
Without another word, he leaped off the side of the Marine vessel, the sea rushing up to greet him.
But Hiro didn't plunge into the depths as a normal man would.
Instead, he landed as if on solid ground, water rippling beneath him but holding steady under his feet.
The combined use of his techniques Featherand Spacewalkallowed him to walk on water, an ability he found both exhilarating and useful.
Jogging across the surface with ease, he kept to the shadows, the darkness of the evening concealing his approach as he made his way toward the Alvida Pirates' ship.
The heavy barrel slung over his shoulder carried a special surprise – something to make this night one to remember.
Onboard Alvida's Ship
The evening had turned into a raucous celebration. Fresh from plundering a merchant ship, the Alvida Pirates reveled in their spoils.
Barrels of fine spices, bolts of silk, and even a hefty stash of gold filled their hold – a pirate's dream loot.
Alvida, in all her 500-kilogram glory, held court in the middle of the deck. She leaned forward, her massive iron club resting on her shoulder, her deep, gravelly voice booming across the ship.
"Who's the most beautiful in all the seas?" she demanded, her beady eyes narrowing at the trembling young chore boys she'd forced into servitude.
Her core crew roared with laughter, hoisting their mugs as they watched the chore boys cower, each of them too terrified to give any answer besides the one she wanted.
"A… Alvida-sama is the most beautiful… of them all…" a boy with pink hair stammered, adjusting his glasses with a shaky hand.
Beside him lay another chore boy, unconscious, his arm twisted at an unnatural angle – a reminder of what happened to those who didn't obey.
The massive woman laughed, loud and ugly, savoring her power over the boys. "Ha! I already knew that, pinky! I'm the most beautiful in the whole world!"
But her gloating was cut short by a voice that sliced through the noise like a blade.
"Beautiful? Bitch, I've seen pigs in a slaughterhouse prettier than you."
Silence fell like a hammer as every head whipped around to see the man standing at the bow of the ship.
Hiro stood casually, one hand gripping a cutlass, the other holding a revolver. He smirked, letting his gaze rake over Alvida with a look of pure contempt.
"Seriously," he continued, loud enough for every pirate to hear. "Even the whales swimming below are lighter than you, fat bitch."
The crew froze, horror flickering across their faces.
They all knew there was one thing Alvida couldn't tolerate – comments about her weight and appearance.
And here was this stranger, casually insulting both in front of her entire crew.
Alvida's eyes widened, her face darkening with rage as her grip tightened on her club. "You little—"
Before she could finish, Hiro raised his voice. "What? Don't believe me? Just look at her face. I've seen donkeys with more charm."
But Hiro was ready. He leaped off the figurehead and landed softly back on the deck with a show of effortless grace, dodging the barrel as it smashed against the side, splintering into pieces.
"Go ahead," he sneered. "Throw another. Maybe you'll manage to look halfway graceful while doing it."
One of Alvida's crew members – a twitchy man with a rifle slung over his back – fumbled for his weapon. Hiro caught the movement from the corner of his eye. Without a second thought, he raised his revolver and fired.
Bang!
The revolver's crack echoing in the night as the sniper dropped, lifeless.
The sound of the shot seemed to snap the remaining pirates from their daze. With shouts and curses, they grabbed their weapons, scrambling into makeshift fighting stances.
Some looked to Alvida, whose face was a darkened mask of rage, lips curled back to reveal yellowed teeth.
Alvida locked eyes with Hiro, lifting her massive spiked mace with a snarl. "You'll pay for this, you scrawny little worm!"
She kicked Hiro with surprising force, sending him sliding back across the deck.
But Hiro's skills kept him grounded. The combination of Steel and Feather techniques absorbed much of the impact, and he swiftly countered, slashing through a nearby pirate who stumbled into his path.
"Not bad, Alvida," Hiro said, giving her a mocking bow.
"For someone who looks like they haven't exercised in ten years."
"You dare mock me?" She spat, veins bulging at her temples. "I'll grind your bones to dust!"
"With what?" Hiro smirked, raising a brow. "Your three chins?
Her scream was enough to make some of her own men flinch. But just as she stepped forward, there was a sound that halted her mid-stride – a faint hissing.
Alvida's furious glare faltered, replaced by a look of confusion as the unmistakable scent of gunpowder filled the air.
Hiro allowed himself a slight smile. "Oh, did I forget to mention the present I brought over?"
He raised his hand, fingers ticking down slowly. "Three... two... one..."
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the ship, a deafening boom that echoed across the water as flames erupted from below deck.
The force sent a shockwave rippling through the wood, throwing several pirates off their feet. Smoke billowed up, and embers rained down, the crew scrambling in panic.
The explosion was Hiro's masterpiece – a barrel packed with enough explosives to set the entire ship ablaze.
He'd quietly primed the fuse upon arrival, ensuring that the pirate crew would have a hard time salvaging anything from the chaos.
"You insane bastard!" one of the pirates yelled as he dove overboard, unwilling to be consumed by the flames.
Amidst the flames and wreckage, Hiro vaulted onto the main mast, firing down at the remaining crew below. His shots were precise, picking off those who dared to rally.
Pirates ran in every direction, their once-celebratory atmosphere now a frantic scramble for survival. With a grin, Hiro fired a few more rounds, picking off pirates as they tried to regain control.
"WHAT?" he shouted mockingly, locking eyes with Alvida, who was barely standing in the wreckage. "CAN'T CATCH ME, YOU FAT F—!"
Enraged beyond reason, Alvida screamed, hefting her club and swinging it wildly; She charged, her steps shaking the already unstable deck, as the wood creaked under her weight.
Hiro sneered as he tossed his revolver aside, raising his fists.
"I'm gonna take you down the old-fashioned way."
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