Control over fire?
What… what kind of power is this?!
For Krieg, born and raised in the East Blue with limited information, power meant nothing more than strength and weapons.
The strongest power, paired with the strongest weapon—that was what he believed to be true might.
As for things like Devil Fruits, advanced martial arts, sword techniques capable of cutting steel, or the so-called "Haki," he had only ever heard rumors. And he always thought they were just myths—nonsense made up to scare children.
He never cared.
He even sneered at them.
But now—right before his eyes—he was witnessing one of those impossible powers!
Could this be… the legendary power of a Devil Fruit?
"Boss, we've got to run!"
At that moment, Gin shouted, turning his head with a fierce expression. Fear lingered on his face, but beneath it, there was also determination.
He was scared—how could he not be? But…
Krieg had saved him. For that, even if it meant dying, he would buy his captain some time to escape.
Only, it was destined to be in vain.
The next instant, from every direction of the encampment, squads of Marine soldiers poured in.
In the blink of an eye, they were completely surrounded.
Over a hundred rifles—Model 1518s—all aimed directly at the two of them.
"I'll take you all with me!!"
Gin roared, launching himself forward with a wild charge.
But—
Bang!
The shot came from Ian.
Gin's body jerked violently—hit squarely between the eyes.
He collapsed backward, lifeless.
"I surrender! I surrender!!"
To be honest, Krieg always considered himself stronger than Gin.
But he also knew that difference wasn't all that significant.
And now, after failing to even injure a single Marine, after losing nearly 300 of his elite men, his officers, and even Gin—
What was the point of resisting?
Not to mention, he didn't yet have all the ridiculous gear he would two years from now. Sure, he had some intimidating armor, but it wasn't the full suit he would later acquire.
And now, with over a hundred rifles aimed at him point-blank—even if they were just basic guns—he couldn't withstand that.
So yeah.
He gave up.
He figured he'd be imprisoned, but at least he'd be alive.
And who knew? Maybe someday he'd break out…
"You're surrendering?"
"Yes! I surrender! Take me in!"
Krieg nodded decisively, even holding out his arms as if to say, "Come on, cuff me!"
If it were any other Marine squad, things might've ended there. After all, a captured pirate could be worth more alive.
But unfortunately for him—this was the 157th Branch.
Ian shook his head.
"The Captain gave us specific orders. If the target doesn't have a bounty, we can bring them in. But if they do…"
"No survivors!"
Krieg was stunned.
"Wait, wh—"
He didn't even finish the sentence before Ian's hand dropped, and a flurry of gunfire followed.
---
Aboard Hina's warship—on the bridge…
The large screen displayed Krieg's body, now riddled with bullet holes.
"Hina doesn't understand… what did Ian mean earlier?"
"You mean about how pirates without a bounty can be captured, but those with one must be killed?"
"Yes!"
Hina nodded, confused.
What kind of logic was that?
Why were pirates with bounties killed, while without bounties were imprisoned?
Pfft…
Just as Luo Lan was about to explain, Nami—who had been learning navigation nearby—burst out laughing.
She turned around and beat him to it.
"Sister Tina, Luo Lam told me the reason! See, even though we're Marines, the Navy won't give us a single Berry if we capture a bounty head alive and turn them in through official channels."
"But—"
"If we kill them instead, we can make private deals with other factions. They'll deliver the corpse to the Navy and claim the reward, then split the bounty with us according to our agreement!"
"Technically, you can claim a reward for a live capture… but that risks exposing who we are and where we operate, right?"
"So it's safer to just kill them!"
After two days of sharing hot baths together, Nami, Nojiko, and Hina had grown much closer.
By now, both girls had dropped the formalities—they no longer called her "Captain Hina," just "Sister Hina."
Hearing Nami's explanation, Hina finally understood what Ian meant earlier.
But still…
Was Luo Lan really that desperate for money?
Even bounty rewards?
And to think he'd rather give a large cut to outside parties just to make a profit…
If Luo Lan could hear what Hina was thinking right now, he'd absolutely say:
Yes. I'm broke. I'm very broke.
---
Mission complete.
Luo Lan cut off the drone feed.
Now—
It was treasure-hunting time!
"Luo Lan! We're going for the treasure now, right? I'm coming too!"
Nami, who had been practicing at the helm, leaped over excitedly, eyes sparkling with Berry signs spinning like a slot machine.
"You stay here and keep learning. Don't worry about the treasure."
"I'm the chief financial officer of the 157th! I have to go!"
Nami insisted.
But Luo Lan didn't budge.
He turned on his heel and walked out of the bridge. As he passed the guards posted at the door, he left an order:
"No one lets Nami out of the bridge unless I say so."
"Yes, Captain!"
He wasn't about to let Nami see any real treasure.
He planned to keep just a tenth of it for base expenses—and then dump the rest into his own recharge fund on the spot!
After that, he'd tell her: "This is all we found!"
That way, she wouldn't hound him endlessly.
Genius. Pure genius.
Satisfied, Luo Lan strode off.
Back in the bridge, Nami waved her fists furiously at his back.
But then—an idea struck her.
She smirked.
"Um, hey—uh…"
She ran up to one of the officers but suddenly realized she didn't know his name.
Luo Lan had never introduced him.
"Richard Maducas. You can call me Richard."
The man replied.
"Richard! Luo Lan said you're supposed to teach me how to control this ship, right?"
"Yes. That was Captain's direct order."
"Great! Then could you show me how that drone works?"
"Of course. This way, please."
Richard nodded.
He was a cyborg—programmed to obey Luo Lan's orders without deviation.
And Luo Lan had told him to teach Nami and the selected personnel how to operate the submarine.
So he didn't hesitate at all.
As for Nami…
A devilish grin tugged at the corner of her lips.
She looked every bit like a little fox whose trap had just sprung shut.
Hina saw it all and sighed.
She knew exactly what Nami was planning.
Still, she chose to look the other way.
With a small, resigned smile, Hina turned and left the bridge.
After all, she was the one who gave them the treasure map.
She had every intention of seeing for herself—
Whether there was actually any treasure.
---
A/N: Want to read ahead?
I update the story much earlier on Ko-fi—with 4 chapters a day, compared to only 3 on Webnovel.
Come check it out and get ahead in the story!
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27