"The World Government…?"
At those words, Kubi's expression briefly darkened, but then a scornful grin twisted across his face. He burst into loud laughter and mocked, "Hahahaha! Arrest me? Me? By a little brat like you? Looks like the World Government is really scraping the bottom of the barrel! Don't make me laugh! What can a kid like you possibly do? If you wanna play bureaucrat, go somewhere else! We don't have time to babysit children!"
"Hahaha—"
"What a joke!"
"Run along before you get hurt!"
"…"
The pirates around him erupted into raucous laughter, jeering at the black-haired boy standing before them.
Whizz—
BOOM—!
Suddenly, a piercing screech tore through the air, the sound of something slicing through the sky at breakneck speed, friction hissing against the wind.
A moment later, a massive explosion rocked the rear of the pirate ship. A pillar of searing flame erupted into the night sky, sending shockwaves through the entire vessel. The deck quaked violently, tossing pirates to the floor in chaos. Tables, chairs, and barrels crashed over, and food and drink spilled across the planks.
"What the hell?!"
"An ambush?!"
"The explosion came from the stern, there's a ship attacking from the sea!"
"Who is it? The military from the Tobias Kingdom?!"
"…"
Panic erupted. Pirates scrambled across the deck in a frenzy, tripping over one another in their haste.
Sure enough, cutting swiftly through the night-shrouded sea, a warship surged in from behind the pirate vessel, bearing down on them with relentless speed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A deafening barrage followed. Seven or eight cannonballs screamed through the air, crashing into the water with explosive force and sending geysers fifteen meters high into the air.
BANG!
"Quiet!!"
Kubi, seeing his crew in full-blown panic, growled in fury. He drew the flintlock pistol from his hip, fired a shot into the sky, and shouted, "What are you losing your minds for?! We've got five hundred hostages! Anyone dares attack us, we'll shove those prisoners to the front as meat shields!"
"Sorry to interrupt, but someone's already gone to save those hostages."
Rob Lucci's voice cut through the chaos. A savage smirk curled on his lips as his piercing eyes locked onto Kubi. His tone was laced with irritation. "Originally, I planned to slaughter that whole bunch of useless, rights-less soldiers, then come deal with you. Unfortunately, someone annoying stepped in to rescue them, so you won't get that chance."
"What?!"
"Someone's rescuing the hostages?!"
"Why didn't the guards sound the alarm?!"
"…"
The pirates of the Scoundrel Pirates turned pale, all eyes snapping toward the shore. But the massive warehouse nearby was eerily silent. The large iron doors remained closed, unmoving, save for two corpses lying still at the entrance.
"Bastard! How dare you ruin my plans?!"
Kubi, now thoroughly enraged, pointed his pistol at Lucci and roared, "Get in there! Check that warehouse from top to bottom! Even if the hostages escaped, I want every last one dragged back!"
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
Kubi had fired, the lead bullet tearing through the air toward Lucci.
"Soru!"
With a cold expression, Lucci vanished.
In the next instant, screams erupted across the deck. Blood sprayed violently into the air, splashing onto the boards below.
"AAAHHH!"
"IT HURTS!!"
"My arm! My arm is gone!"
"…"
Within moments, the deck was a scene of carnage, bodies strewn everywhere. Some had gaping, bullet-like wounds in their chests; others were slashed open as if by blade or claw.
Lucci stood amid dozens of corpses, his hands soaked in blood. He wiped a streak of red from his cheek with the cleaner part of his sleeve. A wicked smile curved his lips as he muttered, low and grim:
"Pirates… Let me wipe you all out."
"D-Demon…!"
Fear took root in the eyes of the surrounding pirates. Screams of terror rose, their bravado shattered.
Elsewhere, under the quiet shroud of night behind the massive warehouse onshore, a triangular hole had been cut through the thick wall. One by one, soldiers of the Tobias Kingdom crawled through the gap, escaping from captivity.
Cross stood calmly by the breach, arms folded, silently counting the number of soldiers fleeing.
BOOM—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, an explosion shattered the stillness of the night, followed by a flurry of gunfire. The unarmed soldiers jumped in fright.
"…Looks like Lucci's made his move."
Cross raised his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. He turned to the weary soldiers before him and said, "Keep moving. Get to the palace fortress in the mountains. As for the pirates chasing you, leave them to me."
With that, Cross bent slightly at the waist, one hand resting on the hilt of Kagehide, and slipped silently back into the shadows of the warehouse.
The night before, upon receiving the kingdom's desperate plea for help, Cross had immediately ordered the Haritch XIX, now Enlivened through the power of the Live-Live Fruit, to set sail at full speed.
His goal: return to the Tobias Kingdom within a single day.
Fortunately, the Haritch XIX lived up to its reputation. With perfect mastery over wind and current, it managed to reach the kingdom just in time, barely intercepting Rob Lucci before he acted.
Once there, Cross used sheer force to assert dominance over Lucci, ordering him to deal with the Scoundrel Pirates onboard their ship. He also instructed General Humil to lead a unit of kingdom soldiers aboard the Haritch XIX, flank the pirates from the rear, and assist Lucci's assault.
Meanwhile, Cross himself had moved ahead in secret, eliminating the guards stationed at the warehouse door. Circling around to the back, he used his blade to quietly cut a hole through the wall and began extracting the hostages.
Everything had gone smoothly. The Scoundrel Pirates never even noticed.
"This is humiliating… Cross-sama himself had to come rescue us…"
"Damn it! If we had weapons, I'd stay and fight alongside the Count!"
"Just go! Staying behind will only get in Cross-sama's way!"
"…"
The kingdom's soldiers were overwhelmed with emotion. They quickened their pace, though many were reluctant to leave. Some wanted to stay and help, but knew full well they'd only be a burden without arms. Frustrated and unwilling, they had no choice but to retreat.
Sure enough, before everyone had escaped, the massive iron doors of the warehouse suddenly creaked open, moonlight pouring inside.
"There's way fewer people left!"
"There's a hole in the wall, they escaped through there!"
"Wait, who the hell is that kid?! Where'd he come from?!"
"…"
Dozens of pirates had gathered outside the warehouse, only to find that most of the hostages were gone, and standing in their path was Cross.
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