Having obtained the intel he wanted, Yoriichi Tsugikuni stepped away into the sky using Geppo.
As he ascended, he unleashed a flying slash toward the pirate ship below—cleaving it cleanly in two. Hovering midair for a brief moment, Yoriichi watched until the ship was utterly silent, not a single pirate surfacing from the wreckage. Then, without hesitation, he turned and darted back toward the patrol vessel.
To Yoriichi, creatures like pirates were not worth reasoning with over so-called honor or code.
In the span of a few heartbeats, Yoriichi landed back on the deck, Geppo carrying him swiftly. Due to the earlier cannon fire from the pirate ship, the deck was now eerily deserted.
The moment he set foot on the deck, a strong stench of blood hit him.
"Something's wrong."
A chill crept into Yoriichi's heart. His gaze followed the trail of blood, leading to the wide-open hatch of the lower cabin. At the same time, his Observation Haki surged out, sweeping through the interior of the vessel—and in the next instant, he vanished from the deck.
"Kyros, how dare you attack your fellow marines?! You killed Sergeant Santos, and all these seamen too!"
"Are you trying to betray the Navy?!"
"Listen up, even if you're strong, I've already reported what happened on this patrol ship to Commander Cain at the branch!"
"Even if you slaughter every last one of us, the Navy will never forgive a traitor like you!"
Inside the control room of the ship, a burly, middle-aged marine leveled a short-barreled gun at Kyros, shouting with righteous fury. Surrounding him were seven other marines, each armed with long rifles, forming a tight circle around their leader.
Though armed, the marines' hands trembled on their triggers, tension and fear written all over their faces. Even the officer's voice, though raised in fury, carried a false bravado—tough on the outside, fragile within.
On the floor of the control room, bodies lay scattered in disarray, nearly thirty marines, all dead. The wounds varied: some bore deep, clean slashes; others were riddled with bullet holes.
Blood flowed freely across the floor. The coppery stench thickened the air, filling the entire engine room.
Kyros, the man they all accused, stood in the center, gripping a longsword tightly in both hands, his face twisted in rage as he stared down the middle-aged marine.
"You're lying!"
"When I arrived, Sergeant Santos was already dead—shot through the chest. And it wasn't just him. Everyone in this control room had been gunned down by the time I got here!"
"The moment I stepped inside, you tried to kill me too!"
"This was self-defense! I was retaliating to survive! The real traitor to the Navy—is you!"
Kyros's eyes blazed red with fury. His hands clenched the sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Still trying to deny it?! We all saw it happen!"
"Santos and I have been comrades for years! You think I'd lay a hand on him?!"
"You're the murderer here!"
"They can all testify for me!"
Despite his inner fear, the middle-aged marine felt emboldened by the eight rifles aimed at Kyros. He still had some confidence left.
His name was Fabrice Simic, a sergeant from the 133rd Marine Branch. As mentioned before, this patrol vessel carried three squads under different commanders. Fabrice Simic led the squad responsible for combat operations.
But now, including Simic himself, only eight members remained.
Among the corpses sprawled across the control room floor, some were his own men.
The others… belonged to the two remaining squads.
After Yoriichi Tsugikuni left the patrol ship, Kyros followed his instructions and headed for the bridge to assess the situation. But by the time he arrived, the bridge was already strewn with corpses. The only ones left alive inside were members of the combat squad led by Fabrice Simic.
And the moment they saw Kyros pushing open the door and stepping in, they didn't say a word—they opened fire on him without hesitation.
Thankfully, Kyros was fast. Incredibly fast. His swordsmanship was sharp and fluid, allowing him to dodge the incoming bullets with swift sidesteps and even cut down a few mid-air.
As soon as their first volley ended, Kyros seized the opening and closed the distance.
He remembered Yoriichi's words before parting: "If anyone makes a move against you, don't hesitate. Strike back without mercy."
With that in mind, Kyros charged in just as the enemy was reloading. His blade flashed, and in mere seconds, a dozen gunmen fell by his sword.
By the time the surviving members of Simic's squad finished reloading and turned their guns back on Kyros, only eight of them remained.
Faced with a wall of dark muzzles, Kyros didn't move recklessly. He waited.
At his speed, he could easily evade their bullets and attack during their next reload. But if he made a premature move, a stray shot could catch him mid-dash—something even he might not be able to dodge in time.
The eight men, fully aware of Kyros's speed and skill from their brief encounter, dared not act rashly. They had just seen how useless their bullets were against him.
The standoff settled into a tense stalemate.
Meanwhile, Simic pinned the blame for all the dead on Kyros.
As for why Fabrice Simic would murder his fellow sailors and try to frame Kyros, well, the reason was painfully simple.
His Navy salary barely kept his family fed. It was enough for survival, but not enough for the life he longed for.
But during his years of service, Simic had come to know a powerful figure from the Kingdom of Mia, a wealthy "patron" who had been generously supporting his lifestyle.
Last night, that same patron came to him with a request: eliminate two specific targets. The reward was generous.
At first, Simic hesitated. But under the patron's persuasion, he eventually agreed. The money was part of it, yes—but the real reason he accepted was the plan. The patron had already laid everything out for him: a clean method, no loose ends.
He even promised a pirate ship would come to handle the aftermath.
All Simic had to do was take care of the people aboard the ship, dump their bodies into the ocean, and report back claiming, "We were ambushed by pirates."
Simple. Clean. No witnesses. No consequences.
After all, in this vast sea, the cost of committing crimes was lower than anywhere else in the world. Hiding one's sins was just too easy.
But... things didn't go according to plan.
One of the targets referred to by the patron as a "former pirate hunter" was far tougher than anticipated.
Back in the blood-soaked bridge, Kyros was left speechless by Simic's cold remark: "They were all witnesses."
He wasn't good with words, but his face flushed with fury, veins bulging at his temple, eyes bloodshot with rage. His hands clenched tightly around his sword, his whole body tensed and ready to strike.
Simic and his men stared back at him, on edge, weapons raised.
"You bastards... you're not fit to wear the Navy uniform!"
Kyros finally snapped. With a forceful push off the ground, he shot forward like a bolt of lightning. At the same moment, the remaining eight opened fire in unison.
Kyros weaved through their attacks, sword sweeping in controlled, deadly arcs. He didn't hesitate. Once in range, his blade danced.
In the blink of an eye, all eight were cut down, bodies crumpled to the floor, bathed in crimson, lifeless.
Bang!
Just as Kyros finished the last of them, the door to the bridge was kicked open.
Yoriichi stepped inside.
He took one look at the grisly scene, blood-slicked floor, lifeless bodies, Kyros still holding his sword, breath steady but heavy, and his heart sank.
A chill swept through him.
"…We've walked straight into a trap."
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!
For advance chapters, please do visit and consider joining me on Patreon, it really helps me out and I'd love to have you along for the journey!
p(a)treon.com/Lnee
*remove () to open it