Vane stopped using the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit, and the ship quickly began to slow down.
He looked at the ships transporting gold from the sky. The Marines on those ships stared back at him.
"Just one pirate? A lone pirate?"
"What about the rest of the crew? Hiding?"
The commodore furrowed his brow in confusion. Through his telescope, he scanned Vane's ship. It was far too quiet. In his experience, a pirate ship never had just one person—especially not someone so young. That alone made things more suspicious.
There had to be more to this.
"Everyone, stay alert!"
The commodore barked the order. The sailors immediately fell silent, but tension filled the air. Their grips tightened on their weapons, their bodies tensed.
"We have five ships and more than eighty Marines. Stay calm—but stay sharp."
The commodore narrowed his eyes.
"That kid… he looks familiar. Like I've seen him somewhere before."
The ships on both sides inched closer.
"Stop!"
The commodore shouted as a group of Marines aimed their rifles at Vane. If the warships were angled wrong, a single twitch could trigger a barrage. Yet Vane stood there, staring at them—unbothered.
He wasn't the least bit afraid. Even if they opened fire, he could easily block the attacks using the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit.
"That's him! It's Vane! The murderer of the Celestial Dragons! Rhett Vane with a bounty of 700 million Berries!"
A sailor suddenly screamed in panic. For regular Marines, a pirate with a bounty in the tens of millions was already terrifying—let alone one nearing a billion.
Others quickly recognized him as well. His wanted poster was still posted aboard their ship. And now he stood less than twenty meters away. There was no mistaking it.
The commodore's face turned pale the moment he realized the truth. Vane was a monster—not just because of his Devil Fruit, but his mastery of Haki too. None of them could stop him.
"This… this is my first time escorting heavenly tribute gold and I run into a pirate like him? He's the most wanted pirate in the entire first half of the Grand Line!"
"Honestly, he might be the strongest and most terrifying one we've ever seen. Even the Celestial Dragons—he doesn't fear them. Who else would he take seriously?"
The commodore struggled to maintain composure, though his heart was racing.
It was said that Vane's strength was on par with the Navy's elite vice admirals.
Who wouldn't be afraid?
He raised his voice and declared, "Sir! What we're escorting here is the heavenly tribute gold meant for the Celestial Dragons. Please do not interfere!"
"I am a Commodore! I demand that you step aside and do not obstruct Marine operations!"
Vane didn't respond.
Instead, a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from him. The ocean itself rippled as the sheer force of his will surged forward. The warships rocked violently, and the Marines staggered.
Though it lasted less than twenty seconds, when the pressure faded, only the commodore remained conscious—only because he allowed him to. But, He dropped to one knee, his head spinning.
The rest of the Marines? All unconscious.
"So strong… this is Conqueror's Haki?"
The commodore's heart was in turmoil. His face had gone ghost white. Behind him, every sailor had collapsed. As expected—but still terrifying.
"This kind of power… we're not equipped to face this."
Trembling, the commodore pulled out a small Den Den Mushi and called Navy Headquarters.
"Marshal Sengoku, this is the tribute gold escort fleet from the Kingdom of Los. We're under attack. The assailant is Vane! Requesting immediate backup!"
"What!? Vane?! He's attacking?!"
"What's your status?!"
Marshal Sengoku's voice exploded through the line—angry, concerned, and rattled.
The commodore reported, "All of my men were taken out by his Conqueror's Haki. I'm the only one still conscious. Marshal Sengoku… I don't know how much longer I can hold—"
Before he could finish, the Den Den Mushi was snatched from his hand.
"Y-You—!"
Vane didn't say a word. He threw a punch—not even imbued with Devil Fruit power, just raw physical strength. Still, it was enough. The commodore had no way to block it and was blasted off the ship. The punch shattered the rear deck behind him.
"Hey, what's going on over there?!"
Marshal Sengoku's voice buzzed from the Den Den Mushi in confusion.
Vane smiled and leaned toward the transceiver. "Marshal Sengoku?"
Sengoku's expression darkened. "You?! Rhett Vane?!"
"That's right."
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to provoke the Navy Headquarters?!"
"Exactly. I'm here to provoke you."
"You bastard!"
Sengoku slammed his desk in frustration. He was alone in his office, yet boiling with fury.
"You better not harm the fleet escorting the tribute gold, or you'll face consequences you can't imagine!"
Vane's tone was calm. "More serious than killing a Celestial Dragon?"
Sengoku gritted his teeth. "Where are you right now?"
Vane grinned. "I'm heading to Alabasta to tie the knot with royalty. You figure it out. My power's been evolving lately. Don't send that lazy Kizaru this time—send Akainu instead."
"You—! Alabasta!? Do you have any idea how serious this is?!"
Vane's voice dropped into a mocking whisper. "Anyway, I'm here to rob the heavenly gold. Be sure to notify those parasites in Mary Geoise. From now on—whenever I see tribute gold—I'll take it."
With that, he hung up.
He had no idea what Sengoku's face looked like right now, but it was probably priceless.
And Vane couldn't care less.
He told Sengoku he was going to Alabasta… but in truth, his destination was Water 7.
---
Just finished drafting 30+ chapters, Y'all would love it.
I'd be posting those chapters on my p@treon in case you're curious you can check it out.
patreon.com/Zphyr_