One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

At the shoreline.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Lafitte donned a brand-new black gentleman's suit adorned with a pristine white cravat.

This fine suit, an exhibit piece from a boutique in town, boasted first-class tailoring and fabric.

When Maude brought Gaya to shop for clothes earlier, they had passed by the shop. Spotting the suit, Maude purchased it on a whim and gifted it to Lafitte.

To ensure it fit perfectly, Maude had even hired the shop's tailor to make alterations to suit Lafitte's measurements.

Now, dressed in the suit gifted by Maude, Lafitte disembarked the ship and headed into town alone.

Before their Log Pose fully recorded the island's magnetic field, he needed to gather intel on all the prime "prey" in town, along with any wanted posters that could provide portraits of potential targets.

"Relying on wanted posters for faces is too restrictive, and sketching portraits takes far too long. It seems acquiring a Visual Den Den Mushi is becoming necessary."

As he walked briskly, Lafitte's sharp eyes reflected his contemplative thoughts.

A visual reference was an essential prerequisite for marking a target.

Compared to using wanted posters or sketches, it was far more efficient for Maude to gather intel himself and lay eyes on the targets directly.

However, Maude was simply too conspicuous for reconnaissance work. His presence drew too much attention to make intelligence gathering feasible.

That left Lafitte as the only suitable candidate for the task.

Entering the town, night soon fell.

Lights gradually illuminated every corner of the town as darkness took over.

Walking along the cobblestone streets, Lafitte headed directly for the town's left district.

According to information provided by Dada, a network of intelligence brokers operated within the low-rise buildings of this district.

As the island that marked the start of countless adventures, it was a hub overflowing with intelligence.

Some individuals even sold allegedly "highly secure" Eternal Poses pointing to various islands at exorbitant prices.

Whether those claims were trustworthy or not, of course, depended entirely on the buyer's judgment.

Armed with only Dada's daytime descriptions, Lafitte navigated the town with ease, finding his way without issue.

With the goal of securing greater benefits for Maude, Lafitte dove headfirst into two days of grueling intelligence work.

Elsewhere in Town.

Late at night, in one of the many alleys, two brothers from the Turkey Pirates walked shoulder-to-shoulder, laughing boisterously.

"Hey Nelly, the Maude Pirates are really strong, huh? Hic!"

"Yeah, I wonder if they're recruiting. Heh heh..."

"Forget it. Even if Big Bro Maude needed someone to swab the deck, they wouldn't take someone like you, you show-off!"

"Get lost! I've got a bounty of 16 million, at least! But... if Maude and the crew needed someone to do grunt work, I'd be willing! As for Big Bro, no doubt he'd be the first to charge into the fray."

Nelly tilted his head slightly, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Save it, will you?"

The older brother gave Nelly a disdainful glance before asking, "By the way, how much money do you have left?"

"Uh, about 500,000 Berries."

"That little?"

"Little? How much do you have?"

"510,000 Berries."

"..."

"The boss blew through all his savings today. Let's gather the crew in the morning and pitch in some cash for him until we find our next prey."

"Of course."

As the Turkey brothers continued their conversation, they failed to notice the lithe figure standing ahead in the shadows, radiating murderous intent.

The figure belonged to Gut-Hunter Yatari.

"Hmm..."

Yatari's crimson lips curled as she toyed with her twin wavy daggers.

She made no effort to conceal her killing intent, nor did she plan an ambush. Instead, she deliberately let out a soft, taunting hum to alert the brothers.

"Who's there?!"

Hearing the sultry hum, the Turkey brothers snapped to attention, finally sensing Yatari's murderous aura. They immediately drew their blades.

"You're... Gut-Hunter Yat... Huh?"

Before Nelly could finish speaking, Yatari disappeared from his sight in an instant.

A fragrant breeze brushed past them.

Shlick!

Before they could react, blood sprayed from their necks and abdomens in great crimson arcs.

"S-So fast..."

Their intestines spilled from their abdomens as Nelly and his brother collapsed, their eyes wide open. The light in their eyes dimmed until their bodies grew motionless and silent.

Standing over the two lifeless bodies, Yatari licked her clean, bloodless dagger with her tongue.

With a soft, mirthful chuckle, she squatted down and deftly severed the brothers' heads.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in town.

Three other Turkey brothers, scattered in search of amusement, found themselves facing Blackhand Hobson.

"Crack!"

Hobson, wearing black leather gloves, easily twisted the neck of one of the brothers with a single hand.

Blood sprayed skyward from the headless body.

The remaining two brothers roared in anger, slashing at Hobson from both sides.

"Trash."

With a cold glare, Hobson tossed aside the severed head and punched directly at the incoming blades.

Clang!

Sparks flashed momentarily!

The fist wrapped in black leather gloves shattered the blades and pierced through the chest of one of the Turkey Pirates members.

"Ugh..."

The gang member slowly lowered his gaze, staring in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest.

The chilly night wind whistled through the wounds in their bodies.

Thud.

The Turkey Pirates members collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Elsewhere in the Town.

In a Tavern.

Bloodshadow Pyke approached the tavern, dragging a massive, dark red broadsword nearly 1.5 meters long along the stone pavement, the blade screeching as it scraped against the ground.

Without pause, he entered the tavern.

The lively chatter inside immediately hushed upon his arrival.

"It's Bloodshadow Pyke, the man with a bounty of 82 million Berries..."

All eyes turned to the man dragging his massive, blood-stained blade, his face half-painted green—a distinct trademark of Bloodshadow Pyke.

Pyke scanned the room and quickly locked onto a group of five Turkey Pirates members seated together.

Creak...

Dragging his broadsword, he walked directly toward them.

The Turkey Pirates members exchanged uneasy glances and reached for their weapons.

In a town dominated by tightly-knit groups of fifty or more, the Turkey Pirates, including its leader Dada, was a small team of only eleven members.

They prided themselves on being an elite squad.

Though their numbers were few, each member was individually formidable.

But as Pyke approached, the Turkey Pirates members, following their leader's usual guidance, subtly prepared for a retreat.

Pyke, expressionless, looked at the Turkey Pirates members who were already standing and calmly said, "A stage is essential, and a stage... needs a bit of decoration."

Before the words even settled, Pyke charged forward.

The massive, dark red broadsword, seemingly cumbersome, swung up in a nauseating arc from below, leaving only a crimson blur in the air.

Despite their vigilance, the Turkey Pirates members were decapitated in an instant.

As their lifeless bodies fell, blood splattered across the floor.

The tavern patrons stared at Pyke, their faces filled with shock.

Here stood a man with a staggering bounty of 82 million Berries, clearly possessing immense strength, yet inexplicably choosing to remain on the Beginning Island.

It was a mystery none of them could comprehend.

The next day, at noon.

A burly man with tattoos across his face and a burlap sack in hand arrived at the pier where the Bacardi Maude Pirates' mast ship was docked.

"Maude Pirates!"

The man shouted at the top of his lungs.

Maude appeared at the ship's railing, looking down at the provocatively postured man.

The tattooed man sneered coldly, tilting the burlap sack over the ground.

A series of pale, bloodless heads tumbled out like bowling balls, rolling across the pier.

"..."

Maude's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the severed heads of the Turkey Pirates members, a chilling light flashing within them.

The burly man took a step back, his legs tensed, ready to sprint away at any moment.

"Bacardi Maude, consider this a 'greeting'—you—!"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Maude vanished in a blur. With one hand, he grasped the man by the jaw and hoisted him into the air.

"A greeting?"

Maude's cold gaze locked onto the man's terrified face.

With a single squeeze, he crushed the man's jaw, ending his life in an instant.

Like tossing garbage, Maude discarded the lifeless body to the side.

He then turned to the severed heads scattered across the ground, his brows furrowing.

Gaya approached the railing.

"Maude, those are...?"

Gaya's eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight of the Turkey Pirates members' severed heads.

"It seems to be a warning from certain people in town," Maude replied, gathering the heads and carefully closing their lifeless, unseeing eyes.

Gaya glanced at the corpse of the burly man, her brows furrowing. "Who's behind this?"

"Who doesn't matter..." Maude said calmly, standing up and brushing off his hands.

"After all, I never planned to leave this island quietly."

His voice was even, his expression serene.

"Kill them all."

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