West Ali Island. The Red Light District.
Inside the most lavish brothel on Flower Street, the air was thick with the acrid scent of cigar smoke, cheap perfume, spilled alcohol, and sweat.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
In the main hall, dozens of naked men and women were frantically intertwined like a pit of writhing snakes. The pirates breathed heavily, grunting like animals, while the prostitutes moaned loudly, their cries echoing over the raucous music.
Sitting on an oversized, velvet sofa at the far end of the hall was the orchestrator of this debauchery.
He was a massive man, standing nearly eight feet tall. He had thick gray hair, a heavy brow, and a cruel, blocky face that resembled an angry ape.
Don Krieg, the former overlord of the East Blue.
He surveyed the ugly behavior of his remnant crew with cold, dead eyes. His massive hands gripped the waist of a robust prostitute, manipulating her like a ragdoll. The woman had already fainted from the brutal treatment, her eyes rolled back, but Krieg showed no sign of stopping. He simply used her out of habit, feeling nothing.
BANG!
The heavy oak doors of the hall burst open.
The music scratched to a halt. The pirates froze mid-thrust, turning toward the entrance.
A low-ranking pirate stumbled into the room, gasping for breath. "Captain! Captain Krieg! It's terrible! Daddy the Father has been rescued!"
"What?!"
Krieg grabbed the unconscious prostitute by the waist and threw her aside like a discarded cork.
He stood up, towering over the room. He glared fiercely at the messenger, his voice a booming roar. "What happened? Weren't there guards posted?!"
The sheer volume of his voice terrified the pirates in the hall. They scrambled off the women, scrambling for their clothes.
"T-The guards are dead, Captain!" the messenger stammered, trembling under Krieg's furious gaze. "A masked man killed them! He has a woman and the little girl with him!"
"A masked man?" Krieg sneered, his face twisting into a mask of pure rage. "He dares touch my crew? Has he never heard the name Krieg?! Get your weapons! We're going to slaughter them!"
At Krieg's command, the pirates grabbed their flintlocks and cutlasses, pouring out of the brothel.
The Street Corner.
Darian finally managed to get Daddy Masterson down from the wooden frame.
The man was in terrible shape. A few moments ago, when Daddy had the strength to yell at them, Darian thought he might be okay. Now, up close, it was a miracle he was breathing at all.
His palms and ankles were ruined where the iron spikes had gone through. Both of his thighs and his left arm were riddled with bullet holes. Worst of all, he had taken two shots to the abdomen, and blood was flowing freely.
When Darian pulled him off the frame, pieces of Daddy's torn flesh stuck to the wood. It was gruesome.
Seeing her father in this state, Carol's brave facade finally shattered. The little girl fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Daddy!" she cried, her tears mixing with the blood on his chest as she hugged him. "Daddy, are you okay?!"
Daddy forced a weak smile. He lifted a trembling, bloodstained hand and stroked her blonde hair. "Seeing you're safe... Daddy is relieved. I'm fine, sweetie. I just... need a good night's sleep."
Darian placed a hand on Daddy's chest. Hey, buddy, Darian thought grimly, a good night's sleep isn't going to fix internal bleeding. You're dying.
Darian activated his Human Path (Silicone) ability, channeling it into Daddy's body.
The power wasn't a true healing ability like the Heal-Heal Fruit, but it could manipulate the properties of flesh. Darian smoothed over the torn blood vessels, essentially "plugging" the internal leaks with flexible, silicone-like tissue barriers to stop the hemorrhaging. It stabilized his condition, but Daddy still desperately needed a real doctor.
Carol's blue-and-white Lolita dress was quickly soaked in her father's blood. It was a heartbreaking sight.
Nami watched them, her eyes red. The scene hit too close to home. It reminded her of Bellemere's final moments. Though Carol was older than Nami had been, the pain of watching a parent bleed out was universal.
Despite the tragedy unfolding, the surrounding crowd of pirates and thugs continued to gawk, treating it like a sideshow.
Darian snapped.
"What are you looking at?!" Darian roared at the crowd, his voice echoing off the buildings. "Can't you see a man is dying?! If you want to watch, go fetch a damn doctor!"
His terrifying display of power earlier—launching a giant twenty meters with one punch—carried a lot of weight.
A local barkeep flinched and pointed down the street. "There's an old clinic two streets over! I'll go get the doc!"
The man sprinted away. Darian breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But before they could relax, the crowd stirred again. This time, they didn't just watch; they scattered in terror, clearing the street completely.
Marching down the cobblestones was Don Krieg, flanked by two dozen heavily armed pirates.
Even without his golden Wootz steel armor, Krieg was an intimidating figure. His massive size and apish face were unmistakable.
"Nami," Darian said quietly, standing up. "Protect Carol and Daddy. I'll take care of this trash."
He unclipped the flintlock pistol he had taken from Arlong Park and tossed it to Nami. He wasn't much of a shot, but he liked keeping it for the aesthetic.
Nami caught the gun, her expression fierce. "Be careful, Darian."
Darian stepped forward to meet the incoming mob, putting distance between himself and the injured.
Krieg stopped ten paces away, looking down at Darian with utter contempt.
"Hey, masked freak," Krieg growled. "You're the rat who killed my men?"
Darian didn't waste breath on scum. He just clenched his fist.
"Heavenly Path: Gear Boost - Second Gear!"
VMMM!
Steam hissed from Darian's body as his strength and speed multiplied tenfold.
He stomped the ground, shattering the cobblestones. The kinetic energy launched him forward with explosive speed.
Krieg had been a tyrant in the East Blue for too long. He was arrogant and relied entirely on his armor and weapons. Without them, and against an opponent moving at supersonic speeds, he didn't stand a chance.
Darian appeared right in front of him.
WHAM!
Darian's fist buried itself deep into Krieg's face before the Don could even blink.
The force of the tenfold punch shattered Krieg's nose, jaw, and cheekbones instantly. His massive neck snapped back, and his 8-foot frame was launched through the air like a bowling ball.
Krieg smashed through his own men, knocking a dozen pirates down like pins, before crashing into the facade of a brothel thirty meters away. He slumped to the ground, unconscious and broken.
The remaining pirates stared in horror at their defeated captain. Then, panic set in. They raised their flintlocks and aimed at Darian.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A volley of lead bullets tore through the air.
Darian didn't dodge. A faint, translucent aura (Hungry Ghost Path) covered his body. The bullets struck him, lost all kinetic energy, and fell harmlessly to the ground like rain.
Darian cracked his knuckles, annoyed. "You actually shot at me. Big mistake."
He was about to dash forward and finish them when a different sound echoed through the street.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Three sharp, precise gunshots rang out from behind Darian.
Three of Krieg's pirates dropped to the ground, shot dead through the forehead.
Darian spun around, expecting to see Nami under attack.
Instead, he saw Carol.
The little girl, her blue-and-white Lolita dress stained with her father's blood, stood with her feet shoulder-width apart in a perfect shooting stance. Her angelic face was cold and devoid of fear. In her small hands, she held the flintlock Darian had given Nami, aiming it steadily at the pirates.
Pow!
Another pirate dropped.
Darian was stunned. He hadn't wanted the kid to see blood, but she was out here dropping bodies like a professional hitman.
This isn't just a retired Marine and his cute kid, Darian realized in shock. This is the One Piece version of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl!
In less than three seconds, the flintlock clicked empty.
Without missing a beat, Carol lifted the ruffled hem of her skirt. Strapped to her inner thigh was a custom, high-quality derringer pistol. She drew it with lightning speed and fired again.
Pow! Pow!
Two more pirates fell, clutching their chests.
The entire sequence, from her first shot to emptying both guns, took less than ten seconds. The remaining pirates scrambled for cover, terrified of the child.
Darian marveled at her skill. If the kid was this good, how the hell had she been captured in the first place?
The answer became obvious. Krieg hadn't beaten her in a fair fight. He had ambushed her with overwhelming numbers, waiting until she ran out of ammo to capture her. Then, he used her to force Daddy Masterson to surrender.
"Nice shooting, kid," Darian said, stepping in front of her to block any return fire. "I'll handle the rest."
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