As evening fell,
only a single lamp remained lit at Jaya Island's port, barely serving as a guide for ships arriving in the dark.
In truth, it was an incredibly irresponsible setup.
But that was just how Jaya Island was—responsibility was the last thing you'd find here.
There was no governing authority. Years ago, it had already become a lawless zone, a chaotic island much like Hachinosu, carrying the same "pirate paradise" reputation.
That title wasn't unique to Hachinosu. There were plenty of places across the seas just like it. It was only because the Rocks Pirates had once occupied that island as their base that its name became so famous.
Jaya Island was a mess. Conflicts and killings broke out every single day. Many pirates lingering in the first half of the Grand Line would gather here, fighting over power.
It was said that every year, quite a number of pirates with bounties over ten million berries were buried here, dying in internal strife among pirates.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons the World Government allowed such islands to exist.
...
Through the hazy darkness, the Oro Jackson slowly sailed into the silent port.
"This damn place is still as run-down and chaotic as ever," Roger clicked his tongue as he looked at a corpse hanging beneath a lamppost, impaled straight through from the backside.
Clearly, this wasn't the first time the Roger Pirates had come to Jaya Island.
"Spencer, head into the island and gather some intel. Find out when the Knock-Up Stream will erupt this time," Roger ordered.
Since they had been here before, Roger and the others knew that although the port looked deserted and ruined, deeper into the island lay a town called Mock Town.
That place never quieted down at night—after all, pirates loved drinking until dawn.
"Aren't we going together?" Valthior asked curiously.
"It reeks in there. I just took a bath—I'm not going to stir up trouble," Roger said with a look of disgust.
Rayleigh nodded. "The island's full of pirates and scum. You can imagine the level of service. There's no need to go deep inside. Staying at some inn there is worse than sleeping on the ship."
"Exactly," Gaban agreed with a nod.
It was obvious—they all despised this hellhole. But Valthior was quite interested in Mock Town, so he said, "Spencer, I'll go with you."
"Alright."
Spencer responded and jumped straight off the deck.
Valthior followed right behind, landing in the port as well.
Before long, the two disappeared from the harbor, heading deeper into the island.
After passing through a messy stretch of woodland, lights began to flicker into view in the distance.
A shabby, chaotic-looking town lay just a few hundred meters ahead. Compared to the silence of the port, this place was lively. Before even getting close, they could already hear several gunshots.
"The stench of losers… it's nauseating. Stay here long enough, and you might rot just like them," Spencer muttered softly as he lit a cigarette, as if trying to drive away the "rotting smell" in the air.
"Losers, huh?" Valthior smacked his lips.
"That's right. Most of the pirates gathered here don't dare to enter the New World—or they've already been driven out by the monsters there. They've lost their courage. So they huddle together here, bragging about their past glory, drowning themselves in alcohol while they slowly rot," Spencer sneered.
Just as he said, not all pirates had the courage to charge into the New World. And not all who did could survive there.
The eliminated losers would instinctively band together on certain islands and decay over time. Jaya Island was one of them.
Soon, Valthior and Spencer entered the chaotic town. Drunken fools were sprawled everywhere in the streets. From time to time, scoundrels would clash, drawing blades and guns, hacking each other down—leaving behind fresh corpses within moments.
No one bothered to collect the bodies. Maybe someone would deal with it after sunrise.
"Let's find a tavern first and ask the locals—" Spencer stopped mid-sentence, his expression turning annoyed. "This is exactly why we hate this place…"
Valthior looked toward several figures emerging from the shadows, armed with blades and firearms, and chuckled. "Who said they've lost their courage? Look at them—they've got plenty. They even dare to rob us."
From the shadows stepped a group of men. Leading them was a bald brute with a face full of scars. He grinned viciously at Valthior and Spencer.
"Never seen your faces before. New to the island, huh? Then you probably don't know the rules of Mock Town. If you want to stay here, you've gotta pay protection money to our Kaba Pirates!"
Kaba! (Snap!)
A crisp snapping sound rang out before the brute could even react.
Then came a sharp pain in his arm. Only then did he realize what had happened.
The silver-haired man had somehow appeared right beside him—and snapped his arm like a dry twig.
"The 'Kaba' Pirates... is that the sound you meant?" Valthior asked, letting go of the arm.
"AAAAARGH!!!" The brute howled in agony, then shouted to his subordinates, "Kill those bastards! Chop them into minced meat!!!"
They had clearly been drinking heavily. As the saying went, alcohol gave cowards courage. The pirate underlings weren't intimidated at all—howling wildly as they charged at Valthior and Spencer.
Spencer said calmly, "I'm the intelligence officer. Fighting isn't my job…"
"I'm a scholar. Does that mean it's my job?" Valthior shot back, though a cruel grin spread across his face. "Whatever. Ever since we left Alabasta, we've been drifting at sea for over a month. My hands have been itching for a fight. I'll handle these."
"Oh, so your chopping addiction is acting up? I get it. When Gaban gets that itch, he'll hack an entire mountain apart. You axe-wielders are all freaks," Spencer mocked sharply.
As his words fell, a spray of blood arced through the dimly lit street.
No special abilities were used—just simple axe strikes.
Perhaps, as Gaban had said, Valthior was a "half-human." Most of the time he seemed normal, but every now and then, something twisted surfaced.
With a swing of his chained axe, the crisp clatter of metal links mixed with the dull, wet sound of flesh being cleaved. Blood and chunks of meat flew through the air.
The axe howled. Blood splattered.
In less than a minute, Valthior had brutally chopped all of the bald brute's subordinates into mangled pieces. Judging from the state of the remains, they wouldn't be easy to piece back together.
Then Spencer walked up to the sole survivor—the bald brute whose arm had been broken. He casually took the cigarette from his mouth and said,
"I'm not very good at interrogation, so I hope you'll give me a satisfying answer right away…"
As he spoke, Spencer pressed the still-burning cigarette directly into the brute's left eye.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
A miserable scream echoed out, accompanied by the sickening smell of burning flesh.
"Now, tell me. When will Jaya's unique Knock Up Stream appear?"
As it turned out, every member of the Roger Pirates was a villain in their own right.
...
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