Clang.
A cold, heavy object hit the floor with a dull sound.
In the dim light, Nami and Carina could clearly see what it was—a black double-bladed axe, broken cleanly in two.
The break was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been sliced apart in a single instant by something impossibly sharp.
Wrapped along the groove of the blade was Buck's signature red bandana, warm blood still dripping from it.
That was "Black Axe" Buck's weapon.
In the East Blue, that axe alone was enough to make people tremble.
"Buck… Boss?"
The money pouch slipped from Nami's hand and hit the ground with a thwack, gold coins scattering everywhere.
Her wide orange eyes lost focus, her lips trembling as she tried and failed to form a complete sentence.
His weapon was broken.
The owner's fate didn't need explaining.
"Shhh—"
Zaraki raised a finger to his lips, a lazy glint in his dark golden eyes.
"Keep it down. I've got good hearing."
Thud!
The two girls dropped to their knees at the same time, pressing their foreheads against the moldy wooden floor.
"We're sorry! We were just doing chores! All the money is here, please spare us!" Carina's voice broke as she spoke, her whole body shaking.
"We didn't see anything! Really!" Nami buried her head even lower, hands raised in surrender.
Zaraki watched them, scratching his head as a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
'So these were the future cat burglar and phantom thief?'
Their skills still had a long way to go, but at least they knew when to kneel.
"Spare you?"
Zaraki dropped onto the iron chest, his wooden sword resting loosely across his knees.
He pulled out a wrinkled, water-stained document and waved it lazily.
"Let's be clear. I may not be officially promoted yet, but I'm still a marine trainee. By the rules, shouldn't I arrest pirate accomplices like you to pad my record?"
"Ma… Marine?!"
Nami and Carina snapped their heads up with pale faces, their eyes filled with disbelief.
What kind of joke was that?
This man—who had split Buck weapon in half, whose presence felt more dangerous than any pirate they had ever met—was actually marine?
Was there any sense left in this world?
"What? I don't look like one?" Zaraki raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly.
The air in the cabin grew heavier.
At that moment, Carina moved.
Still kneeling, her right hand shot out from her sleeve, a dagger flashing as it aimed straight for Zaraki's throat.
"Nami! Run!"
"I'll hold him off! Get out through the window!"
She was betting everything on that one strike!
At this distance, even he shouldn't be able to avoid it.
If she could buy even a few seconds—
Ting!
A sharp, clear sound cut through the cabin.
Carina froze.
It felt like her dagger had struck solid steel!
The recoil shot back through her hand, numbing it instantly. The blade snapped cleanly in half, the broken piece spinning away and embedding itself in a nearby plank.
On Zaraki's neck, there was only a faint white mark.
His body wasn't something ordinary steel could pierce.
"Interesting."
Zaraki didn't even blink. He lowered his gaze to the purple-haired girl, now frozen in place.
"So this is your idea of loyalty? Drawing a blade on me just to buy time for your partner?"
"Don't… don't kill her!"
Nami, who had already reached the window, suddenly stopped.
She turned and rushed back, throwing herself in front of Carina, arms spread wide.
Her face was streaked with tears, her body trembling, but she still forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"If you're going to arrest someone, arrest me! This was my idea! It has nothing to do with Carina!"
"Idiot! Why did you come back?!" Carina grabbed at her clothes, her voice shaking.
Zaraki watched the two of them in silence… then yawned.
He had no interest in killing them, and even less interest in watching this kind of scene.
"So noisy." He idly picked at his ear.
The indifference in his tone was enough to make both girls fall silent.
"I never said I was going to kill you," he added. "As it happens, my ship's short on hands. Since you two seem lively enough, I'll put you to work for now."
Zaraki stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow over them. A crooked smile appeared as his gaze swept over the two girls.
"As marine captives, you should at least act like captives. Washing clothes, cooking, steering, navigating…" He paused briefly. "And if it gets cold at night, warming my bed doesn't sound unreasonable either right?"
"W-warm your bed?!"
Their faces flushed red for a moment—then drained completely of color.
Their eyes trembled, clearly imagining something far worse than what he meant.
This man was a devil!
"What? Got a problem?" Zaraki tapped the wooden sword lightly against the floor.
"N-no problem!" they answered in unison, clinging to each other as they shook.
Zaraki lost interest quickly and looked away.
Scaring them like this wasn't particularly entertaining.
His attention returned to the iron chest.
"Stop pretending and open it. If it's just scrap, I'll throw you both overboard."
Carina didn't dare hesitate.
She scrambled forward, digging through the pile of gold coins.
"N-not the coins… the most valuable thing here is what Buck stole yesterday…"
With trembling hands, she pulled out a long, rectangular rosewood box from the very bottom.
The moment it appeared, Zaraki's eyes sharpened.
Even through the box, he could feel it.
A faint chill seeped out, creeping into his bones.
Something inside carried a presence that hungered for blood.
"Open it."
His voice dropped slightly.
Carina swallowed, carefully undid the latch, and lifted the lid.
Woom—
The temperature in the cabin seemed to drop all at once!
Resting quietly on black velvet was a sword.
Its scabbard was a deep, ominous red. The guard formed a strange cross shape.
Even without being drawn, a suffocating aura leaked from it.
Nami and Carina instinctively shrank back. They didn't understand swords, but they could tell this one wasn't normal.
"A good blade." Zaraki's eyes lit up slightly.
Something inside him stirred.
The wooden sword he had been using was convenient, but it had limits.
This one… felt like it could withstand him.
He reached out and grasped the hilt.
Sizzle—
A sharp pain shot through his palm. The resentment within the blade pushed back against him.
"Got some bite eh."
Zaraki let out a low chuckle, his grip tightening.
A surge of Spiritual Pressure poured into the blade, crushing that resistance.
Clang!
He drew it half an inch.
A flash of dark purple light flickered in the dim cabin, reflecting faintly in his eyes.
The blade was marked with irregular, flame-like patterns—proof of its quality.
"So this is a cursed blade…"
Zaraki ran a finger lightly along its cold spine.
Compared to this, the gold meant nothing!
Carina watched in silence, the fear in her eyes deepening.
Then, as if remembering something, she hesitated before pulling out a yellowed piece of parchment from a hidden compartment in the box.
"Um… sir…"
Her voice was barely audible as she held it out.
"This was with the sword… I think it's related to it…"