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Chapter 53 is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
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"But!" Baishui paused, drawing the syllable out deliberately.
At the sudden shift in his tone, the mayor's spirit revived. He looked at Baishui with hopeful eyes, praying the young man's next words were exactly what he wanted to hear.
"I suppose I could stay here for a year or two. I highly doubt any other pirates will dare to harass this place from now on!"
"Are you serious?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Baishui felt a grip on his arm. The mayor's withered, bird-like hands clamped down tightly. His face was a picture of disbelief and overwhelming joy, desperately needing to confirm this wasn't just a cruel joke.
Baishui chuckled and nodded. "Of course I'm serious. I'd love to live on the island for a few years!"
He had survived like a feral ghost on the Kuroro Archipelago for five agonizing years. Now that he had the chance to live like a normal human being, why wouldn't he take it?
Besides, staying on the island meant he wouldn't be lonely anymore. He wouldn't be stranded in total isolation, without a single soul to speak to, like he was back on Kuroro.
More importantly, his current strength wasn't enough to set sail into the Grand Line just yet. He needed to push his limits further before heading out into the wider world. At the very least, he needed the raw power of a pirate with a 300 million Berry bounty.
"Thank you... thank you so much! This day has finally come!"
Receiving absolute confirmation, the mayor wept with the unrestrained joy of a child. The man, well into his sixties, actually danced in place, tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks.
It was an almost comical sight, yet it perfectly encapsulated the cruelest reality of this pirate-infested world: the weak must cling to the strong, and the strong hold all the cards.
"Thank you!" Aqi suddenly wrapped her arms around Baishui from behind. Tears washed down her face, but her expression was one of pure peace—like a frightened bird that had finally found a safe harbor from the storm.
Logically, Baishui should have gently pushed her away. Such an intimate gesture was inappropriate unless they were actually courting.
But he didn't. He realized, with a faint sense of surprise, that he was already falling for her. Aqi's innocent and unpretentious nature was completely irresistible.
In his past life, he had met countless women, but practically no one like her.
She was like a solitary orchid hidden in a vast garden—unassuming, fiercely serene, and naturally captivating to anyone who took the time to understand her.
And it certainly didn't hurt that Aqi was beautiful. She might not possess the world-shaking, legendary allure of the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock or Nico Robin, but she had the sun-kissed, vibrant charm of a true daughter of the sea. That was more than enough.
"Baishui, thank you so much!"
The island's remaining residents had gathered, stepping forward to express their gratitude in a heartwarming chorus.
"Haha, there's no need for that, everyone! We're all family from now on. Don't be so polite!"
"If you ever need a hand with anything in the future, just ask. If it's in my power, I'll absolutely help."
"And of course, if I ever run into trouble, I hope you'll all have my back too! I'd appreciate it!" Baishui gave a respectful, traditional salute to the crowd.
Even with his overwhelming strength, he was still an outsider. It paid to be humble. When you're living in someone else's home, you show them respect.
"We absolutely will!" the townsfolk cheered, raising their arms in enthusiastic agreement.
"Alright, alright, let's disperse for now. We all have a lot of work to do!" Baishui waved them off with a smile.
The crowd happily scattered, returning to their respective homes to begin the rebuilding process.
The chaos of yesterday had struck far too fast, but now that they were safe, the real work began. The ruined houses and shattered buildings needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.
"Don't go just yet. Stay here with me... how about it?"
With the crowd gone, Aqi suddenly realized how intimately close she was standing to Baishui. She turned to leave, her cheeks burning, but Baishui gently caught her soft hand and pulled her back into his embrace.
His sudden, bold move left Aqi flustered. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest like a trapped deer, and a deep flush crept across her face.
But she couldn't deny her feelings. She genuinely liked Baishui. In fact, it was closer to love—perhaps this was exactly what love at first sight felt like.
Baishui wasn't traditionally handsome, but the unyielding resolve in his features and the comforting reassurance of his immense strength made her heart skip a beat. Wasn't a safe, unshakeable harbor exactly what a girl wanted?
"Mhm," Aqi hummed, a sound as soft as a mosquito's wings. Feeling almost dizzy with affection, she leaned her entire weight against him.
"PIRATES! PIRATES ARE HERE!"
Just as Baishui was settling into the romantic atmosphere, a terrified scream tore through the sky, shattering the peaceful moment into a million jagged pieces.
"Why am I not surprised..." Baishui sighed, his face twisting in profound annoyance.
Aqi quickly stepped out of his arms, standing to the side with her head bowed in embarrassment. She looked so cute he almost wanted to tease her.
"Wait here. I'm going to see what's going on."
He gave her a reassuring nod, then stomped heavily onto the ground, launching himself straight into the sky. With a sharp swish, a pair of massive, slate-gray energy wings materialized from his back. With a single, powerful flap, he shot toward the ocean like a hunting eagle.
Kuroro Island Port. The townsfolk, who had just begun to calm down, were instantly reduced to a panicked mob. They scattered in terror, the innate cruelty of pirates etched deep into their very bones.
"Find Baishui! Get Baishui!" one of the villagers suddenly screamed, remembering the absolute powerhouse they now harbored on their island.
"Yes! Quickly, find him!" The realization rippled through the crowd, sparking a chorus of agreement.
Baishui was their ultimate line of defense. With him around, they didn't have to fear the pirate scum. Even Juris, as terrifying as he had been, was utterly destroyed by Baishui without breaking a sweat.
Right on cue, Baishui soared directly overhead. The townsfolk looked up, frozen in absolute awe.
This was a true powerhouse! Master of the skies and the earth, utterly unstoppable.
Out on the horizon, a pirate ship was carving a path toward the island, flying a Jolly Roger painted with a one-eyed tiger. Through the mist, the vicious, ugly mugs of the pirates could be seen celebrating on the deck. They were howling and waving their weapons, looking for all the world like a pack of starving wolves.
Tiger felt like the Goddess of Fortune was smiling directly upon him.
His crew had barely survived a devastating storm immediately after crossing into the Grand Line, yet, miraculously, not a single crewmate had perished. Even better, the only island they found to make landfall on was fully stocked with functioning ships, neatly solving his biggest headache.
After leading his boys to sack the island, he hadn't just secured a vessel far superior to his old one; he had claimed the island's entire supply of gold, food, and fresh water.
And sure, immediately upon fleeing back to the East Blue, they had stumbled right into a pod of Sea Kings. But luck favored him again—the monstrous beasts completely ignored his ship, letting them slip away unscathed.
And now, just as their pilfered food and water stores were running dangerously dry, a beautiful, untouched island had appeared right in their line of sight.
Ask and you shall receive, right?
What he didn't know, however, was that the deity smiling down on him today wasn't the Goddess of Fortune... it was the Goddess of Misfortune.
Tiger, famously known as the "One-Eyed Tiger," had earned his moniker after taking a blade to the eye during a vicious turf war. He wasn't exceptionally tall, but he was built like a brick outhouse. His chest was a roadmap of brutal battle scars, his face was covered in thick, unkempt stubble, and he wielded a massive, ghost-head broadsword.
He commanded a crew of over eighty men. Stripping away the cooks and basic sailors, he boasted sixty-four dedicated combatants. And Tiger himself? He was a cutthroat pirate with a solid bounty of 6,000,000 Berries on his head.
In the East Blue—a sea where a bounty of twenty million was enough to crown you king—six million was nothing to scoff at.
"Put your backs into it, boys! We're almost at the port! Women, grub, and fresh water await!" Tiger roared, waving his broadsword with a sadistic grin.
Why did Tiger become a pirate? Simply because a pirate could do whatever the hell he wanted. Pillaging, burning, slaughtering—no rules, no chains to hold him down. He relished the thrill of the kill. It centered him. If he went a single day without seeing blood, he started to get the shakes.
"C-Captain... look up!" a pirate standing near Tiger suddenly stammered, pointing a trembling finger toward the sky.
"What is it now?!" Annoyed, Tiger frowned and followed his subordinate's gaze. Instantly, his single eye bulged out of his skull.
What in the world was he looking at?!
Suspended in the air above his ship was a young man with a pair of massive wings. The stranger was looking down at him with a slight, mocking smile. His gaze was so frigid, so deeply chilling, that Tiger felt the exact same suffocating dread as when he had stared down those Sea Kings.
"H-How... is this possible?" Tiger swallowed hard, instinctively stumbling back two steps. He could barely form words.
But Baishui didn't even have the passing interest to speak to him.
A six million Berry bounty? On the Kuroro Archipelago, that was the equivalent of the absolute weakest beasts crawling in the dirt.
He had slaughtered hundreds, maybe thousands, of monsters exactly that strong. A few casual shots would end this entirely.
"Photon Torrent!" Baishui muttered, raising his left hand and pulling an invisible trigger.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Before Tiger could even open his mouth to beg for mercy, the gun in Baishui's hand unleashed an overwhelming, blinding barrage of light beams. The chaotic torrent completely consumed Tiger's vision.
"NO!" Tiger screamed, a final wail of pure despair, just as the entire pirate galleon was swallowed by the blinding light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A brilliant explosion illuminated the ocean's surface. The deafening, rhythmic explosions rolled across the water like a heavy, oppressive thunderstorm.
When the light finally faded, there was absolutely no trace of the pirate ship left on the surface. All that remained was a massive, horrific slick of crimson blooming in the water—blood that would quickly attract the local, frenzied Sea Kings.
The entire annihilation had taken less than ten seconds.
Hiss! Just as Baishui prepared to turn back toward the island, a terrifying sense of mortal danger spiked directly behind him. Without a second thought, he aimed his left-handed gun over his shoulder and fired.
Over a hundred meters away, a massive wave of pitch-black iron cannonballs was hurtling toward him, ripping through the sky like a deadly meteor shower.
"Photon Torrent!"
Another barrage of light erupted from his hand, violently colliding with the incoming iron spheres.
CRASH! The result of the clash, however, was completely beyond his expectations. His energy beams were instantly shattered by the brute force of the iron balls, which continued on a deadly trajectory straight for his head.
"Photon Barrier!"
Baishui's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Moving at blinding speed, he manifested a hardened shield of pure energy in front of himself, bracing for the devastating impact.
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