Chapter 303: Snatching the Navy's Prey
Ian initially thought, upon hearing the guests' gossip about a female Marine, that it might be Tashigi. But when he heard she was a new recruit, he realized he had guessed wrong.
Since it wasn't Tashigi, that was fine. Ian jumped onto his small boat, rowed it, and headed toward the location where the pirates and Marines were clashing.
Red-Leg Zeff stood by the railing on the upper deck of the restaurant, watching Ian row away. Behind him, Sanji leaned against the doorframe, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said gloomily, "Old man, are you really going to let him catch pirates to pay for his meal? Our restaurant has never had such a precedent. We're chefs, not bounty hunters. Even if he brings in a pirate, are we really supposed to hand them over to the Marines?"
Although the Baratie often faced harassment from clueless pirates, they usually just beat them up and threw them out. They had never turned pirates in for bounties. This was what puzzled Sanji about Zeff.
Zeff, arms crossed, stood by the railing without turning around, and replied, "Even if there's no precedent, we'll make an exception for him this time! Since he insists on paying, we'll accept it. As for the rest, don't ask too many questions!"
This answer shocked Sanji even more...
As Ian rowed his small boat toward the battle, both sides were gradually approaching the Baratie's location.
The pirate ship being pursued was under bombardment from a Marine warship. Though the pirates zigzagged to avoid cannon fire, shells still splashed around their vessel, sending up huge waves.
Clearly, the pirate ship had spotted the Baratie. They headed toward it, hoping it might belong to another pirate crew. If so, they could use it to distract the Marines and escape. If not, they could seize hostages to force the pursuing Marines to back off.
This pirate crew was called the Rock Pirates, a newly formed group in the East Blue. They had gained some notoriety but were still rookies. If they had been around longer, they would have known that the ship in this direction was the floating restaurant Baratie—not a place to mess with.
Perhaps the Rock Pirates had bad luck today. Not only did they mistake the Baratie for an ordinary merchant ship, but they also failed to notice the small boat approaching from ahead.
And on that small boat sat a figure who would be a nightmare for them...
The pirate ship pressed on. The Rock Pirates' captain, anxious, urged his crew to speed up, hoisting full sail to widen the gap with the warship.
But then, standing at the bow, the captain suddenly saw a flash of immense light.
Before he could react, a gust of wind swept past his head, slicing off a piece of his captain's hat! A chill ran across his scalp.
Dazed, he reached up to feel his head, only to hear terrified screams from his crew behind him. Turning around, he gasped at the sight.
Their mast, with its sails unfurled, was slowly collapsing! A massive gash had been torn through the sail, and the mast itself had been cut cleanly in two.
"What... what's going on!?" the Rock Pirates' captain screamed.
With a crack, the mast finally fell, crushing several pirate crew members.
Without sails, the ship's speed plummeted. The Rock Pirates panicked, knowing the Marines would catch up soon.
As they scrambled to salvage the situation, a voice rang out across the deck.
"Who's the captain here?"
The Rock Pirates turned to see a figure perched atop their figurehead. He looked young, with a long sword at his waist and a windbreaker over his shoulders, revealing his bronze, bandaged arms. He crouched on the statue's head, looking down at them.
"Who are you!?" Facing the Marine pursuit and already on edge, the Rock Pirates' captain roared, drawing his pistol and firing a shot at Ian.
He didn't know that this shot revealed his identity. Ian tilted his head slightly, dodging the bullet, and spotted the half-cut captain's hat.
"So it's you," Ian said with a faint smile, vanishing instantly.
The captain blinked, searching for Ian, but the next second, Ian appeared behind him, raising Thousand Cherry Blossoms and slashing across his back.
"Ah!" The captain screamed and collapsed to the deck.
Ian didn't kill him, only seriously wounded him. Dealing with such a low-level opponent, Ian didn't waste any effort—just cut him down.
Sheathing his sword, Ian turned to the stunned Rock Pirates and asked, "What's your captain's bounty?"
"O-one... one hundred and forty thousand Berries..." a pirate stammered under Ian's gaze.
"Oh, that's enough," Ian nodded. Grabbing the captain by the collar, he leaped from the pirate ship back down to his small boat on the sea.
Tossing the pirate onto the boat, Ian rowed back, leaving the bewildered crew behind.
With their mast broken and their captain taken by an unknown figure, and the Marine warship closing in, the pirates were filled with despair.
A small East Blue pirate crew had been easily wiped out...
Ian headed back to the Baratie, unaware that the Rock Pirates' ship was soon overtaken by the warship, its cannons trained on them.
Marine soldiers rowed small boats to the pirate ship, throwing grappling hooks and climbing aboard.
Once the soldiers had boarded and aimed their rifles at the pirates, a figure leaped from the warship, landing on the pirate deck.
This figure wore a white Marine officer's uniform, white gloves, and carried a long sword at her hip.
Seeing her, the soldiers saluted with admiration and reported, "Lieutenant Kuina! The Rock Pirates have been captured!"
This female Marine was none other than Kuina, who had joined the Loguetown Marine base some time ago. When she first enlisted, Smoker had given her the rank of Sergeant. But in just over two months, her achievements had earned her a promotion to Lieutenant, along with the authority to lead independent pirate-hunting missions.
Dashing and spirited in her white Marine uniform, she looked especially striking. Her demeanor now resembled that of Tina—a unique quality of a female Marine—making her soldiers look up to her with awe.
Resting her hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, Kuina pulled out a wanted poster and shook it open. It showed the Rock Pirates' captain. She began comparing it to the pirates on deck.
All the pirates had been disarmed by the soldiers, kneeling with their hands on their heads. After checking them one by one, Kuina frowned.
"What's going on? Where's their captain?" she asked.
The reporting soldier was startled, realizing the issue, and said nervously, "Could he have escaped while we weren't paying attention?"
Kuina said nothing, noticing the bloodstains on the deck. At first, she thought they were from the skirmish between the soldiers and pirates, as the blood was still fresh. But now, it seemed otherwise.
With a clang, Kuina drew her sword and pressed it against a pirate's neck, looking down coldly and asking, "Where's your captain? Did he escape?"
The pirate stammered, "No! Not at all! The captain... he was just taken away by some strange guy!"