Moreover, his son possessed extraordinary sailing skills that couldn't possibly have been learned from fishermen's generations of experience.
The only explanation was that Uncle Sam had sailed the oceans before—either as a Marine or a pirate!
The sea beneath their feet churned violently, sending ripples spreading outward in widening circles.
Uncle Sam and Kurta felt their hearts turn to ash. Not only were they facing pirates at close range, but the very sea beneath them seemed determined to claim them.
Both men gripped their oars tightly, ready to face death with grim determination.
The fishermen from the other two fishing boats also noticed the situation and gathered on the boat where Yasa stood.
These men, who frequently dealt with pirates, weren't accustomed to waiting passively for death. With pirate blood coursing through their veins, they were no strangers to combat. The primal instinct inherited from their ancestors made them fight like wolves—determined to take down a piece of their enemy's flesh even in death.
Eight or nine men stood together, frowning as they stared at the mark painted on the enemy's sail.
"It's the Black Bear Pirates. Their captain, Black Bear Bravel, is a notorious pirate with an 80 million Beli bounty. He's an animal-type Black Bear Fruit user. Prepare yourselves—this crew is infamous for their cruelty."
They grabbed their weapons, ready to make a futile struggle.
Those who haven't transcended worldly desires all fear death. Even ants cling to life. Resisting before death is something any normal person would do.
After they boarded the ship, Yasa quietly withdrew to the stern, where he embraced a wooden chest.
Wood floats on water, allowing people to stay afloat at sea and greatly increasing their chances of survival. If things went wrong, he would immediately jump into the sea, diving into the heart of the raging currents.
It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting. But Black Bear Bravel, the captain of the Black Bear Pirates, was known for his horrifying cruelty and immense strength.
Every village or island he and his crew passed through, regardless of who owned the territory, they would slaughter without mercy.
That's why the World Government considered him too dangerous, so they put a 80 million Beli bounty on his head.
The World Economic Society's president, known as "Big News" himself, had cultivated a network of news birds that spanned the Four Seas and the Grand Line. These birds, with their connections to both the World Government and pirate factions, could spread news across the world in an instant.
Yasa frequently read newspapers to stay informed about the current state of the world, so he was no stranger to Black Bear Bravel.
He estimated his current strength to be at most 30-50 million Beli. Relying purely on physical strength, he stood no chance against a Black Bear Fruit user.
After all, animal-type fruit users generally possessed formidable physical power. Head-on confrontation would only lead to certain death.
Thus, Yasa had prepared for the worst-case scenario. If he found himself outmatched, he would immediately jump into the sea. By relying on the buoyancy of his wooden box, he might get lucky and be carried away by the ocean currents.
If he missed this opportunity, he'd have to wait three years for the next current when the Roger Pirates returned to the Grand Line, or over twenty years for Luffy's chance.
Yasa clearly didn't want to wait that long. By then, even the wilting flowers would have withered. The fruit he'd dreamed of possessing would have long been digested into dust.
The Black Bear Pirates' ship, the Black Bear, sliced through the waves. The pirates wore savage grins, eyeing the fishing boat like butchers sizing up lambs for slaughter.
At the bow, a massive black bear's head loomed, its gaping maw framing a cannon barrel already trained on the fishing vessel.
Splash!
The ships collided through the spray. Thick ropes and iron chains flew across the gap under brute force.
The pirates advanced across the cables like mountain goats, scrambling to be first.
"Kill!"
"Plunder! Whatever treasure you seize is yours!" At the bow, a bearded giant five meters tall bellowed orders.
Uncle Sam's face darkened. Yasa had never seen this cunning old immortal wear such a grave expression.
"Prepare to fight!" the old man roared.
Kurta stood three meters tall, his arms thicker than most men's waists. His weapon was a massive anchor.
"Yasa! You fool, why aren't you moving? Preparing to die?" Uncle Sam noticed the missing fighter. He turned to find Yasa standing impassively behind the mast, observing the battle with no trace of panic.
"Uncle Sam, you're in over your head. How can you still blame me?" Yasa said calmly, showing no intention of attacking.
By now, there was no need to maintain pretenses. What difference did it make if he dropped the facade?
"What did you say? You bastard! I should've killed you five years ago!" Kurta swung the ship's anchor with ferocious force, crushing two pirates in one strike. His face twisted with rage.
"Foreigners can't be trusted. If I make it out alive today, I'll skin you alive and tear out your tendons."
"Keep talking after you're dead!" Yasa shrugged nonchalantly. After today, they might not even meet again. He himself might not survive.
Yet he felt no regret. A man should do something crazy in his lifetime, to declare to the world that he existed.
If possible, he'd do even more outrageous things—provided he achieved his goal of reaching Sky Island.
"Hey, there's a kid hiding here!" A pirate rounded the mast and spotted Yasa. Without hesitation, he swung his massive blade at the boy's head.
The razor-sharp edge glinted with a cold light, strangely coalescing into something akin to sword qi. (Don't ask me why a blade would generate sword qi—this is the Pirate World where swords and blades are interchangeable. What can I do? I'm just as bewildered as you.)
"I was hoping to stay out of this," Yasa sighed, his eyes remaining impassive. "Seems I miscalculated." He sidestepped the strike meant to cleave steel, letting the blade bury itself in the mast behind him.
The mast, thicker than a man, split in two with a thunderous crack and collapsed. Yasa dodged the falling timber, his figure blurring as he materialized before the pirate. His iron fist shot out from his waist in a devastating strike.
Crack!
The pirate had no escape. The punch shattered his jawbone, sending him flying off the fishing boat with a scream. He crashed into the sea below.
Yasa wasn't entirely sure about the training methods for the Six Powers. He only vaguely remembered that the original work had mentioned the Shave technique required ten or more stomps on the ground within 0.36 seconds, using the powerful recoil to generate explosive speed for movement.
The trajectory of Shave's burst was something ordinary eyes couldn't perceive.
He remembered this passage, so when he was exercising his physique and strengthening his bones, he tried practicing according to this method.
At first, even his feet couldn't withstand the strain, resulting in severe injuries. Later, after his body became stronger, the situation improved somewhat.