"You little bastard!"
Yonok's face twisted with rage as he suddenly drew another flintlock pistol from his waist and pulled the trigger at point-blank range, aiming straight at Cross.
But in that very instant, as if anticipating Yonok's move, Cross lunged forward, his katana flashing through the air.
Clang—
A cold gleam of steel streaked across the dock, forcing the surrounding onlookers to squint.
When their vision returned, they saw the front half of Yonok's flintlock pistol clatter to the ground, severed cleanly in two. No matter how hard he squeezed the trigger, the weapon, now reduced to a mere grip, refused to fire a single lead bullet.
"Pathetic. Changing your tune like a dog the moment things go south," Cross said with a sneer of disdain.
"Damn you!"
Yonok was trembling with rage and shock. He flung away the broken weapon and bellowed, "Brothers! If you want to live, take them down! Fire! Open fire, now!!"
This was the North Blue, not the backwater East Blue. Yonok knew exactly what it meant for someone to slice through a ship's mainmast from a distance. Only a swordsman of terrifying strength could do that.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Startled pirates on the dock scrambled to react. Some raised their muskets and fired, while others charged at Cross with sabers, axes, and cutlasses.
On the pirate ship, chaos reigned from the fallen mainmast, but the crew snapped into action. Gunners rushed to their stations, assistants lit torches or pulled out fire-starters, preparing to ignite the preloaded cannons.
The pirates understood clearly: with the mast destroyed, the ship couldn't move. Their only hope for survival was to fight with everything they had. If they waited for reinforcements to arrive, they'd be trapped and doomed.
"Out of my way! One-Sword Style: Shockwave!!"
Cross narrowed his eyes. With a single, impatient swing of his katana, he unleashed a visible shockwave of force that blasted away incoming bullets, throwing axes, and the charging pirates alike.
"Aaaargh!!"
"What the hell?!"
"Help me—!"
Cries of pain rang out. Dozens of pirates were hurled into the air by the wind pressure, most of them flung directly into the sea.
Cross then turned his gaze toward Yonok's pirate ship, his tone cold and deliberate: "You've got over a dozen cannons on board. Can't let you get a shot off."
"One-Sword Style: Flying Blade!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he raised his sword high and slashed down through the air.
Whoosh—
Boom—
A blue-white sword wave exploded forth, tearing through the wind like a hot knife through butter. It sliced clean through the large caravel, neatly splitting it from bow to stern.
"He cut it in half!!!"
Gasps erupted all around. Countless people stood frozen, mouths agape, eyes bulging in disbelief.
One swing. Just one swing from a distance, and the entire 50-meter-long caravel was cleaved in two. Was this even something a human could do?
Ordinary people, unfamiliar with the true terrors of the Grand Line, were utterly dumbfounded.
The ship, now in two pieces, began to sink with a bubbling groan. The surviving pirates screamed in panic and leapt overboard, swimming frantically for shore.
"You bastard! You destroyed my dream of becoming Pirate King!!"
Yonok's roar was tinged with despair. He snatched up a fallen cutlass and charged at Cross like a madman.
"A defeated dog's last howl."
Cross exhaled faintly, then calmly sheathed his katana. He gripped the scabbard in his left hand, the hilt in his right, ready to draw.
Shing—
The sound of the blade leaving its sheath echoed through the docks like a flash of lightning. In the blink of an eye, Cross and Yonok had switched places.
Clack—
Cross slowly turned, sliding the last inch of the blade back into the sheath.
"Iaido: Morozan!"
Shhhhk—
Yonok's expression shifted. He looked down in disbelief as a deep, wide gash split open across his chest. A fountain of blood burst out, spraying like a geyser.
"Ugh… ugh…"
He tried to speak, but no words came. Knees buckling, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
"I'll leave the cleanup to you."
Cross spoke calmly, then turned away.
With their captain dead and their ship destroyed, the remaining pirates lost all will to fight. One by one, they dropped their weapons and surrendered, quickly rounded up by the kingdom's soldiers who had just arrived and taken off to prison.
Meanwhile, General Humil organized a team to salvage the wreck. After all, the pirates' treasure and their dozen-plus cannons were worth a small fortune.
Of course, as the one who defeated them, Cross had first claim to the spoils. But he didn't keep it all. Half was handed over to the Kingdom of Tobias. As for the cannons, he had no use for them, so he donated the entire lot to the kingdom's army under General Humil's command.
Yonok's severed head, however, would be sent by royal officials to the nearest Marine base to claim the bounty, which would also be split evenly between Cross and the kingdom.
Honestly, if Cross wanted to, he could have kept everything for himself. But he didn't need the money, and too much wealth would only sit idle. Better to give it to the kingdom and earn the gratitude of the king.
…
After hours of work, the kingdom's forces finally finished recovering the pirate treasure and cleared the harbor blockage caused by the sunken ship.
Soon, a sail warship arrived at the dock. Cross and General Humil, along with several dozen royal guards and a massive payment of 300 million Berries, boarded the vessel.
Their next destination: an island overseas, where they would meet with an underground arms dealer for a weapons deal.
"Count Cross! Look what our men just found!"
In the captain's quarters, Cross was packing his belongings when General Humil's excited voice rang out from behind.
Cross turned, and saw Humil carrying a crimson, gold-trimmed treasure chest into the room, grinning from ear to ear as he opened it in front of him.
"This is…"
Cross's expression shifted. He instinctively stepped forward, eyes locked on the item inside.
Nestled within the chest was a strange-looking green fruit, covered in swirling karakusa-like patterns, shaped like a pear.
"That's right, an actual Devil Fruit!" General Humil said excitedly. "A legendary treasure of the seas, worth at least 100 million Berries on the market! We could sell it and use the money to buy even more—"
"Give it to me."
Cross cut him off, his expression serious.
"Uh..."
General Humil hesitated, taken aback. "Count Cross… you're not thinking of eating it, are you?"
"Maybe. It's possible," Cross murmured, eyes never leaving the Devil Fruit.
General Humil paused, then finally handed over the chest. Still, he offered a word of caution: "Just think it through. Once you eat a Devil Fruit… the sea will reject you. You'll never be able to swim again."