Chapter 48

"Uh...I see."

Mingde let out a heavy sigh and stopped asking questions. There was no point in pushing further.

The truth was, many officers and sailors in the navy had blood feuds with pirates. But among them all, Tony was the only one in recent years whose entire hometown had been razed to the ground by those sea-faring criminals.

He'd once mumbled, deep in his cups, "If only I hadn't gone out to sea that day... If only I hadn't picked up that damn book... If only I'd never learned the Asura Sword style..."

But regret is a useless medicine. Once you plant the seeds of fate, you can't help but reap what grows.

One by one, faces he knew fell into pools of blood. The smell of home cooking was replaced by the acrid stench of gunpowder and fire. Laughter and joy turned to gut-wrenching screams and sobs.

From that day on, Tony lived with the weight of guilt crushing down on him. Regret gnawed at his heart, making it hard to even draw breath some days.

But the dead don't come back, no matter how sorry you are. He'd never see their faces or feel their touch again.

Vengeance drove Tony to enlist in the navy. And now, seeing Heathville's devastation, only one thought pounded in his mind: "Kill them all!"

As Tony strode quickly down the icy path, no one noticed the blood-red threads appearing on his skin, thin as wheat stalks. These threads seemed alive somehow, gently caressing Tony's flesh and the cold steel of his blade.

Meanwhile, at Big Snail Castle – the former city hall, now a den of Scavenger Pirates – an older buccaneer came stumbling and rolling into the main hall. He tripped over the body of a fruit seller lying in the doorway, tumbling ass over teakettle.

From his seat of power, Beard's second-in-command, Rocky, watched with irritation. "What the hell's got you so worked up, you idiot?" he snapped. "Did Dora's boys decide to grow a pair and attack us or something?"

The Dora Pirates were the puppet crew previously used by that dark-skinned youth to mine gold under the guise of royal authority. After their defeat, the brat wasn't willing to give up his claim on the mine. He'd been trying to muscle the Scavenger Pirates out of Heathville ever since.

Though not exactly famous, Dora's crew had deep roots in the area. They could still count on some local support and intel, which let them hold off Beard's men to some degree.

Hearing Rocky's words, the other pirates burst into wild laughter. Attack? Those weaklings?

The only reason Dora's crew wasn't wiped out already was that Beard was laser-focused on the gold mine. He'd ordered his men to just guard the mountain passes and avoid wasting effort on unnecessary fights. Plus, Rocky never showed his face on the battlefield himself.

But unlike his cackling comrades, Rocky's mockery didn't amuse the newly-arrived pirate one bit. Sweating and on the verge of tears, he cried out, "No! Boss Rocky! It's the navy! The navy's coming!"

The raucous laughter died in an instant. Rocky's face twisted with rage as he grabbed the messenger by the collar. "What?! The navy?! How many?"

"J-just one, I think..."

"You idiot!"

Before the pirate could finish, Rocky's hand cracked across his face. The man went flying, toppling a row of chairs and tables.

"One lousy navy dog has you pissing yourself?! You're a disgrace to Captain Beard!"

In a fluid motion, Rocky drew the musket from his belt and fired. A hole the size of a thumb blossomed on the pirate's forehead. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Raising his still-smoking gun, Rocky bellowed, "Brothers! Find that navy scum! I want to drink his blood!"

"Yeah!" "Death to the navy! Long live Captain Beard!"

The pirates, initially shocked by Rocky's brutality, now howled for blood. They poured out of the hall as if possessed.

But Rocky's own enthusiasm was just for show. His mind raced. One navy officer, coming alone? It wasn't unheard of...

As a New World pirate crew, he knew there was one particular navy hotshot with a reputation for solo missions. But surely that big fish wouldn't leave Navy HQ to swim in these backwater seas? There were bigger games to hunt in the New World.

Still, whoever it was had these seasoned pirates spooked. That was cause for concern.

Despite his rough exterior, Rocky was no fool. It's why Beard brought him along. With their gold mining operation at a critical stage, a powerful navy presence in Heathville was bad news, no matter how you sliced it.

Of course, Rocky couldn't voice these doubts. It'd kill morale. Hence the swift execution of the messenger. He even wondered if the navy had let that pirate escape on purpose, using him to flush out their hideout.

As the thought struck him, Rocky eyed the pirates streaming out the door. He edged towards the back exit, loading his musket with special sea stone bullets.

But he was already too late. Even if his hunch was right, what good would it do? Against Loya's razor-sharp instincts, the moment he confirmed this was the pirate nest, everyone inside was as good as dead.

Rocky was almost at the back door when a chill ran down his spine. Years of living on the edge had honed his survival instincts. Without thinking, he dropped to the floor.

Just in time. Something whizzed over his head, grazing his scalp. The impact tore off a chunk of skin, but Rocky had no time to register the pain. He rolled, scrambling for cover in a corner. His Observation Haki expanded, filling the hall.

To his shock, he sensed no one nearby. Either the attacker's Haki far outclassed his own, or... they were firing from beyond his range. Rocky's eyes darted to the gaping hole in the wall behind him. If it was the latter, what kind of weapon could do this? Some high-tech sniper rifle? Or just raw, monstrous power?

"Wait... is this ice?"

Rocky's breath caught in his throat. There, at the edge of the hole – ice crystals, giving off a cold mist.

"It can't be... him?"

Terror gripped Rocky's heart. He pulled his Haki in tight, praying it would shield him from detection.

Meanwhile, across from City Hall, Loya stood atop a tall building. The chill faded from his hands as he surveyed his handiwork.

"Burns through a lot of energy," he muttered, eyeing the string of fallen pirates below. "But packs one hell of a punch. Tch. You animals got off easy."

In a blink, Loya vanished from the roof, reappearing at City Hall's entrance. As he strode into the main hall, the sight of young girls' bodies made his blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to whip those pirate corpses to shreds. But now wasn't the time. He could still hear one faint heartbeat deeper inside.

"A survivor?" Loya mused. "Might be one of the higher-ups."

Tick, tick, tick. The ice crystals, no longer sustained by magic, began to melt. Icy rivulets trickled down the wall, dripping into the skull of a middle-aged man slumped nearby. Each drop echoed with a sharp, hollow sound.

Rocky had thought the corpse was drained dry. Guess not.

That man had come here this morning, desperate to save his wife and daughter. All he found were their still-warm bodies, mutilated by Rocky's own hand. Now, the top half of the man's skull was cleanly sliced off.

As Rocky followed the water's path with his eyes, he could've sworn the dead man was staring at him, grinning horribly. Rocky shuddered, his skin crawling. He blinked hard, looked again. Just a corpse, eyes closed tight.

"Must be seeing things," Rocky muttered, exhaling shakily. Since when did Beard's right-hand man get spooked by some civilian stiff?

Snap!

Footsteps at the door jolted Rocky back to reality. He pressed himself against a pillar, praying it wasn't who he feared.

Loya frowned as he entered, stopping short. He'd never trained his Conqueror's Haki, but even so, this close he could smell the blood radiating off his hidden foe. It was the stench of countless kills.

Warning bells rang in Loya's head. Whoever this was, they weren't to be taken lightly.

"One of Beard's top dogs?" Loya mused. Made sense. Beard's movements were unpredictable, so his lieutenants had to be capable. Zephyr had warned them to be cautious.

If it had been Beard himself, he'd have attacked already.

"Just you, then?" Loya's lips curled into a smile. He raised his hands, palms aimed at Rocky's pillar. "Ice-Make: Heavy Lancer!"

In a flash, a massive ice spear – three meters long and thick as a man's neck – materialized and shot forward.

BOOM! The spear obliterated stone and vanished into the distance.

As debris rained down, a dark shape burst from cover. BANG! A gunshot rang out. The bullet struck Loya, leaving a shallow dent in his ice armor.

The impact made Loya stumble back, eyes wide. "Seastone bullet!"

Following Zephyr's advice, the moment Loya realized he faced a Scavenger Pirate officer, he'd reinforced his ice defenses. Good thing, too.