Chapter 19: Comrades turn to Enemy

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On an unnamed small island, the Krieg Pirates had made their camp. As the sky gradually darkened, night fell upon them. 

Thousands of pirates gathered here, with Krieg, their leader, appearing even more burly under the flickering firelight.

Suddenly, Krieg kicked the bonfire, causing sparks to fly and a few flames to splash onto other pirates, sparking a minor disturbance. 

The rest remained silent. Impatiently, Krieg exclaimed, "What's going on? It's already this late, why hasn't Gin returned yet?"

Pearl, one of the high-ranking members of the Krieg Pirates known as 'Iron Wall,' hastily explained, 

"Could it be that they encountered the Marines on their way back?" Krieg sneered, 

"The Marines? The Marines would go out of their way to avoid the Krieg Pirates. Would they dare to attack us voluntarily?"

Pearl replied awkwardly, "Under normal circumstances, that's true, but recently, there's been a Marine Ensign emerging in the East Blue, named Byakuya." 

"Dozens of pirate crews have fallen to him, including many with bounties in the tens of millions of berries." 

"If Gin and the others encountered Byakuya on their way back, it could spell trouble."

"Hmph, some Marine Ensign. It's just the Marines putting all the credit on one person and intentionally promoting him," Krieg scoffed. 

"Otherwise, how could a mere Marine Ensign be so powerful?"

Krieg had naturally heard of Byakuya's name, but upon receiving this information, he didn't take it seriously. 

Just as they were conversing, a nervous subordinate shouted, 

"Admiral Krieg, Captain Gin has returned!" Krieg and Pearl both sensed something amiss from their subordinate's tone.

"What's going on?" 

"With Captain Gin, only two people have returned in total." Krieg was alarmed by this revelation and quickly went to investigate with Pearl. 

When they saw Gin returning with only one unfamiliar face, Krieg's expression changed drastically, and he angrily demanded, 

"Gin, where are the other pirate crews you were supposed to bring back? Why hasn't anyone else returned?"

However, Gin, who had always been revered by Krieg like a god, seemed to ignore Krieg's inquiry completely, showing no signs of acknowledgment. 

Pearl, too, was incensed by Gin's attitude and snapped, "Gin, what's with your attitude? Can't you even hear Captain Krieg's words?"

Yet, Gin remained indifferent, showing no change whatsoever. Just as Krieg was about to erupt in anger, a light chuckle rang out suddenly. 

"Hehe, there's no need for further words. No matter how much you say, it won't make a difference." 

Krieg furrowed his brow, glaring at Byakuya standing beside Gin, and asked sharply, "And who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Byakuya gave a faint smile and said, 

"To make things clear for you all, let me introduce myself first. I am Ensign Byakuya of the Marines." 

"What? You're Ensign Byakuya of the Marines!" Pearl exclaimed, his face turning pale. 

The pirates surrounding him subconsciously took a few steps back upon hearing Byakuya's name.

Krieg's expression shifted unpredictably. 

He hadn't expected Byakuya to show up at his doorstep, especially with his most trusted subordinate, 'Man Demon' Gin. 

"Gin, did you bring enemies here with you? Are you planning to betray me?" Krieg picked up his two-thousand-pound spear and pointed it at Gin, questioning him.

"I apologize for the oversight. Let me reintroduce him. This is my subordinate, 'Monster' Gin," Byakuya said with a grin. 

"Gin, attack!" 

"Yes, sir!" Gin spat out these two words expressionlessly. Krieg infuriated, laughed sarcastically. 

"You ignorant little devil. Although I don't know how you've managed to manipulate Gin into obeying you, I know his strength very well from our time together." 

"Do you think the two of you can take us down?"

Byakuya sneered, "Today, I'll teach you a lesson in why times have changed!" 

'Iron Wall' Peal was already prepared for battle. 

"Admiral Krieg, Gin has betrayed us. Shall we attack?" 

Krieg, always ruthless, had already passed judgment on Gin when he arrived with Byakuya.

Krieg shouted, "Attack! Kill the two enemies before us!" As soon as Krieg's words fell, Pearl, wielding a small round shield, charged towards Gin. 

Compared to Byakuya, whose strength was unknown, Pearl knew Gin's strength much better as they were former comrades.

Overall, their strengths were evenly matched, but due to Gin's extreme loyalty to Krieg, Krieg valued him more. 

As both were senior officers, Gin's position was slightly higher than {earl's, which had always irked Pearl. 

Yet who could have imagined that the loyal Gin would betray Admiral Krieg?

"Gin, you've made a 'correct' choice indeed!" Pearl sneered. 

Stepping quickly to Gin's front, Pearl held his round shields with both hands, striking Gin's head directly from the left and right. 

"Finally, I can become the second-in-command of the Krieg Pirates. Besides Admiral Krieg, no one can surpass me!" 

Pearl's face twisted with ferocity as he shouted sternly.

A hint of bloodlust flashed in Pearl's eyes as if he could already see Gin's head squeezing and bursting like a watermelon. 

"Die!" The twin shields struck Gin's head fiercely, emitting a sharp clashing sound. 

However, there was no hint of joy on Pearl's face afterward, only fear writ large across it.

The twin shields only left faint white marks on Gin's face, which easily wiped away. "You... you're not Gin, who are you?" Baru exclaimed in shock. 

Pearl's full-force strike could even crush iron blocks into paper, yet it didn't inflict any damage on Gin, completely exceeding Pearl's expectations.

When Krieg witnessed this scene, his expression darkened. "What have you done to Gin?" 

Byakuya replied calmly, "The real show is just about to begin." 

Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from Gin's mouth, and an invisible shockwave spread wildly in all directions. Weaker pirates' ears bled, and chaos ensued.

"It's a monster!" someone shouted. Gin transformed into a monstrous state, towering at four meters tall, muscles bulging all over, eyes filled with crazed killing intent. 

With his strength greatly enhanced, he swiftly appeared in front of Pearl. The bone hammer on his right arm slammed heavily against Baru's shield.

With a loud "clang," the shield shattered into pieces, and a massive force pierced through Pearl's body.

Pearl coughed up blood uncontrollably, his eyes filled with resentment as he collapsed to the ground. 

Then, Gin swiftly dealt with the surrounding pirates like a tiger among wolves. The sound of wailing filled the air as it became a one-sided slaughter.

<End Chapter>

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