Krieg Pirates

Chapter 17: Krieg Pirates

[Task: Kill Krieg]

Mission Level: C

[Reward: 500 Mission Points, Permanent Chakra Fruit, Shadow Clone Jutsu, Leaf Dragon God]

This mission was not available in the mission hall but was a special mission issued by the system itself. The rewards were comparable to the mission to capture Ace, indicating its significance.

Krieg Pirates?

Weren't they the pirate group that was chased back to East Blue by Dracule Mihawk just a week after entering the Grand Line?

It seemed that this pirate group, which claimed to be the largest in East Blue, was directly cut down by Mihawk alone, along with their 5,000 members. Thinking about it, it made sense. A weak group led by a powerless leader with 5,000 cannon fodders would obviously be no match for the Strongest Swordsman in the World.

But how did Mihawk manage to cross the Calm Belt alone in a small boat? Did he really row with his arms and use his Supreme Sword, Yoru, as an oar? It seemed the source of his motivation couldn't be easily explained.

Witnessing Mihawk rowing a boat in the Calm Belt shattered the aloof image of Krieg, the leader of the pirates. It made Rodney wonder what Krieg had seen that made him run. Things were definitely not as simple as they seemed. So, what did Krieg, the unlucky ghost(1), see?

Meanwhile, Rodney was on an escort mission, following the merchant ship. At this point, Krieg was not as powerful as he would become later, and Rodney was uncertain about the size of the pirate group. He needed to formulate a plan while en route.

"Should we go to Loguetown and inform the Smoker first?" Rodney contemplated, touching his chin. He thought it would be a good idea. Although Smoker was a hard worker, he was barely a 50-50 match. However, he resembled Kakashi to some extent.

(Rat's Note: Despite Smoker's strong work ethic, he could only hold his own at a mediocre level, making him an average match at best. Nevertheless, he shared certain similarities with Kakashi, indicating some resemblance between the two.)

It had been two or three days since Rodney left Branch 153, and he still had a long way to go before reaching Loguetown. Using his positioning ability, he discovered that the Krieg Pirates were not far away from him.

So... should he launch a frontal attack or attempt a sneak attack? Rodney decided to start with a direct confrontation and then transition into an assassination, acting as an ineffective assassin.

Alas, not everyone could be a Crown Assassin(2), wielding a big sword and wearing a heavy helmet, able to decapitate anyone who opposed them and even devour them when hungry. A battle between a real assassin and a false assassin would ensue.

But for now, Rodney put those thoughts aside and focused on his training, as it brought him happiness.

...

Three days later, on a sunny day, Rodney was ready to take action. He gathered various tools such as ninja footwear, shuriken, kunai, and Explosive Tags.

He noticed that the Krieg Pirates were approaching the merchant ship, so he used his Chakra to walk on water and reach the observation deck. Activating his Sharingan, he gained a distant line of sight. On the far horizon, a fleet was slowly approaching.

Each ship in the fleet bore the same pirate logo: a skull with an hourglass on each side. The lead ship, a massive sailing vessel, featured a bow ornament resembling a fierce and aggressive black panther.

Krieg  Pirates!

Rodney smiled, but his first task was to inform the merchant ship's boss to retreat swiftly.

"What? Pirates?" The boss, a fat-headed man, showed no fear upon hearing the news. In fact, he responded, "It's because of the pirates that I hired you. Otherwise, what would I need your guards for? These guys are your responsibility."

Rodney retorted, "I can't protect so many people."

The boss shrugged and said, "Then I don't care. You have to figure it out. You're the pirate hunter Joestar J. Rodney, and this is your problem, not mine. I hired you, so find a solution."

Feeling the urge to throw his slipper at the boss's face, Rodney glared at him, using his Sharingan's illusion to make the boss issue the order to halt the fleet. After shaking his head, Rodney left the room. Following the fat boss's orders, the fleet came to a stop.

There wasn't just one merchant ship; there was another one behind it. Every day, these ships transported goods, including local products, tobacco, alcohol, and other legal items. The boss was quite conscientious and didn't involve himself in illegal activities.

The ships carried guards, but based on Rodney's visual assessment, they didn't seem capable of matching his strength. This indicated that these guards were here for a livelihood rather than combat.

Merchant ships weren't like passenger ships; they weren't filled with people. Besides the main staff members who served as guards, there were only around a hundred people on board. In a real fight, Rodney might not be able to protect them all.

With a nod, Rodney leaped off the ship and landed on the rough sea.

His body rose and fell with the waves as he walked atop the water. This time, there were no Sea Kings to attack him along the way, which left him somewhat disappointed. He had hoped to catch a Sea King and use it as free labor, but it seemed he would be disappointed.

Nonetheless, he was prepared. With such a long distance to cover, he could carry out numerous operations.

"Water Release: Water Body!"

Three clones made of seawater emerged, and Rodney handed each of them an Explosive Tag. The clones charged toward the approaching fleet.

He kept his Sharingan hidden to conserve chakra. Although the Sharingan perfectly complemented his abilities, saving chakra was crucial for an imminent large-scale battle.

...

Dreadnaught Sabre

This was the galleon sailed by the self-proclaimed Pirate Don Krieg, and it housed most of his elite soldiers.

Krieg wore thick gold armor, had light purple hair, and wore a turban on his head. He looked average, as the people in the Pirate World ranged from extremely beautiful to hideously ugly, with few in between. Maybe it was better to be ugly...it gave them personality. But such thoughts were subjective.

"Little ones, aren't you bored?" Krieg asked, bored himself, resting his head on his hand. Sailing was a tedious task, and the boredom often outweighed any excitement.

"Chief Krieg, there's a caravan stopped in the distance," the lookout on the observation deck called out, using a telescope.

"Oh? A caravan?" Krieg perked up, amused by the prospect. "Little ones, get ready and inform the crews on the other ships. Today, we're going to have a big fight!" he declared, laughing heartily.

The pirates on the ship raised their weapons and joined in the cheerful shouting.

Ideaman, the staff officer of the Krieg Pirates, asked, "Chief Krieg, should we use our usual strategy?"

"No, let's approach directly this time. I'm tired of employing the same tactics repeatedly. Let's conduct a proper robbery this time! A dignified robbery!" Krieg laughed maniacally.

As the pirates joined in his laughter, they all agreed with Krieg's decision. It was indeed pointless to rely on underhanded methods all the time. A straightforward robbery sounded more exhilarating!

When the lookout called out again, sounding shocked, "Chief Krieg, someone... someone is running on the water, approaching us at incredible speed!"

The pirates couldn't help but mock the lookout's words. "Have you had too much to drink? How can someone run on water? This is the sea! Don't you understand the sea?" one pirate jeered.

But the lookout insisted, "Bastard, I haven't been drinking. I can see clearly. There are four individuals, and they all look exactly the same! And... he's looking at me!" Krieg calmly responded, "It must be a user of a Devil Fruit ability. No need to worry; we are the Krieg Pirates, the overlords of East Blue. A mere Devil Fruit user cannot be my equal. These people are just landlubbers and can't possibly defeat us. We'll push him into the sea, and that will be the end of it. Take him out!"

"Understood, Chief Krieg!"

Ratoon's Note:

  unlucky ghost- is an idiomatic expression in Chinese used to describe someone who is consistently unlucky or frequently experiences misfortune.

Crown Assassin-implies that becoming a Crown Assassin is a prestigious and exceptional accomplishment that not everyone can achieve.