Elsewhere, in front of three pirate ships, a seemingly ordinary merchant ship was desperately sailing toward a distant island.
"Boom!!"
A deafening explosion rang out as a cannonball hit the water to the right of the merchant ship, sending up a massive spray of seawater. The whole ship rocked violently.
On the pirate ships behind them, a group of pirates watched the merchant ship like it was prey. If they could take that ship, they wouldn't have to worry about food or supplies for the next two months.
"Be careful not to hit the ship. If it sinks, we won't be able to recover the cargo."
"Got it, Captain."
The gunner at the bow nodded, licking his lips as he prepared to fire again.
It was a relief to finally get out of the Land of Waves. Their time there had been miserable—not only had they failed to find any merchant ships, but they also had to fight off other pirate crews now and then.
The situation in the Land of Water wasn't much better. Even though there were plenty of merchant ships passing through, the country had caught on and started assembling fleets to hunt down pirates.
With things getting more dangerous, their captain had no choice but to withdraw from both the Land of Water and the Land of Waves. Otherwise, they might have ended up dead.
"Drive them onto that island. Once they land, they won't be able to escape."
The pirate captain felt reassured. If the merchants wanted to survive, they'd have to abandon ship and go ashore. Once that happened, the ship would be theirs.
And that island looked completely uninhabited. Even though it wasn't far from the mainland, there was no guarantee anyone who landed there could make it back.
"Bunch of fools."
Still, being a pirate wasn't bad. If they were a little stronger, they might have even made some serious gains in the Land of Water.
The pirates who operated in those waters weren't ordinary. Some of them could even go toe-to-toe with ninjas.
But weaker pirates like them had to rely on weapons just to get by.
Even so, this life was still better than being a low-level thug in the underground market.
Meanwhile, on the merchant ship, the sailors looked like they had lost all hope.
An old man grabbed the sleeve of another white-haired man beside him.
"This is what you meant by 'nothing unexpected would happen'? This is what you meant by 'just a simple scouting trip'?"
"Sandayu, the director didn't expect this either! Who could've known there'd be so many pirates in the Land of Water? Everything was fine when we were at Crescent Moon Island!"
"Damn it! If anything happens to Yukie, I'll never forgive you!"
Sandayu was furious. This was supposed to be a simple location-scouting trip for a movie, doubling as a little vacation. They had even stopped by Crescent Moon Island to buy some souvenirs.
But the moment they entered the waters of the Land of Water, everything changed. Pirates were everywhere.
Hearing Sandayu's words, Yukie frowned.
She didn't like how he always made decisions on his own. Instead of blaming the director, wouldn't it be better to focus on dealing with the pirates first?
"Sandayu, panicking won't help. The important thing right now is figuring out how to survive. This area isn't even marked on the sea charts. Even if we reach that island, getting out won't be easy."
The director quickly spoke up.
"Now's not the time to worry about Yukie's safety. If those pirates catch up, we're all dead!"
Pirates from the Land of Water were rumored to be ruthless enough to even rob ninjas. Those guys were no joke.
The white-haired director felt a shiver run down his spine.
Then, suddenly, inspiration struck him.
Wait a second—he could add a pirate element to *The Adventures of the Storm Princess*!
As expected, making movies really needs real-life inspiration.
"Director, think of something!"
"Wait, wait, wait... I've got it!"
The director suddenly spoke up. Everyone on the ship immediately turned to look at him. As the most experienced person here, only he had the knowledge to save them now.
"Our next movie will be about pirates—The Grand Adventure of the Pirate Princess. This theme will definitely be a hit!"
Everyone froze for a moment.
They had forgotten that this guy was a complete lunatic who insisted on filming no matter what.
Even Yukie felt hopeless. Run? Where could they possibly run to in the middle of the ocean?
Just then, Sandayu rushed over in a hurry, carrying his packed luggage. But when he saw Yukie and the others, he stopped dead in his tracks.
And it wasn't just Sandayu—everyone had now noticed the white waves rushing toward them from the direction of the island. Something was speeding toward them, leaving a massive wave more than ten meters high in its wake.
"What... what is that?"
"No idea."
"Those three pirate ships have stopped moving."
"..."
Sandayu silently pulled out a telescope and looked ahead. What he saw was a towering wave, and beneath it—
A person.
A person was swimming toward them.
"Oh, it's just someone swimming."
"That's all?"
"I thought it was some kind of sea monster."
"Scared me for a second."
"..."
Cold sweat dripped down everyone's foreheads.
"Wait... that's a person?"
"Are you sure it's not a sea monster?"
"..."
On the other side, the pirate captain quietly handed his telescope to his first mate.
"I must be seeing things… yeah, that must be it."
The first mate, confused, took the telescope and looked. His hand froze for a long time.
"First time being a pirate, huh? Getting seasick is normal, right, Captain?"
"That must be it."
The captain was convinced—it had to be an illusion.
But why did that person in the distance look a little familiar?
He wasn't sure, but they definitely seemed familiar.
"Let me check again."
The pirate captain raised the telescope once more.
This time, he saw the man had already passed the merchant ship and was heading straight for them.
Just as the captain locked onto him through the lens, he saw the man step onto the surface of the ocean and launch himself out of the water.
The samurai sword at his waist was drawn in an instant.
No overwhelming aura, no fancy technique name—just a simple strike.
The moment the icy blade flashed, the pirate captain finally realized why he had felt a sense of familiarity.
It was as if he could see his great-grandmother waving at him.
"So it was you, great-grandma…"
In the next second, the cold light of the blade passed by him.
The pirate captain barely had time to register what happened before—
*CRACK!*
*CRACK! CRACK!*
The entire ship was sliced clean in half.
Not just the ship—even the ocean itself seemed to be cut apart, leaving a deep rift in the water that extended all the way to the ship's hull.
*BOOM!*
A massive splash erupted, instantly swallowing the shattered remains of the ship.
"D-Damn it… What kind of monster is that?"
The pirate captain crawled out of the water, his face pale as he desperately clung to a lifeline thrown from another ship.
"Captain Dark!!"
His first mate, who had already climbed aboard, quickly pulled him up.
By now, the entire crew was on high alert, ready for battle.
They weren't just ordinary criminals.
Before becoming pirates, they had all been members of underground crime syndicates.
"Damn it… What the hell is that guy?"
Before Dark could even finish his sentence, a pirate collapsed on the deck without warning.
Then another.
And another.
*THUD!*
*THUD!* *THUD!*
One by one, armed pirates fell to the ground.
All eyes turned to the man standing at the front of the deck—the red-haired man.
But their hands, gripping their weapons, trembled uncontrollably.
None of them had the courage to raise their blades.
Just looking at this man filled them with an unbearable pressure.
"…Are you talking to me?"
Shanks stepped forward, stopping right in front of Dark.
For the first time, the pirate captain got a clear look at his face.
No, this was actually his first time seeing this man…
Yet, in an instant, his mind was flooded with everything he knew about him.
A man who could slice a ship in half with a single strike.
An overwhelming presence.
A swordsman unlike any he had ever encountered.
And that unmistakable red hair.
The legendary pirate from the Land of Waves, the one even the captain of the Blade-less Pirates dared not challenge.
The ruler of the New World.
The captain of the ship at the very front of the Grand Line.
One of the Four Emperors—
Red-Haired Shanks.
"R-Red… Red-Haired… Shanks!!!"
Dark trembled violently.
The sword in his hand slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the deck.
"That legendary pirate… Red-Haired Shanks."
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