The Pirate: Dark Admiral

“So hungry! Using the Devil Fruit power really consumes a lot of energy. Luckily, it finally worked this time. The clothes that girl wore were all the most expensive brands; she must have a lot of money on her. Maybe I can finally save enough for a ship ticket to leave this country.” Hiding in a corner, a dirty child revealed a delicate and tender face, and after confirming there were no outsiders, she took out a stack of bills from her pocket.

“One million Berries, two million Berries, three million…” Her right hand froze in mid-air while counting the money. She muttered, “Wait, the denomination seems a bit off!”

After rubbing her eyes to confirm she didn’t see things, the little beggar gasped, “The smallest denomination is a hundred thousand Berries. Does her family own a mine?”

“Darn it, if I had known it was this much, I would’ve just taken one bill. Now that I’ve taken so much, they definitely won’t let this slide.” The little beggar said with a troubled expression, “And the biggest problem is, where can I go to get food with bills this large?”

…

While Rougishuwas still pondering Tina’s little rich girl persona, a group of men in black clothing and masks suddenly emerged from the streets and alleys. As if worried others wouldn’t know they were bad guys, they startled the surrounding vendors and customers at the food festival and caused them to scatter.

“Captain Ginyu, that little girl has disappeared again. What should we do now?” one of the black men asked unwillingly.

“What should we do? What should we do?” The noticeably taller man in black slapped the speaker’s head and scolded, “Of course, keep chasing her. She’s our most valuable merchandise, and now she’s stolen the captain’s Devil Fruit. If we don’t capture her and sell her for a high price, the captain will skin us alive when he returns!”

“That’s right! She’s more valuable than even the Giants and Mermaids. Many big shots in the underworld want her. If we lose her, the captain will use the cruelest punishment to kill us.” The fear in the words of the black men showed she was worth more than all of them combined.

Suddenly, one of the black men noticed Rougishuand Tina and whispered to the captain, “Captain, there’s a Marine. Should we take out that kid?”

The captain glanced warily at Rougishuand shook his head, saying, “Don’t cause unnecessary trouble. That guy is wearing a justice coat and civilian clothes; only Marine officers are allowed that attire. Though I don’t know how that kid managed it, it’s best not to draw the Marines’ attention right now.”

After the group of men in black left, Tina, looking shocked, said, “Are those pirates idiots? They didn’t lower their voices at all. Were they deliberately letting us hear to lure you, Brother Longinus?”

Seeing Tina startled and worried it might be a trap, Rougishureassured her, “Don’t misunderstand; this is just the average intelligence level of pirates. You’ll get used to it over time.”

“However, they seem to be slave traders, not ordinary pirates.” Longinus’s face remained calm, but his heart was brewing a storm of anger.

“Disgusting, they’re those kind of pirates?”

Tina’s delicate face showed apparent disdain, obviously repulsed by those pirates.

But Tina didn’t want her stance to influence Longinus’s judgment. She knew that women who constantly meddled in everything were annoying, and she didn’t wish Rougishuto to dislike her for even a slight possibility.

“Brother Longinus, what should we do now?”

“As a Marine, I can’t turn a blind eye to such evil deeds!” Rougishusaid firmly while contemplating, “That fleeting Devil Fruit aura was…”

“I knew Brother Rougishuwould be a true hero!” Tina thought to herself, admiring him even more, then sensibly suggested, “I’ll just be a burden if I stay. How about I go back and inform the Navy and Kingdom’s army for support?”

“It’s too late, and having the Navy and Kingdom’s army appear might force them to act recklessly, taking vendors and customers hostage, causing more damage.” Rougishurejected her suggestion after a brief thought.

“The most crucial point is that the journey back to the royal city is long, and now there’s chaos. If you go alone, it might be dangerous. I promised Uncle Louis to ensure your safety; I can’t leave you behind to save others.”

Rougishushook shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, “It’s kind of funny. Many people call me a hero, but when it comes to choices, I still can’t abandon my friends for strangers. So, I’m just an ordinary person with a bit of power.”

Young girls are easily moved.

What were considered not too emotional words brought tears to Tina’s eyes. “Mm-hmm, I won’t drag you down, Brother Longinus!”

“Don’t worry, those pirates aren’t that strong. Protecting you during the fight won’t be hard.” Rougishuwasn’t just comforting her; those pirates couldn’t break through his defences, no matter how many there were.

…

The venue, once bustling with food competitions, was now deserted. Only two black figures stood in the empty space.

“So, did you find the little girl?”

“No, not yet…” The man in black timidly replied, “She’s too good at hiding. It’s hard to find her quickly.”

“Damn it, those bloodhound Marines will likely sniff us out soon. We don’t have much time.” The lead man in black decisively ordered, “Block all the exits. Tell everyone here if they don’t help find that kid, I’ll kill them all!”

“Making them our accomplices, you’re so smart, boss. I’ll go deliver the order right away.” The short man in black was flattered before quickly leaving the venue.

“Idiot, they’re not accomplices; they’re… they’re…” The lead man in black cursed but got stuck, unable to think of a better term.

Click, click, click!

Light footsteps sounded. The man in black frowned and yelled, “Why are you back? Didn’t you understand what I said?”

When the “subordinate” didn’t respond, the man in black sensed something was wrong and turned around.

“Two top-grade goods!” The man in black evaluated the two people before him in his professional assessment. Then he suddenly realised something was off.

“No, there was only one set of footsteps. Why are there two people here?” In the dimly lit venue, the wind blew, and the man in black broke into a cold sweat.

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