The outer half of the island was ringed with sandy shores, while the interior was thick with trees—a typical, remote little island.
At the heart of the island, in a clearing surrounded by forest, a large bonfire blazed fiercely, its flames casting a flickering silhouette of a human figure.
Seated on a cut log in front of the fire was a towering, muscular man. His upper body was so massive and thick that he resembled a gorilla. Pale lavender hair framed his face, and a white bandana was tied around his head. His head hung low, hiding half of his face in shadow while the flames danced across his expression.
Before him stood a group of people—three of whom were surrounded, singled out.
"Why?"
The giant man's voice was deep and heavy.
"Tell me—why didn't you seize the ship? Why didn't you lower the pirate flag?"
Gulp—
The sound of someone swallowing nervously came from the trio.
The man in front—unkempt hair, dark complexion, scruffy stubble, and thick lips shadowed by heavy black circles under his eyes—spoke with hesitation:
"Boss... The pirate flag is our symbol. We can't just—"
BAM!
He didn't even finish the sentence before the towering man lunged forward. With a swing of his thick forearm, he smashed the man into the ground.
"You think a tiny boat is enough?! Without lowering our flag, you can't seize a damn thing! Talking about symbols at a time like this—how the hell are we supposed to sail without a ship?!"
He stepped through the fire pit and stomped hard on the man's head, pressing it halfway into the dirt.
"Why didn't you follow my orders?! Answer me!"
"Boss! The flag... it's our honor! If we lower it again, the crew will lose faith. We're already dwindling in number, and—"
THUD!
Another savage kick silenced him mid-sentence, boot driving into his face.
"Morale? That comes after we get a damn ship! Once we have a ship, we can sail again! Once we're at sea, we'll attract new blood!"
His roar sent a chill through everyone. Still not satisfied, he stomped a few more times, snarling:
"Because you disobeyed me, we missed another opportunity! Are you trying to starve us all on this island? Is that what you want?!"
"B-Boss…"
A tall, muscular man with long limbs stepped out from the crowd, gathering his courage.
"Captain didn't mean to disobey. He just wanted to protect the honor of the Krieg Pirates—"
"Huh?!"
The large man snapped his head up, eyes blazing.
"You defying me too, Paloo?!"
"N-No! Not at all!"
Paloo flinched, cold sweat rolling down his forehead, soaking the crescent-shaped lock of hair on his brow.
"I follow the boss's orders—always!"
"Good."
The big man fixed him with a sharp glare.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll lead the next raid. And when you return—I don't want to see that little rowboat again."
He turned back to the man face-down in the dirt.
"As for you—if you can't change, you're out of the Krieg Pirates."
"Boss!"
Just as the massive boot lifted, the beaten man pushed himself up with trembling arms. Blood smeared his mouth and the corners of his eyes, but he ignored the pain and filth on his face as he said:
"Boss... Back then, even though you were ruthless, you still had the heart of a true pirate. I respected that. But now our people are leaving one after another. This is the time to hold on to morale—and all you care about is stealing ships… stealing…"
"We can always steal another ship. But we should do it with pride. We're the Krieg Pirates. We don't stoop to cowardly ambushes!"
"Captain! Stop talking!"
Shouts erupted from the crowd.
"You're gonna piss him off! Apologize already!"
"Yeah, Captain, he's just hungry, that's all. We'll go find some food."
"Come on, Captain—just say you'll follow the boss's orders!"
But the man stood firm. He raised his head and stared straight into the eyes of the towering figure, blood and tears streaming down his face.
His voice rang out like a thunderclap:
"We are pirates. Pirates who fly a pirate flag! Not lowly scum!"
Crack!
The giant clenched his fist, knuckles cracking loudly. Blood vessels burst in his eyes as his fury surged. Raising his fist high, he bellowed:
"Gin! Are you defying me?!"
Ever since being defeated by the Straw Hat brat, the boss had been in a downward spiral. All he could think about was stealing another ship—more desperate and dishonorable than ever before.
They had lowered their flag before, to attack merchant and navy vessels. And they failed.
Now, instead of rallying the crew, all the boss wanted was to ambush someone with a tiny rowboat?
That wasn't piracy.
Not the kind of piracy Gin believed in.
He used to hide behind the strength of his leader, mistaking his ambition for his own.
But ever since he was defeated by Sanji, something inside him had awakened.
He didn't want to live this way anymore.
Pirates... could be proud.
He wanted to sail the seas boldly, to cross paths with them again—as equals.
BOOM!
The large man's fist came down with terrifying speed, whistling through the air.
But Gin met it head-on, not flinching, roaring:
"Boss—wake up!!"
"Nice speech, I'll give you that."
The massive fist halted an inch from Gin's face.
A voice echoed across the clearing.
Close. Very close.
The giant froze. His head snapped around—and there, seated on the same log he had been occupying just moments ago, was a young man. One leg over the other, elbows resting on his knees, chin in his palm, he looked on with lazy amusement.
Beside him stood a young girl, calm and composed.
"Who the hell are you?" Krieg growled.
"Same as you," the stranger replied with a smirk.
"A pirate."
He let out a soft sigh.
"Funny, back when I wanted to find you guys, I couldn't track you down. Now that I don't care anymore, you keep showing up. The universe must be messing with me…"
He'd seen the firelight and the pirate ship on the shore and figured it was just some no-name pirates—maybe even a chance to recruit a few for his new crew.
But when he arrived… damn.
He recognized a few of the faces right away. Posters he'd seen before:
—17 million bounty, Krieg Pirates' Captain: "Don" Krieg
—12 million, Head of Combat: "Demon Man" Gin
—7 million, Crewman: "Iron Wall" Paloo
And earlier, he'd just run into Buggy.
Four high-bounty pirates in a single day.
Two days ago, he would've handed them in and bought himself an island.
But now?
Now it all felt dull.
Still… it wasn't all bad.
As a pirate himself, he needed a crew. But without a ship, who'd take him seriously? Other than Lily, no one would join him. Pirates weren't idiots—without a ship, how were they supposed to raid anything?
But now…
This? This was perfect.
They were already falling apart from the inside.
It'd be a waste not to take advantage.
The man looked at Gin and said with a grin:
"I like your spirit. Why not join me instead?
My pirate flag… never lowers."