That atmosphere was tense.
Gin's eyes widened.
"Boss, don't tell me… there are more of our men here?!"
"Men? What men?"
A cold voice echoed from behind the mask.
"The pirates are gone. So what? I'll just recruit more. Victory is all that matters! Gin, I've stopped trusting you for a long time now. Thanks for stalling that brat… but I'm going to poison you both."
"Boss!"
Gin's lips quivered.
"You… don't trust me anymore?"
"What part of you was trustworthy? If you hadn't gone soft and let that damn cook live—if you hadn't handed your gas mask to Straw Hat—I wouldn't have lost back then. I wouldn't be in this pathetic state!"
Krieg roared.
"Anyone who disobeys me is worthless!"
From the moment they landed on this island, he hadn't handed out a single gas mask—not a one. This was exactly the moment he had prepared for.
That kid… gave him the same feeling as Straw Hat Luffy.
He wouldn't let anyone drag him down again. He'd never give a second chance to a traitor.
"Boss, I…"
Gin's grip loosened. His cane dropped to the ground. He fell to his knees, his expression hollow.
"So this is what it feels like... to be cast aside."
"Well, isn't that just perfect."
Sager spoke up.
"You've been cast aside? All the better. Come join my crew."
"You can't beat him," Gin said, shaking his head. "Krieg may have lost once, but that was at sea. This is land. You've got no gas mask. He won't lose here."
Gin smiled bitterly.
"And me? I went against my captain's will. That alone makes me… a traitor."
"Gin…"
He looked up and saw that Sager's expression was calm—completely devoid of judgment.
"Pirates who've broken free of the World Government's leash were never keepers of order to begin with. If we're talking about betrayal… your first betrayal was the day you stopped being their dog. By that logic, you should've died long ago. But that's not what being a pirate is about."
"…I'm not a pirate?" Gin blinked, stunned.
Sager leaned forward.
"What is a pirate? A pirate is someone free. Do what you want. Don't do what you don't want. That's it. You don't agree with your former captain's methods? That's your right. If you didn't even have that much freedom, what kind of pirate would you be?"
"And besides," he continued, "there's no such thing as a pirate who never loses. There's no luck, no flukes—just people. And people fail. Once, twice, a hundred times. What matters is whether you've still got the will to stand up and fight again."
Just like him.
No matter how many times he failed, he still chased his dream.
Sager looked up at the night sky, a sea of stars twinkling above.
Among them… one shone especially bright.
"The stars are really something tonight," he murmured.
"Especially—"
His gaze shifted toward Krieg, voice dropping to a chilling whisper.
"—your death star."
"Enough nonsense! MH5—gas—"
"Soru!"
Before Krieg could even finish the word 'gas', Sager flashed right in front of him.
A punch rocketed upward, slamming against Krieg's massive shield—
Bang!
That fist struck not just the shield but the iron armor beneath.
A heavy thud rang out as the steel buckled inward. The punch left a deep dent, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Krieg's body recoiled, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You—"
"Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken!!"
Sager's arms became a blur, fists hammering down in rapid-fire succession. He gave Krieg no room to react—no breath, no hope.
BANG! BANG! BANG!!
Each strike rang like a war drum.
Each punch deepened the dents, spread the fractures, crushed the armor.
Krieg stood frozen—like a ship in a storm, battered but motionless.
Finally, with the last blow, the iron armor shattered into fragments.
Krieg swayed, but held his ground. He raised his shield again, laughing.
"Hah! So what if you broke my armor? I can still fight! MH5—gas bomb—!"
"No."
Sager turned his back on him. Calm. Dismissive.
"You're already dead."
"Nani?!"
Krieg screamed, but his finger couldn't pull the trigger.
His body—was swelling.
Like a balloon filled past its limit, his flesh stretched—
—then exploded.
BOOM.
Flesh and blood burst apart. Only the gas mask remained, lying intact among the remains.
"…Krieg."
Gin stared blankly at the blood-soaked ground.
Then turned to Sager, dazed.
"You… How have I never heard of a man like you?"
"I just set sail. Of course you haven't heard," Sager said. "But instead of hearing about me later… wouldn't it be better to sail with me now, and make that name known together?"
"…And if I refuse?"
"That's not an option."
Sager smiled.
"I'm a pirate. If I want something, I take it. If you want to die—feel free."
"…Is that so?"
Gin chuckled softly.
He'd never wanted power. Never cared about being a leader. All he ever wanted… was to follow someone powerful.
That's what Krieg was to him. Strong. Respected.
Even after Krieg lost, Gin still followed him. That was loyalty.
He didn't like Krieg's methods.
But Krieg was his captain.
And that meant he obeyed, no matter what.
But now, he'd been cast out—again.
First at Baratie.
Now here.
And this man… was offering him a place.
Gin looked around at the fallen pirates.
"What about them?" he asked.
"They're joining too. I could use some crew," Sager replied.
Gin looked him in the eye.
"If I fight for you… there are people I won't want to kill."
"I told you—pirates are free. How you fight is your choice. You're a pirate, not a servant."
Sager extended a hand.
"So? Will you accept my offer?"
Gin stared at it.
Then slowly, he took a deep breath… and gripped it tightly.
"I've still got a promise I need to fulfill," he said.
"So until then—I can't die."
"Glad to have you," Sager said with a grin.
"Name's Norton Sager. From now on, I'm your captain."
He turned to the girl approaching them.
"This is Beyondetta Lily. Our navigator."
Lily gave a small nod.
"You're strong. We should spar sometime."
Gin nodded.
"You too. A damn fine swordswoman…"
He smiled faintly.
"From now on, I'm a member of the Sager Pirates!"
That comment caught both of them off guard.
"The… Sager Pirates?"
Sager blinked and glanced at Lily.
"Is that our name?"
"You're the captain," she replied, shrugging.
Sager scratched his head and looked at Gin.
"Actually, we've only been at sea for one day. Haven't figured out a name yet."
He'd never given it much thought.
Most pirate crews were named after their captains—like the Krieg Pirates or the Buggy Pirates. That was just how things worked.
But now that he was a captain…
He figured—if this was a real crew,
If this was his startup—
Then damn right, it deserved a name that echoed across the seas.
(End of Chapter)