The sudden wind and torrential downpour gradually dispersed the toxic gas lingering on the Navy warship.

Krieg lifted his gas mask, staring upward in astonishment. Fat raindrops pelted his cropped hair, trailing down his cheekbones.

This storm… how did it arrive so suddenly?

He had encountered such bizarre weather often while sailing in the Grand Line—one moment hail, the next snow, then suddenly clear skies. Total chaos, devoid of logic.

But in all his years of sailing through the East Blue, he had never once experienced weather like this.

It felt as if some invisible hand had unzipped the heavens and let the downpour loose.

No… no, impossible. How could anyone control the weather?

Unless… unless that person was a Devil Fruit user.

Krieg's gaze darted around, nerves on edge. He couldn't find the corpses of Davy Jones or his two crew members—but he did see Gin lying below deck, his life fading fast from the gas.

Gnashing his teeth, Krieg cursed.

"They must've jumped into the sea! Damn it! Just a little longer… just a few more seconds breathing that gas, and victory would've been mine!"

The gas, combined with his gas mask, had clouded his vision. He hadn't seen how Davy Jones and the others escaped.

Then again, he hadn't seen how they got aboard either.

He looked to the nearby black ship, still circling ominously. At any moment, it might open fire again.

The warship he stood on had no one left who could sail it, and the other ship had already fled.

He couldn't stay here—a sitting duck.

Krieg made his way to the ship's edge, preparing to jump.

But in the next instant, that strange monster—Davy Jones—appeared before him again, as if from thin air.

Krieg froze. This time, he was certain—Davy Jones had teleported.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Davy Jones spoke as he approached.

Krieg was already on edge. Instinct took over—he detached the circular shield from his right shoulder.

Clack!

The twin shoulder plates combined, forming a gunshaft that snapped forward—aimed directly at Davy Jones.

"A transforming weapon… interesting," Davy Jones said, his facial tentacles twitching with curiosity. "Did you design this yourself, or was it made for you?"

But Krieg had no interest in answering. He didn't believe there was any room left for negotiation. Gripping the large gun with both hands, he aimed it at Davy Jones' chest with intent to kill.

I don't care if you're the so-called 'Deep Sea Reaper'—you're going to die!

Only I, Admiral Krieg, will survive! I will survive no matter the cost!

But in the blink of an eye, Davy Jones had already drawn the pistol at his waist and fired.

Bang!

The bullet struck Krieg mid-lunge.

He sneered, ready to mock Davy Jones for thinking a bullet could pierce his armor—until he realized something was terribly wrong.

His body… was frozen in place, completely immobile!

Still in mid-thrust, he stood like a statue.

Dazed, he noticed Davy Jones had vanished again.

Panic surged.

Where did he go?!

The next moment, a crab claw burst through Krieg's abdomen from behind.

Davy Jones had teleported behind him. This time, he wasn't holding back. With the recoil from the earlier gunshot and a full-powered strike, he pierced straight through Krieg's armor—and his body.

Schlk!

Blood gushed out.

Krieg looked down, watching the claw retract slowly and slide back out from inside him.

He stared blankly, then collapsed to his knees—then forward onto the deck.

His great war lance clattered to the side.

Am I… dying?

Is this how I, Admiral Krieg… end?

"I've given it some thought," Davy Jones said calmly, his voice sounding far away to Krieg's fading consciousness. "And changed my mind."

"If I dismantle this armor and give it to Buggy to study… I imagine he could recreate something better."

Krieg desperately tried to speak, to beg Davy Jones for mercy, offering anything in exchange for his life.

But Davy Jones ignored him completely.

He quietly removed the armor piece by piece, then took the war lance as well.

Krieg lay there, eyes wide in fear and regret, gasping and gurgling—until at last, his life faded away.

Just as Davy Jones lifted Krieg's armor and weapon, preparing to teleport back to the Terror Ghost, he noticed something strange.

Another ship… was approaching.

Another one?

Just how many ships would he encounter today?

He looked out and caught sight of the vessel's design.

It flew a pirate flag—a black banner with a white skull wearing a straw hat. Its figurehead was a goat.

Compared to the menacing, brutish designs of other pirate ships, this one looked almost comically out of place.

"We've finally caught up to that black ship."

Zoro, with his green cropped hair, stood at the railing, expression serious. His right hand rested on the hilts of his three swords, ready to draw them at any moment.

He had been tracking Davy Jones for a month since the bounty was posted—a journey full of twists, setbacks, and complications.

After running into Luffy, the two had joined forces temporarily to resolve issues like food and shelter. They'd picked up the latest intel on Davy Jones in Orange Town but ended up bouncing from one island to another.

Zoro's sense of direction was infamously awful, and Luffy had a knack for causing chaos wherever he went. Most of their time had been spent evading unwanted trouble.

At one point, Zoro tried to ditch Luffy and act alone. But Luffy was like chewing gum—impossible to shake off.

And in hindsight, Zoro was glad he hadn't succeeded. Otherwise, with his terrible navigation, he might never have found Davy Jones.

Their luck changed when they met a certain someone—the "Cat Burglar" Nami, who had also made an appearance in Orange Town.

After stealing Buggy's sea chart, she was rushing to return to her hometown, Cocoyasi Village.

Though she had disguised herself as a boy, her habits still attracted attention. Her sticky fingers didn't help either—she often stole whatever caught her eye, causing endless trouble.

Nami needed bodyguards to ensure her safe return.

Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro needed a navigator—Nami had studied navigation from a young age. Her thieving skills were honed from harsh experience.

The three quickly struck a deal. Each had their own goals, but they aligned enough to set sail together.

At first, Nami had reservations about Luffy being a pirate.

But after seeing that even the famous bounty hunter Zoro didn't mind traveling with him, and spending time with Luffy's odd personality, she stopped raising objections.

They had solved the escort and navigation issues—but they still needed a ship. Constantly changing vessels wouldn't let them catch the black ship.

However, they didn't have enough money to buy or rent one.

That's when they ran into Usopp in Syrup Village.

At the time, Usopp was at odds with the villagers over the mysterious disappearance of butler Klahadore.

He was telling the truth, but no one believed him. Even Kaya and his three tagalong kids weren't fully convinced.

Frustrated, Usopp decided to leave the village and start his dream journey as a warrior of the sea.

But deep down, he was nervous—he had never left Syrup Village and had zero sailing experience.

When he overheard Luffy, Zoro, and Nami discussing their plans, he jumped at the opportunity. He offered to solve their ship problem, on one condition—they take him with them.

The trio, seeing someone offering to help, agreed right away.

Usopp pulled some strings and got Kaya and Merry to lend them a ship, which they later modified and christened the Going Merry—named after their butler Merry.

With the ship problem solved, Zoro could now fully commit to tracking the black ship using the latest intel.

The others had their own motives, but since their course aligned, no one objected.

And so, the Going Merry sailed into view—approaching the Terror Ghost from the rear flank.

PS: Access advance (40+) chapters at

https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL