Bellamy crashed to the ground, unconscious, like a broken marionette.
"Whoa!!"
Instantly, chaos erupted inside the bar. Every pirate present stared wide-eyed, stunned into silence.
No one could believe what had just happened.
Bellamy, the so-called "Hyena," the strongest among this crew of pirates, had fallen.
And not just fallen—he had been defeated effortlessly.
From start to finish, he never once touched Bai Yu.
Every punch and spring-loaded strike Bellamy unleashed had been cleanly evaded. Bai Yu had turned the battlefield into a dance floor, weaving through each attack with almost surgical grace.
"Officer Bai Yu won!"
While the pirates stared in disbelief, Kebi and Helmeppo were on the verge of cheering out loud, barely restraining themselves from leaping up in joy.
But among the stunned pirates, some had begun creeping toward the door.
Trying to escape while the others were distracted.
"Kebi, Helmeppo."
"Handcuff Bellamy first."
"As for the rest…"
"Don't even think about running."
Bai Yu's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Now that he had acted, he had no intention of leaving a single pirate behind.
"Shave!" (Soru)
As soon as his words fell, a sudden gust whipped through the room.
Bai Yu's figure blurred and vanished.
In the next heartbeat, he was standing squarely in front of the exit, arms folded, blocking the only way out.
The pirates froze.
"He's just one guy!"
"Don't be scared! Let's take him together!"
But even as they rallied with shaky courage, Bai Yu only smiled coldly.
He drew his blade.
Puff-puff—
He dashed forward, blade flickering.
Within moments, the bar exploded into chaos again.
Screams, crashing furniture, steel clashing against steel—it was carnage.
Bellamy hadn't lasted more than a few exchanges, and these small-time pirates were even worse. With every swing of his sword, Bai Yu dropped another body.
His footwork was ghost-like, weaving through the crowd with impossible speed.
Each time the sword moved, someone fell.
Minutes passed.
Tap.
Bai Yu halted.
He flicked his blade, sending a crimson arc of blood to the floor.
All around him, not a single pirate remained standing.
[Ding! Host has completed 1,000 sword swings. Rewards unlocked: +5% Qinglong Sword Intent Proficiency, +5% Armament, Observation, and Conqueror's Haki Proficiency]
[Ju·Six Sword Lotus Proficiency +5%]
The system's voice echoed in Bai Yu's mind, unnoticed by the unconscious wreckage around him.
He turned to Kebi and Helmeppo.
They were still tying up pirates one by one.
"Just bundle them all together."
Bai Yu's voice was laced with mild annoyance.
Kebi snapped to attention. "Y-Yes sir!"
The two quickly changed their approach, grouping and securing the downed pirates en masse with thick chains and rope.
Before long, the entire group—nearly fifty pirates—was subdued and bound like cattle ready for delivery.
Bai Yu turned back toward the bar.
"Now then... boss, let's have a little chat."
His gaze fell on the bartender, who was still hiding beneath the counter, trembling.
"Boss!"
Bai Yu slammed a hand on the bar.
"Wahhh!" The bartender shot up like a spring. "Y-Yes! I'm here!"
When his eyes landed on the bloody scene, his legs buckled again.
"Relax. We'll pay for the damages."
Assuming the bartender was worried about his ruined establishment, Bai Yu tried to reassure him.
"More importantly... I'm looking for someone."
"A man named Marshall D. Teach. People call him Blackbeard."
"I've heard rumors that he's been active around this area."
The bar owner's expression went blank.
"Blackbeard...? I've never heard of him."
He shook his head anxiously.
Apparently, Blackbeard had kept a low enough profile that even locals didn't know his name.
Bai Yu's expression turned thoughtful.
"So, no leads on Blackbeard for now…"
But he couldn't waste time here. His next destination was Water 7, the City of Water—crucial for intercepting the blueprints of the ancient weapon Pluton.
He had no intention of letting the World Government or pirates get their hands on it first.
"Sorry to trouble you."
"This should cover the damages."
With that, Bai Yu tossed a pouch of gold coins onto the bar counter.
Just as he turned to leave with Kebi and Helmeppo—
Bang!
The bar doors slammed open.
"Nobody move!"
A squad of navy soldiers burst in, rifles at the ready.
Dozens of barrels pointed straight at Bai Yu and his team.
Their eyes quickly scanned the scene—pirates everywhere, bound and unconscious—and then settled on the trio in recruit uniforms.
"Navy?"
"No… those are recruit uniforms."
"Who are you people?!"
Their voices were tense with suspicion.
Click—click—click!
All guns cocked.
In recent years, pirates impersonating Marines had become a problem.
Especially ones wearing official uniforms.
The tension in the air was palpable.
"Wait!"
An older man pushed his way forward through the ranks.
A seasoned naval major, with stern eyes and a sense of authority.
"Major! Be careful!" the squad captain warned. "We haven't confirmed their identities yet!"
The major ignored the warning, studying Bai Yu's face carefully.
Then, his eyes widened.
"You idiots!" he barked. "Lower your weapons—now!"
The soldiers froze.
"Do you know who this is?" the major continued. "That's Colonel Bai Yu—the one who captured the Warlord Crocodile alive!"
The room went still.
The rifles dropped immediately.
Even Bai Yu blinked in disbelief.
"Wait… Colonel?"
He hadn't heard anything about a promotion.
The major stepped forward respectfully.
"Colonel Bai Yu, you didn't receive the latest message from Headquarters?"
"No... I didn't."
The major's eyes widened in shock.
He quickly rummaged through his coat and pulled out a crumpled newspaper and an official document.
Bai Yu skimmed through them.
The front page of the newspaper detailed the Alabasta incident—but all the credit had been attributed to him. Somehow, a photo of him had even made it to print.
As for the document...
It was an official notice from Marine HQ, declaring Bai Yu the new Colonel of the 188th Marine Branch.
Bai Yu stared at it.
He had gone from rookie to colonel in record time.