Chapter Thirteen: With This, You Think You Can Brave the Grand Line?

“What’s with all the noise?”

Inside the cabin, a man wrapped head to toe in steel plates stepped out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. When he saw a gang of pirates crowding around a young man on deck, yet too afraid to lay a hand on him, his temper flared instantly.

“You bunch of useless cowards! What’s so frightening about one man? All this racket is ruining my sleep!”

“Boss Barrow, this guy… this guy is a demon! He wasn’t like this a moment ago,” one of the pirates managed to explain, mustering his courage. The rest all nodded fervently in agreement. It wasn’t that they dared not fight—rather, the man before them was simply inhuman.

“A demon?” Barrow seemed to recall something, then continued his tirade. “He’s just a Devil Fruit user, what’s there to be afraid of? Once we reach the Grand Line, people like him are a dime a dozen! Are you all going to cower every time?”

Unlike these low-ranking pirates, Barrow had followed Kreek long enough to know things they didn’t—such as the existence of Devil Fruits. Still, upon realizing the young man was a Devil Fruit user, Barrow’s previous disdain vanished, and he scrutinized Roland carefully.

A Devil Fruit user—those words alone were enough to prove this man was no weakling. Otherwise, so many people wouldn’t dream of acquiring such power to survive on the Grand Line.

“I understand now, Boss Barrow.”

With Barrow’s explanation, the pirates inexplicably regained their confidence. As long as he wasn’t an actual demon, as long as he was still human, there was no need to fear.

“Brothers, cut him down!”

No one knew who shouted it, but the pirates instantly surged toward Roland.

“Ignorance breeds courage,” Roland muttered, shaking his head. With a casual flick of his short saber, a ferocious flying slash shot forth, cleaving through countless pirates at the waist in an instant.

In the world of animation, no matter how the swordsmen fought, they never seemed to cut anyone in two. Roland could only chalk that up to maintaining a less gruesome visual. But reality offered no such restraint. When a blade falls, the outcome is as bloody as it must be.

In the blink of an eye, the stench of blood thickened across the pirate ship.

“You there—are you interested in joining the Kreek Pirates? Come with my boss, the Admiral of the East Sea, Kreek, and seek your fortune on the Grand Line,” Barrow offered. He didn’t quite understand what had just flown forth, but he knew at once this man was a true powerhouse.

If he could bring him into the Kreek Pirates, their chances on the Grand Line would increase substantially.

As for the pirates who had died just now, they were nothing more than expendable grunts. On any island, a few thugs could be recruited to replace them. There was no need to pay them much mind.

“What are you saying? You want me to join your pathetic pirate crew and set out for the Grand Line?” Roland couldn’t help but laugh.

In the anime, after their crushing defeat in the Grand Line, these people actually managed to limp back to the East Sea—a feat that was impressive in its own way. But that was hardly a reason for such blind arrogance. Encountering Hawkeye was the best-case scenario—if they actually made it to the Grand Line, they’d likely be wiped out by other pirates or the navy within days.

After all, on the Grand Line, sheer numbers didn’t matter. What counted was the strength of the captain and his officers.

“What do you mean by that?” Barrow’s face darkened as he prepared for battle.

“I mean, do you really think the likes of you are fit to venture into the Grand Line?” Roland leaned against the railing, his scorn plain for all to see. The look infuriated Barrow.

“Underestimating us comes with a price,” Barrow declared, raising both arms—each fitted with a small steel shield—which he began to bash together loudly. All the while, he chanted, “Flame Barrow! Flame Barrow!”

To Roland, the scene looked almost comical, but the other pirates were clearly terrified.

“Please, don’t do this, Lord Barrow!”

“We’re on our own ship—you’ll burn us all down!”

“Hurry! Get ready to put out the fire!”

…

“Winding up a big move, are you? But your buildup seems a bit too long,” Roland mused, recalling a scene from the anime where Luffy and his friends simply watched and waited. He found it amusing—he was not Luffy, after all. He had no intention of waiting for someone to unleash their ultimate move before engaging.

This was about killing pirates, not sparring for sport.

With a wave of his saber, Roland cut down several pirates blocking his path and, in an instant, stood before Barrow, bringing his blade down forcefully.

Barrow’s reflexes weren’t half-bad; encased in steel shields, he swung his arm to block Roland’s attack.

“Not too slow,” Roland remarked softly, then struck again. This time, he chose a cunning angle and sliced through the cords binding Barrow’s shield to his arm.

“But to me, that’s as slow as molasses.”

For five years before setting out to sea, Roland had done nothing but train and battle wild beasts in the forests, honing his combat skills to the limit in countless life-or-death struggles.

Blade after blade fell—not at Barrow’s body, but at the ropes tying his shields in place—until Barrow was left standing defenseless, stripped of all his armor.

“How is this possible?”

The pirates were dumbstruck. The eccentric, formidable officer Barrow, utterly helpless before this man?

“Danger! My life is in danger…” Barrow’s eyes lost all focus, staring blankly ahead. He had never imagined there would be a day when he’d be deprived of his vaunted armor. Known as Iron Wall Barrow, whose defenses were said to withstand warships, he now stood completely unprotected.

“Barrow, pull yourself together!”

Just as Roland was about to deliver the fatal blow, another figure darted in front of Barrow, blocking the attack.

“Gin?”

Roland was momentarily taken aback. In the anime, this man hadn’t appeared for hundreds of episodes, yet his popularity had never waned. Even before Roland’s transmigration, fans still speculated about Gin’s fate.

“You know me?” Gin was far more rational than Barrow, though he had pledged his loyalty to the wrong leader.

“You’re Gin the Demon of the Kreek Pirates—who in the East Sea hasn’t heard of you?” Roland replied with a wry smile. He couldn’t help but feel a certain fondness for this man, loyal though he was to the wrong cause.