Chapter 13: The Caged Warrior.

Chapter 13: The Caged Warrior

The sea was calm as Luffy, Lucky, and Coby approached a small island village, their first real stop since leaving Dawn Island. They had no idea that this place would soon become a battleground.

As they stepped onto the shore, they immediately noticed something was wrong.

The village was quiet—too quiet. Windows were boarded up, streets were nearly empty, and the few people who were outside moved quickly, heads down, avoiding eye contact.

Lucky's instincts flared. "Something's off."

Coby nodded. "Yeah. It feels… tense."

Luffy, ever carefree, simply walked forward. "Then let's find out why."

As they moved through the village, whispers followed them. The name "Brutus" kept coming up, spoken in fear.

Then, they saw it.

A Village in Chains

In the center of town, a group of pirates loomed over a group of villagers. Some were shackled, forced to carry crates. Others were on their knees, eyes downcast as the pirates sneered and jeered.

At the center of it all stood a massive man—Captain Brutus. His body was like a wall of muscle, covered in scars. He had a cruel grin as he toyed with a young man in a cage, dangling a set of keys just out of reach.

Inside the cage, a silver-haired warrior sat, battered and bruised. His clothes were torn, his hands still clenched into fists despite his weakened state.

His name was Zane—and he had once tried to fight back against Brutus.

Now, he was nothing more than a prisoner, a warning to anyone else who dared to resist.

Luffy's grin faded. His fists clenched.

Lucky cracked his knuckles. "I think we found the problem."

Coby took a step forward. "What do we do?"

Luffy tilted his head. "Ain't it obvious?"

Then, he stepped into the village square and called out.

"Oi, big guy. Let him go."

The entire village went silent.

Brutus turned, eyes narrowing. Then, he grinned. "And what are you gonna do about it, brat?"

Luffy's eyes darkened. "I'm gonna beat your ass."