Chapter 15: The Crocodile Pirates

"You murderer!"

"Psychopath!"

"You'll pay for this!"

"Don't kill me!"

"Someone, save me!"

Chaotic and noisy voices echoed in Renji's ears.

Huoshaoshan, on the other hand, stood dumbfounded beside Renji.

In all his life, he had never experienced anything so thrilling—following a man who carried no weapons, just the two of them, barging into a pirate's den.

"How annoying..." Renji muttered softly, his cold voice pronouncing the death sentence for these pirates.

Creak—the tightly shut door was pushed open, and a man wielding a spiked club walked out.

"You've really pissed me off!"

The captain of the Crocodile Pirates, Belial, glared fiercely at Renji.

"I am Captain Belial, with a bounty of 12 million berries!"

Belial's voice suddenly grew low. He bent slightly, his head elongating, his eyes turning into cold, golden vertical slits.

His body suddenly doubled in size, his originally over two-meter-tall frame stretching even further. Scales covered his entire body as his arms transformed into clawed limbs wrapped in armor.

He had turned into a crocodile, his mouth filled with sharp fangs.

A Devil Fruit user?

No wonder he had the guts to collaborate with the Marines.

"Hahahaha..."

Belial let out a maniacal laugh: "You've got some bad luck running into me. I'm a crocodile man who ate the Crocodile Fruit."

His claws scraped across the concrete floor, producing a sharp screech as the ground was cleanly sliced open.

"Even if I lose my crew, I can always find more, but you've really crossed the line!"

He pointed a claw at Renji and roared, "I'm going to tear you to shreds, turn you into mincemeat, and feed you to those damned peasants!"

"You should step back a bit..." Renji grabbed Huoshaoshan by the collar and tossed him backward.

"Don't worry, neither of you is going anywhere!"

Whoosh!

Belial's tail whipped the ground, propelling his massive body forward. The floor couldn't withstand the force and began to crack.

In an instant, his gaping maw was right in front of Renji. At such speed, an ordinary person wouldn't even have time to react. If bitten, half of Renji's body would be gone.

Bam!

Just as Belial's excitement was about to overflow, he felt an immense force slam into his scaled body.

His body was sent flying as if hit by a ship, with no chance to resist.

Renji punched Belial into the air, then took a step forward, his figure shooting after him.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Renji's fists, simple and unadorned, landed one after another on Belial's scaled body. The armor that should have been bulletproof began to peel away under the relentless assault.

"Is that all?"

Watching Belial's breathing grow weaker, Renji's eyes remained cold and emotionless. A faint, chilling smile crept onto his lips.

"Weren't you so arrogant earlier? Keep yelling now. I'll send you to meet your grandmother!"

Each word was accompanied by a fist slamming into Belial's body, reducing the once-hardened form to a pulpy mess.

Belial twisted and struggled with all his might, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from Renji's grip. His strength felt like it was hitting cotton, completely ineffective.

He was breaking down. His once-unbeatable ability was utterly useless against this man.

Can you imagine? He was just sitting in his room, drinking and feasting, when suddenly someone barged in and started beating him up.

Where's the justice? Where's the law?

And the worst part—he couldn't even fight back...

Why... why did it have to come to this?

He looked at Renji, but Renji's face showed no emotion. In his eyes, Belial was nothing more than a speck of dust, utterly insignificant.

To the pirates watching, their captain seemed like a lifeless doll, unmoving, letting the executioner pummel him.

Click, click, click...

"Protect the captain!"

The pirates, who had been ignored by Renji, raised their guns again and opened fire.

"Useless!"

Clang, clang, clang...

Huoshaoshan drew his sword and used Soru to instantly block the bullets, shielding Renji from the pirates.

"Your opponent is me!"

"As long as I stand here, none of you will get past!"

Huoshaoshan had long hated these damned pirates, and now, finally able to act, he felt an indescribable satisfaction.

Even if he died here, it would be a worthy death.

Just as Huoshaoshan was feeling heroic, a hand pushed him aside.

"Kid, step back for a moment."

Renji held the limp, mud-like Belial in one hand and walked in front of Huoshaoshan.

It's over already? Huoshaoshan was stunned.

That was a Devil Fruit user—a figure many could only dream of facing. From start to finish, it hadn't even been a minute.

And his grand, impassioned speech hadn't even been finished. Being cut off like this was frustrating...

Huoshaoshan's heart was in turmoil, but more than anything, he was in awe.

He hoped that one day he could reach this level too.

"Alright, I'll say this one last time..."

"This is the final warning..."

"All pirates, you are surrounded by me!"

"Drop your weapons and surrender. Anyone who resists will end up like this guy..."

With that, Renji tossed the limp body in his hand like garbage, throwing it in front of the pirates.

These fools were easy to control. Once you destroyed what they took pride in and gave them a way out, they'd choose to save their own skins.

Just as he expected, the chaotic group of pirates, upon hearing Renji's words, immediately dropped their weapons, raised their hands, and obediently crouched down.

Seeing the pirates comply so readily, Renji turned his attention elsewhere.

"I left him alive. Devil Fruit users are such a hassle..."

The "hassle" referred to the fact that he couldn't kill the user. A dead Devil Fruit user and a live one were worth vastly different bounties.

Renji looked at his blood-stained hands with some disgust. He should've known better than to use his fists.

"Huoshaoshan, do you know any other Marines on this island you can trust?"

Renji didn't have much faith in the local Marines, but seeing the sheer number of pirates, he had no choice. Surely there were more than a handful of decent Marines on this island.

There were also many prisoners who needed to be freed, and that would require manpower.

"Yes!" Huoshaoshan nodded. "There are some Marines who are just as fed up with these pirates."

Renji nodded. "Call the ones you trust and have them clean up this mess."

The Marines here outranked him, so he couldn't take command. He'd leave it to the higher-ups at headquarters to handle.

He pulled out the military Den Den Mushi from his inner pocket and dialed a number.

...

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