Chapter Sixty-Two: I Only Said I Would Not Kill You

Staring at the two bloody corpses before him, Mouse felt his mood plummet from heaven to hell in an instant, like a roller coaster plunging downwards. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single sound escaped.

Originally, he hadn’t wanted to get involved with Krieg and his gang. With his rank as a branch Navy Colonel, even if he were caught for corruption, he would simply be sent to Navy Headquarters for trial. Thanks to his connections there, he knew he wouldn’t face any real punishment—at most, a fine and demotion.

But when he overheard the pirates say that Roland had already been dealt with, he began to entertain thoughts. Headquarters wouldn’t sentence him to death, but all the ill-gotten gains he’d accumulated over the years might be lost, and that was something he couldn’t accept.

Who could have predicted that not only had that brat Roland survived, but he’d arrived and directly killed those two useless pirates? At this moment, Mouse bitterly regretted his stupidity—why had he joined forces with pirates instead of obediently heading to Loguetown for an internal Navy trial? Wouldn’t that have been better?

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. At least not before you meet Smoker,” Roland said with a glance and an unexpected smile, his voice soft and reassuring.

As he spoke, Roland strode toward Barrow, who was cowering in the corner, paying no mind to the disgraced Mouse. Just as he’d said earlier, he hadn’t killed Krieg and Barrow because he wasn’t used to carrying heads for credit, let alone lugging them around at sea.

But things were different now. They’d reach Loguetown today and leave this cursed pirate ship—those unruly men no longer needed to live.

“Don’t… don’t come any closer…” Barrow, a coward at heart, had only earned his Iron Wall Barrow reputation thanks to his massive shield. Without it, he reverted instantly, his cowardice on full display.

“Die!” Roland didn’t bother with unnecessary words. With a single stroke, he ended Barrow’s life as terror widened the man’s eyes.

Zangao and the other three were more disciplined, so Roland left them for Navy judgment, trusting Smoker’s court would deliver the proper sentence.

As Roland turned to leave, Mouse finally exhaled, slumping to the floor—wait, why was the ground wet? It hardly mattered; the kid didn’t dare kill him, so his worry had been for nothing.

Even if spared now, Mouse vowed vengeance. He was a branch colonel, after all—when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Just wait…

He raised his head to glare at Roland, but two beams of red light suddenly sliced across his shoulders. A pig-like scream erupted, nearly tearing the warehouse’s roof off.

“I said I wouldn’t kill you. I never promised to let you off,” Roland teased, his lips curling in a mocking smile.

Glancing at the dumbfounded Navy soldiers, Roland spoke quietly, “Colonel Mouse discovered Krieg and Ruto’s intent to escape. To stop them, he fought valiantly, but was overpowered and lost both arms.”

“Isn’t that right?” With Roland’s serious expression, the Navy soldiers instantly understood and nodded in chorus.

“Yes, Colonel Mouse fought bravely against the pirates.”

“This is Colonel Mouse’s repentance.”

The greedy, sycophantic Navy men all nodded, catching Roland’s meaning. With witnesses secured, Roland ignored Mouse and walked out of the warehouse.

With events at this stage, he knew no one else would dare entertain any wild notions. As for Mouse’s final hateful glare, Roland didn’t care. A corrupt Navy officer—did he really think Roland would hand him over to Smoker and forget about him? Dream on!

Outside the warehouse, Roland saw the world bright and clear—the sun had fully risen. Signs of battle were everywhere on the ship; it seemed every inch of deck had become a battlefield.

Seeing blood splattered all around, Roland felt some relief—not all pirates had sided with Krieg. Of the hundred-odd vicious pirates, only forty or so remained loyal to Krieg, while the other sixty wanted no part in their old ways.

Thanks to these men, Roland had uncovered Krieg’s true nature. On the foredeck, Roland gazed at the corpses and sighed. Those bodies belonged to the ones who refused to follow Krieg.

A battle of forty against sixty should have been a massacre, but the troublemakers fought so savagely that over twenty lives were exchanged.

“Mr. Roland, is it over?” a pirate asked, stepping forward with excitement.

“Send a few men to the warehouse and bring Krieg and his followers’ corpses to the bow. Hang them from the mast—otherwise, I fear the Navy will fire on us as soon as we approach Loguetown,” Roland ordered.

“Yes!” With those words, the surviving pirates finally relaxed. Though Krieg had been their captain, none felt regret—rather, they felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

…

Loguetown, Navy Base Watchtower.

“What a fine, peaceful day,” Anthony murmured. After scanning the waters around the island with his telescope and spotting no pirate ships, he reclined in his chair and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“This is the life,” he whispered, savoring the drink. No pirate raids, no unexpected incidents—just this tranquility was enough.

“Alright, back to work.” He drained his cup and returned to his post. As a Navy soldier, a little laziness was forgivable, but dereliction of duty was not.

“Wait, what’s that?” Suddenly, Anthony spotted a large ship through the telescope and sat upright, adjusting the magnification for a better look as it sailed straight for Loguetown.

“A panther’s head?” The bow seemed familiar—he’d seen this pirate ship before.

“The Dreadnought Saber!” Anthony quickly recalled its name and its owner.

Krieg, Admiral of the East Sea.

“How can it be him?” Anthony shifted the telescope’s angle to confirm whether Krieg was truly aboard.

A month ago, he’d heard news of Krieg’s pirate crew’s destruction, so why was the ship appearing here today? Unbelievable.

“What the—” As he prepared to sound the alarm, the sight on the mast shocked him to his core.

“Krieg, Admiral of the East Sea; his subordinate, Iron Wall Barrow; and Ruto, captain of the Steel Blade Pirates!” Three corpses strung up in a row made Anthony’s scalp tingle.

If this wasn’t Krieg’s trick, then who could possibly possess such power—not only to kill Krieg, but also Steel Blade Ruto?

Anthony didn’t dwell on the question. He grabbed the Den Den Mushi and dialed Smoker’s office line.