The midday sun shimred above the vast ocean as gulls circled lazily in the sky. Sowhere beyond the protective reach of Voidreign Kingdom, three figures sailed atop a modest ship—its sails simple, its mast creaking with the rhythm of the waves.
Standing at the bow, hair rustling in the sea wind, was Vash—gunslinger, outlaw, and wanderer of countless fates.
Perched high on the ship's mast like a statue was ruem, his arms crossed and eyes sharp, scanning the distant waters. Resting comfortably on ruem's broad shoulder was none other than Black-Eye Panda, gnawing contentedly on a thick stalk of bamboo.
"I told you this would be fun!" Vash declared, laughter dancing in his voice. "Co on, admit it!"
"Fun wasn't the point," ruem replied calmly, scanning the distant horizon. "We're here to observe."
"Yeah, yeah," Vash interrupted, spinning one of his dual pistols around his fingers. "But we can't live life on edge all the ti. You've gotta let go and enjoy the ocean breeze every now and then."
Black-Eye Panda remained silent—chewing, unbothered, disinterested.
They were headed toward a small, unclaid island chain just a few miles off the eastern border of Voidreign territory. No formal flag flew there—no law, no structure. Perfect, Vash had said, for "blowing off steam."
But the peace was short-lived.
Without warning, the sound of cannon fire shattered the peace.
BOOM.
Far across the sea, sails began to appear on the horizon. One ship. Two. Then twenty. Then more. Pirate banners flapped in the wind—skulls and sabers, blood-red sigils of cutthroat crews. The sea seed to darken as dozens of pirate ships began converging on their location.
They had been spotted.
"Looks like they want to play," Vash said with a smirk.
From the pirate's view, the trio aboard the modest ship looked like easy prey—an unknown vessel, not bearing the royal insignia of Voidreign. And none recognized the three figures onboard.
Big mistake.
With an almost boyish grin, Vash reached for his dual revolvers, twirling them effortlessly. "Guess it's ga ti."
With each shot, entire ships exploded in fire and screams. The cannons were reduced to molten slag, the decks torn apart in chain reactions of destruction.
"What the hell?!" one pirate scread. "He's no rookie!"
"Too late to realize," Vash replied, twirling his guns with a wink. "I'm just here for fun."
Chaos erupted across the enemy fleet. More ships advanced, so hurling cannon fire, others preparing to board.
But Vash danced across the deck with effortless glee, each shot a symphony of destruction. He laughed as ships exploded one by one.
"They never learn, do they?" he shouted, spinning midair and blasting another hull to splinters.
Still, the pirates advanced. They thought him just another overconfident gunman.
Until ruem moved.
He stepped forward, his aura flickering like storm-lit clouds. His Nen pulsed outward in waves, darkening the very air. Then, with a raised hand, he invoked his technique:
"Royal Ruin: Palace Collapse."
In an instant, the ocean trembled. A trendous surge of Nen energy burst forth, and thirty ships were lifted montarily into the air—suspended like toys—before crumpling inward, crushed under their own mass and cast into the sea like sinking stones.
The surviving pirates scread in terror.
On deck, Black-Eye Panda yawned and continued munching on his bamboo shoot, unbothered by the apocalyptic destruction around him.
Nearby, a Marine patrol ship watched from a safe distance. Their officers peered through spyglasses, recognizing Vash and ruem at once. They didn't move to engage. They didn't even get close.
"It's them. From Voidreign..." whispered a young officer.
"Turn back," said the captain. "We didn't see anything. We were never here."
And just like that, the Marines vanished.
An hour passed. The sea, once filled with fire and wreckage, now lay still.
Vash leaned against the railing, wiping his pistols clean with a smirk. "Well, that was refreshing."
ruem said nothing, his eyes still scanning the horizon.
Black-Eye Panda tilted his head, ears twitching. He paused mid-bite and raised a claw, pointing out to sea.
"Hm? What is it, buddy?"" Vash blinked and followed the panda's gaze.
He activated his Observation Haki—a ripple of invisible energy expanding from his mind, piercing through the sea breeze and the salty mist.
Far off in the waves, sothing bobbed gently.
Vash narrowed his eyes.
"A polar bear?" Vash raised a brow. "Did we cross into the arctic?"
Floating on the tide was a large white bear—clearly unconscious. But sothing strange caught Vash's attention. Curled against the bear's belly was a man—his clothes soaked, his skin pale, and on his arm, an unmistakable black ink:
A death tattoo in his finger
ruem's eyes flickered, his Nen extending outward. With a flick of his wrist, he used his aura manipulation to gently lift the floating duo from the sea and bring them aboard their ship.
The white bear groaned faintly, mumbling in pain. The man beside him remained unconscious, but his sword—a nodachi-style blade with a polar handle—was strapped tightly to his back.
dical personnel aboard the ship—trained healers and dics—rushed forward and began tending to their wounds, applying salves and reviving mixtures. Bepo's fur was singed. Law's body bore bruises, signs of battle—and possibly escape.
"They've been through hell," one dic said. "We need to get them back to the kingdom."
Vash nodded slowly and said.
"Back to Voidreign."
ruem looked to the horizon, where the floating island of the Celestial Garden Castle waited like a divine sentinel in the sky.
Black-Eye Panda, now finished with his bamboo, sat beside unconscious person and tilted his head.
The ship turned.
With a man bearing a DEATH tattoo on his fingers and a polar bear resting in the infirmary below deck, the trio and their crew began their voyage back ho—toward Voidreign Kingdom,
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