One Piece: Gawain The Knight Of The Sun

Seeing the Marines arrive, Gawain felt the urge to retreat.

He'd stalled Smoker for hours.

If Kuro hadn't found a way to escape or hide by now, he didn't deserve to be vice-captain.

With that thought, Gawain turned to leave, but his gaze paused on a familiar figure in the smoke.

Gin, gravely wounded and defenseless, lay bleeding on the ground, his faintly rising chest the only sign of life.

"Lucky guy," Gawain muttered.

In an instant, he vanished, taking Gin's body with him.

…

Raven Port.

As the battle ended, the smoke cleared. Tashigi led Marines off the warship.

"Colonel Smoker, how was the fight?"

"Knight Gawain is dangerous—far more than we or the Marines anticipated," Smoker said, staring at where Gawain vanished, his expression grave. "I have a feeling if we don't stop him in the East Blue, the New World might see another Red-Hair in a few years."

He raised his arm, noticing his fingers trembling from gripping the jutte.

Clenching them into a fist, he said coldly, "Raven Port has no other sea exits. Seal the port—entry only, no exits."

"And get my spare jutte."

Tashigi hesitated. "The spare lacks Seastone. It's weaker in hardness and against Devil Fruit users."

"That's the one I need."

"So the enemy took your weapon?" Tashigi gasped, instantly wary of this unseen Knight Gawain.

Smoker's strength was unmatched among his peers, wasted in the East Blue. Someone who could overpower him and take his weapon would be a terror in the Grand Line.

"Colonel Smoker, what—!" Tashigi began, but Smoker's face darkened, nearly biting through his cigars.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't!"

"Yes, sir!" Tashigi stood rigid.

Then, Smoker muttered, barely audible, "Send two men to try retrieving my Seastone jutte from the sea, around that spot. It's custom-made, worth years of my salary."

"Huh?" Tashigi blinked, confused. "So the enemy knocked it into the sea?"

Smoker sighed. "I told you not to ask. I threw it in!"

Tashigi stared, baffled. What kind of move is that?

Smoker skipped the topic, eyeing the burning port. "Send some Marines to help the port guards with rescue efforts."

"Yes, sir."

Smoker nodded, his gaze heavy on Gawain's last position. "I'll lead a search in the port. We can't let him escape, or it'll be our shame if he reaches the Grand Line."

Soon, Marines under Tashigi's command spread out, aiding civilians and searching every possible hiding spot—from residential areas to the commercial district and the black market outskirts. They caught a few fugitives but found nothing else.

By dawn, sunlight bathed the port, and the situation fell under Marine control.

Smoker reviewed Tashigi's reports and the port's map, frowning. "You said another Marine unit was rescuing civilians before us?"

"Yes," Tashigi nodded. "But oddly, after we took over, they withdrew in an organized manner. We don't even know their base."

"Colonel Smoker, could they be Colonel Mouse's men?"

Smoker scoffed. "Rather than that scum Mouse, I'd believe they're pirates in disguise."

"But whoever they are, they're not enemies. Our priority is capturing Knight Gawain!"

He pointed to the map's core. "The only place we haven't searched is the lord's manor."

"This…" Tashigi hesitated. "Without a warrant, searching the manor breaks protocol."

"Protocol?" Smoker sneered. "How many times have we let pirates slip away because of meaningless rules, only for them to cause chaos elsewhere?"

"Burn those outdated rules. Catching pirates and stopping evil is protocol!"

"Follow me!"

"Yes, sir!"

…

Meanwhile, in the lord's manor, as Tashigi's Marines entered the port, Kuro had his crew retreat there. Gawain's pirate crew was now gathered inside.

The manor's doctors treated their wounds.

Physical injuries were minor compared to the complex emotions in their eyes.

"Didn't expect our mission to be saving people, not plundering or fleeing," a pirate under Kuro said, pulling out a warped piece of candy, his expression wistful.

"When I pulled that girl from the rubble, her face—I'll never forget it."

"Even when we followed Captain Gawain and spared nearby towns, people looked at us with fear."

"You won't believe it—an old lady grabbed my hand, saying she'd marry her daughter to me. Can you imagine…"

"A pirate marrying her daughter?"

"Hahaha!"

…

The crew shared their experiences, feeling their hearts fill with something new, tears glistening in their eyes.

Kuro watched coldly, murmuring, "This isn't very pirate-like."

"But they're fulfilled, aren't they?" Gaza said, smiling at the crew in Marine uniforms. "As expected of Gawain's men. Different from other pirates. That former kingdom knight, even without his title, still upholds a knight's spirit."

"Hmph," Kuro grunted, noncommittal, but mention of Gawain brought worry. "The port's fighting stopped long ago. You better not die out there…"

Bang!

The manor's doors burst open. Gawain appeared, carrying Gin.

"Eager to inherit my 'ant flower'… pfft, my position, huh?"

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