One Piece: The True Codex

Barbarossa landed on the deck, shielding Hayreddin. As he did so, his beard began to grow wildly, forming a mass of snake-like hair that attacked Vallon. Despite this, he casually asked, "Are you alright?"

"One of them seems to have escaped on a lifeboat," Hayreddin replied, his chubby face twitching from the pain of his wound, before snarling, "When I catch that little bald guy, I'll make him pay!"

"Red-Beard" Barbarossa glanced at the foul weather, nonchalantly saying, "In this weather, if he survives, he's lucky."

Meanwhile, Vallon struggled fiercely against the snake-like hair. If Barbarossa's ability had initially shocked him, the metallic clang when his blade struck the hair, only severing a few strands, deepened his astonishment.

Vallon realized that unless he reached the level Koushirou had described, where one could cut through steel, he stood no chance against these iron-like hairs. His swordsmanship was the weakest among William's crew; even William hadn't reached the "Iron Cutting" level. Vallon was thus helpless against Barbarossa's steel-like hair.

After a brief struggle, Vallon was caught off guard and entangled by Barbarossa's hair, which gradually wrapped around him, leaving only his bald head exposed.

Barbarossa controlled the hair to pull Vallon closer.

Pain etched across Vallon's face as Barbarossa's hair tightened like steel wires, causing him immense discomfort.

Nearby, Hayreddin clutched his bleeding shoulder, watching Vallon's pained expression with a look of satisfaction on his scarred face. "Scared yet?"

Vallon grimaced, then spat a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva onto Hayreddin's face. Despite being a typically honest and simple young man, he showed no fear, gritting his teeth as he declared, "Someone will avenge me!"

Hayreddin paused, slowly wiping the spit from his face, his expression turning sinister as he chuckled ominously. "Brotherly love, huh? I admire you!"

Edmond's ears buzzed incessantly. First, he was blasted by an explosion, then struck by a spiked mace, and finally thrown overboard with the lifeboat. Now, his insides felt displaced, and even aboard the small boat, the raging storm caused him to choke on seawater multiple times. The tiny lifeboat threatened to capsize at any moment amid the fierce wind and rain.

Sharks circled the area around the two ships, these intelligent creatures waiting for bodies to fall into the water.

The lifeboat had drifted some distance from the cargo ship due to the waves and wind. Edmond, temporarily safe from the sharks, anxiously watched the cargo ship's deck, rain soaking his eyes, yet he never blinked.

For the first time, the fearless Edmond found himself praying to the gods, but such last-minute pleas seemed ineffective. He watched helplessly as a small figure was tossed from the ship's bow into the shark-infested waters.

A lightning bolt split the sky, illuminating the sea and revealing the figure in mid-air. The small figure's limbs hung lifelessly, blood flowing freely, with a bald head starkly visible under the lightning's glow.

Edmond's face contorted in agony, tears mingling with the rain on his cheeks. Time seemed to freeze, and the world lost its color. The cacophony of voices and sounds echoed in his mind.

Vallon's bloodied form hit the water with a splash, turning the sea red.

Edmond crawled to the boat's edge, ignoring his injuries, and dove into the water, desperately swimming toward the sharks. However, wounded as he was, he could only watch as the victorious shark dragged Vallon's body toward the depths.

Edmond screamed in rage, but only managed to release two powerless bubbles into the sea.

Edmond had never understood why the intelligent and skilled swordsman William would mingle so freely with the ordinary sailors, dockworkers, and fishermen, who seemed to have no particular talents.

Whenever William squatted among these people, he showed no impatience.

It wasn't until Edmond faced adversity that he realized the significance of William's actions.

Due to the collusion between Count Arcadio, Captain Roy, and Red-Beard Barbarossa, the attacks on William's trade network within the Navia Kingdom were comprehensive, involving not only pirate forces but also official ones—the Marines of the 16th Division and the kingdom's military police.

The Marines and military police didn't have photos of William and his crew, but that didn't stop them from sealing off known supply points and arresting and interrogating suspicious individuals.

Undoubtedly, Edmond now epitomized "suspicious." His face was pale as paper, his wounds swollen and white from seawater, with burn marks near his right ear and his clothes in tatters.

As Edmond, unaware of the situation, struggled ashore at a village after his boat capsized, a boy from a poor family was the first to find him. The boy didn't consider alerting officials or Marines; instead, he quietly took Edmond home and hid him.

This boy, named Oliver, had once worked at the docks and seen William, occasionally spotting Edmond too. He knew the pitiful figure before him was William's friend.

William's interactions with these people were more than just camaraderie; they were a way to establish his image and deepen his influence. This behavior paid off when it mattered most. Though these ordinary folk seemed talentless, they could serve as William's eyes and ears.

Oliver's decision to help Edmond wasn't necessarily noble; he simply believed that handing Edmond over to the haughty Marines and officials wouldn't be as rewarding as entrusting him to the generous and righteous William.

Without William's consistent efforts to subtly influence the mixed crowd at the docks and build his reputation among the common folk, Edmond would have been doomed.

Oliver, quite bold, hid Edmond for several days, informing him of the pursuit. He even agreed to Edmond's request, hiding him in the secret hold of his family's fishing boat to evade the Marines and kingdom's forces, transporting him to Maple Village.

In the stormy seas, Edmond nearly lost consciousness multiple times, but one resolute thought kept him fighting for survival.

As Edmond curled up in the cramped, pitch-black hidden compartment, listening to the waves and the footsteps of soldiers checking the deck, he felt fear for the first time. This fear wasn't of death but of failing to avenge Vallon's brutal end.

The soldiers' footsteps faded, yet Vallon's goofy smile lingered in Edmond's mind. In the darkness, Edmond's bloodshot eyes widened as he murmured, "I will avenge you, Vallon."

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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