One Piece: The True Codex

A drunken Ward staggered out of the tavern with his companions, eventually wandering alone into an alley to relieve himself.

Pirates, naturally, had little regard for public decency. He casually unfastened his trousers, humming a tune as he swayed left and right, carelessly spraying against the wall.

At the mouth of the alley, a shadowy figure seemed to be peering in, but the darkness obscured their features. Catching sight of the figure from the corner of his eye, Ward turned his head and shouted angrily, "Get lost!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he heard the sound of something slicing through the air behind him. Before he could react, everything went black.

When Ward regained consciousness, he found himself bound to a chair, his hands and feet tightly secured with sturdy leather straps.

He blinked groggily, his vision slowly adjusting to his surroundings. The peeling, mottled walls of the room suggested it had been abandoned for years. Two oil lamps hung opposite him, casting dim, flickering light.

Four men stood a short distance away, their faces obscured by the backlight. Ward couldn't make out their features clearly.

His head throbbed, especially the back of his skull, which ached faintly. He struggled lightly against his restraints, but the leather straps held firm, binding his limbs to the armrests and legs of the chair.

"Who are you?" Ward growled, twisting his body and causing the chair to rock noisily. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with?"

"Oh? And who might that be?" The tallest man in the middle asked with apparent interest.

"I'm a pirate under 'Red-Beard' Barbarossa!" Ward snarled through gritted teeth.

The tall man stepped closer, and as he approached, Ward realized he was just a young man—likely not even twenty years old. With golden hair, sharp eyebrows, and striking blue eyes, the youth exuded a certain charisma. He stared at Ward for a moment before suddenly chuckling.

"You think I'm lying?" Ward snapped, his face twisted with defiance as he locked eyes with the young man's piercing blue gaze. "I don't care who you are. If you don't want to die a miserable death, you'd better let me go right now!"

"No," the golden-haired youth said softly, lightly patting Ward's cheek with a series of crisp slaps. Ignoring Ward's growing fury, he continued, "I'm laughing because I caught the right person."

"You bastards are courting death—" Ward began to roar, but before he could finish, another young man with fiery red hair and a temper to match stormed forward. Without hesitation, he drove his boot into Ward's chest, toppling both the pirate and the chair to the ground.

The red-haired youth seemed ready to continue his assault, but the golden-haired man spoke without turning around, "Gin, hold him back."

The four young men were none other than William, Gin, Aramis, and Edmond.

Gin stepped forward and restrained the vengeful Edmond, speaking to him in a low, calming voice.

Meanwhile, William helped Ward back into an upright position, even brushing the dust off the back of his head where it had stuck to the floor.

"Sir," William began politely after a brief pause, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name. What should I call you?"

Ward sneered, turning his head away in defiance, refusing to answer.

William chuckled. "A tough guy, huh? Impressive."

He glanced at Aramis and the now-calmed Edmond, tilting his head slightly. The two immediately understood, stepping forward to lift both Ward and the chair he was bound to, placing them horizontally on a large wooden table in the center of the room.

The table, clearly a defective piece of furniture, had one leg shorter than the others, causing it to tilt slightly. Ward was left lying head-down, feet-up on the uneven surface. Despite the faint fear gnawing at him, he forced himself to maintain a facade of disdain as he glared at his captors.

"You look like an experienced pirate. You must be a strong swimmer," William said, pulling a piece of cloth from his coat and shaking it out in front of Ward. "So, I'd like to invite you to play a little water game."

William draped the cloth over Ward's face. At some point, Gin had retrieved a water jug, which he now began to pour slowly over the cloth.

The cold water startled Ward at first, but realizing it was just water, he relaxed slightly.

However, Edmond reached out to hold Ward's head in place, and it wasn't long before Ward began to thrash violently.

Edmond's expression twisted with rage as he pinned Ward's head down. Meanwhile, William calmly pulled another cloth from his coat and placed it over Ward's face. Gin continued to pour water over the cloth, focusing on Ward's mouth.

This form of torture was, of course, something William had devised.

In William's previous life, "waterboarding" had been a method of torture that originated in the Middle Ages and persisted well into modern times. From the Spanish Inquisition's trials of heretics to the CIA's interrogations of terrorists, it had stood the test of time, capable of making its victims feel the genuine agony of drowning.

After a calculated amount of time, William removed the cloth, and Gin ceased pouring.

As soon as the cloth was lifted, Ward gasped for air, his eyes wide with panic. Water remaining in his nasal passages caused him to cough violently, further compounding his discomfort.

The once-defiant Ward now appeared utterly broken. When Edmond released him, his head lolled to the side, and he panted heavily, struggling to recover.

"Ready to talk now?" William asked.

"W-What? Talk about what?" Ward stammered, his face pale, as though he was finally willing to cooperate.

"Wrong answer."

Ignoring Ward's protests, William replaced the cloth and signaled Gin, who lifted a fresh water jug and resumed pouring.

After a shorter interval, William removed the cloth again.

"W-Ward. My name is Ward," the pirate blurted out as soon as the cloth was removed, desperate for fresh air.

"Good," William said with a satisfied nod. "How long have you been aboard the Red-Beard Pirates' ship?"

"Seven months."

"Do the Red-Beard Pirates have any connections with the Navia Kingdom, the World Government, or the Marines?"

"I-I don't know," Ward hesitated before answering.

William raised an eyebrow, prompting Ward to cry out in panic, "I really don't know! I'm not lying!"

Ignoring his pleas, William replaced the cloth once more, though this time the interval was shorter before he removed it again.

"Let me rephrase. Do you know if the Red-Beard Pirates have any connections with officials from the Navia Kingdom or the World Government?"

Faced with the threat of death, Ward's mind raced. "We often dock at a private port near Kalmar City. Sometimes we go into the city to rest, and the guards never stop or question us. Also, there's a young man on board named Kuro—"

William cut him off abruptly. "Tell me about your captain. How strong is he? Where is he from?"

"What? I—" Ward's train of thought was derailed by the sudden shift in questioning, leaving him flustered and incoherent. "I don't really know."

Fearing another round of torture, he blurted out the first piece of information that came to mind: "I only know that he ate a Devil Fruit..."

The moment the words "Devil Fruit" left Ward's lips, the room fell silent. William's face betrayed his surprise, and even Aramis, Gin, and Edmond exchanged startled glances.

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