A surge of deadly instinct sent chills down Rorschach's spine, forcing him to halt mid-motion as he stared at what Moria had pulled from his shadow.
In Moria's grasp was a bundle of pink, cylindrical glass containers.
Neatly packed together, they almost looked aesthetically pleasing—if not for the fact that Rorschach recognized them instantly.
Explosive Pills!
The same volatile substance he'd found on Shimoda Ichirou.
And this bundle contained ten of them.
Enough to obliterate an entire island.
"Kishishishi~ Be careful now. If these fragile little bottles break… well, we're all dead."
Moria dangled the shimmering explosives in front of Rorschach, grinning at the way the Marine's movements froze—and how Lucci's face twisted in horror in the distance.
Then, suddenly—
"Oops. Clumsy me."
His wrist flicked.
The bundle slipped from his fingers.
"YOU LUNATIC—!"
Lucci's face paled as he kicked off the ground, fleeing at full speed.
Sella just blinked, confused.
Rorschach didn't move.
His cold eyes stayed locked on Moria.
A fraction of a second before the Explosive Pills shattered against the deck—
SHWOOM.
The ground darkened as shadow pooled beneath them.
Instead of smashing, the glass cylinders sank into the inky blackness, vanishing without a sound.
The shadow slithered back into Moria's hand, and the explosives reappeared in his grip.
Lucci, now hovering over the sea dozens of meters away, twitched.
He'd been played.
"Kishishishi~ So, Marine Captain Rorschach… what now?"
Moria toyed with the deadly bundle, grinning down at Rorschach.
"You beat my subordinates half to death. Shouldn't you… apologize? Or do you think a Shichibukai's pride is just for show?"
Rorschach's voice was ice. "What do you want?"
"Kishishishi~ I want—" Moria's grin widened as he pointed. "—you to kneel and beg for mercy—"
BOOM!
A black halberd shattered the air, hurtling toward Moria's bloated body.
"YOU—!"
Moria's form burst into a swarm of bats, reforming at the ship's bow behind Sella. His face twisted into a snarl.
"Fine! Let's all die together, then!"
His fingers tightened around the Explosive Pills—
Rorschach's free hand rose.
DEEP BLUE.
A wave of Armament Haki erupted from his forehead, cascading down his body, swallowing the deck beneath him—
—then engulfing the entire ship.
Sella. Lucci. Every inch of the 40-meter vessel.
In an instant, the warship transformed into a shimmering, cobalt fortress.
Rorschach's halberd leveled at Moria.
"Go ahead. Detonate them. Let's see who dies first."
Silence.
Every person aboard stood frozen.
"Th-This… is Haki?!" Sella rubbed her eyes, dizzy. "No… no way! Who the hell uses Haki like this?!"
Lucci stared at the cerulean sheen coating the ship—then at his own Haki-covered arms.
A wave of helplessness crashed over him.
"How… do I even catch up to this?"
Just days ago, he'd regained some confidence after awakening Armament Haki.
He'd even challenged Rorschach briefly on the Sea Train.
And then—
Well.
He'd been put on his knees.
But Lucci had still believed that with enough training, he could surpass Rorschach one day.
Now?
This bastard wasn't just coating himself.
He'd wrapped an entire ship.
And he wasn't even breaking a sweat.
Moria's lips moved soundlessly.
Finally, he gritted his teeth.
"Fine. You win."
His body dissolved into shadow, fading from sight.
But Rorschach's head snapped to the side.
He leapt into the air, a crackling sphere of lightning forming in his palm—
"RAAAAAAGH!"
The bolt lanced across the sea, detonating hundreds of meters away.
BOOOOOOM!
Water geysered into the sky.
A pained grunt echoed—
—then nothing.
Only a wisp of shadow, vanishing into the horizon.
"Tch. Ran away like a rat."
Rorschach landed back on deck, frowning.
Something about Moria felt off.
His Observation Haki had caught every word exchanged earlier.
Shimoda had mentioned a "Vice-President Grelle" coming.
But instead—it was Moria.
Since when did a Shichibukai work as an errand boy for bounty hunters?
Even the Emperors couldn't order Moria around so easily.
As the deep blue Haki receded, Sella's eyes sparkled.
Her cheeks flushed as she shuffled toward Rorschach.
"You… you wanna…"
Oh hell no.
Rorschach braced himself.
"Join the Bounty Hunter Guild? As a Vice-President?!"
"…What?"
Rorschach blinked.
Sella nodded eagerly, her silver chains jingling.
"Yep! With your strength, you could even be President one day! I'll recommend you to Grandpa! You'd get access to rare resources, command elite hunters—oh, and the pay! A hundred million Beri a month! Same as a Marine Admiral!"
Rorschach stared at her. Then at Lucci.
"Are you high?"
He pointed at his Marine coat.
"I'm a Captain. With a future. Why the hell would I ditch the Marines to play bounty hunter?"
"Aww, don't be like that~" Sella pouted, leaning closer. "If Vice-President isn't enough… how about President?"
"President? Tch. Is your grandpa even dead yet?"
"W-Well…" Sella fidgeted, her chains clinking. "You'd need to be… family."
"Huh?"
"I-I mean…" Her face turned scarlet. "Marry me! Then you'd inherit the guild!"
"WHAT?!"
A giant question mark floated above Rorschach's head.
Was she proposing?!
"Sorry. You're not my type."
"W-Why not? Am I not pretty?!"
Rorschach eyed her.
To be fair, Sella was attractive—purple eyes, sharp features, pink pixie-cut hair.
But the excessive piercings and goth aesthetic?
Hard pass.
"You're fine. But I'm too young for marriage. Also—"* He jerked a thumb at Lucci. "—ask him. He's single."
Lucci's eye twitched. He turned away.
"Hmph! If you're not interested, don't push me on others!" Sella huffed. "He's nowhere near as strong as you! Probably couldn't even beat Andre—wait, where is Andre?!"
Rorschach winced.
Oof. Lucci's ego just got stabbed.
Meanwhile, Sella finally remembered her missing comrades and frantically hauled a hundred half-drowned hunters back aboard.
She groaned at the wrecked mast.
"No sails, no phone snails… how do we get back to St. Poplar now?"
"Easy. I'll move the ship."
"Huh? How—"
Her jaw dropped as Rorschach lifted the entire vessel on a current of air.
"W-Whoa…"
"Stop staring, lady. I'm underage."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LADY?! I'M 17!" She glanced down at her chest, blushing. "I just… matured early."
Rorschach resisted the urge to facepalm.
"Anyway—" He adjusted their course. "—your giant friend's currently getting chewed on by a Sea King. Wanna save him?"
"WHAT?!"
(End of Chapter)
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