Chapter 270: Pirate Invasion

Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Pirate Invasion

A few days later, Gray Bream Town.

The bruises on Kuzan’s legs hadn’t fully faded, but the whip of hunger lashed out at him once again.

Relying solely on that half-loaf of moldy bread and the scraps of scavenged food the old man occasionally snuck him, it was impossible to sustain a growing boy.

He had to risk it again, slipping back into the relatively "prosperous" town area to try and find something discarded but edible in the market’s trash heaps or the dock’s unloading zones.

Today, the town seemed unusually noisy, with a faint sense of unease permeating the air.

But hunger left Kuzan no room for concern; he followed a familiar hidden path, sneaking into the port’s storage area. Sometimes sailors would toss out abandoned food here.

Just as he had found a piece of bread that was slightly moldy but still edible—

"Boom—!!!"

A massive explosion echoed from the direction of the town’s port! It was followed by a relentless barrage of gunfire, screams, the sound of collapsing buildings, and wild, arrogant laughter!

Kuzan froze in terror, the bread falling to the ground. He poked his head out fearfully, peering through a gap in the pile of clutter; his heart sank to the bottom of an icy abyss instantly.

Pirates! A large-scale Pirate Crew was swarming into Gray Bream Town like a plague of locusts!

The skull symbols on their flags were hideous and terrifying, and their cannon fire had directly destroyed the crude docks.

The pirates, armed with swords and flintlocks, cut down anyone they saw and looted every shop they found, showing no mercy whatsoever.

The already fragile town guard collapsed at the first touch, with several guards trying to resist being instantly cut down in pools of blood.

Flames began to ignite everywhere, and thick smoke billowed up.

The shrieks of women, the cries of children, the angry curses of men, and the wails of those facing death intertwined into a hellish scene.

The pirates laughed wildly as they roughly snatched away bags of grain, crates of goods, and even the slightly valuable ornaments from residents who had collapsed in terror; any resistance or hesitation was met immediately with cold steel.

Kuzan was scared out of his wits and turned to run back to the slums, but the alleyway leading there was already blocked by several pirates who were busy setting fires and looting.

He scurried frantically through the increasingly chaotic town like a headless fly, his ears filled with terrifying sounds and his nose filled with the scent of gunpowder and blood.

He saw the tax collector, who was usually a fierce bully, have his chest split open by a pirate’s blade; he saw the grocery store owner kneeling and begging for mercy, only to have his cash box stolen and be knocked unconscious with a gun butt; he saw a mother desperately clutching her child, only to be roughly torn away by a pirate—the child was thrown to the ground wailing while the mother’s piercing screams as she was dragged away made Kuzan’s scalp tingle with fear.

"I can’t stay outside! I’ll be found! I’ll be killed!" His survival instinct screamed frantically.

Kuzan’s gaze swept around, finally landing on several large wooden crates used for transporting fruits and vegetables stacked in the Mayor’s backyard.

He scrambled over on all fours, used all his strength to lift the lid, and his thin, small body squeezed into the two-meter-large crate.

The crate was filled with the smell of rotting produce, but at this moment, it was the safest haven in the world.

He hugged himself tightly, his body shaking uncontrollably and his teeth chattering, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The looting and slaughter continued.

The pirates conducted a carpet-style search of the town.

The cries gradually weakened—not because they had stopped, but because many people could no longer make a sound.

Particularly violent sounds of smashing and angry roars came from the Mayor’s house.

"Old man! Hand over everything valuable! Or I’ll slaughter your whole family!" the voice of a crude pirate leader rang out.

"There’s... there’s nothing left! Truly nothing! The money is all in the vault, and I gave you the keys!" the Mayor said with a sob.

"Bullshit! Do you take us for fools? How could a town like this only save up such a small amount of money? There must be a private stash! Search it!"

This was followed by the sound of frantic ransacking and the breaking of porcelain.

Suddenly, a pirate shouted excitedly:

"Captain! I found it! A hidden compartment in the study wall! There’s a box, and it’s locked tight!"

"Smash it open!" the voice of the one called Captain ordered coldly.

Bang! Click! It sounded like the strike of an axe.

Then there was a brief silence, followed by the Mayor’s distorted scream: "No—!!! Don’t touch that!! I beg you! That... that is the treasure our whole town pooled together, preparing to pay the ’tenryubito tribute’ again to apply for the restoration of our status as an Affiliated Nation town!! If you take it, our town is truly finished!!!"

"tenryubito tribute? Treasure?" The pirate Captain’s voice was full of mockery as he seemed to step closer. "Oh? A... Devil Fruit? This is your ’treasure’?"

"Yes, yes! That is an extremely rare Devil Fruit! It can be sold for an astronomical price! It is our only hope!" the Mayor pleaded.

"As long as we have the status of an Affiliated Nation, the Marine will protect us, and we won’t have to..."

"Shut up!" the pirate Captain interrupted impatiently.

"If you really wanted to use this thing to trade for Affiliated Nation status, why is it still here? Hmm? I suspect... you were preparing it for your own son, weren’t you? Wanted him to buy himself an official position? Stop acting like a damn saint in front of me!"

The Mayor seemed to have been struck in a sore spot and was speechless. "I... I..."

"Hmph, hypocritical old dog," the pirate Captain said coldly. "Since it’s your ’hope,’ then go to hell with it. Dispose of him."

"No! Wait—AAAH!!!"

The shrill scream came to an abrupt end, replaced by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground and the cruel laughter of the pirates. The Mayor was silenced.

Inside the wooden crate, Kuzan covered his mouth tightly to prevent any whimpers of fear from escaping.

He saw several pirates dragging a fat corpse dressed in silk pajamas, throwing it out onto the street from the Mayor’s side door like trash, blood snaking across the stone pavement.

"Captain, this fruit..." a pirate lackey asked about the Devil Fruit.

"Put it away first. A Devil Fruit... is indeed valuable. We’ll study it when we get back, or find a black market to sell it," the Captain seemed relatively cautious.

"Find a sturdy box to pack it in and put it with the other treasures."

As for letting his subordinates eat it now? Completely impossible! If this really was some powerful fruit, would these guys still recognize him as the boss after eating it? He was certain they wouldn’t.

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, out on the street.

Several low-level pirates were moving the looted gold, silver, and treasures to a central point. A pirate who looked like a small-time leader kicked a few empty wooden crates by his feet and cursed:

"Damn it, this Mayor had too much stuff, we’ve run out of bags! You, and you, go over there and bring a few empty crates to pack this up!"

"Yes!" Two pirates responded and began searching for usable containers.

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