Chapter 21: The Kuja Pirates
The waves of the sea surged, and Sanders remained unaware.
After escaping from Impel Down, he navigated a small boat through the calm belt.
During this time, some foolish sea kings attempted to snack on Sanders, but were either scared off by his Conqueror's Haki or became his meal.
Without a permanent log pose, Sanders could only use the magnetic field direction of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit to determine the cardinal directions.
He steered his course toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
Once there, he planned to acquire a decent ship and recruit crew members.
In the vast ocean, it was unrealistic to rely solely on himself to become a powerful figure.
To confront the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, he needed sufficient subordinates.
As Sanders was about to exit the calm belt, a large ship appeared within his Observation Haki range.
"A pirate ship from Amazon Lily?"
"Perfect! I can get some supplies and a log pose."
Lying in his small boat, Sanders opened his eyes, focusing on the direction of the Kuja Pirates' ship.
A blurry black dot, not visible to the naked eye, appeared in Sanders' view.
Aiming for the direction, Sanders turned his small boat and accelerated sharply, shooting forward like an arrow.
The commotion startled the sea kings lurking beneath the surface.
Soon.
A massive ship with a deep green hull and bright red cabin emerged before Sanders.
The ship was pulled by two ferocious sea snakes.
The sails were adorned with a skull pattern enveloped by nine snakes.
It was the ship of the Kuja Pirates, the Snake Princess!
As Sanders approached the ship, the crew members noticed him.
"All hands on deck! A small boat is approaching us!"
On the deck, a female pirate holding a monocular shouted loudly.
"How can there be a ship in the calm belt? Is it the Marines?"
"It's not the Marines; just a small boat."
"Should we report this to Lady Hancock?"
"It's just a small boat; no need to disturb Lady Hancock."
The crew of the Kuja Pirates stood ready with their weapons.
As Sanders' boat drew closer, one crew member asked, "Should we fire at them?"
"Fire a warning shot! The Kuja Pirates aren't to be approached lightly."
A crew member, with a cigarette in her mouth and a rocket launcher in her hand, stepped forward.
She was the sniper of the Kuja Pirates, Rindo!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three cannonballs exploded in the water before Sanders' boat.
The splash sent waves crashing around him.
Sanders raised an eyebrow, unfazed.
He continued to steer his boat closer.
Rindo frowned and immediately ordered to fire.
This time, it was not a warning shot.
Several cannonballs shot out of the cannons, aimed directly at Sanders' small boat.
As lightning flashed, Sanders casually tossed out a bolt of lightning.
The cannonballs exploded mid-air.
"All hands, prepare for battle!"
Rindo's expression stiffened as she gripped her rocket launcher, pointing it at Sanders' small boat.
"What's happening?"
The sound of cannon fire attracted the combatants of the Kuja Pirates, led by Boa Sandersonia.
She was tall, with long green hair, accompanied by a black leopard.
Before Rindo could respond, Sandersonia spotted the small boat speeding towards them.
With her good eyesight, she recognized the figure standing on the small boat.
Her expression changed, and she shouted to stop the attacking crew members.
"Stop! Let him come closer and see what he wants."
"Do you know this person, Lady Sandersonia?" Rindo asked, looking curiously at Sanders.
Amazon Lily was isolated from the world, consisting entirely of women, and they hardly ever saw men unless they were on an expedition.
Sanders used to be a Marine.
How could Lady Sandersonia know him?
Had they fought before?
Then Rindo dismissed that thought.
If they had fought, she would certainly remember; she was the sniper on the ship during Lady Hancock's first expedition.
"Where's Hancock?"
"My sister is inside; she should be out soon," Sandersonia replied.
Sanders had indeed known Hancock and her two sisters for a long time.
They had just escaped from the Holy Land Mary Geoise and ended up in the Sabaody Archipelago.
At that time, Sanders was living in the Sabaody Archipelago.
His adoptive father was a Marine stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago.
On the street, Sanders recognized the three little girls who had ended up homeless.
He later helped them find Shakky's bar, and with the help of Shakky and Rayleigh, the Hancock sisters managed to return to Amazon Lily.
They had a brief encounter, and Sanders was surprised that Sandersonia still remembered him.
--------------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my Patreon: [email protected]/OneFic