One Piece: Pirate Code

Gin wasn't good with words. After hearing Denton's remarks, he thought they were nonsense but didn't know how to respond.

William, however, chuckled and pointed out, "Captain, you're just afraid that taking too much of the supplies will leave the crew stranded, with no way to continue sailing. They'll be stuck in place, not going anywhere, and end up drawing the Navy's attention to us."

After Denton and the others took the last lifeboat, the remaining pirates had two options: either to try to find a place nearby where Denton and the others had taken refuge and kill the captain who had abandoned them or to follow the only remaining option that seemed to offer survival—continue sailing and find the next safe spot. Denton had deliberately only taken Second Officer Barmond and left the vice-captain, who had some knowledge of navigation, behind to prevent the pirates from falling apart and to give them someone to rely on so they could keep sailing and evade the Navy.

Denton paused for a moment and then, with a hoarse voice, said, "The situation on the ship is nothing more than whether we choose to die together. Do you think we can beat the Navy if we all stay behind? You're a smart man, William. In East Blue, there are always people who, driven by desperation, have no choice but to take risks. As long as you stick with me, we can easily gather a new crew and perhaps do even better than before. Worst case, we find this Navy group later and avenge those left behind."

William's gaze flickered as if he was truly considering Denton's offer.

Barmond, who had heard this, didn't say anything but spat angrily into the sea, clearly dissatisfied.

After that, there was little conversation among the crew. They simply took turns rowing the boat, sailing towards their destination under the guidance of the navigator.

Although Denton tried to win William over with his words, the two groups still kept their guard up. Another day and night passed, and by the morning, William, Denton, and the others were finally able to spot a small island in the distance.

Everyone was excited, and their spirits lifted as they began to row faster. However, William, taking advantage of the moment when Denton and Barmond weren't paying attention, signaled Gin.

As the boat came within a few hundred meters of the island, William suddenly acted. He whistled, then drew his cutlass and struck Barmond on the shoulder.

Barmond cried out in pain and fell backward, but unfortunately, William's attack was rushed, and he couldn't exert much force on the small boat, which was unstable. Despite being wounded, Barmond didn't lose his fighting ability. Using his fall to his advantage, he created some distance and grabbed his knife, swinging it at William's side.

"William, you really have guts!" he shouted.

Meanwhile, Gin, seeing William attack, immediately pulled out a dagger and lunged at Denton. However, Denton, with better reflexes and vigilance than Barmond, easily dodged Gin's ambush. He roared like a beast, "You think you can betray me with a few lackeys?"

Denton easily pushed Gin back, then took a step back to the front of the boat. From his coat, he pulled out a flintlock pistol, which was already loaded, and pointed it at Gin.

Gin had already discussed the plan with William and reacted quickly. Seeing that his ambush failed and Denton was drawing his gun, he immediately turned and leaped into the sea.

Realizing he had lost his target, Denton didn't continue searching for Gin. Instead, he turned his gun toward William, only to see that William had also leaped into the water, following Gin's example.

Cursing under his breath, Denton turned his attention to another small boat, where Valon and Aramis, hearing William's whistle, also turned on the navigator, Gore. However, the two of them were much weaker than Gin and William, and despite the ambush, they couldn't quickly subdue Gore.

Denton aimed his gun at Aramis, but just as he was about to shoot, the boat suddenly rocked. In a moment of distraction, Denton fell into the sea.

Caught off guard, Denton swallowed a mouthful of salty seawater. But what made him panic even more was the sight of a fish-like figure swiftly swimming toward him.

As a pirate captain who had lived on the sea, Denton was not a poor swimmer, but he was clearly no match for Gin, who had grown up by the sea and spent his days fishing.

Denton's many years as a pirate were not for nothing. His combat experience and physical strength were superior to William and Gin's, so from the start, William had planned to exploit his weaknesses.

To William, the outdated and old-fashioned flintlock pistol was useless in the water. Denton tried to throw it at Gin, but in the water, the gun was limp and lacked force. Akin easily dodged and swam up to Denton. In one smooth motion, he twisted Denton's arm, easily evading Denton's desperate grasp.

Gin grabbed Denton's neck from behind and reached for his one good eye, trying to gouge it out.

Denton, panicking, tried to block Gin's hand, but in his struggle, he didn't notice William, who had also entered the water. Holding a knife in his mouth, William silently swam up from the side.

William drew the knife and stabbed Denton in the abdomen. The sharp blade easily parted the water, cutting through fat and muscle, and destroying Denton's vulnerable organs. Blood flowed from the wound, quickly turning the water red. Denton opened his mouth to scream, but only bubbles escaped. Gin took the opportunity to shove Denton's blocking hand aside and dug his fingers into Denton's eye, violently ripping it out.

William pulled the knife out and then slashed Denton's arm twice. Denton, who had been flailing his arms, suddenly went limp.

Having dealt with Denton, Gin looked up at the position of the boat and began to drag the half-dead Denton toward the surface. But just as his head appeared above the water, a flash of cold light came toward him. Frightened, Gin quickly ducked back underwater.

On the boat, Barmond gritted his teeth, glaring at the surface of the water. If Gin dared to show himself, he would strike. He was determined to prevent Gin from returning to the boat. But Gin seemed unwilling to give up, repeatedly submerging and reappearing.

Suddenly, just as Barmond was about to swing his knife again, William shot up from the water behind him. He quickly grabbed the boat and leaped onto it, crashing into Barmond, who had turned to face him.

Barmond tried to strike William, but the latter blocked his arm. William quickly drew his bloodstained knife and thrust it into Barmond's shoulder. Barmond lost his grip on his weapon, and William took the opportunity to snatch it away.

"You think you're someone just because you're Denton's dog on the ship?" William twisted Barmond's body and kicked him to the ground.

Barmond, however, was fierce and unwilling to yield. "If you have the guts, kill me..." he growled.

Before he could finish, William stabbed him in the chest, staring into his eyes. He finished the sentence for him, "…kill you?"

William twisted the knife violently before pulling it out. Gin's head surfaced again. Seeing that William was the only one left standing on the boat, he knew that Barmond had been dealt with. He signaled to William, and together they hauled Denton onto the boat.

William first glanced at the other boat. Seeing that the fight there was over and Valon was waving at him, he finally let out a long breath and moved to help Gin.

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