Chapter 66: A Bloody Stand on the Shores of Loguetown

On a stretch of coastline on the right side of Loguetown, dozens of pirates had Johann completely surrounded.

His long green robe was soaked in dried blood, fresh knife wounds covered his body, and his right arm shielded Yotia behind him.

“Johann, there’s nowhere left for you to run!”

“Ever since you started up that so-called Pirate Hunters outfit, your fate was sealed.”

One of the pirate leaders glared at Johann with hatred. ‘Pirate Hunters’—just the name alone was a direct threat. No way they’d let him operate in peace.

“That kid next to you, that’s your son, isn’t it? Guess we’ll just wipe out the roots while we’re at it.”

“Let’s see how you try to escape this time!”

“Enough talk. Come on, then.”

Out of breath and clearly weakened, Johann faced the crowd. He forced his words to stay steady, even as exhaustion made his voice tremble.

“Yotia, in a moment I want you to run behind me. No matter what you hear, don’t look back.”

“Did you hear me?”

Johann looked down at Yotia, whose face was streaked with tears.

Johann had already made up his mind. He’d buy Yotia a way out, holding off these pirates long enough for his son to slip away by sea.

Yotia didn’t speak. Her little face was set as she clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to cry, and gave a solemn nod.

“He can’t keep this up much longer. All together!”

“Today is the end of the Pirate Hunters!”

“Get him!”

At the shout, every pirate there raised their blades and charged straight for Johann!

“Run!”

With a single motion, Johann hurled Yotia toward the beach behind him, then turned to face the pirates head-on.

“Roar!”

Just as blades were about to clash, White Tiger leaped dozens of meters in the air and landed right in the center of the chaos.

“What the hell is going on?”

A junior pirate leader shouted up at Karl, who was riding on White Tiger’s back.

“Kid, unless you want trouble, you’d better keep your nose out of this.”

“Our captain—Wiktor—is infamous across East Blue. If you know what’s good for you, walk away now.”

“Yeah, you’d best get out of our way while you still can.”

The other pirates chimed in, but their voices wavered.

Truth was, they were all a little intimidated. White Tiger now spanned ten meters nose to tail. That kind of beast inspired a primal fear.

White Tiger only used the Bone-Shrinking Art in crowded places—no need to cause a panic or risk exposing his true identity.

But out here, where no one was around, he had no reason to put up with those restrictions. Frankly, White Tiger disliked using the Bone-Shrinking Art anyway. It made his body feel all wrong, so he’d long since canceled its effects.

“You’re Johann, right?”

Karl barely spared the pirates a glance, then turned his attention to the blood-soaked man before him.

“Sir, I am Johann. May I ask…”

“Good. That makes things simple.”

“White Tiger.”

Karl patted White Tiger, then hopped down from his back and strode over to Johann.

As Karl slid off his shoulders, White Tiger bared his teeth at the pirates.

“Roar!”

“Fire! Hurry, shoot it!”

“Aahh! Help!”

….

“Sir, may I ask what brings you here?”

Johann was left speechless watching White Tiger tear through the pirates, chasing them all over the place.

He never expected someone would come to his rescue.

“I’m looking to get something done, but I can’t find the right person for the job.”

With a flick of the Golden Light Spell, Karl conjured a throne of solid gold!

“Heard your story. Figured I’d test you myself.”

Karl lounged on the throne, elbow resting on the armrest, head cradled in his right palm as his sharp eyes fixed on Johann.

“Gulp.”

Johann swallowed hard.

Karl’s overwhelming presence made his heart tremble. Out the corner of his eye, Johann caught sight of Yotia crouched behind the rocks, sneaking anxious glances toward Karl.

“What do you need me to do?”

Johann’s gaze hardened. Whatever else, agreeing was his only shot at survival—and at the chance to reunite with his son. He had no choice.

“Roar!”

Right then, White Tiger bounded back from the distance to sit next to Karl’s golden throne.

“Go clean up. You’re filthy.”

Karl grimaced, eyeing the fresh blood on White Tiger’s fangs and claws. He waved his left hand in distaste and shot the beast a look of irritation.

“Roar.”

Seeing Karl’s disgust, White Tiger drooped his head and slunk off toward the shore, glancing back plaintively every so often like a scolded child.

“I’ve got just one test for you. Bring me Wiktor’s head.”

Karl ignored White Tiger’s sulky behavior, curious to see Johann’s reaction.

Watching closely, Karl noticed Johann’s mouth twitch faintly. Clearly, he was troubled—but the look in his eyes soon turned resolute.

“Of course, I won’t be waiting here for you.”

“Here—this is my Den Den Mushi number.”

“Call me when you’ve finished the job.”

Since this was a test, Karl had no intention of lending any brute strength. He wanted to see if Johann could do it alone.

“Take this.”

“It’s a trial, but I won’t send you to certain death.”

Karl tossed 1/10 of a Rejuvenation Pill to Johann. From experience, anyone below Vice-Admiral level could recover quickly with just a tenth of a pill—let alone someone as weak as this.

Johann hesitated, weighing the small pellet in his palm. He glanced at Karl, but said nothing, just nodded once.

“Don’t underestimate it. That’s a Rejuvenation Pill—even though I carved it off a big one, just a sliver is enough to bring someone like you back up to full strength.”

Karl left it at that. After all, until you tried it for yourself, no one would believe such a tiny pill could work wonders.

“Bring me Wiktor’s head, and I’ll reward you with a much stronger elixir.”

“Otherwise, you already know what happens.”

“Remember what I’ve told you.”

“Don’t even think about running. You wouldn’t want to imagine the consequences.”

“Boom!”

Just then, Karl released a hint of Conqueror’s Haki, sending a shockwave of pure dominance crashing down on Johann.

Suddenly, he felt his breath catch, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat. Forced to all fours, it seemed like a mountain of pressure pressed him into the earth.

“Show me what you’re truly made of.”

“White Tiger, we’re leaving!”

With that, Karl vanished his golden throne and headed for town, White Tiger at his side.

Huff…huff…huff…

Johann watched Karl’s back retreating and gasped for air, sweat soaking the fabric down his spine.

“Father, are you okay?”

As soon as Karl was out of sight, Yotia ran from behind the rocks to help her father to his feet.

She’d seen everything from her hiding spot, knew they were only alive because of Karl, but hadn’t heard what he’d said to her father—only saw Johann suddenly collapse.

Fear had held her frozen, afraid to move until Karl had left. Only then did she muster the courage to run out.

“I’m all right, Yotia.”

“Though I really can’t say if this is for better or worse.”

Johann was no greenhorn—he’d seen his share of the world—but never had he felt a presence strong enough to force a man to submit.

One thing was clear.

If he failed this test, what waited for him would be truly terrifying.

In that wave of intimidation, he’d tasted mortal danger—life and death seemed no longer in his hands, as if he might die at any moment.

He knew running wasn’t an option—maybe, just maybe, saying no would already have gotten him killed. He couldn’t help but mock himself for the thought.

“I have to see this through.”

Johann glanced down at Yotia beside him.

He squeezed the little pill tight in his right hand.

He couldn’t know if this thing would work the way that man claimed.

He only knew one thing—Wiktor was out of his league, even with this one shot at recovery.

“I’ll have to plan carefully.”

“Come on, let’s get you something good to eat.”

Johann planned to entrust Yotia to a friend’s care. After tonight, it was clear she was too much at risk by his side.

After some thought, he’d decided to leave her with that friend for now. Once things settled down, he’d come back for her.