When the members of the Black Cat Pirates noticed something unusual above them, they all looked up. At this moment, they saw a huge phoenix covered in blazing flames looking down at them!
"A phoenix... it's a phoenix!"
"Captain Kuro, what should we do..."
Jango and the other pirates trembled, looking fearfully at the mysterious beast in the sky.
Kuro stared up unwillingly, gritting his teeth. "Damn it! It must be someone who ate a Devil Fruit!"
At this moment, the phoenix in the sky started to move. It began to gather a massive ball of fire. As time passed, the fireball grew larger, like a meteor about to fall!
"Captain Gulachi! We need to get out of here! Ryuen is about to unleash a big move!" Sharp-eyed Nami shouted without hesitation.
Seeing the growing fireball in the sky, everyone on the merchant ship remembered the thrilling scene from six months ago.
The power of that fireball was incredible!
"What are you waiting for!"
"Start the ship! Get out of here!" Captain Gulachi shouted anxiously at the dazed sailors. He knew that if they didn't act, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Meanwhile, on the Black Cat Pirates' side, some were already jumping into the sea, trying to escape.
"Run!"
"Run! Jump into the sea!"
"Hurry!"
The pirate ship had lost power, and Kuro and his pirates could only watch the fireball in the sky.
Kuro's eyes were wide with anger. This was his hard work, and he hadn't even started his journey to the Grand Line. Was his dream going to end here?
"Flame Emperor: Meteor!" Ryuen's shout reached everyone's ears!
A huge fireball rapidly descended towards the Black Cat Pirates, and Kuro and his crew watched in despair.
"Captain Kuro! Jump into the sea!"
As the giant fireball descended, Jango quickly pulled the motionless Kuro into the sea!
"Boom!!!"
In just a few seconds, with a loud explosion, the Black Cat Pirates' ship was blown to pieces!
The terrifying explosion created huge waves on the sea, throwing all the pirates into the air and then sinking them into the sea!
Under Nami's command, Captain Gulachi's merchant ship cleverly used the waves from the explosion to move far away from the blast area.
Once they were far from the explosion, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The fireball was truly terrifying!
"Wow... Nami, Ryuen is so powerful..." Nojiko watched the scene with admiration in her eyes.
It was her first time seeing Ryuen's attack, and it was amazing!
"Hehe, of course, Ryuen's ability is very strong." Nami was a bit proud. She had seen Ryuen's attacks many times and felt it was her honor.
"Nami, it was really you we met half a year ago, right?" Captain Gulachi still felt a bit scared.
The explosion just now was terrifying, even more so than the one six months ago!
Seeing Ryuen's transformation, Captain Gulachi finally believed that the phoenix from six months ago was indeed Ryuen!
"That's right, it was us who saved you back then. But listen up, you can't tell anyone about this! Got it?" Nami admitted it was her and Ryuen, but she also sternly warned everyone on the ship. However, her stern expression was too cute to be intimidating.
"Hahaha!"
"Don't worry, Nami, we won't tell anyone!"
"That's right, Captain Gulachi told us six months ago not to say anything!"
"Yes, don't worry, Nami, Nojiko."
Everyone patted their chests and promised. They were all men, and Ryuen was their savior, so they would naturally keep this promise.
Seeing everyone's attitude, Nami nodded in satisfaction.
At this moment, a beautiful phoenix flew towards them from the horizon.
"Wow, so pretty~"
"Yeah, phoenixes are really beautiful~"
"Hehe, of course!"
With a few swoops, Ryuen returned to the deck of the ship.
"Ryuen, you're back!"
"Ryuen, you were amazing just now, that was a phoenix!"
"You're really our little hero of Cocoyasi Village, Ryuen!"
"Of course, Nami collected the berries, so I have to protect everyone." Ryuen had just returned and was already receiving a bunch of compliments. Everyone was genuinely grateful to him.
"Of course, Ryuen is the best. By the way, Captain Gulachi, you still owe us the rest of the fee. Don't think you can skip it just because you praised Ryuen!" Little Nami suddenly remembered that Captain Gulachi had only paid half of the protection fee for this trip.
"Oh, Nami, don't be so direct! Although... although it's true..." Nojiko felt a bit embarrassed seeing Nami's berry-shaped eyes. This sister of hers really didn't leave any face for others.
But she was also happy to earn more berries.
"Hahaha, don't worry, Nami. When we get back to Cocoyasi Village, I'll settle the rest of the fee." Captain Gulachi laughed at the little money-grubber Nami.
Everyone laughed along. These three kids were just too cute, and they were so strong. Everyone felt especially safe now.
With the matter resolved, the three kids climbed back up to the lookout to enjoy the sea breeze.
The others, under Captain Gulachi's command, began to make simple repairs to the damaged deck. They were almost at their destination, so they would go to the shipyard for proper repairs later.
The merchant ship continued towards Clover Island.
Meanwhile, in the area where the explosion had just occurred, the sea had calmed down. Four people clung to a single wooden plank and floated to the surface.
These four were Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, Vice-Captain Jango, and the Cat Brothers Buchi and Sham. They had exhausted all their strength and were now lying on the plank, breathing heavily.
"Captain Kuro... what do we do now..." Jango asked with difficulty. The Cat Brothers also looked at Captain Kuro with confused eyes.
"Let's get out of here first. One day, we'll get our revenge!" Kuro said in a deep voice, his tone resolute, sending a shiver down the spines of the three beside him.
"Yes!"
"Captain Kuro!"
The four began to use their hands as paddles, slowly rowing the plank in a certain direction.
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