On the Single-Man Boat Bai Ye Was On
The sky was clear and cloudless.
"One… two… three…"
A soft murmur escaped Bai Ye's lips.
Holding the simple and ordinary katana in his hand, he aligned it horizontally.
Images of the horrors he had just witnessed—the purgatory on earth—flashed through his mind.
The ruins, the corpses, the blood.
Now, only coldness remained in Bai Ye's eyes.
"This way, I'll leave a few lucky ones alive to answer questions," he muttered to himself.
As these thoughts formed, Bai Ye became the center of a sudden shift.
Though the hottest time of the day had passed, the temperature around him began to rise at an alarming rate.
The sea water started to boil.
Schools of fish swam away frantically, fleeing the oppressive heat.
The once-refreshing sea breeze turned into scorching waves of air, slapping against all in its path like the blade of a searing knife.
And then—
Without hesitation, Bai Ye swung his katana, Ryūjin Jakka, in a single horizontal slash.
In an instant—
Hum~!
Swish!
An endless inferno erupted, covering the sky, consuming it, and pouring down toward the World Government fleet at sea.
Burning City Walls!
The World Government Fleet
"What… what is that?!"
The endless flames were upon them before anyone realized what was happening.
The members of the World Government, who had been lounging idly on deck, suddenly felt something was amiss.
The temperature around them had risen dramatically, and the air carried an unbearable heat.
Panic set in as they looked around, searching for the source of the inferno.
But it was too late.
The flames—carried by a force they couldn't comprehend—moved too quickly.
There was no time to react.
No time to prepare.
By the time they felt the terrifying heat at their backs, the three World Government fleets had already been consumed by the sea of fire.
The inferno spread across the once-blue waters, turning them into a blazing ocean.
G-64 Marine Branch
From the distant G-64 Marine branch, Marines stood frozen in shock.
What had once been a calm blue sea was now a raging sea of flames, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The inferno roared, consuming everything in its path.
The Marines, speechless, exchanged uneasy glances.
Each man saw the same disbelief and fear reflected in his comrade's eyes.
For a moment, no one spoke.
But all of them had the same thought.
The retired Marine colonel, Bai Ye—the man who had left their branch alone, the man who had lived quietly among them for years—was capable of this.
Such devastating power, kept hidden all this time.
If not for the destruction of his hometown, would Bai Ye ever have revealed his true strength?
The realization left the Marines trembling.
On the Blazing Sea
"Cough… cough… This… this must be a misunderstanding. We were only following orders!"
Amid the wreckage of the fleet, one of the scorched World Government officials clung to a charred plank, trembling in fear.
Bai Ye, standing tall on his boat, looked down at the man with cold, emotionless eyes.
"Misunderstanding? Do you really think that's possible?"
His voice was icy, devoid of mercy.
For over thirty years, Bai Ye had lived in that town.
Not once had he heard of any 'heavenly tribute' the townspeople supposedly owed.
Even if such a thing existed, the World Government would never care about the lives of ordinary people.
Destroying a town—or even a kingdom—was nothing more than a trivial act to them.
They were monsters, and Bai Ye knew it.
Justice delayed, he believed, was no justice at all.
He had served the Marines for forty years.
But Bai Ye had no faith in the so-called 'justice' the system claimed to uphold.
"Please… forgive me! You don't understand what you're doing!"
Another voice called out.
The speaker was a man severely burned, coughing as he clung to life.
"You… old man! You've been left behind by the times! Killing us won't change anything!"
Despite his fear, the man's voice carried desperation—and a hint of arrogance.
"Listen to me! These people you've killed were nothing but lowly peasants. But with your strength, I could introduce you to a distinguished lord in the West Blue. You could rise higher than you've ever dreamed!"
The man watched as Bai Ye remained silent, as if contemplating the offer.
Internally, the survivor burned with hatred.
If he could make it out alive, he would ensure Bai Ye suffered for what he had done.
But—
Before his scheming could go any further, Bai Ye's gaze shifted to the remaining survivors.
He raised Ryūjin Jakka and swung it without hesitation.
The heads of the remaining survivors, their eyes wide in disbelief, flew into the air.
In moments, only one man remained.
"Why… why?!"
The last survivor—now a lone, trembling man—couldn't believe what he had witnessed.
Self-muttering, he repeated his question.
But Bai Ye's voice interrupted his despair.
"The 'honorable' lord you mentioned earlier…"
Bai Ye's cold gaze bore into the man.
"…You can continue talking now."