Gin's mouth hung open, completely shocked speechless.
If Allen had used this kind of strength during their previous fight, a single punch to the jaw would have probably knocked him out cold on the spot, wouldn't it?
With punching speed so fast it was hard for the naked eye to track, if a blow landed directly on a vital spot like the throat or temple...
Recalling his previous clash with Allen, Gin felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of lingering fear.
"It's a bit too light for training, but swinging it around freely like a weapon really isn't that easy. However..."
Allen's mouth curled into a grin. "Arlong had better not be limited to just this level, otherwise it would be far too disappointing."
With that said, he slowly placed the massive cannon back onto its mount. His movements were so steady that it barely made a sound.
"I'm off. You guys get back to work. I'm going to see how the repainted Jolly Roger is coming along," Allen said with a smile, stepping forward to pat Gin on the shoulder before striding away.
After he left, the stunned Gin finally snapped back to reality, unable to stop himself from gazing at Allen's retreating back.
He hadn't expected that the more he interacted with him, the less he could fathom the true depths of the man's limits.
"Um... Commander Gin..."
"Do you think... Captain Allen can beat Arlong?"
"That... I don't know either."
Faced with his subordinate's question, Gin pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and ultimately could only give that answer.
Based on Allen's current performance, he could probably match Arlong blow for blow, but...
He strongly suspected that Allen's true strength went far beyond even this.
...
Returning to the first-floor dining hall, Allen headed toward a corner.
Aside from regular meals, the dining hall also served as the pirates' main hub for all sorts of entertainment.
Drinking and playing cards were naturally the most common activities. They gathered in small groups of three or five, accompanied by various cheers and groans.
Having just received over eight hundred thousand Berries each yesterday, this bunch of guys who couldn't keep money in their pockets immediately started squandering it.
Stepping past one gambling addict after another, Allen finally arrived at the corner of the dining hall.
A white canvas was spread across a dining table, with more than half of it hanging off the edge and trailing onto the floor. Two buckets of paint, one red and one white, were stacked nearby.
A young man with glasses and long curly hair was leaning over it, painting with earnest and meticulous care.
Noticing a figure approaching from the corner of his eye, the man looked up.
"You're here, Captain."
"Yeah. How's the flag repainting coming along, Randy?" Allen nodded, asking him around the cigar clamped in his teeth.
The young man called Randy hurriedly picked up a black flag from the side and unfurled it for Allen to see, smiling.
"The flag is already finished, Captain. See if this works for you."
The Jolly Roger still bore the design Allen had previously come up with: a skeletal lion's head with ferocious, demon-like fangs, backed by two crossed swords.
However, compared to Allen's rough drawing skills, this flag was painted far more exquisitely. The details were handled perfectly, capturing both the form and the spirit.
Randy had even painted the tufts of the mane in alternating red and white, making the Demon Lion design look even more ruthless and imposing.
"Not bad at all, you."
Picking up the Jolly Roger to inspect it, Allen broke into a satisfied grin. He set the flag down and pulled a small stack of Berries from his coat.
Seeing his actions, Randy couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth, his eyes practically shining.
"Here's a two hundred thousand Berry reward for you. Keep up the good work. Paint the ship's sails well, and I'll give you another three hundred thousand."
"Hehehe, thank you, Captain! I definitely won't let you down."
Randy nodded excitedly in agreement, his hands scrambling to catch the money Allen tossed to him.
"Alright, I won't hold up your work. I'm going to take a stroll elsewhere."
Allen waved his hand and turned to head back out.
Randy bowed excitedly and called out, "Yes! Take care, Captain!"
Only after Allen had walked far away did he stand up, staring at the Berries clutched tightly in his hands with boundless excitement.
He used to be a rustic painter living in a small village. Later, his hometown was destroyed by war, and with nowhere else to go, he joined Don Krieg's ship as a pirate.
His only skill, painting, was of no use on the ship. With his scrawny build, he could only do odd chores to earn a bite to eat.
He never expected that today, because of this long-neglected skill, he would be selected for the Zero Division, much less that painting a single flag would earn him a two hundred thousand Berry reward.
"The Captain really is generous..."
Randy couldn't help but sigh in admiration, a smile breaking out on his face, which was still speckled with a few drops of paint.
Just then, a burly man with a scruffy beard poked his head out from the side, his eyes fixed intently on the Berries in Randy's hands.
"Yo, Randy. You've got some pretty good luck, kid. We've been together for so long, and I never even knew you had this kind of skill."
"S-Sid...!"
Randy took two panicked steps back, clutching the money tightly to his chest.
"W-What do you want?!"
"Hahaha, don't be nervous. I just want to borrow a little money from you. Watching everyone else play cards is making me itch for a game."
The scruffy-bearded man, Sid, bared his teeth in a smile, greed leaking from his eyes as he closed the distance.
"Don't worry. Once I win some money, I'll pay you back. I absolutely won't owe you a single cent, yehehehe."
Bam!
As he spoke, Sid grabbed Randy by the throat and pinned him against the wall, reaching out to snatch the tightly gripped money from his hands.
Little did he know, two pairs of eyes were staring at him from behind with sheer excitement.
"The boss just set a few new rules. How about we use him to make an example out of someone, Buchi?"
"Hahaha, I think that's a great idea, Sham."
The Nyaban Brothers laughed maliciously.
...
A short while later.
Everyone on the ship was summoned, crowding together on the central deck.
In the empty space in the middle, a scruffy-bearded man knelt on the ground, securely hogtied.
"This kind of thing again, huh."
"He was punished by Commander Gin before. I can't believe he still hasn't learned his lesson."
"I think he was assigned to the Shipwright Division. He probably thought no one would manage him since the commander position is vacant. What an idiot."
The surrounding pirates whispered and discussed among themselves.
On the second-floor balcony, Gin's eyes were incredibly cold.
Allen cast a sidelong glance at him and asked, "Sounds like this isn't his first time attacking a crewmate. If he were still under your command, how would you punish a second offense?"
"The first time, I'd break his arms. If he offended a second time..." Gin's expression was ugly. He hesitated to speak, but finally amended, "Depends on the situation. I'd probably break both his arms and legs."
"You wouldn't just kill him?" Allen asked in return, a hint of icy coldness creeping into his tone.
Hearing this, Gin's heart skipped a beat. He immediately dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, bowing his head as he pleaded, "Captain! After all, it didn't result in any serious consequences this time. It was just a robbery, it shouldn't warrant..."
"Enough."
Before he could finish, Allen cut him off directly, saying flatly, "He was already taught a lesson, yet he still committed the crime of attacking a crewmate again. Punishing this kind of person any number of times is a waste of effort. It will only make him harbor resentment, and sooner or later, he'll become a cancer on this ship."
"Tie him to the stern and drag him for an hour. Let fate decide if he lives or dies. If he survives, kick him off the ship at the next island."
Allen's cold words fell. After speaking, he announced to the crowd below, "From now on, anyone who maliciously attacks a crewmate will face this exact same punishment."
"Furthermore, anyone with personal grievances can request a commander to mediate, or settle it in a public duel witnessed by a commander. Private brawls are strictly forbidden on this ship. Violators will be subjected to this same punishment."
"Did you all hear me?!"
"We heard you, Captain!!" the pirates below shouted in unison.
Allen looked back at Gin and asked, "Will you handle it, or should I let the Nyaban Brothers do it?"
"Please, let me handle it."
"Mm." Allen acknowledged, then waved the Nyaban Brothers over. "Go to the Fifth Division and call a few shipwrights to the captain's quarters. I want to see how we can remodel it."
"Hehehe, understood, Captain," the Nyaban Brothers laughed foolishly.
...
After Allen and the others left, the pirates dispersed as well, leaving only Gin and Sanji on the balcony.
"Rules are meant to protect the majority. Making concessions on certain things will only lead to greater losses in the long run. I hope you can come to terms with it."
Slowly exhaling a ring of smoke, Sanji patted Gin on the shoulder and silently turned to leave.
In his eyes, maliciously attacking a crewmate was equally an unforgivable crime.
The punishment Allen set was a bit cruel, but the very people these rules protected were these ordinary crew members.
In an environment where the strong preyed on the weak, the beneficiaries would always be the tiny fraction at the top of the pyramid. Without the protection of rules, everyone else besides the few commanders would be reduced to targets of exploitation.
Sanji couldn't really judge the matter.
If it were him, he might not have been so absolute, but he couldn't say Allen was wrong either.
Finally, Gin let out a long sigh. He immediately reined in all expression, jumped down to the deck, and grabbed Sid by the hair.
"No, Commander! I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, Commander Gin!"
Amidst Sid's wailing and begging, Gin remained expressionless, dragging the violently struggling man all the way to the stern.
"Whether you survive or not is up to your own fate. Down you go."
With that, Gin hoisted Sid up and threw him down without mercy.
"Stop, Comma—!"
Splash!!
Before he could finish, Sid smashed deeply into the water, kicking up a spray of cool waves.
A long rope was tied around his body, the other end secured to the stern railing, dragging him along as the ship sailed forward.
Gin pulled out his pocket watch, glanced down at it, and silently snapped it shut.
With his hands bound and only his legs free to move, being dragged across the sea for an hour meant that even a pirate skilled in swimming had a minuscule chance of survival.
Gin didn't leave. Instead, he sat cross-legged at the stern. Listening to the continuous pleas for mercy from below, he leaned against the railing and closed his eyes, his expression unmoved.
Later on, the begging slowly turned into cursing and furious roars.
Until the voice completely fell silent.
Gin remained unmoved, simply waiting quietly until an hour had passed.
Gin finally stood up and pulled up the now-lightweight rope.
The figure tied to the rope was long gone, leaving only bite marks at the frayed end. The man's corpse had likely already fed the fishes.
Retrieving the rope, Gin left the area with a heavy heart.
...
Returning to the deck, the crowd saw the empty rope in his hand and immediately guessed Sid's fate.
Although the man wasn't worthy of sympathy, in that moment, the pirates on the ship gained a new understanding of Allen.
This generous, polite captain who could casually joke around with them could just as easily kill a man with a single word.
Instantly, the crowd began whispering and discussing among themselves.
"He really shows no mercy. We'll have to be a bit more careful with whatever we do from now on."
"It's actually not that bad. The captain hasn't set that many rules."
"No attacking crewmates, no private brawls, no slaughtering innocents. As long as you don't do anything stupid regarding those three points, you'll basically be fine."
"That's easy to say, but what counts as slaughtering innocents? If a civilian points a weapon at me, can I not fight back?"
"Idiot, if they're pointing a weapon at you, do they still count as innocent?"
"Makes sense, hahaha."
Soon, the deck returned to its lively state, and no one brought up the minor incident again.
The ship was just missing one person; they were long used to this sort of thing. Back on Captain Kuro's or Don Krieg's ships, there were far crueler things than this.
Second floor, the captain's quarters.
Gin came over with the rope to report. As soon as he entered, he saw Allen pointing things out in the room with several craftsmen.
"Ah, Gin's here."
Noticing the arrival, Allen took out his cigar and raised a hand in greeting.
Gin walked forward in confusion. "Captain, are you planning to...?"
"Ah, I want to remodel the captain's quarters. Partition off a bedroom and a bathroom." Allen bared his teeth in a smile and said, "I have no desire to bathe with you guys in that pigsty of a bathhouse."
"Pig... pigsty..."
The corners of Gin's mouth couldn't help but twitch twice.
The captain's mouth really held nothing back; his insults were downright filthy.
Reining in his expression, Gin brought up the topic again: "Captain... I came to tell you about the execution..."
"Ah, you don't need to specifically report this kind of thing to me in the future. As long as the punishment was carried out, that's fine."
Allen waved a hand to interrupt him, turning his head to say: "The only ones on this ship I need to manage are you commanders. As for internal division matters, you guys can handle them yourselves."
"Yes, I understand," Gin nodded in response.
Just as he turned to leave, he bumped into a pirate who had arrived at the door. The pirate stopped and reported inside:
"Captain, Commander Gin, we've arrived in the waters of the Conomi Islands."
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