The members of the Rocks Pirates were complex; although not every one of them was a monster, each had some degree of skills.
Miss Buckin was no exception. As a former member of the Rocks Pirates and one of the MADS members, she also possessed a certain level of combat power.
MADS encountered quite a few battles during their voyages. Although they relied on external power, each member of the team had their own skills.
Now, with Judge's Germa, Vegapunk's various inventions, Miss Buckin accompanied by Weevil, and Queen, who could be called a Mini Yonko, they each possessed their own combat capabilities.
Even Caesar, who appeared to be the weakest, was also a Logia user.
Weevil couldn't always protect her during battles, so the fact that Miss Buckin dared to go out alone with Weevil showed she had confidence in herself.
Weevil drew the attention of Marco and others, while Squard, who had previously been injured by Weevil, was now a weak point.
She pressed a button on her cane with her finger, and the seemingly ordinary tip of the cane extended into a sharp blade. Her small, frail figure vanished from her spot with an exaggerated speed.
Her plan was to capture Squard and use the Whitebeard Pirates' attachment to their comrades to force them to let her and Weevil go. But when Ace and the others appeared, things already went beyond Miss Buckin's expectations.
Squard didn't react in time, but the others noticed his unusual movement.
"What do you think you're doing to one of our people?"
A flash of cyan flames appeared in front of her. Marco had broken away from his fight with Weevil and arrived in front of Miss Buckin, seizing her cane in the process.
Jozu was in charge of defense, Ace focused on offense, and Marco's role was more that of aerial reconnaissance.
He would also take the initiative to attack when appropriate, but his main task was to provide support wherever a problem arose, ensuring that Ace and Jozu wouldn't suffer irreparable consequences due to mistakes.
Crack.
The front end of Miss Buckin's cane suddenly broke off. The detached part shot toward Marco's head like a small missile, but after the fierce explosion, all that remained were a few trails of regeneration flames on Marco's body.
"Not bad power, but unfortunately, you don't understand us well enough, and you don't understand Pops either."
The explosion had decent power, but this kind of conventional explosion couldn't affect Marco, who possessed the Phoenix ability.
The phoenix's talons sliced through the smoke and grabbed Miss Buckin, instantly reversing the situation. The one who had intended to use Squard as a hostage now became Marco's hostage instead.
If Miss Buckin had gathered sufficient intelligence, she would not have chosen to hunt down the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates alone with Weevil.
If she had truly understood Whitebeard, she would have known that he never cared about so-called treasure and had no enormous inheritance to begin with.
Her technological prowess is impressive, but she doesn't possess powerful Haki like Queen, nor does she possess Judge's combat abilities, let alone Caesar's Logia-type body. For someone like her to appear on the battlefield is simply unwise.
In the end, she had aged; no one can escape the ravages of time.
Facing an ordinary enemy might be fine, but now, in her old age, once someone of Marco's caliber got close, she appeared extremely weak.
"Weevil! Stop right now!"
"Mommy?!"
Seeing Miss Buckin held in Marco's grasp, Weevil immediately dropped his weapon and gave up resisting. Even when Jozu slammed into his chest, he didn't fight back and allowed the enemy to restrain him.
As for Miss Buckin, Marco had long since gagged her and tied her up. Although he didn't want to face it, the chains used for binding her were produced by the Beasts Pirates. Only Wano Country possesses the ability to forge such high-purity Seastone chains.
"To think someone like him actually possesses such power... Marco, what should we do with them?"
Weevil's various behaviors made it clear that his mind was not sound. Yet such a person's body contained terrifying strength.
"Let's take them back first."
"Take them back?"
"Yeah. Though I don't want to admit it, Miss Buckin sailed on the same ship as Pops in her youth. I'm not even clear on Pops' past, so let's investigate first before making a judgment."
Releasing her was definitely out of the question. With Miss Buckin's greedy personality, letting her go would only cause more trouble. Moreover, the things she had done with Weevil couldn't be ignored. The only option was to take her back and deal with it later on.
With three division commanders moving together, and Miss Buckin already captured by Marco causing Weevil to lose the will to resist, both were captured and brought back.
While the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates were taking action, other pirates weren't idle either. Killing, plundering - these were the norm.
The New World certainly has a large number of pirates, but compared to pirates, the civilian population is still much larger. The New World hasn't seen trade activities come to a halt just because of the rampant pirates.
Aside from the merchants of the Underworld, ordinary merchants were also bravely conducting their business activities.
Drawn by profit, they always ignore the danger.
But if you walk by the river often, your shoes will eventually get wet; some merchants were unlucky enough to encounter pirates. When their goods were looted, they themselves were also taken as part of the spoils.
For example, in Fullalead, a large number of people who had been captured were locked together.
The pirates of Fullalead not only plundered their cargo, but also demanded ransom from their relatives.
If no ransom was paid, they would sell these people to slave traders and squeeze out their last bit of value.
The cramped prison cells reeked with a foul stench. Sweat, sea breeze, and excrement mixed together to create a smell many found unbearable.
But in the crowded group, one section appeared relatively spacious. Though all were prisoners, this group had some means of saving themselves.
Unlike Queen, the pirates of Fullalead didn't suffer from persecution paranoia. So they didn't confiscate these people's Den Den Mushi. Instead, they let them gather their own ransom.
Those without means could only rely on these few people, humbly giving up what little space they had in hopes of earning favor.
"I'm a citizen of an affiliated nation! I need rescue! What are you Marines doing, wasting the taxes I pay?!"
When caught by pirates, most people's instinct was to call the Marines. And that was also the choice made by the majority. But some people chose a different path.
"Fools, do you really think a few merchants are enough to make the Marines go through all that trouble to rescue someone? If that were the case, Fullalead wouldn't have existed for this long."
"President, then are we just supposed to wait? Will those pirates really release us?"
"I don't know if they'll release us, but if they pay the ransom, my chamber of commerce is finished."
The pirates of Fullalead couldn't care less about others' lives, nor do they bother forming long-term relationships with those they robbed. That's why their ransom demands are exorbitant, enough to break a chamber of commerce's cash flow.
"Then you..."
"You're still young, so remember this: when you're asking for help, don't act all high and mighty. And don't think you're indispensable. You need to make the other party see your value.
Also, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Enough people have already called the Marines, we need a different approach."
As he spoke, he took out a business card and dialed the number on it.
"Sir Queen? It's me….do you remember me? I once bought some of the fruit your people were selling…?
"....No? Ah, it's fine, it's fine! I just wanted to tell you, our chamber of commerce recently acquired a batch of exceptionally high-quality azuki beans, but... I've run into a bit of trouble personally. I heard you offer mercenary services? I'm in urgent need of rescue."
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