"You think we'd just tell you everything? Don't kid yourself!"
The one known as Eagle fixed his sharp gaze on Vito. Though it came as a question, his voice brimmed with certainty.
"You've been lurking on this island for quite a while, haven't you? You didn't make your move until today, not just because you uncovered our secret... but also because of Golden Ring Aeridar, right?"
"Exactly," Rock said with a sly grin, shrugging his shoulders. "We didn't know who he was at first. But we sure as hell know the White Mane Pirates, and now they're following that guy. There's easily over a thousand of them. If it comes to a fight, it's going to get messy fast. Better to wrap things up before they catch wind of anything, rather than drag this out and let it spiral out of control."
He spread his arms, voice turning cruel. "Besides, we're a kilometer from the nearest town, thirty meters underground at a ritual altar. Once we take you out... the rest is easy."
"Take us out? Heh... bold talk."
The masked figure known as Tiger let out a derisive snort.
Suddenly, his muscles surged like an overinflated balloon, and his already large frame, around 2.5 meters, bulked up to nearly three meters. His bulging form strained against his clothes, transforming into a hulking juggernaut of muscle. If not for the loose fabric, they would've split apart long ago, yet even now, it clung tightly like a stretched combat suit.
"You pirate trash, drop dead!"
Tiger's massive body lunged forward, his fist the size of a cooking pot, slamming down toward Rock. The force of the punch whipped the air violently enough to sting the skin.
"What the hell? A Devil Fruit user?"
Rock's eyes widened as he watched Tiger's form balloon and felt the raw force bearing down on him.
BOOM!
The underground chamber quaked violently. Dust and gravel rained from the ceiling as debris shook loose.
When the dust settled, the stone floor had been smashed into a crater over a meter wide, spiderwebbed with deep cracks.
"You dodged, huh..."
Crack—crunch.
Tiger yanked his fist from the crater, rubble falling from his arm. His expression was unreadable behind the tiger mask.
"Causing this kind of destruction in a reinforced underground altar? That's some scary strength," Vito muttered, dusting himself off as he and Rock retreated to the chamber's entrance. His voice was grave.
They were thirty meters underground, this place had been reinforced to prevent cave-ins, especially since it was the site's most sacred location. For someone to cause that much damage here... was not something to take lightly.
"Captain, let me be the one to carry out the execution."
A loud, guttural voice echoed from the corridor. A bloodstained man lumbered in, tall enough to rival Tiger. His sleeves were drenched red, and he held a curved executioner's blade, dripping fresh blood. Tattooed on his thick arm was a triangular sigil.
"This one looks like he'll be fun to chop up," the man said, grinning viciously as he rubbed a hand over his buzzcut.
"You bastard, Muir Marcus! What happened to the men outside?"
The one wearing the snarling black wolf mask, Wolf, pointed a trembling finger at Marcus, his voice laced with fury.
"What happened?"
Marcus lifted his blade with a twisted smirk. "Heh... what do you think happened? I executed them, of course."
Muir Marcus was the descendant of an executioner in a kingdom's prison. By the time he was eighteen, he'd inherited the role and beheaded more men than he could count. But eventually, the job bored him. The prisoners never fought back.
So, one day, he butchered the entire prison—guards, prisoners, nobles, even innocent townsfolk being held over minor offenses. A total of 378 people. Not one survived.
The massacre was so horrifying that when cleanup crews arrived, dozens of soldiers suffered mental breakdowns, some went insane on the spot. More than a hundred soiled themselves in terror.
The king flew into a rage and issued an immediate bounty. Nobles hired assassins from the black market. The people demanded blood. Marcus fled the kingdom, took to the seas, and eventually joined Vito's Triangle Pirates.
Everyone who crossed him, Navy or pirate, lost their head just the same.
"You filthy scum... I'll tear you apart!"
Wolf's rage boiled over. His bloodshot eyes glowed crimson, as if they might start bleeding. More than half the guards outside had been his men, trained under him, handpicked. And now... they were all dead.
With a howl of fury, Wolf raised his right arm. His fingers curled into claws, and a dark, metallic sheen spread from his fingertips to his wrist.
Then he sprang. A black blur tore across the chamber, his clawed strike aimed straight at Marcus's skull.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The floor quaked under the clash, shockwaves blasting outward. Weapons racks and wine shelves shook violently. Dust kicked up, clothes fluttered in the sudden burst of air.
...
Aboard the Chris, flagship of the Chris Pirates.
Aeridar stood on deck, arms crossed, listening as Oliver reported from behind him.
"Captain. Most of the Triangle Pirates just headed to a shrine a ways outside town. Vito, Rock, Marcus, they're all there. They were being real cautious. If I hadn't bolted when I did, they might've spotted me."
"Looks like they're planning something big tonight," said Arlan, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Could be they're feeling the pressure we've been putting on them, and now they're trying to wrap things up quick."
Earlier that evening, one of their crew had stumbled upon the Triangle Pirates secretly gathering their men. At first, they feared a surprise attack and reported back to Aeridar in a panic. So, Aeridar had sent Oliver to investigate.
But what Oliver found was unexpected, the Triangle Pirates weren't preparing for a raid. Instead, they led a group toward an ancient altar roughly a kilometer from town. That alone raised Aeridar's suspicions.
A strange little town. A strange pirate crew. And rumors of a treasure. Could all of it be connected?
Furrowing his brow, Aeridar looked toward the shoreline settlement, deep in thought.
This town wasn't weak, far from it. If they could avoid conflict, they should. No telling what kind of trump cards the locals were hiding. If a clash broke out before his plan even began, losing manpower here would be a waste. And Aeridar hated losses he couldn't justify.
"Captain, what now? Should we take the chance and torch their ship?" Otto grinned, his tone dripping with menace. Longqing chuckled beside him.
"Gorbo, Millie, Mina, and Dalt stay back and guard the ship. Tell the others to be battle-ready at all times," Aeridar ordered sharply. "Oliver, lead the way. Arlan, Dimitri, Backan, Otto, you're with me. We're heading to that altar. Time to find out what they're up to… and maybe learn a thing or two about the secrets this place is hiding."
No matter what the Triangle Pirates were planning, Aeridar wasn't one to sit idle. If there were answers out there, he'd get them firsthand.
With that, he flicked his cloak aside, leapt from the ship, and disappeared into the shadows ahead.
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